Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>Users across the world have taken to Twitter to complain about how <keyword id="4719961" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="houseparty">Houseparty</keyword> has been hacking into other apps on their phones like <keyword id="685487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spotify">Spotify</keyword>. </li><li>Houseparty’s parent company has denied these reports.</li><li>Houseparty has said that it would pay a $1 million bounty to find out the entity behind what the company described as a paid commercial smear campaign.</li></ul>The app of the <keyword id="58679" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Quarantine">quarantine</keyword> season is Houseparty. Locked in their homes, people from around the world have been logging in to Houseparty, for a virtual party with their friends. The app with its variety of games and fun quirks where you can crash a mutual friend’s party became a hit immediately. But now comes trouble. Users across the world have taken to Twitter to complain about how Houseparty has been hacking into other apps on their phones like Spotify. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="ScarredNtScared" handlename="Michelle Elman" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1229488678680039425/Tyr4QkMX_normal.jpg" favoritecount="20" retweetcount="3" status="Hate to add to the house party hack stories but I’ve had someone try to hack my insta over 500 times in the last we… https://t.co/W3ce8Qry3E" createdat="1585593934000" id="1244697291220553731"></div>







 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="leanne_lioness" handlename="Leanne The Lioness 🇯🇲🇬🇧🇰🇳🍊" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1195750338218905600/MjC9SMSO_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Stay Safe people #housepartyapp #hack https://t.co/h3kdZ7E9bX" createdat="1585613107000" id="1244777710804766726"></div>







 Houseparty has said that it would pay a $1 million bounty to find out the entity behind what the company described as a paid commercial smear campaign. People have also been sharing a thread of screenshots, where users have noticed new logins onto their Spotify and Uber accounts. Some have even complained that their bank accounts have been hacked. However, Houseparty has denied such reports. "We’ve found no evidence to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts," an Epic Games spokesperson told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houseparty-not-hacked-netflix-spotify-passwords-2020-3?IR=T">Business Insider UK. </a> "As a general rule, we suggest all users choose strong passwords when creating online accounts on any platform. Use a unique password for each account, and use a password generator or password manager to keep track of passwords, rather than using passwords that are short and simple,” the spokesperson told Business Insider UK. Epic Games is the American video game company that’s behind Houseparty. The app actually came into existence in 2016 and had a short-lived fame but the quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic brought back the app to its victory. Meanwhile, security experts too have dismissed that Houseparty could have hacked into your phone. "The news that Houseparty has been hacked is causing a bit of a stir on social media at the moment. The puzzling thing is that there's no evidence to suggest that Houseparty has been hacked and credentials stolen. Houseparty's popularity has skyrocketed lately due to many people being stuck at home and wanting to connect with others. One likely scenario is that the <keyword id="4734652" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Houseparty-App">Houseparty app</keyword> is the last app many users may have installed and registered using the same credentials as other apps, such as Netflix, Spotify and countless others. Criminals are constantly using old, compromised credentials to access online services in credential stuffing attacks. Correlating these two events seems to be what's causing all the fuss. If you are worried about these types of cyberattacks, our advice is to always turn on multifactor authentication (when available) and use a password manager to create and store long, complex and unique passwords for each service you sign up for," said John Shier, senior security advisor at Sophos. The news has reached its Indian users, who have discovered the app recently. They are now forwarding the screenshots of the supposed hacks and questioning – should we delete houseparty, the one fun thing? See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/houseparty-app-online-ludo-to-playing-tambola-across-the-street-lockdown-has-made-people-go-back-to-their-hobbies/articleshow/74845852.cms">From Houseparty app, online ludo, to playing tambola across the street – lockdown has made people go back to their hobbies</a>

Houseparty says the app has not been hacked – now offers $1 million to anyone who can prove the hack

HousepartyHouseparty said it was investigating claims of a 'smear campaign'<ul class="summary-list"><li>Popular group calling app Houseparty is sticking to its belief that it's the subject of a paid smear campaign that is spreading rumours the app has been hacked. </li><li>The company says it has discovered the original posts on Twitter first claiming the app had been hacked - but most have either been deleted or suspended. </li><li>Houseparty users complained on social media that their other online accounts such as Netflix and Spotify were hacked thanks to the app, but there was no evidence to back up these claims.</li><li>The firm said these claims were part of a "smear campaign" and offered up to $1 million to anyone who can supply proof.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Group calling app Houseparty says it has found the original posts on Twitter that first spread claims it got hacked - but those posts have now vanished.Earlier this week, some apparent Houseparty users <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=houseparty%20hack&amp;src=recent_search_click">complained on social media</a> that their PayPal, Netflix, Spotify and online banking accounts were compromised, with one Twitter user urging Houseparty: "pls don't hack me I just wanna speak to my friends." It isn't clear how these users thought Houseparty may have compromised their other accounts.Unusually, the firm went on to claim the posts were part of a paid smear campaign and offered a $1 million bounty to anyone who could provide proof - though it has yet to publish any terms and conditions for anyone wanting to claim the cash.Approached for an update on Wednesday, a Houseparty spokeswoman said: "Our investigation has found that many of the original tweets spreading the claim have been deleted, and we've noticed Twitter accounts suspended. "It's a disheartening situation for a service like ours that's bringing people much needed face-to-face social connections and empathy at a critical time." Business Insider understands that Twitter has yet to find evidence of a coordinated campaign.Houseparty has seen its popularity skyrocket in parallel with extensive social distancing measures around the world.Its app lets users take part in group video chats, games and quizzes, and has surged in popularity during coronavirus lockdowns imposed on people across the world. <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/26/houseparty-discord-zoom-and-marco-polo-downloads-explode-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/">According to Apptopia data cited by VentureBeat</a>, downloads of the app grew 2,000% from mid-February to mid-March.Houseparty has something of a history with Twitter.The app's predecessor "Meerkat" was a live streaming app that allowed users to broadcast videos - including via other social media apps like Twitter. In 2015, weeks after its release and a jump in popularity, Twitter cut off Meerkat's access to its network and brought rival Periscope in-house. Meerkat was subsequently subsequently shut down and replaced by Houseparty, with many personnel staying on for the transition. Speaking at the time, then-CEO <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/06/meerkat-founder-on-getting-the-kill-call-from-twitter/">Ben Rubin told an audience at Disrupt NY</a> that finding out Twitter had cut off Meerkat's access "sucked". Houseparty launched in 2016 and was acquired by Epic Games in 2019. Epic Games is also the creator of hit game "Fortnite".Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.And get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus analysis and research</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bidets-better-than-using-just-toilet-paper-2019-9">Why bidets are better than buying countless rolls of toilet paper</a></h3>

Houseparty says many of the original Twitter posts spreading rumors it got hacked have now disappeared

HousepartyThe Houseparty video chat app in action.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Group calling app Houseparty says rumors it's been hacked are a "smear campaign" and that it will offer up to $1 million to anyone who can supply proof.</li><li>In the last 48 hours, Houseparty users complained on social media that their other online accounts such as Netflix and Spotify were hacked thanks to the app.</li><li>But on Monday, a Houseparty spokeswoman told Business Insider it had "found no evidence" to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts.</li><li>In a follow-up comment, the spokeswoman told Business Insider that it was "investigating indications that the recent hacking rumors were spread by a paid commercial smear campaign to harm Houseparty."</li><li>The Houseparty app lets users take part in group video chats, games and quizzes, and has surged in popularity during coronavirus lockdowns.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Group calling app Houseparty says rumors it's been hacked are a paid smear campaign, and the company is offering $1 million to anyone able to prove it.Houseparty users have been <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=houseparty%20hack&amp;src=recent_search_click">complaining on social media</a> that their PayPal, Netflix, Spotify, and online-banking accounts were compromised, with one Twitter user urging Houseparty: "pls don't hack me I just wanna speak to my friends."The implication is that Houseparty is compromised in some way, allowing hackers access to other online accounts, although there is no evidence for this.On Monday, a Houseparty spokeswoman told Business Insider it had "found no evidence" to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts, while also urging the app's users to create strong, unique passwords.On Tuesday, the company took a more aggressive tack. The firm said it had "indications" that all the rumors of a hack were part of a "paid commercial smear campaign" to harm its business.The firm said it will offer $1 million to anyone able to provide proof.The Houseparty app lets users take part in group video chats, games and quizzes, and has surged in popularity during coronavirus lockdowns imposed on people across the world. <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/26/houseparty-discord-zoom-and-marco-polo-downloads-explode-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/">According to Apptopia data cited by VentureBeat</a>, downloads of the app grew 2,000% from mid-February to mid-March.The app is owned by Epic Games as of 2019, also the creator of hit game "Fortnite."<a href="https://store.businessinsider.com/collections/pro/products/connectivity-tech-briefing-subscription?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=spotify&amp;itm_campaign=connectivity-tech-briefing-subscription-2%E2%80%9D>&lt;img%20src=" style="width: 100% !important"></a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bidets-better-than-using-just-toilet-paper-2019-9">Why bidets are better than buying countless rolls of toilet paper</a></h3>

Houseparty says rumors it's been hacked are a paid smear campaign and it's offering a $1 million reward for proof

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Leah MilliFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Facebook killed off talks to buy video-chat app Houseparty late last year over concerns it could draw unwanted antitrust scrutiny, sources told The New York Times.</li><li>Houseparty gained huge popularity with under-24s last year, and was bought by "Fortnite" developer Epic Games in June.</li><li>Facebook's acquisitions, including Instagram and WhatsApp, have been a particular point of criticism by lawmakers who want to see the company broken up.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>Facebook killed a deal to buy a video-chat app popular with teens out of fear it might draw attention from antitrust regulators, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/technology/facebook-antitrust.html">The New York Times reported Monday</a>.Houseparty is an app that allows multiple people to video chat at once, and became <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houseparty-video-chat-app-friends-sima-sistani-2018-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">hugely popular with under-24s</a>, a market which Facebook was eager to re-capture.Two sources familiar with the matter told the Times that Facebook was in "advanced discussions" to buy Houseparty in December last year, but corporate development team stepped in to kill off the deal, fearing it might draw yet more scrutiny from lawmakers. Houseparty was instead <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fortnite-creator-epic-games-acquires-group-video-chat-houseparty-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">bought by Epic Games</a>, the game studio behind "Fortnite," in June of this year.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-cofounder-met-with-us-government-breaking-up-facebook-report-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes is reportedly talking to the US government about how to break up Facebook</a>Facebook and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-broad-probe-into-big-tech-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">Silicon Valley as a whole</a> has faced heightened antitrust scrutiny this year. The company formally announced in July that it was the subject of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-ftc-antitrust-investigation-june-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">an ongoing Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation</a>.Its acquisitions, in particular, are a point of contention, with lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren calling for Facebook to be broken apart from its subsidiaries such as Instagram and WhatsApp.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-responds-calls-break-up-the-company-2019-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">Mark Zuckerberg has voiced his opposition to the idea of breaking up the company</a>, saying Facebook's giant scale affords it the resources to fight abuse on all its platforms. Earlier this month, it was reported that the company was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-rebrands-instagram-whatsapp-from-facebook-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">rebranding Instagram and WhatsApp</a> to "Instagram from Facebook" and "WhatsApp from Facebook," possibly an attempt at cementing its ownership in the eyes of antitrust officials.Facebook and Houseparty were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Business Insider. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-privacy-hacking-scandal-mark-zuckerberg-cambridge-analytica-2019-5">Facebook's scandals aren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Facebook called off a deal to buy Houseparty because of fears it would attract unwanted antitrust scrutiny

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ransomtech/">Flickr / RansomTech</a>The social interaction is missing from most social media.</div></div></div><ul><li>Teens are abandoning Facebook in dramatic numbers.</li><li>Where are they going? Millions of people under the age of 24 are gathering on Houseparty, a group video-chat app.</li><li>Teens are embracing Houseparty because they say it's the next best thing to hanging out with friends in person.</li></ul> For the first time in its history, Facebook didn't add any <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-growth-problems-will-get-worse-2018-7">daily active users</a> in North America in the past quarter. It's not totally surprising. Facebook has been hampered by scandal after scandal, at the same time teens are abandoning the social network in dramatic numbers, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generation-z-facebook-2018-1">studies</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/01/facebook-teens-leaving-instagram-snapchat-study-user-numbers">show</a>. Finally, Facebook looks like it's stalling out.But if <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-gen-z-generation-z-what-teens-are-like-2018-6">Generation Z</a> kills Facebook, where will the young people go?Twenty million people are gathering on <a href="https://houseparty.com/">Houseparty</a>, a group video-chat app most easily described as FaceTime but with more people.It's a social media platform that feels a lot like the past. When you open the app, it asks you to signal that you'd like to chat, then notifies your friends that you're "in the house." If your friends are already online, you can start a video chat or join an existing room with a single tap. Users can hang with up to eight friends at once.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-the-houseparty-app-2016-12">Here's how to use Houseparty, the live video app that teens are going crazy for</a>More than half of Houseparty users are under the age of 24, which puts it squarely in favor with America's youngest generation.And they are obsessed. Houseparty users spend an average of 51 minutes a day on the app, which puts their engagement ahead of Facebook's 50 minutes (Messenger and Instagram included) and Snaphat's 30 minutes. This metric would make any app developer jealous, and it happened for the people behind Houseparty simply because they made the social network that they always wanted.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">HousepartyHouseparty lets users chat with up to eight friends at once.</div></div></div><h2>The gool ol' days of AIM</h2>Sima Sistani remembers the days of returning from class and signing onto AOL Instant Messenger in her college dorm. She and her friends recapped their first (and many bad) dates while "studying" on the app. It looked something ~*LiKe ThIs*~. Though the personal computer gave her a screen to hide behind, Sistani - who is cofounder of Life On Air, the company that built Houseparty - still more or less talked to her friends on AOL Instant Messenger. There was emotion pouring through her fingertips.Plenty of social media apps today ask teens to interact with their friends by thumbing through an endless feed of photos, text, and video, and tapping to like or comment. They have more connections on social media than ever, yet many of those friendships are thin, leaving people wanting more meaningful connections in life."Social media started as this promise to connect people," said Sistani, who studied sociology. She added, "I don't think the social media that's out there today is delivering on that promise."<h2>Meerkat's second act</h2>Houseparty isn't the company's first crack at creating a better social media platform. In 2015, Life On Air launched a live-streaming app called Meerkat that let people broadcast from their mobile phones to friends and interested strangers. It spawned everywhere overnight.But Meerkat failed spectacularly, raising $12 million in new funding before fizzling out amid competition from Facebook and Twitter.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">HousepartySima Sistani and Ben Rubin are cofounders of Houseparty.</div></div></div>According to Sistani, the Meerkat team set out to connect people in the most human way possible when physically apart. But their method for doing so came to alienate their target users: people like them."We have these devices that are in our pockets, they allow us to bring people into our point-of-view, and that's going to connect everybody," Sistani said. "But it didn't. What it did was create a stage. A stage is inherently a performance, and the people who are best at performing are influencers and media creators; not me, not you. That's when we took a step back and thought, 'OK, it's not meant to be a stage. It's not meant to be a performance. It's supposed to feel like a house party.'"Sistani and her team took inventory of what they loved about Meerkat and tried again, hacking together the Houseparty prototype in 10 months.<h2>What's its secret?</h2>All conversations on Houseparty, which launched in 2016, happen in real time. They're between friends and sometimes friends of friends, when a user invites their buddy to join a group video-chat.The app is scrubbed clean of "like" buttons, comments, news feeds, and follower counts. You won't find filters or animations to spice up what users see. Everything about the product communicates that "this is a place for the people you care about most," Sistani said.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">HousepartyIn a survey of 1,000 social media users, Houseparty had the highest percentage of people saying they felt happy after spending time on the app.</div></div></div>In fact, people on Houseparty have a median number of 23 friends. By comparison, a survey of 1,000 social media users found that people on Facebook report having 269 friends, while Instagram 'grammers have a median 348 followers, according to Houseparty and trend forecasting and consumer research firm Trendera.About 70% of survey participants said their friends on Houseparty are "real friends," compared to just 35% on Instagram. As such, they have a better time hanging out on Houseparty.The survey asked participants if they felt happy after scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, watching their friend's stories on Snapchat, and video chatting on Houseparty. Houseparty had the highest percentage of people saying they felt happy after spending time on the app, though it was topped by the 84% of participants who said they felt happy after hanging out with friends in person."I think on a lot of these platforms, what ends up happening is we quote-unquote friended all these people, and it turned into a popularity contest," Sistani said. "That has consequences for what you end up putting out there, how it represents you."She added, "For Houseparty, my hope is that we can bring people back to face-to-face, back to real-time connection and communication. And part of that is making sure that the next generation - my kids in particular - know the right reaction to excitement, not just the right emoji for it. What we're really trying to do here is bring the humanity, the soul, back to social media." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-favorite-brands-instagram-snapchat-sony-adidas-microsoft-2016-12">Teens told us the brands they love and can't live without</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Generation Z is obsessed with this video-chat app - they say it's the next best thing to hanging out in person

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.AP<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-buys-dark-sky-weather-app-2020-3?op=1&amp;r=US&amp;IR=T">Apple has acquired the weather app Dark Sky, and will shut down the Android version</a>. Dark Sky's creators initially pitched the app on Kickstarter and raised just shy of $40,000 to build it.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/palantir-providing-cdc-with-coronavirus-tracking-software-report-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Palantir is reportedly providing software to help the CDC track the coronavirus pandemic</a>. Palantir's software uses data from hospitals and public health agencies - such as test results, bed capacity, and ventilator supply - to give the CDC insight into where additional resources are needed.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-mayor-orders-investigation-amazon-warehouse-worker-firing-coronavirus-protest-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">New York City has opened a human rights probe into Amazon's firing of a warehouse worker</a>. Amazon fired employee Chris Smalls after he had helped organize a walkout to protest the company's coronavirus response.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xerox-hp-ending-hostile-takeover-bid-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Xerox has dropped its $30 billion hostile takeover bid for for HP</a>. Xerox said the decision was disappointing but that it had to prioritize the health and safety of employees and customers. </li><li><a href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-covid-19-oyo-softbank-uk-staff-furloughed-134842053.html?soc_src=social-sh&amp;soc_trk=tw">SoftBank-backed hotel chain Oyo has furloughed the majority of its UK staff, according to Yahoo Finance</a>. In an email to staff, Oyo said it was experiencing a sharp downturn in business thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.</li><li><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/monzo-ceo-wont-take-a-salary/">The chief executive of buzzy British startup bank Monzo, Tom Blomfield, will forgo his salary for 12 months as a precautionary step to weather the coronavirus downturn</a>. A number of Monzo's employees will also take voluntary furlough.</li><li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/wework-gives-half-off-rent-to-some-tenants-signing-longer-leases?srnd=technology-vp">WeWork is offering tenants up to 50% off their rent in order to get them to sign longer leases</a>. Bloomberg reports that the offer is targeted at users of the co-working company in the US who often sign shorter deals. </li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-commits-to-paying-contractors-after-some-were-told-theyd-lose-work-11585667276?mod=tech_lead_pos1">Apple has agreed to pay hourly workers having previously suggested that contract workers would have their roles suspended without pay</a>. The tech giant has hundreds of workers at its California campus including janitors and bus drivers. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zoom-privacy-issues-fbi-facebook-data-sharing-2020-3?op=1&amp;r=US&amp;IR=T"></a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houseparty-hack-1-million-bounty-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Video-call app Houseparty says rumors it's been hacked are a paid smear campaign and that it will offer a $1 million reward for proof</a>. In the last 48 hours, Houseparty users complained on social media that their other online accounts such as Netflix and Spotify were hacked thanks to the app.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/locum-startups-boom-coronavirus-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Doctor-staffing startups boom in usage as healthcare systems scramble to respond to the pandemic</a>. Locum's Nest, a UK app that helps connect physicians with work, has seen a 37% month-to-month spike because of COVID-19.</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-covid-19-social-distancing-looks-from-maxar-satellite-2020-3">How social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic looks from a satellite</a></h3>

10 things in tech you need to know today

<ul><li><keyword id="7826063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="paytm-first-games">Paytm First Games</keyword> tripled the number of new users on its platform. </li><li>The company said that it has been adding 75,000 new users every day. </li><li>Among the games, Rummy has gained maximum traction with users and games played doubling every week. </li></ul>Paytm First Games – Paytm’s games arm – has seen a 200% increase in users in the month of March as people stayed home due to the lockdown. The company said that it has been seeing 75,000 new users being added to the platform every day. “As malls, movie theatres and popular hangout options shut down temporarily in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, online gaming is picking up as a popular option for stay at home entertainment. We are seeing a significant uptick in downloads of our app and the time spent and engagement in our online games has increased manifold,” said Sudhanshu Gupta, COO, Paytm First Games. Gupta also said that the number of new users tripled in March. He added that their user base belongs to the age group of between 18-45 years. “What is interesting to observe is that while a large chunk of our users are from metropolitan cities, there has been a bigger contribution of the new users from tier-II, tier-III and the rest of India towns,” he said. As the pandemic spreads, Indian government placed a lockdown in the country. People have been staying home as millions of professionals also work from home. During these times, people are attracted to online games. Globally, the Houseparty app has blown up in terms of users and popularity, where people are having a party with their friends virtually. Even at Paytm First Games, games like Rummy, Ludo, Pool, Snake Wars, Whack a Mole and Danger Dash have seen a lot of traction. Among the games, Rummy has gained maximum traction with users and games played doubling every week. The company also said that every month it gives out rewards and gratification worth more than ₹10 crore. Meanwhile, another gaming company Winzo games too has seen a similar spurt of growth. To cater to the audience WinZO has been adding global blockbuster games such as Tencent's PUBG, Garena's Free Fire, Ludo among many others. The platform is offering free content for the first-time as an effort to support the audience with social gaming during the lockdown due to tbe corona pandemic. “There has been a surge in gaming activities since the lockdown has started. WinZO has seen a 30% surge in online traffic on their platform in the last two weeks. The surge in traffic is mainly from Tier I and metro cities over the last two weeks. As most cities in India are under complete lockdown, people have very limited social entertainment options but the need to be connected with a community stays. Game Play on WinZO is up three times as compared to a regular day. It’s not only India that is witnessing a huge jump in gaming activities, Italy has also seen a 70% increase in gameplay,” said WinZO Games co-founder Saumya Singh Rathore. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/houseparty-says-the-app-has-not-been-hacked-after-rumours-flood-social-media/articleshow/74906553.cms">Houseparty says the app has not been hacked – now offers $1 million to anyone who can prove the hack</a>

Paytm’s games vertical saw a 200% increase during the lockdown in March

ReutersFILE PHOTO: Jeff Bezos, president and CEO of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, speaks at the Economic Club of Washington DC's "Milestone Celebration Dinner" in WashingtonGood morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Tuesday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fires-warehouse-worker-led-strike-protest-covid19-cornavirus-response-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Amazon fired a New York warehouse worker who helped lead a protest on Monday against its coronavirus response</a>. The worker, Chris Smalls, said he was fired in retaliation for his activism.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scooter-startup-bird-cuts-30-percent-jobs-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Electric scooter startup Bird laid off 30% of staff as it tries to keep enough cash to last until the end of 2021</a>. Bird said it is providing four weeks of pay, three months of health coverage and an extended time frame of 12 months for laid-off workers to exercise their stock options. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zoom-new-york-attorney-general-privacy-practices-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Zoom is under scrutiny from the New York Attorney General for its privacy practices</a>. The NY attorney general's office sent a letter to Zoom asking what new security measures the company has put in place, if any, to handle its huge surge in usage. </li><li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-30/apple-tests-its-secrecy-somewhere-new-employee-homes">Apple has broken with convention and is allowing some employees to take home prototypes of its newest devices</a>. According to Bloomberg, the company has famously shunned home working to ensure secrecy around product launches, but has been forced to change this policy due to the pandemic.</li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/twitter-coronavirus-misinformation-giuliani-bolsonaro-91b82076-41eb-40e1-8cae-df8cbbdc175a.html">Twitter is cracking down on coronavirus misinformation with stricter rules on accuracy</a>. The social media giant has deleted tweets from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Rudy Giuliani in recent days. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-paying-hosts-250-million-to-cover-coronavirus-cancellations-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Airbnb is paying hosts $250 million after they criticized the company for leaving them on the hook for coronavirus cancellations</a>. Airbnb will pay hosts 25% of what hosts normally would have received through the site's own cancellation policies for trips with March check-in dates.</li><li><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/30/smb-loans-platform-kabbage-to-furlough-a-significant-number-of-staff-close-office-in-bangalore/">SoftBank-backed lending startup Kabbage will furlough a "significant" number of staff and close an office in Bangalore, according to TechCrunch</a>. The firm will continue to provide benefits to affected employees.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houseparty-not-hacked-netflix-spotify-passwords-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Group calling app Houseparty has said it's seen no evidence of a data breach, after people on social media claimed they had been hacked</a>. People complained on social media that their PayPal, Netflix, and Spotify accounts were hacked after they downloaded the app.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-third-of-investors-pull-out-of-deals-amid-recession-fears-2020?r=US&amp;IR=T">One third of investors pulled out of UK seed deals this month amid fears the coronavirus could trigger a global recession</a>. Seed funding has dropped 22% around the world since January, according to data from the investment-analysis firm CB Insights.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-exec-bob-iger-ceo-bob-chapek-salary-cuts-coronavirus-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Disney executives including former CEO Bob Iger and new CEO Bob Chapek will take pay cuts as the firm feels the economic impact of the pandemic</a>. Iger will forgo his full salary, the company announced on Monday in a memo to employees.</li></ol><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/logan-paul-youtube-antonio-brown-nfl-boxing-match-fight-talk-2020-1"></a>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-covid-19-social-distancing-looks-from-maxar-satellite-2020-3">How social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic looks from a satellite</a></h3>

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Win McNamee/Getty ImagesFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.</div></div></div>Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-email-on-youtube-harassment-policies-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to LGBTQ employees saying YouTube was taking a "hard look" at its harassment policies</a>. The email comes a week after YouTube's controversial decision not to remove videos of conservative commentator Steven Crowder that contained homophobic slurs aimed at Vox journalist, Carlos Maza.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-emails-zuckerberg-aware-privacy-issues-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook internal emails appear to show that Mark Zuckerberg was aware of problematic privacy practices</a>. Facebook emails shared with government regulators show CEO Zuckerberg debating how to address certain privacy issues, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-worries-emails-could-show-zuckerberg-knew-of-questionable-privacy-practices-11560353829?mod=searchresults&amp;page=1&amp;pos=1">a Wall Street Journal report</a> citing anonymous sources.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-pixel-4-design-camera-leak-twitter-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Google revealed the design of its next smartphone months ahead of schedule, after it started to leak all over the internet</a>. The tease appears to be focusing on the Pixel 4's camera, which looks nearly identical to the rumored rear camera on the new iPhone that Apple is expected to announce in September.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brunello-cucinelli-picture-photoshops-only-women-at-tech-exec-summit-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">A photo of Silicon Valley executives visiting an Italian designer is getting slammed for digitally adding in the female executives</a>. The Italian fashion designer Brunello Cucinelli recently hosted a number of tech executives at his home in Solomeo, Italy, and a photo from the meet appeared to show two women executives.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-accused-of-violating-child-privacy-laws-alexa-recordings-lawsuit-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Amazon has been hit with a lawsuit that claims it's putting children's privacy at risk by recording what they say to Alexa</a>. The suit is asking the court to force Amazon to delete all recordings of underage users and prevent future recordings unless the user grants consent.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fortnite-creator-epic-games-acquires-group-video-chat-houseparty-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Epic Games, the video game publisher behind "Fortnite," acquired teen chat app Houseparty in a surprise deal</a>. The price of the acquisition was not announced, but the unexpected deal immediately sparked speculation about what the maker of the most popular video game might do with the teen-focused chat app.</li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/12/la-liga-fined-over-app-that-spied-on-illegal-bar-screenings-of-matches">The official app for the Spanish soccer league La Liga has been hit with a €250,000 ($280,000) fine for tapping users' microphones to spy on illegal screenings of matches, The Guardian reports</a>. La Liga said it would appeal the decision from Spain's data protection watchdog.</li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/scooter-startup-bird-buys-struggling-competitor-scoot-11560373047?mod=searchresults&amp;page=1&amp;pos=1">Dockless scooter startup Bird has acquired smaller competitor Scoot for roughly $25 million, sources familiar with the deal told the Wall Street Journal</a>. The acquisition price is much lower than Scoot's last valuation in 2017, when it was pegged at $70 million.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cern-ditching-microsoft-software-angry-over-price-increases-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">CERN, the famous scientific lab where the web was created, is so unhappy with Microsoft's price hikes that it's ditching all Microsoft software</a>. When CERN's new contract began in March, Microsoft was charging it 10-times more than before to use its products.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitch-dr-disrespect-suspended-e3-bathrooms-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Twitch suspended one of its most popular streamers after he livestreamed from the bathrooms at the biggest gaming event of the year</a>. Herschel "Guy" Beahm, better known as "Dr Disrespect" has been banned from Twitch after he livestreamed from a public restroom at E3, a massive video game conference.</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-privacy-hacking-scandal-mark-zuckerberg-cambridge-analytica-2019-5">Facebook's scandals weren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> today.1. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-lets-users-block-alcohol-and-parenting-ads-in-news-feed-2016-12">For the first time, Facebook will let people in the US block certain types of ads from appearing in their News Feeds</a>. Facebook told Business Insider this is an early test and it will start with ads related to alcohol and parenting.2. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-the-doj-investigation-into-ad-agency-production-contracts-is-all-about-2016-12">Why the Department of Justice investigation into TV ad production bid rigging is a big deal</a>. The investigation could have huge repercussions on the entire advertising industry, that stretch beyond the estimated $5 billion production sector.3. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-hacks-of-all-time-chart-2016-12">This is how the latest massive Yahoo hack compares to other famous security breaches</a>. This chart from Statista shows that the scope of this latest hack dwarfs anything that's come before it.4. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-on-how-facebook-will-fight-fake-news-2016-12">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says his company's fight against so-called fake news will "focus on fighting spam, not flagging opinions."</a> On Thursday, the company announced that it had partnered with a handful of outside fact-checkers to weed out fake news stories and hoaxes from its News Feed.5. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-renames-vine-to-vine-camera-keeps-exisiting-videos-online-2016-12">Twitter will keep Vine alive as a simplified app for only shooting 6-second videos</a>. The Vine app will be renamed to "Vine Camera" and only shoot 6-second looping videos, Twitter said in a Friday blog post.6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-admits-miscalculating-instant-articles-metrics-2016-12">Facebook admits, for the fourth time, that it messed up its measurement metrics</a>. This time the error affects publishers that use its Instant Articles content platform.7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-has-had-deal-talks-with-lily-robotics-narrative-2016-12">Snapchat is on the hunt for a wide range of hardware acquisitions</a>. Over the past year or so, the company looked at a number of startups building drones, wearable cameras, and augmented reality/virtual reality applications, according to multiple sources familiar with its M&amp;A strategy.8. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-throws-a-big-company-event-called-ultimate-house-party-2016-12">Yahoo had its holiday party inside its offices, and it was the opposite of last year's lavish extravaganza</a>. The toned-down atmosphere seems particularly appropriate given the difficult situation Yahoo's currently in.9. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-the-houseparty-app-2016-12">This is how to use Houseparty, the live video app that teens are going crazy for</a>. Houseparty is a mobile app for live video chatting in which you can have up to eight people in a room and have several "parties" going at once.10. <a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/google-programmatic-direct-rise-2017/307111/">Google said the number of video ad impressions served monthly through DoubleClicks' programmatic direct have doubled from January 2016 through September 2016, Ad Age reports</a>. Sean Downey, VP of platforms at Google, told Ad Age: "You're starting to see statistics from us saying 90 of the Ad Age 100 are using programmatic direct." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sugar-effects-human-body-explained-2016-12">Here's what happens to your body when you stop eating sugar</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5oMGljMzE6lf0JBPB-pyxq10IYKalQNS" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "houseparty app hacked" and got 10 results

Houseparty says the app has not been hacked – now offers $1 million to anyone who can prove the hack

Sanchita Dash

Houseparty says many of the original Twitter posts spreading rumors it got hacked have now disappeared

Martin Coulter

Houseparty says rumors it's been hacked are a paid smear campaign and it's offering a $1 million reward for proof

Charlie Wood

Facebook called off a deal to buy Houseparty because of fears it would attract unwanted antitrust scrutiny

Isobel Asher Hamilton,Isobel …

Generation Z is obsessed with this video-chat app - they say it's the next best thing to hanging out in person

Melia Robinson

10 things in tech you need to know today

Callum Burroughs,Callum Burro…

Paytm’s games vertical saw a 200% increase during the lockdown in March

Sanchita Dash

10 things in tech you need to know today

Callum Burroughs,Callum Burro…

10 things in tech you need to know today

Isobel Asher Hamilton,Isobel …

The 10 things in advertising you need to know today

Hannah Roberts

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides