#5: TruBlo webinar slides • Spy pixels in e-mails • European blockchain centers
TruBlo Newsletter #5
February 26, 2021
Website: Trublo.eu
Slides fromt the TruBlo webinar now available
A big thanks to the many attendees of our webinar today. The session provided more detail on how to apply. The slides from this webinar are now available on the Trublo Website.
Reminder: Our open call #1 is open until March 19, 2021, 17:00 CET. Apply to Open Call #1
Updates this week:
Trust and Content
Spy pixels in emails
When we visit a commercial website, we kind of accept that a small armada of trackers will follow us, to collect a profile for marketing. Even with GDPR this seems hard to avoid.
But there is another service where privacy is more and more eroded and it is nothing to just shrug about: Email.
According to an analysis published by the BBC the “use of ‘invisible’ tracking tech in emails is now endemic”.
Depending on the volume of mails typical users might get between 10 and 50 emails per day trying to spy, using an invisible pixel. This is the finding of an analysis done by messaging service Hey, which took a deeper look at the BBC’s request.
Here are key findings reported by the BBC:
- Tracking pixels are typically a .GIF or .PNG file that is as small as 1x1 pixels, which is inserted into the header, footer or body of an email.
- Since they often show the colour of the content below, they can be impossible to spot with the naked eye even if you know where to look.
- Recipients do not need to click on a link or do anything to activate them beyond open an email they are embedded in.
A simple way to start taking trustable, verifiable photos
Meet Serelay. The startup from Oxford in the UK provides a compelling solution towards trustable and verifiable photos. The team has developed a way to enrich visuals taken on a smartphone with additional data points. All you need to start using this option is to download a free app.
For example, it can then be determined whether a photo was taken outside or is a screenshot. Even the change of one pixel can be detected. At the same time user data is neither stored nor shared. “Trusted media capture” could be way to help with the problem of falsified visuals, both photo and videos.
On the TruBlo website, we published a longer article how this works. The text includes an interview with the founder and executive director of the company. LINK
Worldline as a key partner in TruBlo
Worldline is a partner in TruBlo and a heavyweight in the field of digital payments and transactional services. They rank #4 this market globally. This is relevant because participants in the open calls will benefit from the know-how of a large company with trusted, secure solutions at its core.
Last week a press release about the participation of Worldline as a partner in TruBlo received considerable attention, specifically outside of the EU funding community on finance and tech publications.
If you want to read a bit more about the role of Worldline and the goals of TruBlo please read the release. LINK
Forecast Spending for apps to reach $270 billion by the year 2025
The revenue from apps is growing fast. This not just true for mobile games, the leading category so far. People are getting more used to pay for content or extras. This includes downloads, in-app purchases and subscriptions.
What is new A predicted shift of the categories money is spent on. According to a study by Sensor Tower the prediction is that “app store spending for non-game apps will overtake mobile gaming by 2024”, via TechCrunch. LINK
BLOCKCHAIN
Where are the European blockchain centers?
A report published by the German Economic Institute provides an overview. Key finding: Malta and Estonia are at the forefront. Quote:
“Compared by the sizes of their workforce, both countries have an outstanding number of blockchain companies and can easily compete with larger countries like Germany and France.”
This is an interesting observation: Could smaller countries leap forward by providing the right environment for new technologies and founders? LINK
Meet Beeple, the artist making millions selling digital art
The Esquire has a story about Mike Winkelmann, better known by his artist name Beeple.
“He’s a dad from Wisconsin who drives a “piece of shit” Corolla. And his brilliantly absurd artwork has made him the face of a crypto market you didn’t know existed.”
Thank You for reading.
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