Tech Roundup: Facebook's Recalibration, Uber's Ripley Tool & More

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

• Facebook signs new deal with Sony Music to allow users upload videos containing their music to the social network, weeks after a similar licensing agreement with Universal Music Group; says it plans to focus on meaningful interactions on the social network, prioritising updates from family and friends over brands and pages (once again) at the cost of decreased engagement as it fights fake news and faces intense scrutiny for its negative role in shaping society.
• Uber's troubles doesn't seem to show any signs of winding down after Bloomberg and TechCrunch reveal the ride-hailing startup's use of Ripley and uLocker software to remotely lock up data on company-owned devices and "orchestrate the physical destruction of end-point workstations" during unexpected raids from law enforcement outside its offices in the U.S. (This, after knowing the existence of tools like Hell, Greyball, God View, Firehouse and Surfcam, comes as no surprise!)
• Apple to move a copy of iCloud data of its Chinese users to a state-owned company called Guizhou on the Cloud Big Data Industrial Development Co., Ltd. starting February 28, 2018 to comply with the country's regulations. (NB: If you choose not to agree, there is no opt-out other than deactivating your iCloud account.)
• Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S9 smartphone to come with a variable aperture camera, a leak of its retail boxing reveals.
• Samsung's MicroLED 146-inch TV The Wall, LG's 65-inch rollable TV prototype, Lenovo's Smart Display, Razer's phone-powered ultraportable laptop Project Linda, Abode's new iota home security system, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-integrations emerge the big highlights of CES 2018.
• Apple faces questions from investors Jana Partners and CalSTRS over addictive nature of its iPhones; asks the company to develop software (which Apple has agreed to) that would enforce stricter parental controls to limit children's phone use.
• Google publishes list of Chromebooks that will get a patch for Meltdown/Spectre vulnerabilities; Apple releases fresh updates for Safari, iOS and macOS to patch them.
• Microsoft begins testing end-to-end encrypted private conversations on Skype powered by Signal Protocol.
• Apple hit with new criminal probe in France and renewed questions over its controversial decision to throttle processing performance in iPhones with older batteries, thereby by wilfully shortening the life-span of products. (It is to be noted that planned obsolescence is illegal under French law.)
• Facebook's patent for People You May Know feature reveals how it plans to use file names, lens scratches and detectable dust in photos (if they are spotted in the same place, they are likely from the same camera) to connect two people.

Facebook shares fall after news that it plans to prioritise updates from friends and family over business and media outlets, a transition that could lead to less time being spent on the platform

• Electronics giant LG says it will no longer launch phones in the G and V series on a set yearly schedule, and that it will launch phones "when it is needed" (Thanks, can other companies follow this trend too?); to enter crowded mobile payments space in the U.S. with its launch of LG Wallet.
• Cloud storage service Dropbox has reportedly filed for a U.S. IPO in private at a valuation of US$ 10 billion.
• Facebook to shut down its human-assisted AI agent M in the coming week two-and-a-half years after launch (August 2015); begins testing a new section in its app called "Today In" to emphasise on local news and events.
• American imaging company Kodak becomes the latest to join the crytpcurrency bandwagon; announces a partnership with WENN Digital to create a "photo-centric cryptocurrency" called KodakCoin that will "empower photographers and agencies to take greater control in image rights management"; chat app Telegram to reportedly follow suit with its own Blockchain technology called Telegram Open Network and a native cryptocurrency to power payments on its platform.
• Google rolls out a Material Design makeover for Webmaster Search Console; brings Google Assistant integration to Android Auto and announces a new Amazon Echo Show-like smart display platform in collaboration with OEMs to enable a new wave of IoT devices with a touchscreen display for YouTube, video calls and more. (Is this why it broke YouTube on Echo Show?)
• Google acquires U.K. based startup Redux that develops technology "that turns surfaces such as phone displays into speakers"; says it's fixing a technical issue that prevented small news publishers from appearing on Google News.
• Facebook announces new partnership with Chinese handset maker Xiaomi to release an Oculus VR headset in the country; to jump into hardware business further with an Echo Show rival called Portal  that will work as a video chat product.
• 2 out of 3 consumers who own a stand-alone digital voice assistant like Amazon Echo or Google Home use their smartphone less, reveals a new Accenture survey, as IoT market heats up, potentially spelling trouble for others like Apple and Samsung. (Can Apple afford to be fashionably late and yet lock in users?)
• Apple's decision to implement Intelligent Tracking Protection in Safari 11 to prevent cross-site tracking (and boost user privacy) invites advertisers' fury after ad-tech firms complain of millions in lost revenue.
• Google updates Duo video calling app on Android to let users call others who don't have the app installed (In related news, Google's product head for Allo and Duo, Amit Fulay, has departed the company for Facebook); readies app-wide dark theme and incognito mode in YouTube.