Tech Roundup: Clearview AI, Facebook Messenger Redesign & More

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

1. Firefox begins rollout of encrypted DNS over HTTPS (DoH) by default in the U.S. — via Cloudflare (selected by default) or NextDNS — to prevent Internet Service Providers from monitoring users' internet traffic, routing all DNS queries to Cloudflare or NextDNS DNS servers instead of the default DNS servers set by the operating system, router, or the ISP.
• ISPs also use it to flag a machine is compromised if there are queries to malware-associated domains, or even modify customers' DNS queries on the go if they resolve to pornographic websites and block children from accessing such material.
• What's more, even public wi-fi networks use modified DNS queries as a way to redirect users to a network sign-on page. Needless to say, a widespread adoption of DoH will hamper ISPs' ability to monitor and modify customer queries.
2. Privacy-focussed Brave browser adds native Wayback Machine integration, allowing users to easily access web pages that are no longer online.
3. Google officially adds support for Google Earth on Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers, three years after it rolled out the new web version in 2017, with support Safari expected in the future; releases a mobile optimised website for AdSense as it readies to shutdown its app variants.
4. Apple disables iOS developer account of Clearview AI for using the Developer Enterprise Program to distribute its app among its clients, which—aside from the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, Interpol, and some 2,200 law enforcement agencies—include major U.S. retailers, including Macy's, Walmart, and Best Buy, among companies in 26 other countries. (Clearview AI has previously stated that it's app is for law enforcement purposes only, but the latest development follows a report that Clearview AI had suffered a data breach that exposed the names of its clients and the number of times each had searched its database.)
5. Facebook begins rolling out a redesign for Messenger next week that removes the Discover tab, reorients the People tab around Stories, and hides chat bots along with games and businesses in a bid to simplify the app.
• The iOS version of Messenger — which was once a mere 8.5MB download in 2012 ballooned to 130MB. The new "LightSpeed" update cuts the app size by 75 percent, bringing it down to 30MB, while going from 1.7 million lines of code to 360,000, an 84 percent reduction.
• The removal of Instant Games from Messenger is part of a migration to Facebook Gaming, but chat bots, businesses and games will still be accessible if users purposefully seek them through the Messenger search bar.
• The development comes as Facebook (the company) attempts to rewire its messaging apps — Messenger, Instagram Direct messages, and WhatsApp — with a unified backend that allows for cross-app messaging.
• While Facebook's encryption plans are still years away, pushing Stories as a way for ephemeral communication is also a strategic move, for the move would make viewing and tracking problematic posts a lot harder, thereby obviating the need for moderating messaging them. As they say, you cannot police something you cannot see.
6. Apple removes Plague Inc, a popular simulation game where the goal is to infect everyone in the world with a deadly virus, from the iOS App Store in China after the Cyber Administration of China says the game included illegal content and as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak. (In other news, a dog was tested positive for coronavirus in Hong Kong.)
7. ByteDance-owned TikTok begins testing a new search app, called Toutiao Search (it's worth noting the search engine was launched last August), that's available for download on Chinese Android app stores, allowing users to view search results from the company's popular Toutiao news app and videos from its live-streaming app Xigua and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
8. Sony unveils next-generation Xperia 1 II (Sony Xperia One Two? Seriously, who comes up with these names?) 6.5" flagship smartphone with 8GB RAM, 256Gb storage, 4,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 865 5G processor, a glass front and back, triple rear camera sensor array and support for 5G for US$ 1,300; also debuts mid-range Xperia 10 II with 6.0" display, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, and 3,600mAh battery.
9. Huawei launches its first smart speaker, Huawei Sound X, in Europe to take on rivals Amazon and Google.
10. Intuit, the accounting, tax filing and financial planning software giant behind QuickBooks, TurboTax and Mint, to acquire Credit Karma, a fintech startup that allows its ~100 million registered users to check their credit scores, shop for credit cards and loans, and file taxes, for US$ 7.1 billion.