Tech Roundup: Apple and Meta Fines, Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite & More

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

• Meta faces fresh fines to the tune of €390 million in the E.U. after an investigation found that the company bypassed the GDPR requirements for explicit consent by asking for permission to collect ad targeting data through its byzantine terms of service agreements for Facebook and Instagram.
• In other words, the contention hinges on whether or not Meta is doing the right thing by bundling users' permission to use their data for behavioral advertising when they opt to accept the terms of service agreement, and also if personalised ads are deemed "necessary to perform the core elements" of the social media platforms' functions.
• This also means that users cannot withdraw their consent or opt out from their data being used for targeted ads as they have already accepted the updated terms of service when GDPR went into effect in May 2018. The decision is just the most recent in a string of rulings in Europe against Facebook's parent company over its advertising, privacy and data tracking practices that have totaled well over $1 billion in fines.
• The Indian government publishes draft online gaming rules, seeking to create a self-regulatory body and to require parental consent for gamers under 18.
• Apple gets handed a €8 million fine in France after the nation's data protection authority, the CNIL, finds the iPhone maker of illegally harvesting user data for targeted ads without proper consent in iOS 14.6.
• With Apple making privacy a selling point for its devices, the penalty is a latest addition to a growing body of evidence that Apple's growing advertising business could run afoul of regulation in the future and invite more scrutiny for its privacy practices, including recent allegations that the company collects analytics data even when the privacy setting is turned off.
• OPPO sub-brand OnePlus releases OnePlus 11 smartphone in China with a black hole-inspired rear camera bump, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 16GB RAM, 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display, and a 5,000mAh battery; also announces the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds.
• Microsoft to cut off Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 from security updates and technical support on January 10, 2023; comes as Google announces plans to end Chrome support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on February 7, 2023.
• Twitter tests advanced search filters for iOS, allowing users to find specific tweets based on date, user, retweet count, hashtags, and more.
• Music streamer Spotify introduces a new in-app experience called "Playlist in a Bottle" that is designed to let users capture their current music tastes and revisit them one year later.
• Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch a version of Bing that uses OpenAI's ChatGPT technology to answer search queries, according to The Information.
• Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Satellite, a new solution that allows phones with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and X70 modem to connect to Iridium's satellite network for two-way off-grid messaging during emergencies.
• Google's Android TV OS, the underlying platform for Google TV and Android TV, touches 150 million monthly active devices, up more than 36% YoY.
• HTC unveils the US$ 1,099 Vive XR Elite headset with Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor, 110-degree field of view and two 90HZ 2K LCD displays.
• Meta's WhatsApp launches proxy support globally, letting users with blocked or disrupted connections use the app via servers set up by volunteers and organisations; tests new option that lets users transfer chats without having to upload to a cloud service.
• Amazon unveils the US$ 250 Ring Car Cam, its first car dashboard camera, with inside and outside recording, after a two-year delay.
• Apple launches digital narration in Apple Books, offering a new way for publishers to automatically generate high-quality AI-narrated audio from written text.
• Sony debuts Project Leonardo for PlayStation 5, a fully customisable, accessible console game controller kit to help "players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably and for longer periods."
• Google removes changelogs across all apps available on Google Play on the web; rolls out a revamped Android Auto experience with high-definition maps for select cars and turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps on internet-connected Wear OS watches without a smartphone.
• Lenovo announces fourth generation ThinkBook 16p, 14.5-inch Tab Extreme, Yoga Book 9i (a laptop with two 13.3" OLED displays) and ThinkPhone for enterprise users in collaboration with Motorola following its purchase in 2014.
• Videoconferencing app Zoom adds support for meeting templates, threaded messages and reactions in in-meeting chat, Q&A feature, and human avatars.
• ByteDance-owned TikTok partners with IMDb to launch in-app landing pages for movies and TV shows that can then be tagged by users in their videos.
• Video streamer Plex officially launches its rental service, allowing consumers to find movies or TV shows to rent or purchase on its marketplace.
• Google says it's "working closely with Spotify to enable their users to easily switch playback between any Spotify Connect device from Android's media player."
• Apple adds new kickboxing workout type, sleep meditation theme, and artist spotlights to its Fitness+ service.