Tech Roundup: Amazon HealthLake, China Quantum Supremacy & More

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

• The European Union publishes new guidelines that mandates internet firms such as Google, Amazon and travel websites to explain how they rank search results on their platforms as part of an effort to "set the standard for algorithmic ranking transparency" and help businesses to increase their online visibility, including search engine optimisation and paid ranking; says "it is important to note that by obtaining an adequate understanding of how ranking functions, users will be able to compete on a more level playing field when deciding their sales strategies."
• A new rule as part of E.U. ePrivacy Directive that inhibits the monitoring of email, messaging, and other services set to go into effect on December 20; to also restrict the use of software that scans for child sexual abuse imagery and so-called grooming by online predators without a court order. (Facebook, the most prolific reporter of child sexual abuse imagery worldwide, has warned said it would stop proactive scanning entirely in the E.U. if the regulation took effect.)
• Chinese scientists claim quantum supremacy with a system that calculates in minutes what would take a supercomputer two billion years using a technolgy that manipulates light particles aka photons.
• Google expands Stadia game streaming service to eight more European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland; rolls out new feature that lets creators instantly livestream their Stadia games to YouTube.
• LG shakes up its mobile phone division to outsource design and manufacture of low to mid-range smartphones in an attempt to cut costs and compete with Chinese rivals after reporting a loss for 22 consecutive quarters.
• Google adds Apple Music support to Assistant smart speakers and displays, including its Nest products, in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan.
• Ride-hailing company Uber sells its self-driving unit, Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), to rival Aurora Innovation in a deal valuing ATG at US$ 4 billion along with aUS$ 400 million investment in the startup; to also sell its air taxi project, Elevate, to California-based Joby Aviation and invest US$ 75 million into the company as part of the deal, as it continues its efforts to stem losses in its ride hailing business, cuts costs (remember the major layoffs in the spring?) and shift its focus to food delivery business. (It's worth noting that Uber sold its Jump bike-and-scooter arm earlier this year, and sold a chunk of Uber Freight in October as well.)
• Popular payment processors such as Mastercard and Visa to stop processing payments on adult entertainment website Pornhub following reports of underage sex, rape and revenge porn videos running rampant on the platform; Pornhub updates its policies to no longer accept uploads from unverified users, limit them to content partners and members of the platform's Model Program (in the short term as it readies to roll out a broader verification process for regular users in 2021), and completely block users from exporting content from the site.
• Apple announces AirPods Max over-ear headphones with noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, spatial audio, and audio sharing for US$ 549; to launch its Fitness+ workout class subscription service on December 14 in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

• Researchers at Cloudflare and Apple jointly develop a new protocol called Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS (ODoH), which decouples DNS queries from internet users (or IP addresses) for more privacy; says it's "a practical approach for improving privacy of users, and aims to improve the overall adoption of encrypted DNS protocols without compromising performance and user experience on the Internet."
• China's Cyberspace Administration bans 105 apps from app stores in the country, including TripAdvisor, for violating cyber-laws aimed at fighting pornography, gambling, and violence; says they were pulled after widespread complaints by Chinese internet users about the spread of "obscene, pornographic, violent and other illegal" online content, including services such as gambling and prostitution.
• Facebook-owned WhatsApp gains new carts feature, allowing users to add multiple items from an online storefront to the shopping cart then send the order request as a message to the business.
• Amazon unveils HealthLake, a new service that enables health care organizations to store, transform, and analyze health data at petabyte scale using Amazon Web Services; aims to "provide a complete view of the health of individual patients and entire patient populations in a secure, compliant, and auditable manner."
• Streaming service Netflix rolls out Kids Activity Report tool for parents to monitor their children's frequently watched shows, favorite character, and recommendations on new shows.
• Google debuts new Look to Speak accessibility app to help people with motor and speech impairments to communicate by simply using their eyes to select pre-written phrases and have them spoken aloud; launches a new research app for Android phones, called Google Health Studies (just like Apple's Research app), lettingsusers to participate in medical studies, and opens up its open source Fuchsia OS to outside developers in what's the first formal announcement about the project.
• South Korean automaker Hyundai to purchase robotics design company Boston Dynamics from SoftBank in a deal worth US$ 921 million, three years after Google's parent Alphabet offloaded the firm to the Japanese telecommunications and technology company in June 2017 for an undiclosed sum.
• Microsoft confirms plans to bring its xCloud game streaming service, as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, to iOS via web browser in spring of 2021.
• Adobe rolls out final update for Flash Player ahead of its official demise in December 31, urging users to uninstall the software before the end of life; to start blocking Flash content from running effective January 12, 2021.
• Amazon-owned Twitch livestreaming unveils new guidelines (effective next month) to crack down on hateful conduct and sexual harassment, following a year-long review; begins rolling out a new Fire TV user interface with a simpler design, and support for upto six user profiles.
• Apple and Google to ban mobile apps that use location trackers from data broker X-Mode, after it was revealed that the company shared location data with U.S. government contractors for national security, counterterrorism and pandemic response. (After all, there exists a billion-dollar brokerage industry that uses the collected data for targeted advertising, and understanding consumer behaviour.)