The Top US Colleges and States for Local Entrepreneurs and Business Founders

Location. Location. Location.

No, we're not talking about one of the fundamental laws of property investment. Instead, we're focusing on where the next generation of business founders are deciding to launch their companies.

And for that, we've brought you this latest piece of research from the team at Switch On Business. It put together several charts showing the US colleges and states with the most local business founders, based on data collected from LinkedIn.

Here's a summary of all the results.

New York colleges produce the most local business founders

New York is the place to be for graduates who want to start a business. The city dominates the list of the top US colleges with the most graduate founders, with 8 entries in the top 20.

The New York colleges churning out local graduate founders include Baruch College, Columbia University, and The New School.

Of the New York schools on the list, Hunter College scored highest, with over half (54%) of its graduate founders staying in the Big Apple.

Let's also give a special mention to New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. 40% of its graduate founders started their business in New York. The fashion school also has an illustrious lineup of super-famous graduates who became some of the biggest names in fashion, such as Michael Kors and Calvin Klein.

Some of the highest-scoring schools outside New York City include Georgia State University (46.32%) and The University of Houston (41.23%).

Utah Valley graduates stay loyal to their state

An impressive 80% of all graduate founders from Utah Valley University remain in Utah following graduation.

So what's so great about Utah?

Put simply, it's one of the best states in the USA to set up and do business. Taxes are low, regulation is favorable, and the state economy is absolutely booming.

And with its thriving startup and tech scene, why would any ambitious graduate even think about leaving Utah? It has everything they need to get a new venture off the ground, then grow fast.

Utah Valley takes the top spot on a state-by-state analysis, but the rest of the chart belongs to California. Thirteen of the top twenty colleges in this part of the study are located in The Golden State.

The college with the most graduate founders in each state

Texas State University helps support the local economy by producing a large amount of graduate founders. Over two-thirds of all graduate founders who went to the college are now running a business in Texas.

Chicago's DePaul University is the top school in the state of Illinois for graduate founders. Just under half (49%) decided to stay in Illinois following matriculation.

These graduates are following in a fine tradition. Founded in 1898, DePaul has a strong commitment to serving local communities and providing access to education for all students, including first-generation college students and those from underrepresented groups. The school's founder wanted to ensure that students from all backgrounds could receive a quality education that would enable them to improve their lives and contribute positively to local economies.

US states with the most graduate founders

California and Texas are winning the battle to hold onto their best, brightest, and most ambitious graduate talent.

61% of all graduate founders in California remained in the state, while Texas boasts a graduate founder retention rate of 53%. Impressive stuff.

The same can't be said for Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. These three states are among the lowest scores of all. Each scored under 10%, meaning 9 out of 10 college founders who studied in states are putting their education to good use elsewhere.

But at least they didn't do as poorly as Rhode Island; less than 6% of its college founders have any interest in doing business in the state after college.

That's some serious brain drain. But where does all that potential move to? One possible answer is New York.

New York is less than 2 hours drive from Rhode Island. The city offers graduate founders a larger and more diverse market to target, as well as superior access to capital, talent, and a dynamic cultural and innovation ecosystem.

Searching for opportunity in California

Where do all the graduate founders who don't stay in their state move to?

According to this final infographic from Switch On Business, the answer is California.

California is a giant magnet for graduate talent, sucking in more graduate founders from across the USA than any other major state included in the study.

It's the smart choice location for graduate founders looking for that first break. A recent study found that new businesses in California have the best survival rate - or at least for the first year. And this is a crucial advantage in a country where 20% of startups never make it past that first critical 12 months.

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by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Meta Ends Lawsuit Against Data Scraping Company

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, recently decided to end its legal battle with Bright Data, a company from Israel known for collecting data from websites. Meta had accused Bright Data of taking information from its platforms without permission. This case was part of Meta's ongoing effort to stop companies from scraping, which means collecting large amounts of data from websites automatically.

The court, however, did not side with Meta on a key part of the lawsuit. It said Meta didn't prove that Bright Data took private data that wasn't supposed to be public. Because of this, Meta chose to drop the lawsuit instead of continuing the fight.

What made this case interesting was that Meta and Bright Data had worked together before. Meta had used Bright Data's services to gather data from online stores to help with its advertising. But when Bright Data started taking data from Meta's sites, Meta sued them.

The court's decision focused on whether the data Bright Data took was public or private. Meta showed the court a huge amount of Instagram data Bright Data had sold, but the court wasn't convinced this data was private. Meta also tried to show that Bright Data had access to private information, but the court found these examples unconvincing.

The court also disagreed with Meta's view on how Bright Data collected the data. It said using automated tools to get around website restrictions wasn't the same as breaking into a protected account.

Meta tried to argue that Bright Data used special tools and its own social media accounts to take the data, but the court found no evidence to support this claim. After losing a key part of the case, Meta announced it was thinking about what to do next.

Then, on February 23, 2024, Meta asked the court to close the case. It gave up on its last claim and decided not to appeal the decision that was in favor of Bright Data.

This outcome is unusual for Meta, which usually wins such cases. It has successfully stopped other companies from scraping its sites in the past. But this time, Bright Data said it didn't settle with Meta and won't change how it operates. The company sees this as a big win for itself and others who collect public data from websites.

Bright Data's CEO, Or Lenchner, said this decision supports their right to access public information on the web. He believes the internet should be open for everyone and no single company should control it.

Meta has not commented on the decision to end the lawsuit. This case was one of many where Meta has tried to protect its data from being taken and used by others without permission.

Image: DIW - AIgen

Read next: US Supreme Court Weighs Laws Regulating Social Media Giants' Content Moderation
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

US Supreme Court Weighs Laws Regulating Social Media Giants' Content Moderation

The Supreme Court recently looked into laws from Florida and Texas that are trying to put rules on how social media companies manage their content. These laws want to stop companies from blocking or limiting users they find problematic. Most of the justices seem to think that these laws might not respect the social media companies' rights to free speech. This is because the companies should be able to choose what content they want on their platforms, similar to how free speech laws protect individuals from government control but not from private companies.

During the discussions, which lasted almost four hours, justices from different political backgrounds shared their worries about the big influence of social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. They wondered if these laws should be completely dismissed. Trade groups NetChoice and CCIA argue that these laws go against the Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects free speech, by limiting the companies' ability to select their content.

Some justices think there might be parts of the laws that could be okay, especially for other types of platforms or services like messaging apps. This means the court might not reject the laws fully. The decisions from the court could lead to more legal battles to see if these laws should be allowed.

The laws were made after social media companies banned former President Donald Trump following the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. The rules in these laws try to control how companies can moderate content and require them to explain why they removed certain content. For example, the Florida law stops companies from banning political figures and controls "shadow banning," where user content is hidden. The Texas law stops platforms from banning users based on their opinions.

• Also read: Is The Peak Smartphone Era Behind Us? This New Market Research Has The Answer

The court also discussed how these laws could affect not just big social media companies but also other businesses like Uber and Etsy, which allow user-generated content. The justices were careful about saying the laws should not apply to services like direct messaging or email because these don't involve the same free speech issues.

These cases are part of several legal issues the Supreme Court is dealing with regarding social media. Another big question, not directly part of this case, is about the legal protection internet companies have for content posted by their users. This protection has been a big deal for a long time, but the Supreme Court has not made a decision on it yet.

Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen

Read next: Breaking Barriers In The World Of Tech: World’s Most Spoken Languages Revealed
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Breaking Barriers In The World Of Tech: World’s Most Spoken Languages Revealed

Globalization continues to peak in today’s modern world where the significance of language in terms of breaking barriers cannot be emphasized enough.

After all, what better way to unite with others and take part in global chats in the world of tech than this? Remember, the internet belongs to those who speak a language featuring a footprint that goes above and beyond the realms of your own nation.

That’s exactly where the English language comes into play. It’s something that links individuals from all across the globe. As per W3Techs’ estimates, close to 50% of all websites make use of the English tone as their main form of communication. And since English is your best bet in terms of maximizing the potential of your viewers online and enhancing engagement, most people focus so much on that.

But this new study is raising the curtain on how English might not be the only means of communication and the mark it has left in terms of a global footprint isn’t too large.

Estimates arising from Ethnologue proved how just 1.4 billion users spoke English. Out of those, just 380 million would be declared native speakers.

While this does make the English language one of the world’s highly spoken languages globally, others cannot be excluded as shown in this infographic. Mandarin and Chinese account for 1.14 billion individuals globally and that also entails 940 million individuals that can be considered native speakers.

All English speakers are still making up less than 20% of the global population so rough estimates prove how 4 out of 5 individuals globally aren’t able to properly comprehend what’s being said in more than half of the websites present today. Exceptions are there because of translation tools but that’s beside the point here.

The infographic sheds light on some of the world’s most spoken languages including Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and a few others that aren’t represented well online. Others worth a mention include German, English, as well as Russian which have bigger footprints on the internet than what they might be possessing around the globe today.

Therefore, the next time someone tells you that it’s English that happens to be the only source of communication online, you might wish to enlighten them with the findings of this study.

Chart via Statista.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Is The Peak Smartphone Era Behind Us? This New Market Research Has The Answer

Smartphones have been trending for years but despite the world bracing for a shift toward 5G technology, a new market research is shedding light on some other interesting findings.

Advanced technology has manufacturers struggling in terms of growth in today’s mature smartphone market. For instance, when you look at global stats for this moment in time, shipments witnessed a decline to a new low when looking at stats from the last decade.

Estimated figures from the IDC proved how vendors of these smartphones were rolling out close to 1.1 billion phones in 2023 alone. That’s a decline of 20% from what was seen in the year 2016 when the shipments for smartphones rose to 1.4 billion units.

This has led many experts in today’s world to assume how smartphones and their era have been gone. But despite that, market researchers like those at IDC continue to be optimistic about the future of the industry for this year and how growth might be on the rise for 2024 and the upcoming years.

The company’s research head explained how the tide is turning for the better and how it’s starting to feel safer with the worse part being left in the past, which he calls November 2023.

The market is said to be in its stage of maturation and that’s true as we make way for new eras of growth arising in single digits. And while experts admit that the total market share up for grabs will stay lower than what was witnessed during the era before the pandemic, there is a brighter side to this. It has to do with average sale prices being higher than in the past and the same can be said for the market value in this regard.

H/T: Statista

Read next: Giving Kids Smartphones At A Young Age Leads To Devastating Mental Distress As Adults, New Study Proves
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Instagram's Upcoming Feature Allows Users To Track Friends' Locations, Akin To Snapchat Map

Instagram is working on a feature called "Friend Map." This feature lets you see where your friends are on a map. Alessandro Paluzzi, a software developer, first found this feature and shared a screenshot on X a few months ago. He often finds new Instagram features before they're officially announced.

Recently, Paluzzi shared more screenshots of the "Friend Map" on Threads and X. These images show you can choose who sees your location. There's also a "Ghost mode" for times you don't want to share where you are. The feature keeps your location safe with end-to-end encryption.

"Friend Map" seems similar to Snap’s "Snap Map." You can even leave notes on the map, like telling friends about a cool event or that you're out shopping.

It's still unclear if "Friend Map" will be added to Instagram for everyone. The feature is still being worked on.

On the other hand, as per Ahmed Ghanem, Instagram is also testing new ways to make live streams more interactive. Creators can now use "This or That" prompts or "Trivia" games to get viewers talking and engaging more during live videos.

Meta, Instagram's parent company, wants live streaming to be a bigger deal for creators. They're slowly letting more creators get "Stars" from viewers during live streams. This is a way for creators to make money from their videos. Instagram also made it easier to go live from computers in December.

Live streaming is huge in China, especially for shopping. It hasn't become as popular in the West yet. But with TikTok and YouTube pushing live videos, Instagram is adding new features to keep up. They hope live streaming games and other interactive tools will help build community and maybe even help creators sell more.

Read next: Former FBI Expert Warns of Cookie Theft Emerging as Major Cybersecurity Threat, Surpassing Password Concerns with its Ability to Bypass Protections
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Former FBI Expert Warns of Cookie Theft Emerging as Major Cybersecurity Threat, Surpassing Password Concerns with its Ability to Bypass Protections

The manner in which cyber security functions in this modern day and age has experienced a bit of a backslide, which basically means that your password length and complexity can’t really protect you from vicious actors anymore. Even two factor authentication might not be enough with all things having been considered and taken into account, since malware can bypass it all and create a situation wherein your session tokens or cookies can end up in the wrong hands.

According to former FBI digital crime expert Trevor Hilligoss (via CyberNews), who currently serves as the VP of SpyCloud Labs, cookie theft is actually the biggest threat to cybersecurity. Most people tend to focus on things like their passwords, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, it turns out that cookie theft is far more concerning due to how it can bypass various protections that have been put in place.

The most significant situation in which cookie theft can cause a wide array of problems is if it ends up compromising your Google account. Such an event can be catastrophic because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up compromising every single other account that is linked to your Google account, including social media profiles and the like.

The OAuth2 authorization exploit has already given malicious actors the ability to secretly access Google accounts without the owner even realizing what’s going on in the first place. Google accounts can be extremely attractive propositions for them, since they also tend to contain financial information and other highly sensitive data that can cause an incalculable amount of harm.

• Also  read: Researchers Highlight Alarming Findings of Cyberattacks via Wireless Chargers, Risking Smartphone Fires and Device Damage

Authentication cookies can make MFA far less effective, and it’s basically making the most effective strategy to keep hackers at bay practically defenseless. Infostealers have been stealing cookies for quite a long time, and with Malware as a Service quickly picking up steam, hackers don’t even really need all that much technical knowledge in order to implement their schemes.

Since browser cookies are stored in local databases, they’ve become a prime target for these malicious actors which is why it’s so important for any and all holes to be patched.

Malware can basically work similarly to a browser in that it can check for stored cookies that allow for easier log ins. The desired log in tokens will be combined with other system data such as RAM amount and CPU information which obscures it, with the files sent out to the user’s device and then received by the malicious actor in question.

• Use different passwords for your all online accounts. Try this free password generator tool

There are hundreds of thousands of infostealer infections occurring on a day to day basis, and they mostly target people living in developed countries due to the higher value of their data. In order to protect yourself from these attacks, it is absolutely essential that you download an antivirus and continuously update it, and on top of all that, you need to have top notch endpoint monitoring at all times.

Another useful strategy that you can deploy is to avoid clicking on ads. A great deal of malware is transferred through scam ads, so Hilligoss recommends that you just steer clear of ads as much as you can.

Image: DIW-AIGen

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