Tech Roundup: NVIDIA-ARM Deal, U.K. Online Safety Bill & More

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

• The U.K. government once again revives plans for pornographic sites to verify users' ages as part of a new Online Safety Bill, more than 2.5 years after the proposals were scrapped following privacy concerns that they could be used to profile users' porn viewing habits; sites that fail to introduce age checks to be blocked from operating in the U.K. via deny lists issued to the country's ISPs and fined 10% of their annual worldwide income.
• Chipmaker NVIDIA officially abandons plans to purchase ARM, more than 1.5 years after the announcement of the US$ 40 billion deal (US$ 60 billion based on NVIDIA's current stock prices) in September 2020, as regulators and ARM customers, including Microsoft and Qualcomm, moved to block the takeover over concerns that it would stifle competition and raise licensing concerns.
• Signal begins rolling out a new feature that allows users to switch phone numbers without having to losing existing chats, groups, and messages within the secure messaging app.
• Apple acquires London-based AI Music, which uses AI and royalty-free music to create dynamic soundtracks that can fit user interactions or moods, marking the company's first purchase in 2022 after a dramatically slowdown in its acquisition spending during 2021 (US$ 33 million).
• Meta cautions that it may shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe over transatlantic data transfers; says "If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we are unable to continue to rely on SCCs (standard contractual clauses) or rely upon other alternative means of data transfers from Europe to the United States, we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe."
• The Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) fines Apple €5 million for a third consecutive week for allegedly failing to satisfy the requirements it set regarding alternative payment systems for dating apps.
• Price comparison service PriceRunner sues Google in Stockholm's patent and market court for US$ 2.4 billion over allegedly manipulating search results to favour its own competing shopping service.
• Apple releases new iOS 15.4 beta to fix a bug, introduced in iOS 15, that "inadvertently" recorded users' interactions with Siri despite opting out of the "Improve Siri & Dictation" setting; unveils "Tap to Pay" feature that will allow U.S. merchants and small businesses to use their iPhones to accept contactless payments through Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards and other digital wallets.
• U.S. ride hailing company Lyft reports 18.73 million active riders in Q4 2021, as its revenue rises to US$ 970 million.
• Google rolls out Journeys for Chrome web browser on desktop, letting users revisit old browsing sessions grouped by broad topics.
• Meta-owned Instagram debuts new "Your Activity" for "people to see and manage their activity on Instagram in one place," enabling users to "bulk manage (delete, archive) their content (posts, stories, IGTV and Reels) and their interactions (comments, likes, story sticker reactions, etc.)."
• ByteDance's TikTok begins testing ways to age-restrict mature content or other potentially inappropriate videos on its platform amid a push to beef up safety features for young users; to also prohibit practices like like deadnaming and misgendering, misogyny or content supporting or promoting conversion therapy programs.
• Twitter tests adding a direct message icon to tweets on iOS to help "start a conversation," raising concerns that the shortcut could make users even more susceptible to harassment.