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If you’re a parent with young children, then you’ll probably hear this a lot on Christmas Eve: “Where’s Santa right now?” With tracking tools like the NORAD Santa Tracker and Google’s Santa Tracker, everyone can know when Father Christmas will arrive.

Here’s how to follow Santa’s journey this Christmas Eve.

Track Santa Claus with NORAD

NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) had the first-ever Santa tracker in 1955. While it used to be just a boring animation of Santa’s sleigh and reindeer flying across a map, NORAD has added tons of features in recent years, such as fun mini-games, videos, stories and Christmas music.

Rather than a 2D model, the NORAD Santa tracker has a 3D visual depiction of Santa’s journey as the platform was built on Cesium’s open-source 3D mapping library. It also uses Bing Maps satellite imagery, making the globe look more “realistic.”

Along with the tracker tool, users can also see a “Santa Cam,” which has videos of Santa making his way around the world to deliver presents to every kid on the nice list.

NORAD’s website has Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, arcade-style games, kid-friendly music, an online library and various videos that can be watched on NORAD’s official YouTube channel.

NORAD Santa tracker is available on noradsanta.org, or you can download the official NORAD Tracks Santa app onApple’s App Store or theGoogle Play Store. The website is available in English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian and Portuguese.

You can also track Santa through NORAD Tracker’s social media accounts, such as Facebook,Twitter andInstagram.

For a more personable experience, call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6732), and you’ll speak with a volunteer from the organization’s call center who’ll update you on Santa’s location.

Plus, through a partnership with Amazon, NORAD lets Amazon Alexa users track Santa. Users can open the Amazon Alexa app and go to “Skills & Games,” then search for “NORAD Tracks Santa” skill. Once enabled, you can ask: “Alexa, where’s Santa?” You can also say, “Alexa, call Santa,” and the jolly man will hop on the phone with you and your kids. There’s an option to leave a voicemail message for him as well.

Track Santa Claus with Google

Google’s Santa Tracker launched in 2004 and simulates the tracking of Santa. The website features a live map of Santa’s current location, his next stop, a live video feed of his route, and the estimated arrival time for each location. It also shows the total distance that Santa has traveled so far and the number of presents he has delivered.

Throughout December, the page operates as Santa’s Village, where users can play mini-games, take quizzes, watch animated videos and explore other interactive activities. For instance, players can build their own elf in Google’s “Elf Maker” game as well as host a concert with “Elf Jamband.” Kids can also learn how to code with easy and fun tutorials like “Code Boogie.”

Additionally, users can enlist the help of Google Assistant to learn about Santa’s whereabouts. You can ask, “Hey Google, where’s Santa?” or even “What’s new at the North Pole?” which lets you tune into Google’s North Pole Newscast where you can hear what Santa and his elves are up to that day.

Google Assistant also lets you call Santa himself. When you call him, Santa will be rehearsing for a concert and will ask for your musical expert advice.

And don’t forget to ask Google Assistant to tell you a Santa joke!

How to track Santa Claus this Christmas Eve by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

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Today we celebrate a bit of oversight over an industry that has been allowed to prey on those less fortunate for way too long — Devin reports that the FCC is taking a more firm hand in overseeing the prison phone system in a simple bill, giving the regulatory body the power “to ensure just and reasonable charges for telephone and advanced communications services in correctional and detention facilities.”

In other captivating news, the Daily Crunch will be back next week in a slightly diminished form, as both Christine and Haje disappear for the holidays. The full newsletter will be back soon, and the two of us wish you a very happy Christmas if you celebrate, a very peaceful holiday if you do not, and a magnificently prosperous 2023, in either case. Much love, Christine and Haje

The TechCrunch Top 4

Meta settles: After years of pushing back against a lawsuit, Meta has agreed to a $725 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica harvesting data from Facebook users. Paul has more.
Breathe in that fresh air: Mila, the maker of a smart air purifier that came from humble beginnings on Kickstarter, scored $10 million in a round led by Electrolux. This gives it a $52 million valuation and the backing to add some smarts to a new product — a humidifier, Haje writes.
Charge it up: It looks like Tesla is #winning in a space that Apple couldn’t make work. The automaker unveiled its $300 charging mat that can recharge three devices at once, Matt reports.
The results are in: Dominic-Madori surveyed three Black investors about what they are prepping for in 2023. Read the full version on TechCrunch+.

Holiday shipping is easier this year, but the tech is still lagging

Global supply lines are in better shape than they were this time last year, but that doesn’t bode well for the future, writes Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen.

“This year’s improvements in shipping largely reflect a pullback in consumption rather than any improvement in the underlying infrastructure,” he says, noting that labor shortages, global instability and high fuel prices have created persistent bottlenecks.

“Fortunately, the data available today is rich beyond measure, and we also have the tools to leverage it in ways that can boost efficiency.”

Three more from the TC+ team:

Cloud money makes it rain: While Amazon had a rocky year, AWS remains a reliable cash cow, by Ron.
Big, clean stacks of money: Clean energy investments may close 2022 hitting new heights, setting stage for lofty 2023, by Tim.
Tearing down the Card Blanch: Pitch Deck Teardown: Card Blanch’s $460K deck for its angel round, by Haje.

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription!

Big Tech Inc.

We enjoyed Ingrid’s in-depth look at how decentralized social media player Mastodon is scaling as Twitter users decamp to search for other ways to post everything they are thinking. TechCrunch+ subscribers — if you’re not one, you can be easily — can also read her Q&A with Mastodon creator Eugen Rochko.

If you are a LastPass user like many of us here at TechCrunch, you might want to check your email if you haven’t already. LastPass says hackers stole some customers’ password vaults. Zack says it’s time to change your passwords.

Google isn’t taking India’s latest fine lying down. Manish reports the search engine giant is appealing the hundreds of millions of dollars in fines ordered against it over business practices on Android.

And we have four more for you:

Can there be a fair election in social media land?: Annie writes that “botched content moderation” during Kenya’s elections last year leaves other countries with questions about what social media companies, like Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, will do to uphold election integrity in Africaas their elections happen.
Persistence or annoyance?: @ElonJet creator Jack Sweeney has a new Twitter handle now, still following Elon Musk’s jet, but now delayed, writes Connie. Meanwhile, if you’re Twitter Blue, you can now upload 60-minute videos, Ivan reports. Not sure any of us will stay long enough to watch one, so good luck with those new view counts.
Separated: India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart no longer owns a stake in PhonePe, Manish writes.
This move has Tesla investors shaking their heads: Tesla’s $7,500 discount feels desperate and is “giving investors the ick,” writes Rebecca, causing one to cut its price target for the automaker.

Daily Crunch: Meta to pay $725M settlement in Cambridge Analytica data access case by Christine Hall originally published on TechCrunch