Tech Roundup: Facebook Gaming, Google Card & More

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

1. Google confirms that it will use the Google Play Services infrastructure to update Android phones with the upcoming COVID-19 contact tracing system it is building in collaboration with Apple.
2. Australia to enforce social media companies to pay for content shared on their networks and transparency of ranking algorithms that determine what their users see; decision comes after a Digital Platforms Inquiry that in 2019 delivered a final report concluding that Google and Facebook have distorted local media and advertising markets in ways that make it hard for publishers to monetise their content.
3. Facebook scales back its ambitious plan for a global cryptocurrency following intense regulatory scrutiny; says the new version of Libra will issue multiple coins tied to local currencies in order to make local commerce easier and that it will be a closed system in which only partners with the approval of the association can build infrastructure, such as wallets, for the coins.
• The original proposal was for Libra to be a stablecoin backed by a reserve of cash and low-risk government securities with a Bitcoin-like architecture, raising concerns that Libra could be abused by terrorists and other bad actors for their own interests.
• The revision still accounts for a Libra coin, but it will be a "digital composite of some of the single-currency stablecoins available on the Libra network." As it stands, it's clear that Libra will no longer be what's a cryptocurrency and will function more like a PayPal digital wallet.
4. Music streaming service Spotify now lets premium users hide songs in playlists from artists they don't like; Apple officially rolls out Apple Music streaming service for desktop web, months after it was introduced as a beta back in September, making it possible to stream music without iTunes.
5. Popular social media app TikTok add new parental controls in the wake of a US$ 5.7 million to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over alleged violations of a children's privacy law, in part for allowing users under 13 years old to sign up without parental consent; lets parents set restrictions on their kids' accounts like limiting screen time, restricting content, and disabling DMs for those under 16.
6. China unveils a state-backed Blockchain Service Network (BSN) for domestic commercial use in over 100 cities across the country, allowing developers to easily and affordably develop, deploy, operate and maintain blockchain applications and nodes.
7. Google says it blocked more than 18 million malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19 everyday, with over 240 million COVID-related spam messages filtered on a daily basis, as cybercriminals exploit the health concern to distribute malicious software.
8. U.S. telecom major Verizon acquires enterprise-oriented teleconferencing platform Blue Jeans in a deal worth less than US$ 500 million as part of its push into communications market. (Videoconferencing services are clearly having their moment in the spotlight, what with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, and Slack facing a surge in demand as people use them to stay connected remotely.)
9. Samsung to shut down its S-Voice voice assistant service on June 1. (It's worth pointing out that S-Voice was Samsung's voice assistant for its smartphones until it rebooted its voice efforts with the launch of "Bixby" in 2017. Samsung's Bixby project initially grew out of an acquisition of Viv Labs, a voice-assistant company founded by members of the original Siri team. So this shutdown should only effect older devices that came before the Galaxy S8.)
10. Instagram updates its IGTV app with a hands-free recording mode, a Discover tab, and a redesigned homepage featuring recommended creators at the top.
11. Google begins rolling out a new Kids section on Google Play, featuring "Teacher Approved" apps, with each listing explaining why teachers like it, including age-appropriateness, and what it's trying to teach children; revamps its Play Store policies to prevent deceptive apps from being available on the app platform.
• The new policies mandate third-party developers to gain approval to access background location in their apps, be explicit about their subscription offerings (in order to address the problem of fleeceware), and forbid apps that manipulate and alter media that promote misleading imagery with an intent to spread misinformation and distrust (aka deepfakes).
12. Facebook to notify users who have liked, commented, or reacted to coronavirus misinformation and direct them to legitimate news sources such as the World Health Organisation.
13. Popular paste site, Pastebin, quietly changes its terms of service to remove a scraping API (effective April 11), frustrating researchers and making it harder to search for lists of stolen passwords, announcements of data breaches, and malware.
14. Facebook to take on Amazon Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Microsoft Mixer with a dedicated mobile game live-streaming app on Android and iOS, reports The New York Times.
15. Google's mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Google Fi gains support for eSIM support on the iPhone (limited to iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, or the 11 series).
16. Google reportedly working on its own Apple Card-like physical and virtual debit cards in Google Pay, allowing users to purchase things using the card via mobile or online, as it aims to unlock new data and revenue streams and take a larger slice of the financial services sector. (It's worth noting that Google had a Mastercard-backed physical and virtual debit card when Google Pay was called Google Wallet way back in 2013.)