Tech Roundup: FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule, LinkedIn GDPR Fine & More

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

• The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announces a final click-to-cancel rule that will require sellers to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up; industry groups the Internet and Television Association, Electronic Security Association and Interactive Advertising Bureau say the FTC is trying to "regulate consumer contracts for all companies in all industries and across all sectors of the economy."
• The Irish Data Protection Commission fines LinkedIn €310 million over using personal data for behavioural analysis and targeted ads under GDPR laws.
• Google wins a legal reprieve after a U.S. court grants it a temporary administrative stay on most of the rulings, barring one that prevents the company from making deals with carriers or device makers blocking preinstallation of rival app stores in exchange for perks.
• TikTok owner, ByteDance, says it sacked an intern in August 2024 for "maliciously interfering" with the training of one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models; stresses that claims regarding the extent of the damage is exaggerated and inaccurate.
• Drone-maker DJI files a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) over its inclusion on a DoD list of Chinese military companies in an effort to "seek relief," stating it "is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military."
• Bluesky says it added 500,000 new users in a day this week after X announced plans for controversial changes to its blocking feature that essentially allows blocked users to still view content from users' accounts but not interact with their posts; says it will "begin developing a subscription model for features like higher quality video uploads or profile customizations like colors and avatar frames," as it surpasses 13 million active users.
• Google tests GBoard app update that offers users two choices between Google Sans Text and Roboto; tests a new "Quick view" feature in Google Search, allowing users to see the full details and step-by-step cooking instructions without visiting the source website.
• X updates its privacy policy to allow third-parties to train AI models with its data starting November 15, 2024s; imposes new penalties of up to US$ 15,000 for scraping tweets en masse.
• Google begins to phase out Chrome extensions that are on Manifest V2, as part of its scheduled migration to the next-generation of the extension specification that aims to address security loopholes that granted unlimited access over every single HTTP request to installed extensions.
• Unredacted documents accidentally revealed as part of a major lawsuit filed by 14 attorneys general from across the U.S. against TikTok show that its screen-time limit tool doesn't actually work in limiting teen usage of the service.
• AI company Midjourney plans to release an upgraded web tool that will let users edit any uploaded images from the web using the company's generative AI technology.
• Music streamer Spotify partners with Meta's Instagram to announce a new integration that allows users add songs they find in Reels or posts to their Spotify library.
• Meta updates WhatsApp for iOS with a new Home Screen widget to quickly gain access to users' chats; tests a new Memory section in its Android app to permit users to manage what its AI chatbot, Meta AI, remembers about them in order to give tailored responses.
• Google announces plans for a Play Store policy change that requires third-party app developers to use Android's built-in photo picker and prevent broad, unrestricted access to users' multimedia content by October 31, 2024, or risk getting app updates blocked. (Developers can also apply for an extension before the cutoff date to meet compliance requirements by January 22, 2025.)
• Disney removes the ability to sign up for Disney+ and Hulu via their respective iOS apps and purchase subscriptions to the streaming services in a likely attempt to avoid paying Apple a cut for using its in-app purchase systems. (It's worth noting that Apple, in March 2022, removed options to buy and rent content in its Apple TV app for Android TV and Google TV.)
• Google plans to add an Identity Check feature that would force biometric authentication to access critical settings and apps to secure users against theft; updates Google Photos to let users apply filters to images right from within the share sheet prior to sending it.
• Meta says it's deploying facial recognition technology to detect celeb-bait ad scams, as well as help users verify their identity and recover compromised accounts.
• Apple says it will allow third-party browsers in the European Union to create web apps for the iPhone Home Screen using their own custom engines when iOS 18.2 and add them to the Home Screen, after allowing third-party browsers in the region to use non-WebKit engines for both standalone browsers and in-app browsing with iOS 17.4 released earlier this January; makes its Private Cloud Compute Virtual Research Environment publicly available for researchers.
• Google releases a updated version of Google Calendar for the web with a refreshed user interface and support for dark mode; debuts pronouns in Google Meet, and an improved video player within Google Drive and a comments experience in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android tablets.
• Google continues to incorporate Gemini into its products, including in Google Chat to help users catch up on unread conversations with summaries.