Tech Roundup: Facebook Hobbi, Samsung Galaxy S20 & More

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

• Alphabet folds Jigsaw, its subsidiary focussed on combating hate speech and misinformation, into Google.
• The Pakistan government approves new restrictions for social media platforms, requiring local offices, removal of content deemed unlawful, providing decrypted content, and "any other information" about users on demand.
• China launches new "close contact" app that uses its vast surveillance network data to let users check if they have come into close contact with coronavirus carriers.
• Facebook's Dating service misses European launch for Valentine's Day after Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) raises concerns over its failure to demonstrate it had performed a legally required assessment of privacy risks; says it has legal obligations to notify the IDPC of product launches and that it "had completed the data processing impact assessment well in advance of the European launch," as the IDPC reiterates it's "still waiting for Facebook to respond to follow-up questions it put to the company."
• Popular email apps like Edison, Slice, and Cleanfox found to scrape users' inboxes, using harvested data to power market research products, once again proving the onerous burden on users to read through privacy policies before signing up for a service; Edison responds that it "measures e-commerce through a technology that automatically recognises commercial emails and extracts anonymous purchase information ... our technology is designed to ignore personal and work email."
• Google gets freshly accused of monopolising holiday rental search market in the European Union by unfairly promoting its product over rivals Tripadvisor, Expedia and others; comes under fire for prominently displaying booking related features at the top of its general search results pages with pictures, a map review, ratings and prices.
• The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announces new antitrust investigation into Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google (as well as parent company Alphabet) and Microsoft as it probes their acquisition practices, including those from the past decade that were small enough to not be reported to the government.
• Samsung officially announces Galaxy S20 (6.2-inch display), S20 Plus (6.7-inch display) and S20 Ultra (6.9-inch display) flagship smartphones with AirDrop-like Quick Share feature, improved cameras and no headphone jack, 6.7-inch Galaxy Z Flip with a foldable 6.7" FHD+ AMOLED display, 3,300 mAh battery, dual front-facing cameras for $1,380, and Galaxy Buds+ wireless earbuds with Spotify integration and 11 hour battery life on a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra (Image: Samsung)

• Google to force Nest home security camera users to use two-factor authentication in the wake of lax security protections in smart home devices; removes alleged spying app ToTok from the Play Store for a second time, after it was pulled back in December for reports that the app was used by the UAE government to spy on users, and subsequently reinstated last month.
• Apple joins FIDO Alliance, an open industry association which promotes the U2F-based hardware security key authentication standard and aims to reduce the over-reliance on passwords.
• Flipboard launches Flipboard TV, an in-app feature that offers professional short-form video, for $2.99 per month, as it expands into a crowded paid video streaming market that includes both big players like Amazon and Netflix, as well as new entrants like Disney+ and Quibi.
• Facebook-owned WhatsApp reaches 2 billion users worldwide, up from 1.5 billion the messaging service revealed two years ago (Facebook’s marquee app has 2.5 billion users); rolls out a new privacy website, with information on end-to-end encryption, two-factor authentication and other privacy features and settings available to users.
• Snapchat begins testing new redesign with bottom navigation bar, more accessible Snap Map, and a top news section; comes three years after a widely reviled major overhaul that led two percent of active users to stop using Snapchat entirely.
• Andy Rubin-founded Essential Products, which raised US$ 330 million to build smartphones and was valued at US$ 1billion, ceases operations after struggling to ship and sell its products; to shut down Newton Mail service it acquired last year. (Let's also not forget that the sexual misconduct allegations against Rubin severely undermined his credibility.)
• Popular photo editor for iOS Darkroom becomes the latest app to switch to a subscription-based business model for new users, with pricing set at US$ 3.99 per month or US$ 19.99 per year.
• Google removes over 500 malicious Chrome extensions from its Web Store, likely affecting millions of users, that were part of a long-running ad fraud network that worked by injecting malicious ads (malvertising) inside users' browsing sessions
• Google's experimental arm Area 120 launches GameSnacks (only in Indonesia, on Gojek's GoGames platform), which offers HTML5-based casual games that are designed to load quickly and play well even on devices wtih poor internet connections or low memory.
• Facebook trials new app Hobbi, a Pinterest clone that lets users document personal hobbies and projects; comes weeks after Google launched a version of its own called Tangi.
• HQ Trivia, the company behind the once popular live mobile trivia game, shuts down amid layoffs and internal turmoil, including the death of HQ cofounder Colin Kroll, who died in December 2018 from a drug overdose.