Obskur's Character Creator and marketplace streamlines VTubing

To stream as their ethereal alter ego, Mai, a VTuber known as M41H41, typically had to juggle at least four to seven different programs. Running all of them at once, however, was both mentally exhausting and a burden on their computer, which could overheat mid-stream. If a program crashed, they’d have to break character to fix it.

“Oftentimes, I actually would have to not use every single program,” Mai told TechCrunch during a Discord call. “So I literally had to tell my community, ‘Sorry, we’re not going to be able to have like, throw videos or chat interactive videos today, because I literally can’t run it right now.’” 3d Rock

Obskur's Character Creator and marketplace streamlines VTubing | TechCrunch

I'm stremmin!!Come hang out and chill!pic.twitter.com/t7ALcHaDof

— M41(MAI) Kussugaki VA | VTuber (@M41H41) October 28, 2023

VTubers — a portmanteau of “virtual YouTuber” — stream as a 2D or 3D model, rather than reveal their actual faces. The burgeoning genre has produced wildly successful streamers, but has involved a high barrier of entry because of the startup costs and technical skills involved in streaming as an animated character.

Obskur , an all-in-one broadcasting application, wants to make VTubing more accessible by letting users create 3D models and interactive environments without technical skills. The company debuted several new features at TwitchCon, including Character Creator, which officially launched last week. Obskur’s broadcasting software essentially rolls multiple different programs into one platform that’s easily integrated with Twitch — a massive draw for VTubers like Mai.

Obskur’s Character Creator and user-generated content marketplace especially unique in the VTubing space. The Character Creator lets users customize 3D models by picking from a selection of free hairstyles, facial features and body types. Users can adjust the features with sliders to change shape and size, and select feature colors from a color wheel. For further customization, users can peruse the integrated marketplace, where artists sell premade models and 3D assets like outfits and interactive backgrounds.

“It needs to be advanced enough that people can make characters that are unique enough that they can feel like, ‘This is me and my brand.’ But it also has to be easy enough where you don’t need to know anything,” Obskur co-founder Andranik Aslanyan told TechCrunch. “Like you don’t need to understand rigging or modeling or textures or anything. You just pick some options and it feels like a video game. If you can play The Sims you should be able to use our application.”

Image Credits: Courtesy of Obskur

Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.

There’s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch’s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.

“And that’s before you even think about the kind of content you’re making that day,” Mai continued. “And you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you’re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.”

Then there’s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and “it looked all kinds of terrible.” They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the “absolute lowest end” in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a “whole monster in and of itself,” Mai said, because they’re entirely in Japanese.

“Then you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don’t speak the language, who knows?” Mai said.

Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren’t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase Bits , which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can “throw” objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.

Image Credits: Courtesy of Obskur

Obskur’s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.

“The idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it’s on the lower end,” Aslanyan said. “The reasoning is just there’s no real incentive for Bit donations.”

“I do think there’s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,” Mai said.

And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.

Image Credits: Courtesy of Obskur

Image Credits: Courtesy of Obksur

Aslanyan added Obskur took artist feedback into account when designing the Character Creator. Obskur’s art director, an artist known as TheArtGun , is known for designing models for Ironmouse, who is one of the most popular VTubers in North America. She oversaw the development of the Character Creator, and was involved in the launch of the marketplace, Aslanyan said.

“The way that I would look at it from the creator perspective is increasing the market size,” Aslanyan continued. “It’s a one-to-one basis. In our case, you might be able to produce a cool jacket, and then in the market, now that people can access characters pretty much instantaneously, you can sell the jacket many times over, and potentially produce more revenue than spending three months producing a character for one person. It’s more of a scale business than it is an individual kind of commission business.”

Mai is excited that tech companies are finally paying attention to the VTuber industry. They said that the market is “underutilized” and is in desperate need of innovation, like applications that streamline multiple programs into one. In the few weeks since they started using Obskur full-time, they’ve seen a significant improvement in their streams.

“I don’t have to worry about opening 15 million programs anymore,” Mai said. “I used to have to worry about opening programs, making sure they were all running smoothly, that everything was playing nice with each other. But now I just start it up and bam! It’s already all good.”

VTubers are making millions on YouTube and Twitch

TwitchCon 2023 was better than last year, but everyone hated Las Vegas

Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023<\/a>, the company renamed Bing Chat<\/a>, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise<\/a>, has also been rebranded to Copilot.<\/p>\n Why the name changes? Not to cause confusion, Microsoft swears — despite the fact that the company now has roughly a dozen products that share the Copilot<\/a> brand.<\/p>\n “Renaming ‘Bing Chat Enterprise’ to ‘Copilot’ reflects our vision to create a unified Copilot experience for consumer and commercial customers,” Caitlin Roulston, director of communications at Microsoft, told TechCrunch via email.<\/p>\n That makes sense. But it could be, also, that Bing Chat didn’t move the needle much for Bing — and so Microsoft’s looking to divorce the tech from the search engine that launched it. An August report<\/a> from StatCounter found that Bing failed to take any market share from Google six months after Bing Chat launched; Microsoft has disputed the findings.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n It’s not just the name that’s new. Starting December 1, users who sign into Bing with a corporate account — a Microsoft Entra ID, to be precise — will receive the benefit of “commercial data protection” while using Copilot in Bing. That means their data won’t be saved nor used to train AI models, Roulston says, and Microsoft won’t have access to it.<\/p><\/div>\n “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Why the name changes? Not to cause confusion, Microsoft swears — despite the fact that the company now has roughly a dozen products that share the Copilot<\/a> brand.<\/p>\n “Renaming ‘Bing Chat Enterprise’ to ‘Copilot’ reflects our vision to create a unified Copilot experience for consumer and commercial customers,” Caitlin Roulston, director of communications at Microsoft, told TechCrunch via email.<\/p>\n That makes sense. But it could be, also, that Bing Chat didn’t move the needle much for Bing — and so Microsoft’s looking to divorce the tech from the search engine that launched it. An August report<\/a> from StatCounter found that Bing failed to take any market share from Google six months after Bing Chat launched; Microsoft has disputed the findings.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n It’s not just the name that’s new. Starting December 1, users who sign into Bing with a corporate account — a Microsoft Entra ID, to be precise — will receive the benefit of “commercial data protection” while using Copilot in Bing. That means their data won’t be saved nor used to train AI models, Roulston says, and Microsoft won’t have access to it.<\/p><\/div>\n “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

“Renaming ‘Bing Chat Enterprise’ to ‘Copilot’ reflects our vision to create a unified Copilot experience for consumer and commercial customers,” Caitlin Roulston, director of communications at Microsoft, told TechCrunch via email.<\/p>\n

That makes sense. But it could be, also, that Bing Chat didn’t move the needle much for Bing — and so Microsoft’s looking to divorce the tech from the search engine that launched it. An August report<\/a> from StatCounter found that Bing failed to take any market share from Google six months after Bing Chat launched; Microsoft has disputed the findings.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n It’s not just the name that’s new. Starting December 1, users who sign into Bing with a corporate account — a Microsoft Entra ID, to be precise — will receive the benefit of “commercial data protection” while using Copilot in Bing. That means their data won’t be saved nor used to train AI models, Roulston says, and Microsoft won’t have access to it.<\/p><\/div>\n “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n It’s not just the name that’s new. Starting December 1, users who sign into Bing with a corporate account — a Microsoft Entra ID, to be precise — will receive the benefit of “commercial data protection” while using Copilot in Bing. That means their data won’t be saved nor used to train AI models, Roulston says, and Microsoft won’t have access to it.<\/p><\/div>\n “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

It’s not just the name that’s new. Starting December 1, users who sign into Bing with a corporate account — a Microsoft Entra ID, to be precise — will receive the benefit of “commercial data protection” while using Copilot in Bing. That means their data won’t be saved nor used to train AI models, Roulston says, and Microsoft won’t have access to it.<\/p><\/div>\n “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

“Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft,” she added. “As part of this, it will inherit Microsoft\u2019s universal license terms for online services … Over time, Microsoft will expand eligibility of Copilot with commercial data protection to even more Entra ID users at no additional cost.”<\/p>\n

Copilot is now accessible in Windows in addition to Copilot.Microsoft.com and Bing, shipping in range of Microsoft’s enterprise subscription plans — Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium and Business Standard — at no additional cost. Copilot will be included in Microsoft 365 F3 starting December 1. For all other customers, it’ll be available \u00e0 la carte for $5 per month.<\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft Teams adds AI-powered home decorator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:20pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Everything’s coming up Copilot — including Bing. Today at Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company renamed Bing Chat, the AI-powered chatbot it launched on Bing earlier this year, to Copilot in Bing. Meanwhile, the premium, corporate-focused version of Bing Chat, which was previously called Bing Chat Enterprise, has also been rebranded to Copilot. Why the name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2629749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"dc49b704-2f88-3848-bbb8-1d594d42b0e0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"e3fe0e8f-b437-43ad-a125-03e870b15ec3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:31:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4_4Oj7Q3Q62hJQPocLFeww","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039,449557044],"tags":[14067,577131780,577165527,576729047,576717904,637,577070682,577207283],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft renames Bing Chat to Copilot as it competes with ChatGPT | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Kyle Wiggers is a senior reporter at TechCrunch with a special interest in artificial intelligence. His writing has appeared in VentureBeat and Digital Trends, as well as a range of gadget blogs including Android Police, Android Authority, Droid-Life, and XDA-Developers. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, a piano educator, and dabbles in piano himself occasionally -- if mostly unsuccessfully.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kyle-Wiggers.jpg","twitter":"kyle_l_wiggers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574536"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2629749,"date":"2023-11-15T16:31:23","slug":"microsoft-copilot-bing","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/11\/15\/bing-chat-is-now-copilot\/microsoft-copilot-bing\/","title":{"rendered":"microsoft-copilot-bing"},"author":12084691,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"person":"Microsoft"},"authors":[12084691],"caption":{"rendered":""},"alt_text":"","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1499,"height":862,"file":"2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg","filesize":91491,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=150,86","width":150,"height":86,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=300,173","width":300,"height":173,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=768,442","width":768,"height":442,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=680,391","width":680,"height":391,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=680"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=1200,690","width":1200,"height":690,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?resize=50,29","width":50,"height":29,"filesize":91491,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg","width":1024,"height":589,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/microsoft-copilot-bing.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629749"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629749"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/12084691"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577047203,"description":"News coverage on artificial intelligence and machine learning tech, the companies building them, and the ethical issues AI raises today. This encompasses generative AI, including large language models, text-to-image and text-to-video models; speech recognition and generation; and predictive analytics.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/artificial-intelligence\/","name":"AI","slug":"artificial-intelligence","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nAI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n

X, formerly Twitter, was caught running unlabeled ads<\/a> on its platform in September. Now that issue, which has been ongoing, has been brought to the FTC’s attention. An independent nonprofit Check My Ads<\/a> has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission urging an investigation over the advertising practices at X, including the lack of disclosure about which posts are ads, broken links that explain why ads are targeted and more.<\/p>\n The complaint cites X’s lack of disclosure around ads, saying it misleads consumers that the content and the information they’re consuming on the platform is not paid for.<\/p>\n “This misrepresentation tricks users into trusting content as organic and exacerbates the opportunity for scams to occur,” the complaint states. “Furthermore, by failing to adequately disclose advertisements, X Corp. misrepresents the methods employed to target users or facilitate third-party ad targeting.”<\/p>\n It also points out that X’s promotional materials for advertisers indicate that advertisements are distinguished from non-paid, organic content with a “Promoted” label, but no such label appears for consumers. As Mashable earlier reported, X appeared to be switching between<\/a> the “Promoted” and “Ad” labeling format for some time. Most of the ads on X are now simply labeled “Ad” but some are surfacing in users’ feeds without any ad label attached at all.<\/p>\n TechCrunch encountered this issue ourselves in September<\/a>. In tests, we came across a good handful of unlabeled ads from accounts we didn’t follow. The only indication they were an ad was by clicking on the three-dot menu at the top right of the post. When the post is an ad, you’re presented with menu options like “Why this ad?” and others. Check My Ads says it found that these ad-targeting explainer links didn’t even work in some cases.<\/p>\n At the time, it wasn’t clear if the issue was a glitch or a deliberate attempt to deceive X users into thinking ads were organic content.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n “It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The complaint cites X’s lack of disclosure around ads, saying it misleads consumers that the content and the information they’re consuming on the platform is not paid for.<\/p>\n

“This misrepresentation tricks users into trusting content as organic and exacerbates the opportunity for scams to occur,” the complaint states. “Furthermore, by failing to adequately disclose advertisements, X Corp. misrepresents the methods employed to target users or facilitate third-party ad targeting.”<\/p>\n

It also points out that X’s promotional materials for advertisers indicate that advertisements are distinguished from non-paid, organic content with a “Promoted” label, but no such label appears for consumers. As Mashable earlier reported, X appeared to be switching between<\/a> the “Promoted” and “Ad” labeling format for some time. Most of the ads on X are now simply labeled “Ad” but some are surfacing in users’ feeds without any ad label attached at all.<\/p>\n TechCrunch encountered this issue ourselves in September<\/a>. In tests, we came across a good handful of unlabeled ads from accounts we didn’t follow. The only indication they were an ad was by clicking on the three-dot menu at the top right of the post. When the post is an ad, you’re presented with menu options like “Why this ad?” and others. Check My Ads says it found that these ad-targeting explainer links didn’t even work in some cases.<\/p>\n At the time, it wasn’t clear if the issue was a glitch or a deliberate attempt to deceive X users into thinking ads were organic content.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n “It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

TechCrunch encountered this issue ourselves in September<\/a>. In tests, we came across a good handful of unlabeled ads from accounts we didn’t follow. The only indication they were an ad was by clicking on the three-dot menu at the top right of the post. When the post is an ad, you’re presented with menu options like “Why this ad?” and others. Check My Ads says it found that these ad-targeting explainer links didn’t even work in some cases.<\/p>\n At the time, it wasn’t clear if the issue was a glitch or a deliberate attempt to deceive X users into thinking ads were organic content.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n “It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the time, it wasn’t clear if the issue was a glitch or a deliberate attempt to deceive X users into thinking ads were organic content.<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n “It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> X screenshot 9\/8\/23<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n “It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since the original reports came out, Check My Ads says it has received “hundreds” of examples from X users who encountered the issues with the unlabeled ads.<\/p>\n

“It seems to be a really widespread problem,” said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of Policy and Partnerships at Check My Ads. We had people submitting examples every day of stuff that they were seeing,” she noted. “It’s impacting both mobile, as well as web, and then also the ‘For You’ timeline and the ‘Following’ timeline.”<\/p>\n

The latter is particularly egregious because the Following timeline is meant to only include posts from people and accounts you’ve specifically chosen to follow. To have unlabeled ads appearing in this timeline is particularly deceptive and a “huge problem,” Wiley said.<\/p>\n

The organization notes they were still getting submissions about the problem as recently as last week, which indicates X has yet to address the problem, despite the media reports on the matter from TechCrunch<\/a>, Mashable<\/a> and others. Mashable had also flagged<\/a> that X had implemented a new ad format that couldn’t be blocked or reported, in addition to failing to disclose some posts were ads.<\/p>\n Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other nonprofit consumer watchdogs were also aware of the problem with X’s ads. The Center for Digital Democracy told TechCrunch it believed the FTC should investigate X’s use of stealth ads and impose fines and sanctions. (The organization says it’s not working on filing a similar FTC complaint for now, however.)<\/p>\n

Check My Ads’ complaint claims that X is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This section gives the FTC broad authority to regulate unfair and deceptive business practices. As a result, it can issue injunctions or fines to penalize companies for bad behavior, which the nonprofit would like to see happen.<\/p>\n

The complaint also points out that X may be in violation of an existing 2022 Stipulated Order with the FTC,<\/a> prohibiting misrepresentation of its advertising practices. X paid a $150 million fine as part of its settlement with regulators<\/a> related to an issue dating back to May 2013 and running through September 2019, which saw X, then Twitter, using personal information — like the email addresses and phone numbers collected from users when they established their accounts — to then target those users with ads.<\/p>\n “X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“X entered into this consent decree with the FTC basically saying they weren’t going to misrepresent how they were targeting ads to users,” says Wiley. “We make the argument in the complaint that this is a violation of not only Section 5 of the FTC Act, but also of that previous consent decree.”<\/p>\n

It’s not clear how much X today makes from advertising, but its last earnings as a public company in Q2 2022 saw it pulling in the majority of its revenue — then $1.08 billion out of $1.18 in total revenue — from ads. Musk confirmed publicly<\/a> in September 2023 that X’s U.S. advertising revenue was down by 60%. The company is now valued at $19 billion as of October 2023,<\/a> a 56% decrease in value over the last 12 months, Fortune reported, citing internal documents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL<\/a> (that\u2019s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X\/Twitter!<\/p>\n — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although Check My Ads tends to focus on ads that are displayed on the open web, the deceptive ads issue came to the organization’s attention because of X’s announcement that it would begin sharing ad revenue with creators<\/a>. X CEO Linda Yaccarino has now said those payouts have totaled nearly $20 million<\/a>. But if ads are unlabeled, it’s not clear creators are getting their proper cut.<\/p>\n Though typically, Check My Ads reaches out to companies when it finds issues like these; the ongoing nature of the problem (and lack of a point of contact after Twitter gutted 80% of its workforce, including compliance and engineering), led the organization to believe this could be more than a glitch. That prompted the organization to file the complaint directly with the FTC without going to X first.<\/p>\n “We hope they do take this matter seriously, especially considering that Twitter is going to be allowing political ads to be running on the platform again ahead of 2024. [elections],” said Wiley.<\/p>\n She added that it may be months before an investigation starts, if the FTC even chooses to take action.<\/p>\n X did not return requests for comment.<\/p>\n The full FTC complaint is below.<\/p>\n Check My Ads Complaint to FTC to Investigate X Ad Practices<\/a> by TechCrunch<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" X, formerly Twitter, was caught running unlabeled ads on its platform in September. Now that issue, which has been ongoing, has been brought to the FTC’s attention. An independent nonprofit Check My Ads has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission urging an investigation over the advertising practices at X, including the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":2589865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"30675893-8f06-374a-969d-0fe39a9f957d","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T18:49:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"06b59691-60ea-466a-8a27-173e1032d1f9","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:39:05Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ABrWWkWDqRmqKJxc-EDLR-Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039,577065682,577055593],"tags":[2228,145533,19033,1024626,34445,599182,1700],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAds watchdog files FTC complaint against X, formerly Twitter, over unlabeled ads | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Though typically, Check My Ads reaches out to companies when it finds issues like these; the ongoing nature of the problem (and lack of a point of contact after Twitter gutted 80% of its workforce, including compliance and engineering), led the organization to believe this could be more than a glitch. That prompted the organization to file the complaint directly with the FTC without going to X first.<\/p>\n

“We hope they do take this matter seriously, especially considering that Twitter is going to be allowing political ads to be running on the platform again ahead of 2024. [elections],” said Wiley.<\/p>\n

She added that it may be months before an investigation starts, if the FTC even chooses to take action.<\/p>\n

X did not return requests for comment.<\/p>\n

The full FTC complaint is below.<\/p>\n

Check My Ads Complaint to FTC to Investigate X Ad Practices<\/a> by TechCrunch<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n <\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" X, formerly Twitter, was caught running unlabeled ads on its platform in September. Now that issue, which has been ongoing, has been brought to the FTC’s attention. An independent nonprofit Check My Ads has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission urging an investigation over the advertising practices at X, including the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":2589865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"30675893-8f06-374a-969d-0fe39a9f957d","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T18:49:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"06b59691-60ea-466a-8a27-173e1032d1f9","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:39:05Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ABrWWkWDqRmqKJxc-EDLR-Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039,577065682,577055593],"tags":[2228,145533,19033,1024626,34445,599182,1700],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAds watchdog files FTC complaint against X, formerly Twitter, over unlabeled ads | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" X, formerly Twitter, was caught running unlabeled ads on its platform in September. Now that issue, which has been ongoing, has been brought to the FTC’s attention. An independent nonprofit Check My Ads has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission urging an investigation over the advertising practices at X, including the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":2589865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"30675893-8f06-374a-969d-0fe39a9f957d","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T18:49:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"06b59691-60ea-466a-8a27-173e1032d1f9","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:39:05Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ABrWWkWDqRmqKJxc-EDLR-Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039,577065682,577055593],"tags":[2228,145533,19033,1024626,34445,599182,1700],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAds watchdog files FTC complaint against X, formerly Twitter, over unlabeled ads | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

X, formerly Twitter, was caught running unlabeled ads on its platform in September. Now that issue, which has been ongoing, has been brought to the FTC’s attention. An independent nonprofit Check My Ads has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission urging an investigation over the advertising practices at X, including the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":2589865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"30675893-8f06-374a-969d-0fe39a9f957d","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T18:49:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"06b59691-60ea-466a-8a27-173e1032d1f9","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:39:05Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ABrWWkWDqRmqKJxc-EDLR-Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039,577065682,577055593],"tags":[2228,145533,19033,1024626,34445,599182,1700],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAds watchdog files FTC complaint against X, formerly Twitter, over unlabeled ads | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lwzxxnshgj71bonwbik3.jpg.jpg","twitter":"sarahpereztc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/2414667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"author":[{"id":2414667,"name":"Sarah Perez","url":"","description":"","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/sarah-perez\/","slug":"sarah-perez","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nSarah Perez, Author at TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lwzxxnshgj71bonwbik3.jpg.jpg","twitter":"sarahpereztc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/2414667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2589865,"date":"2023-08-24T08:47:50","slug":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/08\/24\/x-twitter-blocked-links-to-a-democratic-political-tool-for-a-week\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban"},"author":133574468,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"person":"Bryce Durbin\/TechCrunch"},"authors":[133574468],"caption":{"rendered":"

X logos with arrow in the middle, arrow is crossed out<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"X logos with arrow in the middle, arrow is crossed out","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1920,"height":1080,"file":"2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg","filesize":272412,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=150,84","width":150,"height":84,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=300,169","width":300,"height":169,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=768,432","width":768,"height":432,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=680,383","width":680,"height":383,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=1536,864","width":1536,"height":864,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=1536"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=1200,675","width":1200,"height":675,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?resize=50,28","width":50,"height":28,"filesize":272412,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg","width":1024,"height":576,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/twitter-x-musk-ad-ban.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589865"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574468"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577051039,"description":"The app economy continues to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores. Keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place, with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/apps\/","name":"Apps","slug":"apps","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nApps | Read the latest app news on TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n

SpaceX — which has been on standby for this final launch approval — will attempt the launch this Friday, November 17, from its sprawling facility near Boca Chica, Texas. The two-hour launch window will start at 7:00 AM CST.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it had awarded SpaceX the launch license for a single Starship flight. On the same day, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a written evaluation of the 2022 Programmatic Environmental Assessment finding “no significant environmental changes.”<\/p>\n

“The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements,” the agency said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The rocket has been grounded since the April launch<\/a>. Groundings and mishap investigations, which are conducted by the launch companies and overseen by the FAA, are a common course when an anomaly occurs during launch.<\/p>\n To say that this is long-awaited is a bit of an understatement. Although the first orbital flight test in April caused plenty of damage — most notably to the launch pad, which was cratered by the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor engines — SpaceX managed to both repair the damage and upgrade both the launch infrastructure and rocket in just under seven months. While the company has been busy, it hasn’t been shy about waiting for the regulator to catch up. SpaceX\u2019s VP of build and flight reliability Bill Gerstenmaier told lawmakers last month<\/a> that\u00a0Starship has been ready for its next flight test \u201cfor more than a month,\u201d and that it was just waiting on the multiple agencies for their reviews.<\/p>\n To say that there is much riding on Starship’s development — well, that’s also an understatement.<\/p><\/div>\n Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made. Standing nearly 400-feet-tall fully stacked, the rocket has two stages: a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage, also called Starship. In the nearer term, the rocket will land humans on the moon for NASA’s Artemis III mission slated for 2025, as part of contracts topping out at around $4 billion; in the longer term, it’s designed to fulfill SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions to “spread the light of consciousness to the universe” — which is to say, colonize Mars.<\/p>\n But the company has plenty of work ahead of it. Starship’s first orbital test flight was cut short shortly before stage separation — when the Super Heavy booster separates from Starship — and the vehicle had to be exploded in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico after it started tumbling back to Earth around four minutes after lift-off. The company had some issues with the booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, three of which didn’t fire at all and two more that were knocked out mid-flight.<\/p>\n But SpaceX says its introduced upgrades to the engines, a new method to separate the two stages and other improvements that will hopefully see this mission go farther than the first. Looking ahead, the company also needs to crack the code of in-orbit refueling, a key part of the Artemis architecture that involves Starship re-upping on propellant while in orbit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch its super massive Starship rocket for a second time, just a few days shy of seven months after the first orbital flight test that ended in a spectacular mid-air explosion. SpaceX — which has been on standby for this final launch approval — will attempt the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574433,"featured_media":2532362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"231fde3d-31b1-35a2-8e1b-28e91f90d6c4","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T21:22:54Z","apple_news_api_id":"35c8a4ff-a94e-49f4-ab27-09d73f837b19","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:18:24Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ANcik_6lOSfSrJwnXP4N7GQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[174],"tags":[371748,449551625],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nGo for launch: SpaceX receives regulatory green light for second Starship flight | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

To say that this is long-awaited is a bit of an understatement. Although the first orbital flight test in April caused plenty of damage — most notably to the launch pad, which was cratered by the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor engines — SpaceX managed to both repair the damage and upgrade both the launch infrastructure and rocket in just under seven months. While the company has been busy, it hasn’t been shy about waiting for the regulator to catch up. SpaceX\u2019s VP of build and flight reliability Bill Gerstenmaier told lawmakers last month<\/a> that\u00a0Starship has been ready for its next flight test \u201cfor more than a month,\u201d and that it was just waiting on the multiple agencies for their reviews.<\/p>\n To say that there is much riding on Starship’s development — well, that’s also an understatement.<\/p><\/div>\n Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made. Standing nearly 400-feet-tall fully stacked, the rocket has two stages: a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage, also called Starship. In the nearer term, the rocket will land humans on the moon for NASA’s Artemis III mission slated for 2025, as part of contracts topping out at around $4 billion; in the longer term, it’s designed to fulfill SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions to “spread the light of consciousness to the universe” — which is to say, colonize Mars.<\/p>\n But the company has plenty of work ahead of it. Starship’s first orbital test flight was cut short shortly before stage separation — when the Super Heavy booster separates from Starship — and the vehicle had to be exploded in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico after it started tumbling back to Earth around four minutes after lift-off. The company had some issues with the booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, three of which didn’t fire at all and two more that were knocked out mid-flight.<\/p>\n But SpaceX says its introduced upgrades to the engines, a new method to separate the two stages and other improvements that will hopefully see this mission go farther than the first. Looking ahead, the company also needs to crack the code of in-orbit refueling, a key part of the Artemis architecture that involves Starship re-upping on propellant while in orbit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch its super massive Starship rocket for a second time, just a few days shy of seven months after the first orbital flight test that ended in a spectacular mid-air explosion. SpaceX — which has been on standby for this final launch approval — will attempt the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574433,"featured_media":2532362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"231fde3d-31b1-35a2-8e1b-28e91f90d6c4","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T21:22:54Z","apple_news_api_id":"35c8a4ff-a94e-49f4-ab27-09d73f837b19","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:18:24Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ANcik_6lOSfSrJwnXP4N7GQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[174],"tags":[371748,449551625],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nGo for launch: SpaceX receives regulatory green light for second Starship flight | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

To say that there is much riding on Starship’s development — well, that’s also an understatement.<\/p><\/div>\n Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made. Standing nearly 400-feet-tall fully stacked, the rocket has two stages: a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage, also called Starship. In the nearer term, the rocket will land humans on the moon for NASA’s Artemis III mission slated for 2025, as part of contracts topping out at around $4 billion; in the longer term, it’s designed to fulfill SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions to “spread the light of consciousness to the universe” — which is to say, colonize Mars.<\/p>\n But the company has plenty of work ahead of it. Starship’s first orbital test flight was cut short shortly before stage separation — when the Super Heavy booster separates from Starship — and the vehicle had to be exploded in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico after it started tumbling back to Earth around four minutes after lift-off. The company had some issues with the booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, three of which didn’t fire at all and two more that were knocked out mid-flight.<\/p>\n But SpaceX says its introduced upgrades to the engines, a new method to separate the two stages and other improvements that will hopefully see this mission go farther than the first. Looking ahead, the company also needs to crack the code of in-orbit refueling, a key part of the Artemis architecture that involves Starship re-upping on propellant while in orbit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch its super massive Starship rocket for a second time, just a few days shy of seven months after the first orbital flight test that ended in a spectacular mid-air explosion. SpaceX — which has been on standby for this final launch approval — will attempt the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574433,"featured_media":2532362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"231fde3d-31b1-35a2-8e1b-28e91f90d6c4","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T21:22:54Z","apple_news_api_id":"35c8a4ff-a94e-49f4-ab27-09d73f837b19","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:18:24Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ANcik_6lOSfSrJwnXP4N7GQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[174],"tags":[371748,449551625],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nGo for launch: SpaceX receives regulatory green light for second Starship flight | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made. Standing nearly 400-feet-tall fully stacked, the rocket has two stages: a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage, also called Starship. In the nearer term, the rocket will land humans on the moon for NASA’s Artemis III mission slated for 2025, as part of contracts topping out at around $4 billion; in the longer term, it’s designed to fulfill SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions to “spread the light of consciousness to the universe” — which is to say, colonize Mars.<\/p>\n

But the company has plenty of work ahead of it. Starship’s first orbital test flight was cut short shortly before stage separation — when the Super Heavy booster separates from Starship — and the vehicle had to be exploded in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico after it started tumbling back to Earth around four minutes after lift-off. The company had some issues with the booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, three of which didn’t fire at all and two more that were knocked out mid-flight.<\/p>\n

But SpaceX says its introduced upgrades to the engines, a new method to separate the two stages and other improvements that will hopefully see this mission go farther than the first. Looking ahead, the company also needs to crack the code of in-orbit refueling, a key part of the Artemis architecture that involves Starship re-upping on propellant while in orbit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch its super massive Starship rocket for a second time, just a few days shy of seven months after the first orbital flight test that ended in a spectacular mid-air explosion. SpaceX — which has been on standby for this final launch approval — will attempt the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574433,"featured_media":2532362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"231fde3d-31b1-35a2-8e1b-28e91f90d6c4","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T21:22:54Z","apple_news_api_id":"35c8a4ff-a94e-49f4-ab27-09d73f837b19","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:18:24Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ANcik_6lOSfSrJwnXP4N7GQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[174],"tags":[371748,449551625],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nGo for launch: SpaceX receives regulatory green light for second Starship flight | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND , TX – APRIL 20: SpaceX\u2019s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket launch from Starbase on April 20, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan Newton\/The Washington Post)<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"SpaceX\u2019s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket launch from Starbase on April 20, 2023.","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":2300,"height":1616,"file":"2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg","filesize":3533342,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=150,105","width":150,"height":105,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=300,211","width":300,"height":211,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=768,540","width":768,"height":540,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=680,478","width":680,"height":478,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=1536,1079","width":1536,"height":1079,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=1536"},"2048x2048":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=2048,1439","width":2048,"height":1439,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=2048"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=1200,843","width":1200,"height":843,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?resize=50,35","width":50,"height":35,"filesize":3533342,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"GettyImages-1252038266.jpg","width":1024,"height":719,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"4","credit":"The Washington Post via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"SOUTH PADRE ISLAND , TX - APRIL 20: SpaceX\u2019s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket launch from Starbase on April 20, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan Newton\/The Washington Post)","created_timestamp":"1681979607","copyright":"The Washington Post","focal_length":"600","iso":"160","shutter_speed":"0.0003125","title":"SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1252038266.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2532362"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2532362"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574433"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":174,"description":"The latest news and updates on space, including launches and funding rounds about satellite communications systems like Starlink and Kuiper, and of course the latest research taking place on the ISS, the Moon, Mars and beyond.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/space\/","name":"Space","slug":"space","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nSpace News | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n

The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services to healthcare organizations and physicians for dictating and transcribing patient notes.<\/p>\n

PJ&A said it began notifying patients whose information was breached six months later on October 31.<\/p>\n

According to PJ&A’s data breach disclosure<\/a>, the stolen data included patient names and date of birth, their address, medical record and hospital account numbers, their admission diagnosis, and dates and times of service. The medical transcription company said the data also included some Social Security numbers, insurance and clinical information from medical transcription files, such as laboratory and diagnostic testing results, medications, the names of treatment facilities and the name of healthcare providers.<\/p>\n The exact nature of the cyberattack is not yet known. PJ&A chief executive Jeffrey Hubbard did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n At least two of PJ&A’s customers have so far come forward to confirm their patients are affected by the breach, including Northwell Health, the largest healthcare system in New York State.<\/p>\n Northwell Health spokesperson Jason Molinet confirmed to TechCrunch that 3.89 million of its patients are affected by the transcription company’s data breach. It’s the second breach of Northwell Health patient data this year after Nuance Communications, another transcription provider, had data stolen during a mass-hack earlier this year.<\/p>\n Cook County Health, a healthcare system in Illinois, said in a public notice<\/a> that 1.2 million of its patients are affected by the breach, including 2,600 patient records that contained patient Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n The data of about four million patients remain unaccounted for at the time of writing.<\/p>\n PJ&A’s data breach is second in size only to the theft of 11 million records by HCA Healthcare<\/a> earlier this year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ data breach portal<\/a>, whose records date back to 2020.<\/p>\n News of the breach comes in the same week that healthcare giant McLaren said 2.2 million patients had data accessed by hackers<\/a> during a ransomware attack in August. Online pharmacy startup Truepill also confirmed this week that hackers accessed sensitive data of 2.3 million patients<\/a>, including medication details.<\/p>\n\n Do you work at an organization that is affected by the PJ&A breach? You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or\u00a0zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0by email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

The exact nature of the cyberattack is not yet known. PJ&A chief executive Jeffrey Hubbard did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

At least two of PJ&A’s customers have so far come forward to confirm their patients are affected by the breach, including Northwell Health, the largest healthcare system in New York State.<\/p>\n

Northwell Health spokesperson Jason Molinet confirmed to TechCrunch that 3.89 million of its patients are affected by the transcription company’s data breach. It’s the second breach of Northwell Health patient data this year after Nuance Communications, another transcription provider, had data stolen during a mass-hack earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Cook County Health, a healthcare system in Illinois, said in a public notice<\/a> that 1.2 million of its patients are affected by the breach, including 2,600 patient records that contained patient Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n The data of about four million patients remain unaccounted for at the time of writing.<\/p>\n PJ&A’s data breach is second in size only to the theft of 11 million records by HCA Healthcare<\/a> earlier this year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ data breach portal<\/a>, whose records date back to 2020.<\/p>\n News of the breach comes in the same week that healthcare giant McLaren said 2.2 million patients had data accessed by hackers<\/a> during a ransomware attack in August. Online pharmacy startup Truepill also confirmed this week that hackers accessed sensitive data of 2.3 million patients<\/a>, including medication details.<\/p>\n\n Do you work at an organization that is affected by the PJ&A breach? You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or\u00a0zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0by email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

The data of about four million patients remain unaccounted for at the time of writing.<\/p>\n

PJ&A’s data breach is second in size only to the theft of 11 million records by HCA Healthcare<\/a> earlier this year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ data breach portal<\/a>, whose records date back to 2020.<\/p>\n News of the breach comes in the same week that healthcare giant McLaren said 2.2 million patients had data accessed by hackers<\/a> during a ransomware attack in August. Online pharmacy startup Truepill also confirmed this week that hackers accessed sensitive data of 2.3 million patients<\/a>, including medication details.<\/p>\n\n Do you work at an organization that is affected by the PJ&A breach? You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or\u00a0zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0by email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

News of the breach comes in the same week that healthcare giant McLaren said 2.2 million patients had data accessed by hackers<\/a> during a ransomware attack in August. Online pharmacy startup Truepill also confirmed this week that hackers accessed sensitive data of 2.3 million patients<\/a>, including medication details.<\/p>\n\n Do you work at an organization that is affected by the PJ&A breach? You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or\u00a0zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0by email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Do you work at an organization that is affected by the PJ&A breach? You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or\u00a0zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0by email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Close to nine million patients had highly sensitive personal and health information stolen during a cyberattack on a U.S. medical transcription service earlier this year, representing one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent times. The medical transcription company, Perry Johnson & Associates, or PJ&A, is a Henderson, Nevada-based company that provides transcription services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574210,"featured_media":2629552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"7399e708-50f6-3ee6-9966-dcbe8e5d8a3b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T20:05:09Z","apple_news_api_id":"891dbbee-040e-46d3-ae0f-835598c36744","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-16T00:00:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AiR277gQORtOuD4NVmMNnRA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[21587494],"tags":[6148720,965824,1460,50,64217],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. You can send tips securely via Signal and WhatsApp to +1 646-755-8849. He can also be reached by e-mail at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com.<\/p> <\/a>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/zw-profile.jpg","twitter":"zackwhittaker","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574210"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2629552,"date":"2023-11-15T12:00:13","slug":"northwell-labs-100000-sq-ft-facility-prepares-to-test-for-coronavirus","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/11\/15\/9-million-patients-had-data-stolen-after-us-medical-transcription-firm-hacked\/northwell-labs-100000-sq-ft-facility-prepares-to-test-for-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Northwell Labs 100,000 sq ft Facility Prepares To Test For Coronavirus"},"author":133574210,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"source_key":"getty images","person":"Michael Nagle \/ Bloomberg"},"authors":[133574210],"caption":{"rendered":" Signage is displayed outside Northwell Health’s Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. On Monday, Northwell Health Labs announced it expects to begin testing for the coronavirus within a week, now that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for outside labs to conduct the COVID-19 tests once appropriately validated. Photographer: Michael Nagle\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"Signage is displayed outside Northwell Health's Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success, New York,","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1995,"height":1330,"file":"2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg","filesize":502263,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=150,100","width":150,"height":100,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=300,200","width":300,"height":200,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=768,512","width":768,"height":512,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=680,453","width":680,"height":453,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=1536,1024","width":1536,"height":1024,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=1536"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=1200,800","width":1200,"height":800,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?resize=50,33","width":50,"height":33,"filesize":502263,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/northwell-health-getty-breach-perry-johnson.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"3.5","credit":"Bloomberg via Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV","caption":"Signage is displayed outside Northwell Health's Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. On Monday, Northwell Health Labs announced it expects to begin testing for the coronavirus within a week, now that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for outside labs to conduct the COVID-19 tests once appropriately validated. 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Signage is displayed outside Northwell Health’s Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. On Monday, Northwell Health Labs announced it expects to begin testing for the coronavirus within a week, now that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for outside labs to conduct the COVID-19 tests once appropriately validated. 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During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023<\/a> event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service.<\/p>\n Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise in the background but also other people’s voices, and a new “decorate your background” feature that can look at the room you are working from and then enhance it by cleaning up clutter or adding plants to the wall.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n “Decorate your background” will surely steal the headlines. Users, it seems, will be able to choose different types of enhancements to their work environments, but the real promise here is that you’ll never have to clean your home office again (until somebody invites you to a Google Meet or Slack call, of course).<\/p>\n The voice isolation feature is rolling out now and will be generally available in early 2024, while “decorate your background” will be available early next year in Teams Premium.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced that immersive spaces in Teams, a remnant of the metaverse hype of 2021, will be generally available in January, allowing users to create avatars to attend these meetings within various 3D environments and play interactive games, roast virtual marshmallows and throw beanbags (yes, those are things Microsoft specifically mentions in its announcement).<\/p>\n Microsoft Mesh, its tool for creating these immersive spaces, will also be generally available in January.<\/p><\/div>\n You’ll hopefully never have to use any of this.<\/p>\n Some of the more useful new features, though, are customizable emoji reactions, the ability to forward chats, create a group chat profile picture and add a private second phone number for a select set of callers. There are also new keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Shift+D to set your status to Do Not Disturb, for example) and some new tools for IT to manage teams more effectively.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome will gain some of these advantages, too, with Microsoft promising to double the performance while using 50% less memory.<\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nBing Chat’s renaming to Copilot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise in the background but also other people’s voices, and a new “decorate your background” feature that can look at the room you are working from and then enhance it by cleaning up clutter or adding plants to the wall.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n “Decorate your background” will surely steal the headlines. Users, it seems, will be able to choose different types of enhancements to their work environments, but the real promise here is that you’ll never have to clean your home office again (until somebody invites you to a Google Meet or Slack call, of course).<\/p>\n The voice isolation feature is rolling out now and will be generally available in early 2024, while “decorate your background” will be available early next year in Teams Premium.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced that immersive spaces in Teams, a remnant of the metaverse hype of 2021, will be generally available in January, allowing users to create avatars to attend these meetings within various 3D environments and play interactive games, roast virtual marshmallows and throw beanbags (yes, those are things Microsoft specifically mentions in its announcement).<\/p>\n Microsoft Mesh, its tool for creating these immersive spaces, will also be generally available in January.<\/p><\/div>\n You’ll hopefully never have to use any of this.<\/p>\n Some of the more useful new features, though, are customizable emoji reactions, the ability to forward chats, create a group chat profile picture and add a private second phone number for a select set of callers. There are also new keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Shift+D to set your status to Do Not Disturb, for example) and some new tools for IT to manage teams more effectively.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome will gain some of these advantages, too, with Microsoft promising to double the performance while using 50% less memory.<\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nBing Chat’s renaming to Copilot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n “Decorate your background” will surely steal the headlines. Users, it seems, will be able to choose different types of enhancements to their work environments, but the real promise here is that you’ll never have to clean your home office again (until somebody invites you to a Google Meet or Slack call, of course).<\/p>\n The voice isolation feature is rolling out now and will be generally available in early 2024, while “decorate your background” will be available early next year in Teams Premium.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced that immersive spaces in Teams, a remnant of the metaverse hype of 2021, will be generally available in January, allowing users to create avatars to attend these meetings within various 3D environments and play interactive games, roast virtual marshmallows and throw beanbags (yes, those are things Microsoft specifically mentions in its announcement).<\/p>\n Microsoft Mesh, its tool for creating these immersive spaces, will also be generally available in January.<\/p><\/div>\n You’ll hopefully never have to use any of this.<\/p>\n Some of the more useful new features, though, are customizable emoji reactions, the ability to forward chats, create a group chat profile picture and add a private second phone number for a select set of callers. There are also new keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Shift+D to set your status to Do Not Disturb, for example) and some new tools for IT to manage teams more effectively.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome will gain some of these advantages, too, with Microsoft promising to double the performance while using 50% less memory.<\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nBing Chat’s renaming to Copilot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

“Decorate your background” will surely steal the headlines. Users, it seems, will be able to choose different types of enhancements to their work environments, but the real promise here is that you’ll never have to clean your home office again (until somebody invites you to a Google Meet or Slack call, of course).<\/p>\n

The voice isolation feature is rolling out now and will be generally available in early 2024, while “decorate your background” will be available early next year in Teams Premium.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced that immersive spaces in Teams, a remnant of the metaverse hype of 2021, will be generally available in January, allowing users to create avatars to attend these meetings within various 3D environments and play interactive games, roast virtual marshmallows and throw beanbags (yes, those are things Microsoft specifically mentions in its announcement).<\/p>\n

Microsoft Mesh, its tool for creating these immersive spaces, will also be generally available in January.<\/p><\/div>\n You’ll hopefully never have to use any of this.<\/p>\n Some of the more useful new features, though, are customizable emoji reactions, the ability to forward chats, create a group chat profile picture and add a private second phone number for a select set of callers. There are also new keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Shift+D to set your status to Do Not Disturb, for example) and some new tools for IT to manage teams more effectively.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome will gain some of these advantages, too, with Microsoft promising to double the performance while using 50% less memory.<\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nBing Chat’s renaming to Copilot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

You’ll hopefully never have to use any of this.<\/p>\n

Some of the more useful new features, though, are customizable emoji reactions, the ability to forward chats, create a group chat profile picture and add a private second phone number for a select set of callers. There are also new keyboard shortcuts (Alt+Shift+D to set your status to Do Not Disturb, for example) and some new tools for IT to manage teams more effectively.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome will gain some of these advantages, too, with Microsoft promising to double the performance while using 50% less memory.<\/p>\nFor more Microsoft Ignite 2023 coverage:<\/div>\n\n\nMicrosoft announces new AI chips<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft’s three new Copilot offerings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nBing Chat’s renaming to Copilot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft launches deepfake creator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\nMicrosoft To Do, Planner and Project consolidated in Teams<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

This story was originally published at 8am PT on Nov. 15 and updated at 3:10pm PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company’s annual IT pro conference, a slew of interesting updates were revealed for Teams, its Slack-like collaboration and messaging service. Among the dozens of updates here, some of the highlights are the initial rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven noise reduction feature that can not just reduce repetitive noise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34511731,"featured_media":2629697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"3eca9ba1-69d5-339f-8326-5f321c35b202","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-11-15T16:02:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"286f315f-4875-4d3b-bdac-3e5f1f9fad27","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-11-15T23:26:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKG8xX0h1TTu9rD5fH5-tJw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,449557044],"tags":[577070682,577207283,449555593],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Teams gets an AI-powered home decorator, voice isolation at Ignite 2023 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n

Before he joined TechCrunch in 2012, he founded SiliconFilter and wrote for ReadWriteWeb (now ReadWrite). Frederic covers enterprise, cloud, developer tools, Google, Microsoft, gadgets, transportation and anything else he finds interesting. He owns just over a 50th of a bitcoin.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/k1kkyeeoiyvoajpzbtgv.png.png","twitter":"fredericl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/34511731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"author":[{"id":34511731,"name":"Frederic Lardinois","url":"","description":"","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/frederic-lardinois\/","slug":"frederic-lardinois","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55542aa717199728948f628edc1170b1?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55542aa717199728948f628edc1170b1?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55542aa717199728948f628edc1170b1?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nFrederic Lardinois, Author at TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Before he joined TechCrunch in 2012, he founded SiliconFilter and wrote for ReadWriteWeb (now ReadWrite). Frederic covers enterprise, cloud, developer tools, Google, Microsoft, gadgets, transportation and anything else he finds interesting. He owns just over a 50th of a bitcoin.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/k1kkyeeoiyvoajpzbtgv.png.png","twitter":"fredericl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/34511731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2629697,"date":"2023-11-15T15:22:51","slug":"screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3-22-29-pm","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/11\/15\/microsoft-teams-gets-an-ai-driven-decorator-voice-isolation-and-more\/screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3-22-29-pm\/","title":{"rendered":"Screenshot 2023-11-15 at 3.22.29 PM"},"author":133574599,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":"","authors":[133574599],"caption":{"rendered":"

Credit:<\/strong> Microsoft<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"Microsoft Teams AI-powered background alteration in action","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/png","media_details":{"width":955,"height":538,"file":"2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png","filesize":1049533,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=150,85","width":150,"height":85,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=300,169","width":300,"height":169,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=768,433","width":768,"height":433,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=955"},"large":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=680,383","width":680,"height":383,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=680"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?resize=50,28","width":50,"height":28,"filesize":1049533,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png?w=50"},"full":{"file":"Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png","width":955,"height":538,"mime_type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-15-at-3.22.29-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629697"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574599"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577047203,"description":"News coverage on artificial intelligence and machine learning tech, the companies building them, and the ethical issues AI raises today. This encompasses generative AI, including large language models, text-to-image and text-to-video models; speech recognition and generation; and predictive analytics.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/artificial-intelligence\/","name":"AI","slug":"artificial-intelligence","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nAI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n

To stream as their<\/span> ethereal alter ego, Mai, a VTuber known as M41H41<\/a>, typically had to juggle at least four to seven different programs. Running all of them at once, however, was both mentally exhausting and a burden on their computer, which could overheat mid-stream. If a program crashed, they\u2019d have to break character to fix it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOftentimes, I actually would have to not use every single program,\u201d Mai told TechCrunch during a Discord call. \u201cSo I literally had to tell my community, \u2018Sorry, we\u2019re not going to be able to have like, throw videos or chat interactive videos today, because I literally can\u2019t run it right now.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n I'm stremmin!! Come hang out and chill mumumu! pic.twitter.com\/t7ALcHaDof<\/a><\/p>\n — M41(MAI) \u30af\u30bd\u30ac\u30ad VA | VTuber (@M41H41) October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cOftentimes, I actually would have to not use every single program,\u201d Mai told TechCrunch during a Discord call. \u201cSo I literally had to tell my community, \u2018Sorry, we\u2019re not going to be able to have like, throw videos or chat interactive videos today, because I literally can\u2019t run it right now.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n I'm stremmin!! Come hang out and chill mumumu! pic.twitter.com\/t7ALcHaDof<\/a><\/p>\n — M41(MAI) \u30af\u30bd\u30ac\u30ad VA | VTuber (@M41H41) October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I'm stremmin!! Come hang out and chill mumumu! pic.twitter.com\/t7ALcHaDof<\/a><\/p>\n — M41(MAI) \u30af\u30bd\u30ac\u30ad VA | VTuber (@M41H41) October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— M41(MAI) \u30af\u30bd\u30ac\u30ad VA |VTuber (@M41H41) October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

VTubers<\/span><\/a>\u2014 a portmanteau of \u201cvirtual YouTuber\u201d \u2014 stream as a 2D or 3D model, rather than reveal their actual faces. The burgeoning genre has produced wildly successful streamers, but has involved a high barrier of entry because of the startup costs and technical skills involved in streaming as an animated character.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Obskur<\/span><\/a>, an all-in-one broadcasting application, wants to make VTubing more accessible by letting users create 3D models and interactive environments without technical skills. The company debuted several new features at TwitchCon<\/a>, including Character Creator, which officially launched last week. Obskur\u2019s broadcasting software essentially rolls multiple different programs into one platform that\u2019s easily integrated with Twitch \u2014 a massive draw for VTubers like Mai.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Character Creator and user-generated content marketplace especially unique in the VTubing space. The Character Creator lets users customize 3D models by picking from a selection of free hairstyles, facial features and body types. Users can adjust the features with sliders to change shape and size, and select feature colors from a color wheel. For further customization, users can peruse the integrated marketplace, where artists sell premade models and 3D assets like outfits and interactive backgrounds.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIt needs to be advanced enough that people can make characters that are unique enough that they can feel like, \u2018This is me and my brand.\u2019 But it also has to be easy enough where you don\u2019t need to know anything,\u201d Obskur co-founder Andranik Aslanyan told TechCrunch. \u201cLike you don\u2019t need to understand rigging or modeling or textures or anything. You just pick some options and it feels like a video game. If you can play The Sims you should be able to use our application.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obskur<\/span><\/a>, an all-in-one broadcasting application, wants to make VTubing more accessible by letting users create 3D models and interactive environments without technical skills. The company debuted several new features at TwitchCon<\/a>, including Character Creator, which officially launched last week. Obskur\u2019s broadcasting software essentially rolls multiple different programs into one platform that\u2019s easily integrated with Twitch \u2014 a massive draw for VTubers like Mai.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Character Creator and user-generated content marketplace especially unique in the VTubing space. The Character Creator lets users customize 3D models by picking from a selection of free hairstyles, facial features and body types. Users can adjust the features with sliders to change shape and size, and select feature colors from a color wheel. For further customization, users can peruse the integrated marketplace, where artists sell premade models and 3D assets like outfits and interactive backgrounds.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIt needs to be advanced enough that people can make characters that are unique enough that they can feel like, \u2018This is me and my brand.\u2019 But it also has to be easy enough where you don\u2019t need to know anything,\u201d Obskur co-founder Andranik Aslanyan told TechCrunch. \u201cLike you don\u2019t need to understand rigging or modeling or textures or anything. You just pick some options and it feels like a video game. If you can play The Sims you should be able to use our application.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obskur\u2019s Character Creator and user-generated content marketplace especially unique in the VTubing space. The Character Creator lets users customize 3D models by picking from a selection of free hairstyles, facial features and body types. Users can adjust the features with sliders to change shape and size, and select feature colors from a color wheel. For further customization, users can peruse the integrated marketplace, where artists sell premade models and 3D assets like outfits and interactive backgrounds.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIt needs to be advanced enough that people can make characters that are unique enough that they can feel like, \u2018This is me and my brand.\u2019 But it also has to be easy enough where you don\u2019t need to know anything,\u201d Obskur co-founder Andranik Aslanyan told TechCrunch. \u201cLike you don\u2019t need to understand rigging or modeling or textures or anything. You just pick some options and it feels like a video game. If you can play The Sims you should be able to use our application.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to be advanced enough that people can make characters that are unique enough that they can feel like, \u2018This is me and my brand.\u2019 But it also has to be easy enough where you don\u2019t need to know anything,\u201d Obskur co-founder Andranik Aslanyan told TechCrunch. \u201cLike you don\u2019t need to understand rigging or modeling or textures or anything. You just pick some options and it feels like a video game. If you can play The Sims you should be able to use our application.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mai said they began regularly using Obksur after testing a demo at TwitchCon. Before then, they used up to a dozen applications to run their streams.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s one to run their model, who often sports flowing seafoam colored hair, pink moth-like antennae and a black top with a ruffled collar, and another for improved body tracking. Running basic animations required another software; something as simple as a VTuber making their model cry, for example, or bounce their breasts to flirt with subscribers, can involve technical finesse that viewers rarely see behind the scenes. Mai had to use a third program for any chat interactions, like allowing their viewers to throw objects at them or sprinkle them with flower petals, and an additional third-party software to integrate those interactions with Twitch\u2019s monetization features. They also needed a program to upload their model into a 3D background, which could range from a basic living room to an extraterrestrial planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s before you even think about the kind of content you\u2019re making that day,\u201d Mai continued. \u201cAnd you have to learn how every single one of those not only works as an application by itself, but also how it works as an application with the others you\u2019re running. I probably had between 10 and 12 applications that I had downloaded just for different parts of my model.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the cost. When Mai first got into VTubing last year, they tried to make their own model using the free software VRoid Studio, drawing with a mouse. It was impossible, they said, and \u201cit looked all kinds of terrible.\u201d They ended up paying another artist around $100 to 120 (the \u201cabsolute lowest end\u201d in the industry) for a model. High-quality 2D models can cost upwards of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the original artwork, custom meshes and textures and various animations. Even 3D models, which are less complicated to animate, are still pricey to commission. Supplementary assets, like new outfits, hairstyles and backgrounds, cost more and are a challenge to source. While many artists focus on custom commissions, others sell preset assets on Etsy, Patreon or other online marketplaces scattered across the internet. Some bigger marketplaces, such as Booth, are a \u201cwhole monster in and of itself,\u201d Mai said, because they\u2019re entirely in Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen you have to download these, hoping that they’re in the right file format, because if you don\u2019t speak the language, who knows?\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aslanyan noted that chat interactions weren\u2019t only a headache to use, but also visually clunky. On Twitch, users can purchase <\/span>Bits<\/span><\/a>, which start at $3.00 for 300 and are priced up to $308 for 25,000. Twitch pays streamers 1 cent per Bit, so streamers typically offer special perks to viewers who spend Bits during their streams. VTubers often entice viewers to spend Bits by offering certain interactive features. Viewers can \u201cthrow\u201d objects like digital money at VTubers by spending 100 Bits, for example, or change their outfit by spending 1,000 Bits. Streamers had to manually trigger the interactions on whatever third-party software they were using, while staying in character and engaging with their viewers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong> Courtesy of Obskur<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obskur\u2019s Twitch extension and app makes features like audience interaction more seamless for both streamers and viewers. In the app, streamers can determine various tiers of interactions, which will be automatically triggered when viewers spend Bits. Obskur takes a standard 20% developer cut, which was set by Twitch. Aslanyan hopes that by making the process more seamless, monetization opportunities will be more accessible for streamers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea behind that is giving a reason for your audience to spend a bit, because when you look at Bit revenue compared to things like subscriptions or direct donations, it\u2019s on the lower end,\u201d Aslanyan said. \u201cThe reasoning is just there\u2019s no real incentive for Bit donations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It may be easier for streamers to monetize their work, but are artists at risk of losing commissions? 2D and 3D design for VTubers grew into a digital cottage industry since 2020, and many artists rely on commissions for their full-time income. Neither Mai nor Aslanyan are concerned about Obskur\u2019s Character Creator pushing out artists. Instead, they said that the platform\u2019s user-generated marketplace creates opportunities for artists to expand their clientele. Mai described the Character Creator as a \u201cbaseline\u201d opportunity for absolute beginners to step into VTubing without breaking the bank or learning complex animation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do think there\u2019s still a lot of desire for specific art styles for specific designs that are only unique to individual artists, who are still performing the craft on other mediums, and I think there are going to be plenty of artists who move over to primarily working in Obskur because the marketplace allows you to make money off your assets that you already created,\u201d Mai said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unity Engine And if streamers do want to use a more complex, highly specific model for their streams, they can import commissioned work into Obskur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obskur&#039;s Character Creator and marketplace streamlines VTubing | TechCrunch

Obskur's Character Creator and marketplace streamlines VTubing | TechCrunch