Tech Roundup: PlayStation 5, Snapchat Minis & More

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

• Tech giant IBM announces plans to end all its facial recognition business; says it will no longer offer such software to law enforcement, while opposing the use of the technology for mass surveillance and racial profiling, in addition to calling for new legislation aiming to reduce police violence and increase accountability. (The development comes just days after the company allegedly cut thousands of jobs in the U.S. last month, including Watson Health and the broader business.)
• Joining the chorus is Microsoft, which said it will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments until there is a federal law regulating its use and prevents racial profiling.
• E-commerce behemoth Amazon, likewise, has declared a one year freeze on law enforcement use of its facial recognition technology, dubbed Rekognition, following growing concerns from lawmakers and civil liberties groups over the tool's potential for misuse by law enforcement for years, particularly against communities of colour; says the moratorium might give the U.S. Congress enough time to implement stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology.
• It's unclear whether this moratorium would prevent Amazon from offering Rekognition to other government agencies, or what action it would take after the yearlong moratorium expires. The move also sidesteps Amazon's other work with police, which includes partnerships with hundreds of police departments who have access to video footage collected by Ring doorbells.
• The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the country's antitrust watchdog, launches an investigation into Facebook's acquisition of Giphy; to probe whether the merger "may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services." (This also means Facebook cannot yet start integrating GIPHY into Instagram unless the CMA gives it a stamp of approval.)
• The Cybersecurity Administration of China orders in-house Twitter-like microblogging platform Weibo to suspend showing trending topics and searches for a week for alleged "dissemination of illegal information" among other issues.
• The European Union plans to file formal antitrust charges against Amazon for scooping up data from third-party sellers and using the information to compete against them by launching similar (private-label) products, reports The Wall Street Journal.

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation joins hands with civil liberty group ACLU to file a joint lawsuit against the entire city of Los Angeles for collecting "detailed trip data," along with "real-time locations and routes" for dockless scooters operated by JUMP, Lyft, and Lime in the city; claims the massive data mining operation not only collects minute-by-minute details about every trip taken within Los Angeles's city limits, but also mandates said data to be handed over to city officials.
• On-demand streaming service Netflix said to be in talks with India's Reliance Industries' media unit Network18 (which is also jointly owned by Viacom) to establish a multiyear content creation partnership, according to Reuters.
• Google reportedly working on a major overhaul of Google Pay mobile payment service, allowing users to order and shop items, groceries and good from convenience stores, restaurants, and other online and brick-and-mortar merchants via their own branded buttons inside the app.
• On a side note, Google Pay for India already offers something similar called Spots that allows businesses and merchants to create branded experiences that are accessible to customers through the app.
• Pinterest tests a revised "Story Pins" format with creators in the U.S. focussed on offering step-by-step guide to cooking a recipe or creating a DIY craft project; comes as the "Stories" format originally popularised by Snapchat seeps into major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Twitter and Spotify.
• Popular video conferencing tool Zoom admits to shutting down three activist accounts at the request of the Chinese government; says it ended ended meetings linked to the anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown on its platform for distributing information or discussing events that were illegal under Chinese law, adding it would not allow further requests from China to impact users outside the country in the future.

New media controls in Android 11

• HBO's parent company WarnerMedia to discontinue HBO GO streaming service at the end of July following the debut of HBO Max, with HBO Now rebranded as just "HBO."
• Apple pulls popular podcast clients Castro and Pocket Casts from the App Store in China as part of its efforts to ensure availability of its services in the country after the government determines they can be used to access "illegal" content; follows Apple's previous moves to censor Chinese shows from its Apple Podcasts app last June.
• Twitter removes 32,242 accounts (aside from an additional 150,000 amplifier accounts) engaged in propaganda linked to Russia, China, and Turkey, describing the accounts as "state-linked information operations"; says the accounts spread "deceptive" narratives about Hong Kong's political dynamics, promoted the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, and "demonstrated strong support" for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and amplified narratives promoting the ruling AK Party.
• Online food delivery service GrubHub (which already owns Eat24, Seamless and MenuPages) to merge with European company Just Eat Takeaway early next year in a deal worth US$ 7.3 billion following failed takeover talks with Uber amid concerns over antitrust scrutiny.
• It's worth noting that Just Eat Takeaway is itself the result of a recent merger between British service Just Eat and Dutch company Takeaway.com early this year.
• Google officially previews first beta of Android 11 focusing on themes of people, controls and privacy, featuring improved notifications, chat bubbles, one-time app permissions, and a tweaked power button menu that brings up shortcuts for Google Pay, boarding passes and connected smart home devices, as Google's Pixel smartphone line sales hit 7.2 million, outselling OnePlus in 2019.
• Sony officially reveals new hardware design for its upcoming PlayStation 5 gaming console, which ships in two versions, one with a 4K Blu-ray drive and a discless pure Digital Edition, powered by an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and a custom AMD RDNA 2-based GPU; comes six months after rival Microsoft Xbox revealed the PC-like look of its next-gen console, the Xbox Series X, back in December 2019.
• Google countersues audio company Sonos, alleging infringement of patents concerning mesh networking, echo cancellation, DRM, content notifications, and personalised search after the latter filed a lawsuit in January alleging that Google had infringed five patents covering the setup, control, and synchronisation of multi-room network speaker systems; search giant says it provided "significant assistance" in integrating Google Music and Assistant services on Sonos products.

The new Facebook News tab rolling out in the U.S.

• Google and Apple remove TikTok clone Zynn, an app owned by Chinese company Kuaishou that pays users to watch videos on the platform, from their respective app stores after reports emerge that many videos had been copied from other social media sites and reposted to Zynn without permission.
• iPhone maker Apple's market capitalisation surpasses US$ 1.5 trillion, making it the first U.S. company to reach the mark.
• Twitter trials new prompt on its Android app that urges users to read news articles before retweeting them, as it attempts to check the spread of misinformation on the platform; says "sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you tweet it."
• Adobe unveils Sensei AI-powered Photoshop Camera for Android and iOS allowing users to add custom filters and effects to photos, before or after taking the shot.
• Snapchat redesigns its app with a new bottom action bar comprising of a Stories tab (replacing the old Discover section, comprising of stories from friends, subscriptions and story recommendations), and a revamped Discover tab that highlights Snap Originals, the company's original video content, stories that are currently trending on the platform, and a "Happening Now" section offering a personalised stream of news, weather and other updates.
• Also newly introduced are WeChat-styled Minis, bite-sized third-party apps that can be integrated within chats, allowing users to order movie tickets, compare class schedules, and more, and a Camera Kit service that lets third-party app developers integrate Snapchat camera into their own apps.
• Nintendo revises the number of compromised accounts to 300,000, up from 160,000 it said had been affected in April following a data breach; warns that impacted player's nicknames, dates of birth, regions and email addresses may have been viewed by an unauthorised third-party and make fraudulent digital purchases.
• Facebook's revamped News tab goes live in the U.S., months after testing the feature in limited trials in October last year; to make use of a News Page Index to curate news published by trusted sources and publishers across a variety of subject areas.
• Facebook tests adding Wikipedia search panels (similar to Google Search and Bing) to search results related to topics like public figures, places and interests on the social network in a bid to direct users to factual information straight from within the app (and therefore bypassing a Google search).
• Google makes its game streaming service Stadia compatible with all Android devices (it's still experimental, however), alongside new options that permit users to set resolution permanently on a per-device basis.
• California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the body which oversees ride-hailing companies in the state of California, rules that drivers working for Uber and Lyft will be considered employees under California's new gig worker law AB5.