The Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute is calling on social media companies to address the spread of violent speech and warmongering on their platforms to stop a looming war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Researchers at the institute have spent three years analyzing social media platforms’ role in exacerbating the 2020-2022 Tigray war and believe similar failures are happening again. “We performed computational analyses to quantify the level of hate speech on these platforms, and interviewed content moderators to better understand the organizational practices that have resulted in the platforms’ failures
DEI Under Fire is our monthly series that keeps you up-to-date on the latest DEI announcements and changes from the nation’s leading companies. This month, we discovered that Lego removed terms associated with diversity from its annual sustainability report despite adding more “diverse” characters to make its toys more inclusive. NASA fired Neela Rajendra, an Indian-origin official who served as the chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Yahoo removed multiple pages and other sections associated with DEI policies from its website. Here are some of the latest changes we
Marshmallow, a British fintech startup aiming to make insurance cheaper, faster, and fairer, has raised $90 million in equity and debt funding. The funding round, led by Portage Capital, will support the company’s expansion into new markets and products amid a growing migrant population. “We think of migration as a huge opportunity. We need migration to put more people into work, and we want to help people move and integrate into the UK,” CEO Oliver Kent-Braham told TechCrunch. The raise nearly doubles Marshmallow’s valuation to $2 billion. New investors include
Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink has received a 10-year license to operate in Lesotho. The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) announced the approval on Monday, April 14, 2025, as Techpoint stated. Starlink will be Lesotho’s first satellite internet provider operating in the country, highlighting progress in expanding the nation’s digital transformation agenda, according to Space In Africa. “The approval of this operating licence clears the path for the Authority to finalise the terms and conditions under which Starlink Lesotho will provide satellite internet services to individuals and businesses across Lesotho.
This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi dive into the economy—tariffs, trade wars, and how it’s all hitting small businesses. They chat about globalization, the mind games behind trade deals, and who really wins or loses. Plus, they touch on corporate accountability, the rise of Black-owned brands, and how culture shapes our views on economic fairness. Chapters 00:34 Trump’s Tariffs: The Winners and Losers13:16 Why Is Trump Getting Away With Everything?19:58 Fraudster Founders Are Getting Let Off The Hook?29:41 Topicals Founder Acquires Bread Beauty Supply Listen to the episode You
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing a $2.4 billion lawsuit over allegations that its platform contributed to ethnic violence in Ethiopia. A Kenyan high court has ruled that the case, brought by two Ethiopian nationals and a Kenyan NGO, can proceed. Hateful content contributing to real-word harm The lawsuit was filed by two Ethopians, Abrham Meareg and Fisseha Tekle, and The Katiba Institute, a Kenya-based NGO. They argue that Facebook’s algorithms amplified hate speech and inciteful content, fueling violence during the country’s civil war. They claim
Pre-seed venture capital firm Symphonic Capital has announced the launch of its inaugural fund of $13.5 million to invest in early-stage companies. Symphonic Capital focuses on founders who are closing critical access gaps within healthcare and financial services.”That’s because we believe everyone should have access to reliable healthcare and financial freedom, regardless of their race, gender or ethnicity,” Founder Sydney Thomas and partner Shruti Shah said in a press statement. The fund is led by experienced pre-seed investors and operators and backed by leading institutions, such as Known, Candide, Illumen
The Global Gaming League (GGL) has raised $10 million for its Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) round, led by Solyco Capital. The GGL is a multi-title gaming league with celebrity-owned teams made up of four players, each including high-profile influencers, actors, athletes, artists, and casual and professional gamers. These players compete in live events in games ranging from first-person shooters to sports titles and fighting games to the latest releases and retro favorites. The company was founded by Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum music producer and entrepreneur Clinton Sparks in partnership with T-Pain and tech entrepreneur Jeff
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) has announced the launch of the Innovation Leader Scholarship, as stated in a press release. This unique initiative aims to support upcoming diverse leaders in engineering and computer science and inspire them to influence the future of technology. The Innovation Leader Scholarship will financially support five outstanding rising sophomore, junior, and senior students undertaking engineering or computer science degrees. The Innovation Leader Scholarship Recipients must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and be enrolled at an ABET-accredited engineering college that is part of the
OneUnited Bank, one of the nation’s largest Black-owned banks, is partnering with the credit-building platform Esusu to change the path to homeownership for renters during Financial Literacy Month. Esusu uses data to help improve users’ credit scores, allowing people to make it easier to get onto the housing ladder. “This alliance is all about empowering renters with the financial tools they need to turn their homeownership dreams into reality,” Teri Williams, President & COO of OneUnited Bank, said in a press release. OneUnited Bank’s collaboration with Esusu By reporting on-time rental payments, this
