Tech Roundup: Signal China Ban, Wikimedia Enterprise & More

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

• Researchers create a new biometric authentication system called Concurrent Two-Factor Identity Verification (C2FIV) that analyses facial movements to verify users' identities.
• China orders the country's regulators to step up oversight of internet companies, crack down on monopolies, promote fair competition, and prevent the disorderly expansion of capital, as the government steadily amplifies its approach to curb the influence of "platform" companies such as Tencent and Alibaba that have amassed immense data and market power in the country and intensifies scrutiny on personal data collection by tech companies.
• The development comes as Huawei, Xiaomi, Tencent, and other Chinese internet companies remove Alibaba's UC Browser and Qihoo 360's 360 Search from app stores for misleading medical advertising, and China's State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) readies to launch new rules this year to clarify the responsibilities of platform companies involved in online transactions.
• The U.S. state of California approves new regulations under Consumer Privacy Act to prohibit the use of "dark patterns" deliberately deployed by websites and apps to frustrate or mislead users; specifically "prohibits companies from burdening consumers with confusing language or unnecessary steps such as forcing them to click through multiple screens or listen to reasons why they shouldn't opt out," besides including a new "Privacy Options icon that guides consumers to where they can opt-out of the sale of their personal information."
• Popular privacy-oriented chat app Signal becomes the latest service to get blocked in China, joining the likes of Facebook, Google, Clubhouse, and other apps that been blocked in the country. (It's worth noting that Telegram and WhatsApp are available via the App Store, but access to them requires using VPNs.)
• Facebook says it will publish an annual report detailing its impact on human rights and will establish a fund to support human rights activists and journalists, as it seeks to address criticism about the use of its products to fuel violence against oppressed groups around the world; Instagram debuts new policies to limit interactions between teenagers and adults, including banning adults from messaging teens who don't follow them.

• Chipmaker Intel launches 11th Gen desktop processors, with the flagship Core i9-11900K sporting eight cores, two less than last gen, and boosted clock speeds of up to 5.3GHz.
• Google to reduce the "service fee Google Play receives when a developer sells digital goods or services to 15% for the first US$ 1 million of revenue every developer earns each year" following similar move from Apple in December 2020; unveils second-generation Nest Hub with sleep tracking, powered by a Soli radar chip, for US$ 100.
• Ride hailing giant Uber to reclassify 70,000 of its U.K. drivers as "workers," granting them vacation pay, minimum wage, and access to pension plan effective March 17, but not full employee benefits.
• Dropbox's password management tool, Dropbox Passwords, which it introduced in 2020 for businesses, to be free for Basic accounts starting in April, with a 50 password limit.
• Apple agrees to offer a new prompt for its devices in Russia that allows the Ministry of Digital Affairs pre-install iOS apps from a list of government-approved software in accordance with "On Consumer Protection" legislation that mandates the pre-installation of software on all devices sold in the country starting April 1, including antivirus and cartographic apps, social media apps, and "Public Service" apps for payments and civil services, alongside options for users to deselect the apps during setup and delete them after. (One can only hope this acquiescence doesn't set a bad precedent for other repressive regimes to make similar demands.)
• Finnish electronics giant Nokia says it plans to cut up to 10,000 jobs, or 10% of its global workforce, in a bid to save $715 million by 2023.
• Adobe adds a new feature to Adobe Camera Raw called Super Resolution, which uses AI to double linear resolution of a photo, increasing its pixel count by four times.

• Wikimedia Foundation launches Wikimedia Enterprise, a premium service for delivering Wikipedia content to companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple, whose platforms and virtual assistants lean on Wikipedia for information, in addition to offering "paid developer tools and services that make it easier for companies and organizations to consume and re-use Wikimedia data."
• Chinese tech giant Huawei plans to start charging big smartphone-makers like Samsung and Apple royalties for use of its various 5G-related patents in an attempt to make up some of the losses it has experienced as a result of the U.S. government's moves to sanction the company and limit its ability to sell products in the American market.
• ByteDance-owned TikTok announces new changes that make personalised ads mandatory "based on what you do" starting April 15, joining the likes of Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter; to exempt users in the European Union due to GDPR regulations that require businesses to get users' explicit consent. (It's worth noting that users will be able to opt out of ads based on data TikTok gets from its advertising partners or other websites and apps.)
• French data protection watchdog opens fresh probe againt Apple after a complaint by lobbying group France Digitale about the iPhone maker's personalised ad features.
• Twitter is set to release a future update that will allow accounts enabled with two-factor authentication (2FA) to use security keys as the only authentication method, as opposed to enabling another 2FA method — like an authenticator app or SMS codes — as a backup.
• Online dating platform Tinder and other Match Group-owned apps to allow users run background checks on possible dates as part of an investment in non-profit Garbo.