Tech Roundup: Facebook Bulletin, GitHub Copilot & More

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

• The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismisses the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust complaint against Facebook, which could have resulted in the company divesting Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the regulator failed to prove that Facebook holds monopoly power in the U.S. personal social networking market; Facebook says "we compete fairly every day to earn people's time and attention and will continue to deliver great products for the people and businesses that use our services." (A better question to ask here is how can Facebook meet the classic definition of a monopoly when Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Discord, Clubhouse, and SnapChat exist and new networks pop up in the market.)
• A South Korean court in Seoul rules that Netflix is obligated to pay network usage fees to mobile carriers, given the video on-demand streaming service made up 4.8% of the country's internet traffic in Q4 2020; comes as the company rolls out new feature in its Android app, allowing users to stream partially downloaded Netflix shows and movies.
• Ed-tech startup Duolingo files to go public in the U.S., as it reports revenue growth of 129% year-over-year in 2020, with revenues of US$ 55.4 million during Q1 2021.
• Facebook's market capitalisation hits US$ 1 trillion for the first time, making it the fifth U.S. company to hit the milestone after Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's parent company Alphabet.
• Google promises five years of critial security updates for Nest smart home devices, as it reiterates its commitment to privacy and security, stating "Google Wifi devices do not track the websites you visit, nor do they monitor the content of traffic on your Wi-Fi network," and that "We keep your Wi-Fi network performance data separate from advertising and don't use it for ad personalization"; rolls out 4K Plus add-on package for YouTube TV with downloads, 4K, and unlimited streams for US$ 20 more per month; adds 5.1 Dolby surround sound to all subscribers at no extra cost.

• Global consumer mobile app spending hits US$ 64.9 billion in the first half of 2021 ($23.4 billion from Google Play and $41.5 billion from Apple App Store), up 24.8% YoY, according to data compiled by Sensor Tower, as install growth slows to 1.7%, with non-game installs in iOS declining 10.9% YoY.
• Microsoft rolls out its Xbox Cloud game streaming service via browser to PCs, iPhones, and iPads across 22 countries for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members; teases redesign for Microsoft Office, with native support for 64-bit Arm machines.
• Facebook unveils Bulletin, its Substack and Revue newsletter competitor, to cover a range of topics, from sports and finance to science and medicine, in a separate platform from its namesake social media network to "enable creators to grow their audience in ways that are not exclusively dependent on the Facebook platform"; Instagram tests new feature that allows any user share links in Stories through a sticker.
• Amazon debuts Reading Sidekick, a new Alexa feature which reads physical and digital books aloud targeting children ages 6 to 9, as part of its Kids+ subscription service on compatible Fire tablets and Echo devices.
• Microsoft and OpenAI partner together for GitHub Copilot, an AI-based tool to autocomplete code to software developers in various programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Go.
• Alphabet's Wing subsidiary launches OpenSky in the U.S. for Android and iOS, letting users find the nearest open airspace for drones, after debuting the service in Australia in 2019.
• Popular videoconferencing service Zoom announces plans to acquire German startup Karlsruhe Information Technology Solutions (or Kites for short) to bring real-time machine-learning-based translation to the platform.
• PayPal-owned Venmo to let users sell products and services on their personal accounts for the same 1.9% plus 10-cent fee applied to business profiles, starting July 20.