Tech Roundup: Meta Tuned Shutdown, New Zealand Big Tech Laws & More

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

• Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon and Twitter agree to regulate harmful online content in New Zealand as an alternative to government regulation.
• Delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats are moving beyond food, focusing on groceries and alcohol, as users cut spending due to high inflation and a potential economic downturn.
• Ride-hailing company Uber admits it failed to inform the U.S. Federal Trade Commission of a data breach in November 2016 cyberattack that affected 57 million passengers and drivers, as part of a settlement to avoid US criminal charges.
• Netflix starts linking iPhone and iPad users to an external sign-up page months after Apple started letting "reader" apps that provide access to digital content, like Netflix and Spotify, link out to account sign-up pages on their own websites.
• Google Search gets blocked in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, currently under Russian occupation, amidst the ongoing Russa-Ukraine war, after the separatist states banned Instagram and Facebook in May; accuses the company of promoting "terrorism and violence against all Russians."

• Amazon UK to raise its monthly Prime subscription price by £1 to £8.99 and by £16 to £95 annually starting on September 15, the first increase since 2014.
• Apple reaches undisclosed deal to settle a patent case with Koss, which in 2020 alleged that the company's AirPods violate five Koss' patents.
• PC maker Dell to discontinue Mobile Connect, the software that syncs a phone's texts, calls and notifications to a user's computer, starting November 30, 2022.
• Meta to shut down Tuned, its social app for couples, a little over two years after launch in April 2020; launches new music revenue sharing feature that allows creators to monetise Facebook videos that feature music from major artists and earn a 20% share of in-stream ad revenue.
• Intel announces plans to manufacture chips for Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek, making it the first major customer for Intel Foundry Services.
• Google debuts new logo for its Google Play store on its 10th anniversary that "better reflects the magic of Google and matches the branding shared by many of our helpful products."
• Twitter reports Q2 revenue of US$1.18 billion, down 1% YoY, a $270 million net loss, down from $66 million YoY, and 237.8 million monetizable daily active users, up 16.6% YoY; reiterates thaat its false or spam account average estimate represented "fewer than 5%" of MAUs in Q2.