Tech Roundup: Amazon Smart Commerce, TikTok Gaming & More

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

• U.S. lawmakers propose new regulation that would ban companies processing more than US$ 20 billion a year in digital ad transactions from running more than one portion of the digital advertising ecosystem, essentially forcing companies like Google and Meta to spin off their advertising arms.
• Amazon launches Smart Commerce in India, helping stores create online storefronts and offering tools for billing and inventory management; refreshes its Fire 7 tablet with USB-C charging, improved battery life, and a 30% faster processor for US$ 60 (up from US$ 50).
• Google's YouTube rolls out new feature that highlights the most replayed parts of a video; also debuts Single Loop that will allow users to put an individual video on endless repeat.
• Google's Russian subsidiary plans to file for bankruptcy, saying it cannot pay employees, suppliers, and vendors after authorities seized its local bank account in March amid Rusia's ongoing war in Ukraine, as most of its employees in the country relocate to Dubai.
• Microsoft-owned search engine Bing found censoring content that is politically sensitive to the Chinese government for users who are using the search engine from the U.S.; company blames it on a technical error.
• Snap unveils integration with eBay, allowing users to share listings from the e-commerce site in snaps and stories.
• ByteDance's TikTok to foray into mobile gaming to boost engagement and time spent on the platform.
• North American smartphone shipments grows 3.7% YoY to 39 million units in Q1 2022; Apple broadens its market share to 51% with 19.9 million units as Google jumps 380% to 1.2 million units.
• Twitter announces plans to hide false tweets from high-profile accounts during times of crisis as part of its ongoing effort to combat misinformation about breaking news; adds the ability for creators to host Super Follows-only Spaces.
• Meta launches its free WhatsApp Cloud API, aimed at SMBs, to all businesses worldwide, marking the messaging app's first revenue-generating enterprise product.
• Epic Games' Fortnite officially goes live via Nvidia's GeForce NOW cloud game streaming service, including iOS, after it removed from the App Store in August 2020 for adding a direct payment option in violation of the marketplace's policies.