Tech Roundup: Google Illustrations, Instagram "Kids" & More

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

• China's central bank, People’s Bank of China, outlaws all cryptocurrency-related activities, effectively banning services offering trading, order matching, token issuance and derivatives for virtual currencies.
• Google is reportedly in talks with ByteDance and Facebook to index and rank TikTok and Instagram videos in its search results pages, months after testing a "Short videos" carousel linked to both the platforms for specific topics; announces new accessibility features coming to Android 12, including facial gesture controls, handwriting recognition, and an app for low-vision users, expands Android Auto experience to Hyundai vehicles starting 2022, and launches Google Illustrations, allowing users to select customisable profile pictures across all of its products.
• Facebook-owned Instagram pauses its plans to release a kids version of the app aimed at "people under the age of 13" to buy "time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today"; says it was "never meant for younger kids, but for tweens (aged 10-12), [and that] it will require parental permission to join, it won't have ads, and it will have age-appropriate content and features," following an explosive Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed Facebook knowingly ignored its own internal research suggesting the platform was harmful to the mental health of younger people and made body issues worse for teenage girls.

• ByteDance-owned TikTok hits 1 billion monthly active users, months after hitting 700 million mark in August 2020, growing from 55 million global users in January 2018, 271 million by December 2018 and 507 million in December 2019. (In comparison, Facebook reported 3.51 billion monthly users across its family of apps as of Q2 2021.)
• Facebook calls "metaverse" its "next computing platform," describing it as a "set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you"; launches a "$50 million investment in global research and program partners to ensure these products are developed responsibly."
• Microsoft debuts Edge browser to Xbox, allowing users to streaming cloud games from Google's Stadia, access Discord on the web; officially rolls out a visual overhaul of Skype with a focus on speed, reliability and design, as its LinkedIn subsidiary confirms it is testing a new, paid ticketed events service on the platform.
• Twitter tests two potential new features, "Filter" and "Limit", both of which will hide offensive or harmful replies to tweets in a bid to give users more control over the tone and quality of replies to their tweets; reduces pixelation in uploaded videos and tests new video playback speed options.
• Web infrastructure services provider Cloudflare announces Email Routing and Email Security DNS Wizard, built on top of Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others to prevent phishing and spoofing attacks.