Tech Roundup: Clearview AI fines, Google "My Ad Centre" & More

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

• Google to launch a new "My Ad Centre" hub later this year that lets users control targeted ads across YouTube, Search, and Discover.
• Microsoft publishes a roadmap for Windows Subsystem for Android – which makes it possible to run Android apps on Windows – including Android 13, file transfer support, picture-in-picture and local network access.
• Meta adds Reels to Facebook Groups, stating most Facebook users are members of at least 15 active groups, as it aims to tackle misinformation by allowing Admins to automatically flag posts with known false claims; introduces Bitmoji-style customisable avatars to WhatsApp.
• Google's YouTube announces first major price hike for its Premium tier, increasing the family plan from US$ 17.99/month to US$ 22.99/month (or US$ 29.99/month via the Apple App Store).
• Snapchat adds new features exclusively for its Snapchat Plus subscribers, including custom notification sounds, colourful camera borders, and the ability to customize story expirations from one hour up to a week.
• Google revamps app icons for Contacts, Messages and Phone apps for Android and unveils a slew of new Messages features amid the company's continued push for RCS as a better replacement for SMS; adds support for inline replies, emoji reactions from iPhone users to SMS texts, transcriptions for voice messages, setting reminders, watching YouTube videos within Messages, favourite messages, and even chat with businesses on Search and Maps from within the app.
• While Google has left no stone unturned in pushing Apple to adopt RCS, it remains to be seen if the iPhone maker will succumb to pressure at some point in the future. That said, it's also a known fact that SMS is no longer an option for secure means of communications.
• Meta's Instagram debuts new options that to "not only block a single account, but also any new accounts someone may create" to curb harassment; adds helpful nudges to remind users to be respectful in comments, expands Hidden Words content filter to include Story replies and more languages, including Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil, and test new option that enables users to schedule posts and reels.
• Legal authorities from the U.S. state of Texas sue Google for allegedly using Photos, Assistant and Nest features to collect facial- and voice-recognition data without seeking users' full consent; comes weeks after the search giant settled with the U.S. state of Arizona by paying US$ 85 million to close out a 2020 lawsuit that claimed the company illegally tracked Android users to serve targeted ads even after turning off location data settings.
• Apple to launch Fitness+ for iPhones and iPads on October 24, 2022, coinciding with the release of iOS 16.1.
• India's antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), fines Google US$ 161.9 million for requiring Android device makers to pre-install its entire Google mobile suite (i.e., Play Store, Search, Chrome, YouTube, etc.) and mandating the prominent placement of those apps.
• Controversial facial recognition firm Clearview AI, which scrapes facial imagery from publicly available information off the Internet without users' consent to feed an AI-powered identity-matching service, gets hit with fresh fines in France after the country's data privacy watchdog impose a maximum financial penalty of €20 million for breach of GDPR laws.