Tech Roundup: Instagram "Take a Break" Reminders, YouTube Dislike Counts & More

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

• The U.K.'s Supreme Court dismisses a lawsuit against Google seeking US$ 4 billion for allegedly tracking iOS Safari users without their consent between 2011 and 2012; comes as the E.U.'s General Court upholds a €2.42 billion fine against the company, levied in 2017, for abusing search engine dominance by promoting its own shopping service.
• Social tech company Meta reportedly made over 21 acquisitions in the past three years, including at least four VR startups in 2021, as it lays out a vision for a metaverse.
• Music streaming service Spotify rolls out new feature that allows users to block other users on its platform; acquires audiobook company Findaway as part of a plans to add audiobooks to the heap of music and podcast content already offered via the platform.
• Google's YouTube announces plans to make dislike counts on uploaded videos private to "help better protect our creators from harassment, and reduce dislike attacks."
• Meta-owned Instagram unveils new opt-in "Take a Break" feature that enables users to notify themselves to take a break after a certain period of time, such as 10, 20 or 30 minutes; Workplace deepens integration with Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to stream Teams meetings to Workplace groups and access Workplace news feeds via a pinned tab in Teams.
• The U.S. Justice Department sues Uber, alleging the ride-hailing company overcharged riders with disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

• Apple updates iCloud for Windows with support for Apple ProRes videos and Apple ProRAW photos, and generating strong passwords using the iCloud Passwords app; unveils Business Essentials for small and medium businesses post its Fleetsmith acquisition last year, with device management, iCloud storage, 24/7 phone support and onsite repairs, starting at US$ 2.99 per month per user.
• Video platform Vimeo acquires Wibbitz, a short-form video creation service, and Wirewax, which builds technology to make objects in videos "shoppable."
• Disney misses Q4 2021 estimates after slower streaming services growth, with Disney+ adding 2 million subscribers (total 118 million), Hulu adding 700,000 (total 39.7 million), and ESPN+ adding 2.3 million (total 17.1 million).
• China's biggest social media and video gaming business, Tencent, reports its slowest growth in two years, as the company faces regulatory uncertainty amid tighter government scrutiny of the industry; reports Q3 revenue of US$ 22 billion, up 13% YoY, net profit of US$ 6.18 billion, up 3% YoY, as sales from mobile games rise 9% to US$ 6.65 billion.
• Amazon begins rolling out a new Prime Video feature that lets users share video clips of up to 30 seconds from TV shows and movies on the video streaming service to social media or via direct messages.
• Twitter to no longer crop photo previews on the web following a similar update on iOS and Android in May; launches a dedicated crypto team as part of its push toward decentralisation.