Tech Roundup: Grindr GDPR Fine, Instagram 2 Billion Users & More

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

• The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issues an interim report voicing concerns over Apple and Google's "vice-like grip" on the mobile ecosystem, hinting at future antitrust action; says "Apple and Google are able to control how online content, such as mobile apps and websites, is provided to users," and that "hey can also tilt the playing field towards their own services."
• The E.U. unveils the Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, with 39 founding companies, including Nokia, Ericsson, and SAP, in a bid to improve European cloud prowess and lessen its reliance on U.S. tech firms.
• Norway's data protection agency, known as Datatilsynet, fines LGBTQ+ social app Grindr nearly US$ 7.1 million for unlawfully disclosing personal data to third-parties for targeted advertising without users' consent.
• China's Cyberspace Administration fines social media platform Weibo about US$ 470,000 for repeatedly publishing information deemed illegal and for violating a cybersecurity law on the protection of minors; comes weeks after the government fined Douban, a popular site for reviewing movies, 1.5 million yuan citing "unlawful release of information."

• Apple begins blocking iPhone and Apple Watch users in China from seeing their geographic coordinates and elevation on the Compass app as part of iOS 15.1 update, leading to speculations that the move could be linked to the government's stricter approach to data privacy.
• Microsoft begins rolling out end-to-end encryption for one-to-one Teams calls; unveils new Teams Phone with Calling Plan bundle that's set for launch coming January 1, 2022.
• Meta-owned Instagram reportedly climbs to 2 billion monthly active users, almost three years after the platform hit the 1 billion mark in June 2018; WhatsApp launches new feature that lets users preview voice messages before sending them.
• Apple officially delays Universal Control, a hallmark feature of macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15 announced in June that allows users to use one mouse and keyboard across all of their Macs and iPads, until Spring 2022.

• IBM and Samsung show off new Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistors (VTFET) semiconductor design that stacks transistors vertically, leading to drastically improved battery life on smartphones, less energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining or data encryption, and even more powerful IoT devices.
• Twitter rolls out automatic video captions, with support for over 30 languages such as English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Thai, Chinese, and Hindi, as the company begins to test a TikTok-style vertical video feed.
• Google details Android 12 Go edition with up to 30% faster app launches, longer battery life, easier sharing, improved translation controls, and more privacy options.
• Fandango's movie rating service Rotten Tomatoes partners with TikTok to allow users to link to movies and TV trailers, ratings, reviews, and access cast information; comes as ByteDance's social platform pilots TikTok Live Studio, a Windows app that lets users stream directly to TikTok Live from their computers.

• Snap launches a preview of Story Studio, a standalone video editing app for iOS, aimed at creators that aims to give more precise editing control over vertical videos and allow users to add elements like text, trending audio and AR lenses; pays over $250 million to more than 12,000 Spotlight creators in 2021.
• Social media platform Pinterest becomes the latest social media platform to roll out the option to allow users to reply to comments with videos.
• Chinese handset maker Oppo announces Air Glass, an "assisted reality" product that projects 2D information and weighs 30g with claimed three-hour active usage; to receive a "limited release" in in Q1 2022 in mainland China; unveils foldable Find N with 7.1" internal and 5.49" outer display, Snapdragon 888, up to 12GB RAM and 512GB SSD for US$ 1,200.
• Netflix slashes all its price tiers in India, with the Basic plan now starting at ₹199/month, down from ₹499/month (Mobile, Standard, ad Premium plans now cost ₹149, ₹499 and ₹649 per month), amid intense competition from rivals Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and others; comes into effect as Amazon increases its Prime subscription bundle by 50% from ₹999 to ₹1,499 per month.

• Google launches Qaya, its latest project from in-house incubator Area 120, which helps U.S. creators set up online storefronts to sell directly to customers; shutters Museletter experiment three months after launch.
• Meta adds Messenger support to Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses via a software update, letting users send and receive messages, make calls, and have messages read aloud.
• Videoconferencing app Zoom joins the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, founded by Meta, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube to combat terrorist and violent extremist content.
• Apple quietly nixes all references to its child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection technology months after announcing that the feature would be baked into iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, following monumental blowback over raising privacy and surveillance concerns and fears that the system could be abused by highly resourced actors, like governments, to manipulate the offering to identify other kinds of content; says it intends to take additional time to "collect input and make improvements."
• Reddit, which styles itself as the "front page of the internet," confidentially files a draft registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering.