Tech Roundup: Iraq Telegram Blockade, Zoom Privacy Furore & More

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

• India officially passes the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill to secure people's personal data present digitally by requiring firms to seek users' explicit consent, but raises potential surveillance concerns over sweeping exemptions granted to government agencies to store and retain the information without providing a reason.
• A date for enactment hasn't been announced, but it's worth noting that the regulation does not cover consent for targeted ads (except for those aged 18 and below) or personal health data, meaning users cannot ask for their data to be removed from their employers' databases.
• Iraq blocks Telegram in the country over national security concerns and in order to preserve the integrity of users' personal data.
• The European Commission opens an in-depth probe into Adobe's US$ 20 billion Figma deal, after a preliminary review triggered concerns that it may "reduce competition in the global markets for the supply of interactive product design software and for digital asset creation tools."
• Popular video conferencing solution Zoom says it will not use audio, video, chat, screen-sharing and attachments for training its AI models after an update to its Terms of Service sparks concerns with the addition of new clauses that give the company a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license" to train AI on user and service generated data with no mention of a way to opt out.
• It also raises a slew of questions: Can companies that purchase Zoom licenses opt out? But if they don't, can individual users signed up through that license? What's more, what happens if one organisation opts out but a co-host joins the call through a different organisation that has opted in?
• If anything, the kerfuffle underscores the lack of meaningful data protection regulations at a time when the generative AI boom has made the tech industry even more thirsty for user data than it already was, forcing companies to hunt for new ways to source information. It also highlights the need for reading privacy policies and companies to give users the chance to meaningfully opt in before their data is used to train AI.
• Microsoft expands availability of its AI-powered Bing Chat to third-party web browsers, including on mobile, as it officially shuts down its Cortana app for Windows 11; updates its Terms of Service, effective September 30, 2023, that cautions users against attempting to reverse engineer its AI systems, use it to scrap data or improve a rival AI service, and grant it the permission to process user provided content for monitoring and preventing abuse.
• Google debuts a grammar check feature in Search that uses AI to "check if a phrase or sentence is written in a grammatically correct way or how to correct it, if not"; unveils Project IDX, a new AI-enabled browser-based development environment to build web and cross-platform apps.
• OpenAI launches a new feature that allows website operators to opt out of being crawled by GPTBot to train the company's AI models.
• Meta updates Threads to allow users to upload higher-quality photos and videos as well as view liked posts; tests new WhatsApp features that let users schedule calls and groups of up to 32 individuals connect for a voice chat session, as it unveils screen sharing during video calls across Android, iOS and Windows.
• Google says it will stop showing users recommended videos in YouTube, including the homepage, when watch history is turned off entirely, instead showing a blank page; changes the name of one of its advertising video formats from "in-stream ads" to "skippable ads," after it gets accused of misleading buyers.
• Verizon to sunset BlueJeans, a business-focused video conferencing app it acquired in 2020 for US$ 400 million, effective August 31, 2023, due to "changing market landscape."
• Netflix launches a game controller app on the App Store to let users play Netflix games on their TV.
• Google updates its Messages app for Android with group end-to-end encryption and turns RCS on by default for new and existing users; to add a Audio Magic Eraser feature in Google Photos for Pixel phones that could be used to reduce background noise in video clips.
• NVIDIA announces AI Workbench, which lets users create, test, and customize LLMs from Hugging Face and others on local workstations before using cloud resources.
• Stability AI launches StableCode, an LLM that generates code based on open-source BigCode project's data, supporting Python, Go, Java, JavaScript, C and C++.
• Meta announces plans to drop support for SMS in Facebook Messenger as early as September 28, 2023.
• Apple debuts Discovery Station in Apple Music, expanding its algorithmic discovery options for subscribers to find new music; comes as Spotify expands its AI-powered DJ feature globally and integrates with Patreon to stream subscriber-only content.
• ByteDance-owned TikTok to host a virtual global music competition, called Gimme the Mic, on its live streams and incorporate live voting from fans as part of the contest; appears to be working on an integration with Lemon8, a lifestyle app owned by the company.
• Google finally adds a native Google Translate option to its Gmail app on Android and iOS; tests support for electronic signatures in Google Docs and Google Drive, adds native annotation support for Slides during presentation, and unveils a redesigned Arts & Culture app with a new AI-generated postcards feature and a TikTok-like Inspire feed.
• Salesforce-owned Slack announces a major revamp of its software with a dedicated DMs tab and a Discord-style Activity view to help users "easily navigate your channels and conversations so that you and your team can move work forwards faster."
• Meta rolls out the ability to let users verify their Threads profile on other social media platforms, like Mastodon, using "rel=me" links and allows users to share Threads posts directly to Instagram direct messages; unveils new Instagram feature that lets users add music to their photo carousels.
• The U.S. Supreme Court permits Apple keep its App Store payment rules for now, rejecting Epic Games request that would have let developers start directing users to alternative payment options. (If granted, Apple would have been forced to allow App Store apps the option to offer their own links or buttons to non-Apple payment systems, effectively permitting developers to circumvent Apple's 15% to 30% commissions on purchases and subscriptions.)
• Disney to raise price on ad-free Disney+ streaming service to US$ 13.99/month starting October 12, 2023; to increase the cost of ad-free Hulu to US$ 17.99/month, expand ad-supported tiers to Europe and Canada, and take steps to crack down on password sharing.
• Saudi Arabia passes new law requiring all future smartphones sold in the country to have USB-C ports beginning January 1, 2025.
• Language learning app Duolingo is reportedly working on a music learning service, allowing users to take piano, drums and sheet music lessons.
• China announces new laws that require all mobile app providers in the country to file business details with the government in an attempt to combat online fraud.
• X unveils Sensitivity Settings and Enhanced Blocklist to boost brand safety and control for advertisers; confirms plans for video calls and peer-to-peer payment services on the platform and says "X" represents a liberation from Twitter and "evolve past a legacy mindset and thinking."
• Ride-hailing giant Lyft takes a leaf out of Uber's playbook; to start displaying ads in-app, as well as via in-car tablets, rooftops and bikeshare stations.
• Google announces plans to deactivate links in Shorts video comments and descriptions on YouTube to tackle spam starting August 31, 2023, in favour of safer alternatives.
• More than 2.21 million people sign up for ChatGPT founder Sam Altman's Worldcoin, which aims to create a blockchain-based "identity and financial network" by getting their irises scanned in exchange for a digital World ID and, in some countries, free crypto, shrugging off potential privacy concerns.
• Apple to discontinue its long-running iTunes Movie Trailers app as it begins hosting movie trailers exclusively in the company's flagship TV app.
• Mozilla announces plans to add full-fledged support for extensions in its Android app for Firefox web browser later this year.
• Google is reportedly planning to introduce a new Android feature that will let users link their various Android devices together, making it possible to jump between connected devices during calls and set up a personal hotspot across the linked devices, similar to Continuity features offered by Apple.