Tech Roundup: Microsoft Windows for China, Samsung Bixby & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• The U.S. Senate votes to eliminate privacy rules that would have forced ISPs to get users' consent before selling web browsing history and app usage history to advertisers.
• Samsung announces smart personal voice assistant Bixby, a new way to interact with Galaxy smartphones.
• Microsoft is readying a version of Windows desktop operating system specifically targeting China. (China also wanted Apple to open up its source code for inspection, which has led to it adopting privacy preserving techniques like differential privacy. Will Cisco be next in line?)
• Google Allo instant messaging service gains support for file sharing; video calling app Duo adds capabilities for audio-only calls.
• Google to remove SMS support in Hangouts for Android; to officially retire Google Talk on June 26 and migrate all existing users to Hangouts.
• Google integrates now-defunct Latitude's real-time location sharing with friends on Google Maps (disables the feature on Google+), as Facebook rolls out ephemeral live location sharing on Messenger.
• Google adds Free App of the Week section to Google Play Android app/game store.
• Popular Facebook-owned social photo sharing service Instagram to add appointment booking features for businesses.
• Facebook adds live streaming on desktops; adds message reactions and mention alerts on Messenger.
• Medium debuts paid memberships for US$ 5 a month.
• Twitter considering an advanced Tweetdeck for US$ 20 a month subscription for power users, brands and news organizations. (Will Facebook follow suit?)
• Apple said to begin iPhone 6, 6s and SE manufacturing in India in the next few months.
• Apple refutes claims that its systems were breached in a successful ransomware hack that obtained access to 600 million iCloud accounts; says "the alleged list of email addresses and passwords appears to have been obtained from previously compromised third-party services," even as the hacking group Turkish Crime Family has given Apple till April 7 to pay ransom failing which it's threatening to reset the accounts.
• Online retailer Amazon takes on Pocket and Instapaper with Send to Kindle option from Safari for iOS.
• Amazon to acquire Souq, a Middle East e-commerce rival, for US$ 650 million.
• Amazon to begin collecting sales tax for online purchases nationwide in the United States starting April 1.
• Popular game Super Mario Run lands on Android months after its debut on iOS.