Tech Roundup: Amazon GDPR Fine, Facebook Smart Glasses & More

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

• Google outlines plans to ban Android apps that offer "compensated sexual relationships (i.e. sugar dating)" effective September 1, 2021 from its Play Store as part of new restrictions on sexual content; says it's prohibiting "apps that facilitate sexual acts in exchange for compensation following feedback we received from NGOs, governments, and other user advocacy groups concerned with user safety."
• Pinterest posts revenues of US$ 613 million, as it reaches 454 million monthly active users, as Amazon reports Q2 revenue of US$ 113.08 billion, its third US$ 100 billion quarter in a row, with a net income of US$ 7.8 billion and AWS net sales of US$ 14.8 billion, up 37% YoY, and its ads business grows in revenue by 87% YoY to more than US$ 7.9 billion.
• Facebook confirms its "next hardware release will be the launch of our first smart glasses from Ray-Ban in partnership with EssilorLuxottica," adding "The glasses have their iconic form factor, and they let you do some pretty neat things" as the social media giant unwraps new plans to build the "metaverse" — a multi-modal technology platform that is supposed to blend virtual and physical spaces, and be used for shopping, work, and socialising.
• Global smartphone market grows 19% YoY in Q2 2021 with 329 million units shipped (276 million in Q2 2020), led by Samsung with 58 million units, Xiaomi with 53 million, Apple with 49 million, Oppo with 34 million, and Vivo with 33 million.
• Twitter updates its live audio feature Spaces to enable users to "tweet directly from the Space with its #hashtag readily available"; also makes it easier to find Spaces of interest, permitting users to search for live and upcoming Spaces by title, host name and host handle, as well as make all live and upcoming Spaces searchable.
• Digital payments company Square announces plans to buy Australian "buy now, pay later" fintech service Afterpay in a US$ 29 billion, all-stock deal; says "built our business to make the financial system more fair, accessible, and inclusive, and Afterpay has built a trusted brand aligned with those principles."

• Google to block users from signing into their accounts "on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) or lower starting September 27"; says "If you sign into your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps."
• Popular videoconferencing service Zoom to pay US$ 85 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of violating users' privacy by sharing their personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn and enabling "Zoombombing."
• U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launches an inquiry into Facebook's acquisition of Kustomer, investigating whether the deal violates the country's Enterprise Act 2002; says it's "considering whether the transaction will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation and whether it is expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within the U.K. markets."
• Messaging app Telegram expands group video calling feature it launched in June to be able to accommodate up to 1,000 people with 30 simultaneous broadcasts; improves resolution of 1-1 video messages and begins allowing users to share their screen with sound during video calls and set messages to auto-delete after one month.
• Retail and entertainment behemoth Amazon gets handed a record US$ 887 million fine by the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection following its determination that "Amazon's processing of personal data did not comply with the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)" over allegations that its ad targeting practices doesn’t obtain free consent from users, making it the largest ever penalty imposed for a GDPR breach; Amazon says "maintaining the security of our customers' information and their trust are top priorities," and that "there has been no data breach, and no customer data has been exposed to any third-party."
• Online delivery company Deliveroo says it plans to pull out of Spain, citing limited market share; also comes months after the country unveiled a "rider law" in March to reclassify couriers as employees.
• China's Supreme People's Court issues new guidelines that hotels, airports, and other commercial venues must get consent from customers to use facial recognition from August 1 as the government increasingly moves this year to rein in the country's internet giants.