Tech Roundup: Amazon Antitrust Probe, Facebook Smartwatch & More

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

• Luxembourg's data-protection commission and Amazon's lead privacy regulator in the E.U., the CNPD, has purportedly proposed a fine of more than US $425 million against the company for violation of GDPR laws ad, signalling a new wave of privacy enforcement against big technology companies in Europe, as Silicon Valley giants come under increasing global scrutiny; comes as the U.K. competition watchdog, Competition and Markets Authority, plans a formal competition investigation into Amazon, mirroring a continuing investigation by the E.U., focusing on how the online retailer uses the data it collects on its platform.
• Google officially discontinues support for AR-based Measure app for Android; rolls out Android 12 Beta 2 with Privacy Dashboard, microphone and camera access indicators, revamped power menu UI, new shortcuts for wallet and device controls, and a new Internet button in Quick Settings to easily switch between Internet providers.
• Privacy-focussed browser maker Vivaldi releases version 4.0 of the software, integrating several features like built-in translation, Calendar, Mail, and an RSS reader all in one application.
• SoftBank-backed online delivery service DoorDash debuts in Japan, marking the company's first foray into Asia; starts operations in Sendai, a city north of Tokyo with a population of about 1 million.
• Google outlines plans to build a subsea cable called Firmina, named after a Brazilian abolitionist Maria Firmina dos Reis, to handle data surge between the U.S., Brazil, and Argentina; to provide users in South America with improved low-latency access to Google's portfolio of consumer and cloud services by 2023.
• Project management and team collaboration platform Asana launches of a new feature that lets teams communicate through video messaging; also debuts a desktop app for both Mac and Windows, replete with a new dark mode.
• The U.S. government officially revokes the bans placed by former former president Donald Trump on TikTok and WeChat; to investigate apps with ties to foreign adversaries that may pose a risk to American data privacy or national security.

• Facebook-owned Instagram says it intends to help creators avoid Apple's 30% cut on in-app purchases by "facilitating transactions that happen in other places," as the social media giant steps up fight with the iPhone maker; rolls out Venmo-like QR codes and personalised links for person-to-person payments with Facebook Pay on Messenger.
• Sony officially unveils Airpeak S1 drone for a price tag of US$ 9,000 offering a maximum speed of 55.9mph, stability and wind-resistance, with the drone capable of staying stable in winds up to 44.7 mph.
• Facebook is reportedly working on a smartwatch for planned debut next summer; to support LTE connectivity and feature a detachable display with two built-in cameras for taking pictures and videos to share on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with plans for it to serve as a key input device for its in-the-works augmented reality glasses.
• Apple to not release several macOS Monterey features, such as Portrait Mode blurred backgrounds in FaceTime videos, Live Text for copying or looking up text within photos, interactive 3D globe of Earth in Maps, unlimited and on-device keyboard dictation, and text-to-speech in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish, for Macs that run on Intel-based CPUs; demos passkeys, a new authentication technology part of iCloud Keychain, to let users set up accounts with just Face ID or Touch ID, joining Microsoft and Google in advocating for passwordless authentication.
• Google researchers detail an AI system that outperforms humans in designing floorplans for microchips, promising better and more rapidly produced chip designs.
• Samsung unveils new 50-megapixel sensor ISOCELL JN1 with 0.64μm pixels, the smallest in the industry, that it says can be used used for front-facing, ultra-wide or telephoto cameras, in addition to standard wide camera options.
• Chinese ride-hail company Didi Chuxing files for a U.S. IPO, reports a US$ 1.7 billion loss on US$ 21.6 billion in revenue for 2020. (Uber, which sold its China business to Didi, currently has a 12.8% stake in the company.)
• Twitter to add a newsletter subscribe button to user profiles in the coming weeks; limited to accounts with a Revue account, with the company taking a 5% cut of the transaction.
• On-demand video streaming service Netflix launches an online store with Shopify, featuring merchandise tied to its shows, expanding its retail business which includes deals with Walmart and others.
• Microsoft announces plans to expand its Xbox Game Pass subscription service via dedicated streaming hardware that allows users to stream Xbox games directly on internet-connected TVs using its xCloud game streaming service.