Tech Roundup: Apple VPN Takedown in Russia, Microsoft Windows App & More

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

• Data deletion service Optery sparks privacy concerns after it updates its terms of service to state that it may transfer user data to OpenAI by default; subsequently backtracks and makes the data transfer opt-in.
• Apple has removed a total of 98 VPN apps from its Russia App Store, with more than 20% of the apps "quietly removed" without any public acknowledgment, according to GreatFire; says the move severely limits "Russian users' ability to access secure communication channels and bypass government censorship."
• Microsoft announces a new app called Windows App, a replacement for the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, that allows users to run Windows and also Windows apps across various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and web browsers.
• Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushes back against the idea that al media directly harms teen mental health, stating "the majority of the high-quality research out there suggests that there's no causal connection at a broad scale between these things."
• New research finds that AI-powered bots trained on image-recognition models can match human-level performance in solving CAPTCHAs with a 100% success rate.
• E-learning platform Udemy attracts scrutiny after class teachers were found to be automatically opted in to having their classes used as training material for the service's generative AI tools, with no option to back out.
• OpenAI opens third-party developer access to its speech-to-speech engine that powers ChatGPT's advanced voice mode.
• Microsoft debuts new AI-powered Paint and Photos features like Generative Fill and Generative Erase to Copilot Plus PCs, allowing users to add or remove objects in their images; also launches a new Click to Do feature for improved search, begins rolling out Bing Generative Search, its answer to Google's AI Overviews, to users in the U.S., and refreshes Copilot experience with vision, reasoning and voice capabilities.
• Google debuts a new "Quick Insert" button on new Chromebooks, starting with Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus, replacing the traditional Caps Lock key to offer contextual AI tools across the operating system; introduces a redesigned Settings menu, and moves Google services to the top of the menu in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.
• Meta-owned Threads gives users 15 minutes to edit posts and lets users who have connected their accounts to the fediverse see who follows them and likes their posts; acquires the Threads.com domain name, which was previously owned by a Slack alternative startup acquired by Shopify in June 2024.
• Epic Games unveils a program that reduces the royalty rate for games built with Unreal Engine from 5% to 3.5% if they launch on the Epic Game Store, as it files a lawsuit in the U.S. against Google and Samsung for allegedly colluding to deter users from rival app stores via Samsung's Auto Blocker feature that blocks apps from unauthorised sources as a security measure.
• Microsoft announces plans to discontinue HoloLens 2, with no replacement; to only push "updates to address critical security issues and software regressions" until 2028.
• PayPal draws scrutiny after it quietly opts some users into sharing data with third-parties for personalised shopping experiences effective November 27, 2024; says it will "share recommendations with participating stores based on your shopping history and preferences [to help] participating stores show you products [sic] offers and rewards you might like."
• Google migrates Fitbit website to Google Store for making purchases, nearly four years after its acquisition in January 2021.
• Meta says Meta AI can now respond back to questions out loud with celebrity voices and is piloting a tool to automatically translate voices in Instagram Reels; expands Imagine features across Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, letting users generate AI photos and image captions.