Tech Roundup: Internet Explorer End-of-life, Wickr Me Scrutiny & More

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

• The European Commission warns Meta's WhatsApp to "address outstanding concerns over its updates to its terms of service and its privacy policy and to clearly inform consumers of their business model."
• Popular messaging app Telegram confirms its plans for a paid offering with additional features and support for sharing extra-large files.
• Amazon-owned encrypted messaging app Wickr Me comes under criticism for not taking basic safety measures to prevent sharing of child sex abuse images on the platform.
• The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announces investigation into Apple's cloud gaming restrictions via its App Store alongside Apple and Google's market power in mobile browsers; says "Apple and Google hold all the cards" and that "their strong grip on mobile ecosystems allows them to shut out competitors."
• The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) says Apple's latest changes to App Store rules, which let developers of dating apps choose alternate payment methods, meet local and E.U. competition requirements in a move that could set the tech giant against more government regulation.
• Walt Disney expands Disney+ streaming service to 16 markets across the Middle East and North Africa, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Libya, following its launch in South Africa last month.
• Chipmaker Qualcomm acquires Cellwize, a software service that helps carriers operate their networks more efficiently, reportedly in a deal worth US$ 350 million.
• Google to discontinue Google Talk, the company's original instant messaging service from 2005, on June 16, 2022; to "end our support for third-party apps, including Pidgin and Gajim" and recommends users to switch to Google Chat.
• Nigeria releases a draft Code of Practice to regulate internet companies like Meta and Google, which would require establishing a local legal entity, abide by all regulatory demands, provide a comprehensive compliance mechanism to avoid publication of prohibited content, and share information to authorities on harmful accounts, suspected botnets, troll groups, and other coordinated disinformation networks.
• Microsoft to officially end support for Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, almost 27 years after its launch on August 24, 1995; updates Teams to improve echo cancellation and room acoustics on calls using ML models, resulting in less clipping when callers interrupt each other.
• Meta, Twitter, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and other social media platforms agree to tougher E.U. disinformation rules, including mandatory country-by-country content removal reports and disclose "they are removing, blocking or curbing harmful content in advertising and in the promotion of content."
• Google's parent Alphabet to let rival ad intermediaries place YouTube ads in a bid to end an E.U. antitrust probe and avert a fine of up to 10% of global turnover.