Tech Roundup: Apple Antitrust Scrutiny, Wikipedia Redesign & More

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

• Collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia gets a new look on desktop web for the first time in over 10 years, with a persistent table of contents and an improved reading and search experience.
• Spotify, Basecamp, Deezer, Schibsted and Proton call on the European Commission to take action against Apple's "unfair practices" as the company faces mounting regulatory scrutiny for taking a 30% fee on all digital transactions made via the App Store and forcing third-party developers to inflate the prices to compensate for the cut; say "Apple benefits from a monopoly position over its mobile ecosystem and extracts exorbitant rents from app developers who have no choice but to remain on the App Store to reach European consumers."
• Apple announces an updated HomePod with a similar design to the original from 2018, alongside and Siri and Matter support for US$ 299. (It bears noting that "creating a HomePod stereo pair requires two of the same model HomePod speakers.")
• Twitter begins offering an annual Blue plan for US$ 84 on the web and for US$ 11per month on Android, the same price as iOS.
• The Indian government proposes making the Press Bureau of India and its other agencies the arbiter of truth on what information is misleading for social media firms and other internet companies to tackle mis/disinformation online.
• TikTok expands its state-controlled media label to over 40 markets globally, including the U.S., China, the U.K., France, Germany, and Canada, after a pilot in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in 2022.

• Apple is reportedly working on an iPad-based smart display with smart home controls, video, and FaceTime as it gears up to take on Google Nest and Amazon Echo Show; to expand Advanced Data Protection globally with the release of iOS 16.3.
• Open source password management platform Bitwarden acquires Sweden-based startup Passwordless.dev, which specialises in helping developers integrate passwordless authentication technology into their software.
• Meta's WhatsApp tests new feature that allows users to share voice messages as status updates; centralises app settings for Facebook and Instagram as part of updates to Accounts Center, enabling users to easily manage their personal details, passwords and security and ad preferences.
• Adobe makes it clear that it has not used content created by its customers to train generative AI models.
• Google is said to be piloting a soundbox (a hardware device that emits audio payment confirmation for QR code-based transactions) of its own called Soundpod to merchants in India.
• Amazon plans to close AmazonSmile, a program launched in 2013 to let customers donate 0.5% of eligible items' purchase prices to a charity, on February 20, 2023.
• Samsung expands its Wallet expands to eight new markets, namely Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, after its release in South Korea, the U.S., China, the U.K. and others.