Instagram-Tool Filters DM’s; Whole Foods Launches Palm Reader Payments; VW’s ID4-World Car of Year; Netflix Sags on Subscriber Miss

Instagram has rolled out a new tool, primarily aimed at celebs, that will automatically filter out abusive DMs. It can be set to filter offensive words, phrases, and emojis. Again, it is mainly intended for celebrities and public figures, who receive large numbers of unwanted direct messages. The message requests filter can be toggled on or off in a new section of the app called “hidden words.” When it’s on, offensive messages will be pushed to a separate folder. DMs in this folder are concealed, allowing users to browse messages without needing to read what they say. If a user taps into a message, they can read, delete, or report it.

Giving a whole new meaning to ‘palm reading,’ Whole Foods has Launched the Amazon palm reader payment system at its Madison Broadway location in Seattle. According to gizmodo.com, they plan to roll out the biometric system in 7 more stores over the next few months. The palm reader is dubbed Amazon One, and it lets a customer pay for everything with a swipe of the hand, as long as they are registered for the service with Amazon. The tech has been trialed at Amazon’s small brick and mortar stores before the rollout to their Whole Foods division. You can enroll with just one palm, or both, by the way.

The World Car Awards have been announced, and Volkswagen takes top honors with their new 2021 electric ID 4. Cnet.com says the award is after voting from 93 jurors spread over 28 countries. In subcategories, the World Luxury Car is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Performance Car is the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo, Urban Car the 2021 Honda E, and World Car Design goes to the 2021 Land Rover Defender. VW’s new electric crossover edged out the Honda E and Toyota Yaris for the top spot.

Netflix beat the Street’s expectations in revenue and profit for the 1st quarter, but still tool an 11% hit on the stock, as they missed their subscriber target by a fair amount. Zdnet.com reports that Netflix ended with 208 million paid memberships, but had predict4ed 210 million. They were still up 14% year over year, and the revenue was up 24% year over year to $7.16 billion.