Airbnb bans indoor security cameras amid privacy concerns. 2 other stories and a trivia

This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today

1. Airbnb bans indoor security cameras amid privacy concerns

Airbnb has announced a significant policy change effective April 30th, prohibiting the use of indoor security cameras in its listings to prioritize renters’ privacy.

Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s Head of Community Policy and Partnership, confirmed this in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria on Tuesday March 12, 2024.

Following numerous reports from guests discovering hidden cameras, the short-term rental platform headquartered in San Francisco will no longer permit hosts to install indoor security cameras, regardless of their location or purpose.

Previously, Airbnb allowed hosts to place security cameras in “common areas,” with the condition of disclosure and visibility.

However, the new policy takes a stricter stance, prohibiting indoor security cameras entirely.

Meanwhile, hosts are still permitted to install doorbell cameras and noise decibel monitors to address concerns such as unauthorized parties.

Speaking on the development, Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s Head of Community Policy and Partnership, stated: “These changes were made in consultation with our guests, hosts, and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to ensure our policies benefit our global community.”

Trivia: A user ID generally cannot contain what?

A. Capital letters
B. Numbers
C. Underscores
D. Spaces
See Answer below

2. UK’s Flagstone secures £108m investment from Estancia Capital

London-based fintech, Flagstone, has received a £108 million equity investment from US private equity firm, Estancia Capital Partners, with participation from primary and secondary investments.

The CEO of Flagstone, Simon Merchant, confirmed this in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria on Tuesday March 12, 2024.

Established in 2015, Flagstone facilitates access to savings accounts from over 30 partner banks for both individuals and businesses, with a customer base exceeding 600,000, the fintech manages assets worth £11 billion.

The primary investment is earmarked to fortify Flagstone’s position in the UK’s £1.7 trillion savings market by to enhancing its brand, forge industry partnerships, and improve customer service.

Estancia Capital Partners is set to acquire a minority stake in Flagstone and additionally, it’s co-founder and managing director, Takashi Moriuchi, and vice president, Keegan Mitchell, will join Flagstone’s board of directors.

Simon believes the recent capital injection will empower the company to seize growth opportunities through various channels, including organic expansion, partnerships, and acquisitions.

3. RasMal Acquires Pentagram to Enhance Services

Saudi-based equity management platform, RasMal, has acquired Pentugram, a regional cloud-based SaaS platform that simplifies investment processes for venture capital (VC), private equity (PE), angel investors, and financial advisors.

Nasser Al-Tamimi, RasMal’s co-founder and COO, confirmed this acquisition in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria on Tuesday March 12, 2024.

This acquisition signifies RasMal’s debut in the acquisition arena and proves 1A its commitment to fostering the entrepreneurial landscape by simplifying fundraising and investment processes.

Pentugram’s clientele will gain access to RasMal’s extensive range of services, while RasMal aims to utilize Pentugram’s platform to offer enhanced solutions for deal sourcing, portfolio management, and reporting to investors and fund managers.

Speaking on the development Nasser Al-Tamimi emphasized the alignment of vision between RasMal and Pentugram, saying: “This acquisition marks RasMal’s initial foray into expanding its offerings beyond private companies.

4. Bitcoin hits new highs

Despite bitcoin achieving another all-time peak on Monday, publicly traded mining stocks on Nasdaq started the day with declines.

Shares linked to companies such as Marathon, Cleanspark, Riot, and others have dropped in value against the U.S. dollar, contrasting with bitcoin’s surge to fresh price milestones.

On Monday, Mar. 11, 2024, BTC reached $72,486, but most bitcoin mining companies’ shares have fallen following a brief recovery last week.

While every publicly listed mining firm ended Friday with gains last week, Monday presented a different picture.

Before 12 p.m. Eastern Time on Mar. 11, Marathon Digital Holdings (Nasdaq: MARA) saw a decline of 5.23%, Cleanspark (Nasdaq: CLSK) fell 7.88%, Terawulf (Nasdaq: WULF) dropped by 7.21%, Bitdeer (Nasdaq: BTDR) decreased by 8.83%, Bitfarms Limited (Nasdaq: BITF) reported a loss of 9.81% before midday, and Riot Platforms (Nasdaq: RIOT) encountered a decline of 2.63%.

All U.S. publicly-listed miners recorded losses on the Nasdaq, with brokerage firm Bernstein suggesting mining stocks as the optimal equity representative in this bullish cycle, highlighting “every window of miner weakness as a buying opportunity.”

Trivia Answer: Spaces

A user ID is a unique identifier, commonly used to log on to a website, app, or online service. It may be a username, account number, or email address.

Many websites require an email address for the user ID. This provides two benefits: It is a simple way of ensuring you select a unique username. It automatically associates your email address with your account.

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