Tech Roundup: Petya Cyberattacks, Tinder Gold & More

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

Alphabet/Google:

• Shuts down Google Talk (aka Gchat) for good; asks users to switch to Hangouts (when Hangouts is being repurposed for business communication).
• Ordered by Canada's Supreme Court to remove certain search results (pertaining to Equustek Solutions and Datalink Technology Gateways) worldwide (i.e. Right to be forgotten on a global scale) in what could have serious ramifications for free speech.
• Said to be working on a new Chromebook codenamed 'Eve' with fingerprint scanner and Google Assistant integration.
• Rolls out support for Bluetooth streaming to Google Home smart speaker.
• Tests new Android app in Philippines called Triangle that lets users block individual apps from using mobile data.
• Brings suggested sharing and shared libraries to Google Photos.
• Develops new Virtual Reality ad formats for mobile devices as part of its new Area 120 initiative.
• Opens social YouTube watching app Uptime to all.

Google's new VR ad format (Image courtesy: Google Developers Blog, Area 120)

Amazon:

• Reportedly working on a translation service that third-parties can take advantage of in their apps and websites, reports CNBC.
• Makes Echo Show, its new Alexa-equipped smart assistant with a 7-inch display, available for purchase.

Facebook:

• Planning 30-minute episodic shows as it forays into original TV content to rival Google, Snapchat and Apple.
• Makes an algorithmic tweak to its News Feed that demotes content shared by spammers from being seen by users in latest fight to squash clickbait content.
• Adds new masks and filters to Messenger video chats.

In other news:

• New wave of cyber/ransomware attacks hit Europe (Ukraine mainly), Middle East and United States targeting a variety of companies using the same EternalBlue exploit that was employed in WannaCry attacks a month ago (proving once again how careless governments and companies have been about applying patches); malware analysis shows it to a modified version of Petya ransomware that's designed to wipe infected machines outright without no capabilities to restore them after paying the Bitcoin ransom.
• German parliament approves plan to fine social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc.) up to 50 million euros ($57 million) if they fail to take down posts containing hate speech or other criminal material within 24 hours, despite concerns the law could limit free expression.
• Chip maker Qualcomm shows off fingerprint scanners that go underneath your phone's display at Mobile World Congress Shanghai; to begin supplying them starting summer 2018.
• Apple acquires German eye-tracking firm SensoMotoric Instruments.
• Messaging service Telegram registers with Russian regulator in the wake of ban threat; founder Pavel Durov asserts the company wouldn't share confidential user data with government authorities.
• HMD Global manufactured Nokia 6 Android handset to land in the US sometime in July for US$ 229.
• Social discovery and cataloguing service Pinterest rolls out 2-factor authentication through SMS.
• Verizon-owned Yahoo! releases a completely overhauled version of Yahoo Mail and a new ad-free Pro tier (US$ 3.49 per month for web access, $ 0.99 per month for its mobile apps).
• Ride-hailing startup Uber now lets users book a ride for another person, using your address book to facilitate contact between the driver and the rider via SMS.
• Online dating service Tinder unveils a new Gold subscription option that allows users to view which users have liked them as part of its new efforts to convert more of its users to paying subscribers.
• Popular journaling app Day One transitions to a subscription service (for US$ 50 a year!), as it teases Web and Android versions for release later this year.