Tech
Patreon stops asking AI bots not to scrape — and starts blocking them
Patreon, the membership platform for creators, is cracking down on AI scraping its content for training purposes. On Thursday, the company shared that it’s working with internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare to directly block access to AI bots designed to train their AI models on creators’ work without permission.
The strengthened measures were necessary because AI scraping has become more sophisticated since it first put measures in place to deter AI crawlers in 2023, the company says. In addition, Patreon’s paywall has long locked much of creators’ content out of reach of crawlers. But more recently, the company introduced new discovery tools like a redesigned Home Feed and its tweet-like Quips, which could expose more content to crawlers.
The changes come about as more online publishers and content creators are coming to grips with how AI is ingesting their work for the purpose of making their AI models smarter. To combat this, Cloudflare now offers tools that allow website publishers to restrict AI bots, including a marketplace that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping, dubbed Pay Per Crawl. Earlier this month, it changed its policies so that “mixed-use” crawlers, meaning those that both index and train on a website’s content, are blocked by default on any pages that host ads.
Patreon says that it’s extending its existing work with Cloudflare to use the company’s AI Crawl Control technology to update its AI policies and enforcement tools. The difference here is that instead of simply asking AI crawlers not to scrape content using the robots.txt files — a standard way to provide bots with instructions on how they can use its site — Patreon is now actively blocking AI training bots.
“Consent shouldn’t depend on whether a scraper chooses to behave,” a Patreon blog post explains, referencing the stricter measures.
When testing the features, individual AI training crawlers’ weekly attempts to access Patreon went from “thousands of attempts to zero,” the post noted. That indicates that the AI scrapers were ignoring Patreon’s robots.txt file and scraping the site anyway, despite its requests.
However, the company said that it will allow bots that index pages and organize information that can be used to send users back to Patreon.
“As AI agents become increasingly powerful and popular, creators deserve a meaningful say in how their work is used by AI companies,” remarked Patreon’s product chief Drew Rowny in the announcement. “On most of the Internet, creators have to accept AI training on their work just to reach and grow an audience. Patreon has a different vision: creators should be able to grow their audience and control how their work is used.”
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Tech
Amazon fixing bug that billed some AWS customers billions of dollars
Some Amazon cloud customers woke up on Friday to a surprise bill estimate that said they owed billions of dollars for cloud services they had never used.
Amazon confirmed on Friday that it’s trying to resolve a bug in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) billing portal that showed some customers “owed” millions or billions in cloud computing costs.
In an update on its status page, Amazon said it began seeing inaccurate billing data as of late Thursday. But by Friday morning, the company conceded that the “rollback of a recent change did not resolve the issue.” Amazon said the change relates to its billing computation subsystem.
The good news for the customers who were told they “owe” millions or billions to Amazon is they are likely off the hook. The billing estimates “do not reflect actual usage and charges,” Amazon said.
According to several screenshots posted by Amazon customers on Reddit, one customer was quoted a billing estimate of close to $2.5 billion for this month’s AWS usage, while others had similar alerts, ranging from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars.
When reached by email, Amazon spokesperson Aisha Johnson referred TechCrunch to the company’s status page and did not comment further, or answer questions about the bug. The company would not say, when asked, if any AWS accounts had been suspended or paused as a result of the issue.
The issue is expected to last several more hours, per Amazon’s status page.
Updated with a response from Amazon.
Tech
Amazon fixing bug that billed some AWS customers billions of dollars
Some Amazon cloud customers woke up on Friday to a surprise bill estimate that said they owed billions of dollars for cloud services they had never used.
Amazon confirmed on Friday that it’s trying to resolve a bug in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) billing portal that showed some customers “owed” millions or billions in cloud computing costs.
In an update on its status page, Amazon said it began seeing inaccurate billing data as of late Thursday. But by Friday morning, the company conceded that the “rollback of a recent change did not resolve the issue.” Amazon said the change relates to its billing computation subsystem.
The good news for the customers who were told they “owe” millions or billions to Amazon is they are likely off the hook. The billing estimates “do not reflect actual usage and charges,” Amazon said.
According to several screenshots posted by Amazon customers on Reddit, one customer was quoted a billing estimate of close to $2.5 billion for this month’s AWS usage, while others had similar alerts, ranging from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars.
When reached by email, Amazon spokesperson Aisha Johnson referred TechCrunch to the company’s status page and did not comment further, or answer questions about the bug. The company would not say, when asked, if any AWS accounts had been suspended or paused as a result of the issue.
The issue is expected to last several more hours, per Amazon’s status page.
Updated with a response from Amazon.
Tech
Parents want safer phones for kids. These companies are answering the call.
As parents become increasingly concerned about the potential dangers of unrestricted smartphone access for children, a growing number of companies are developing devices specifically designed for kids.
Today’s kid-friendly phones typically feature touchscreens, cameras, and communication capabilities similar to regular smartphones. However, the software on these devices is heavily modified to remove or restrict access to web browsers, social media, app stores, and other distractions.
Parents can usually manage these devices through a companion app, allowing them to approve contacts, monitor locations, set screen time limits, select available apps, and, in some cases, receive alerts regarding cyberbullying, explicit content, or online predators.
In addition to these modified devices, some companies offer a more minimalist approach, creating devices that focus solely on calling and texting.
There are also home phones designed specifically for children, like Tin Can and the recently launched Pinwheel Home.
Here’s a look at the major players shaping the kid-phone market.
The Bark Phone
The Bark Phone is probably one of the most popular kid-specific smartphones on the market.
Built on Samsung Galaxy hardware and powered by Bark’s monitoring software, it only allows calls and texts with approved contacts. Bark continuously scans texts, emails, photos, and supported apps for signs of cyberbullying, grooming, suicidal ideation, sexual content, and other potential concerns, then sends alerts to parents.
A big standout feature is that parents can gradually unlock web browsing, apps, and other features as their child matures. The phone also includes GPS tracking and screen-time management.
Current pricing for the standard model is $240, plus a required wireless plan beginning at $29/month. Higher-tier plans add internet access and unlimited texting.
Gabb
Gabb is a well-known name in the kid-friendly phone category. Unlike Bark, however, Gabb focuses less on monitoring content and more on eliminating online risks altogether.
Its phones don’t include social media, a browser, or an app store. Instead, children get calling, texting, and a carefully curated selection of preloaded apps, including a camera, calendar, and calculator. The company also touts its “worry-free” music streaming library with millions of songs.
Additionally, parents can view location and manage certain device settings, while optional services such as “Gabb Guard” help block spam calls and unwanted texts.
Current phone pricing starts around $159.99, with cellular service starting around $24.99 per month.
Pinwheel
With Pinwheel, parents approve every app, control contacts, schedule screen time, create custom routines, and monitor location history.
One standout feature is the ability to create different “modes” throughout the day. For example, limiting the phone to calling and navigation during school hours before unlocking additional features after homework.
Pinwheel phones start around $119, while the Caregiver Portal subscription begins at $14.99 per month without cell service. (Cellular service can be purchased separately through participating carriers.)
The company recently launched two landline phones for $68 and $79. It also offers a smartwatch at $160.
Teracube Thrive
Launched in 2022, Teracube offers a tailored version of Android known as Thrive OS. This enables parents to approve every app download, filter web browsing, set app-specific and overall screen-time limits, monitor location, and create customized routines for school or bedtime. However, because it has more traditional smartphone features, it’s often recommended for older children.
Thrive currently sells for $99, with plans starting at $35 per month.
Ooma MyPhone
Unlike the other products in this roundup, Ooma MyPhone isn’t a mobile phone at all. This kid-focused home phone is designed as a modern replacement for the traditional household landline.
The service allows calls only between approved contacts through its Trusted Circle feature, offers scheduled Quiet Hours, provides address-based 911 service, sends emergency alerts when 911 is dialed, and lets parents review call logs through an online portal. There are no apps, internet browsing, texting, or social media.
The phone costs $99.99, while service starts at $7.99 per month.
Tin Can
For $100, Tin Can resembles a landline phone with a distinctive tin can design, which is the inspiration behind its name.
This device does not require a traditional phone jack, but connects via Wi-Fi. Only approved contacts can make calls, effectively preventing spam or unauthorized communications. Parents can easily manage contacts through a user-friendly companion app.
Tin Can offers a free plan for calling other Tin Can users, as well as a $9.99 per month plan that allows calls to all approved contacts.
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