EU Antitrust Regulators Narrow Charges Against Apple Over App Store Rules, Drop In-App Payments Case

EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday narrowed their case against Apple, focusing on its App Store rules that prevent developers from informing users of other purchasing options, while dropping another charge related to in-app payments.

WhatsApp’s Call Link Feature Rolling Out for Beta Testers on Windows: Report

WhatsApp Call Link feature is reportedly rolling out to the latest WhatsApp beta for Windows app. The feature lets users create a call link and send that to their contacts to invite them for a voice or video call. The feature was rolled out to WhatsApp for Android recently. It is currently said to be available on the WhatsApp beta for Windows app version 2.2307.3.0.

TikTok Banned From Government Devices in Canada Over 'Unacceptable' Risk to Privacy, Security

Canada announced it was banning Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from government-issued devices on Monday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that his government was looking carefully at how to ensure Canadians' online safety. "This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take," he said referring to the action against TikTok.

Meta to Work on ChatGPT-Like Generative Artificial Intelligence, Will Explore AI Tools for WhatsApp, Instagram

Meta is forming a new top-level product group focused on ChatGPT-like generative artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, as the AI race among Big Tech firms heats up. "We're starting by pulling together a lot of the teams working on generative AI across the company into one group focused on building delightful experiences around t...

Snapchat Launches Its Own ChatGPT-Powered Chatbot 'My AI'

Social media firm Snap said on Monday it is rolling out an experimental chatbot feature running on OpenAI's GPT technology for some users of its photo messaging app Snapchat. The feature dubbed as My AI will be running the latest version of OpenAI’s GPT technology which has been customised for Snapchat. The AI chatbot will be initially rolling out to Snapchat+ su...

WhatsApp Kept Messages Feature for Saving Disappearing Chats Rolling Out to Beta Testers: Report

WhatsApp rolled out the disappearing messages feature in December 2021, allowing messages in a chat to delete automatically after a set period of time. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform is reportedly rolling out the Kept Messages feature to both Android and iOS devices in a beta version. The feature is said to be limited to reach only a few beta testers for no...

SoftBank, Ant Group to Sell Paytm Stakes via Block Deal After Failed Talks With Bharti Airtel Founder: Report

Ant Group and SoftBank are discussing selling their stakes in Paytm in the open market, after talks with Bharti Airtel founder failed, the Economic Times reported. Shareholders and investment banks representing Ant and Softbank had earlier approached Bharti Airtel founder-chairman Sunil Mittal with an offer to sell their stakes in One 97 Communications, which owns Pay...

Twitter Lays Off Around 10 Percent of Its Workforce in Latest Round of Job Cuts: Report

In a fresh round of job cuts, Twitter has laid off at least 200 employees, or about 10 percent of its workforce, the New York Times reported late on Sunday. Twitter did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company has a headcount of about 2,300 active employees, according to Musk last month.

Meta to Go Ahead With Acquisition of VR Platform Within Unlimited as FTC Withdraws Case

Meta Platforms will now go ahead with the purchase of virtual-reality startup Within Unlimited as the Federal Trade Commission voted to withdraw an antitrust complaint challenging the acquisition, officially closing the case. The FTC opted this month against appealing Davila’s decision and paused the administrative case while it considered next steps.

China Directs Tech Companies Not to Offer Access to ChatGPT on Their Platforms: Report

China has instructed them not to offer access to ChatGPT services on their platforms, either directly or via third parties, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei Asia. Beijing's clampdown on ChatGPT, the hugely popular AI-powered chatbot, comes as little surprise to many in China's tech industry.

ONDC, Amazon’s SmartCommerce Services to Empower India’s Small Retailers, Buyers

Amazon’s SmartCommerce services will soon be integrated with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) organisation to digitise micro, small, and medium businesses in the country. The e-commerce giant will also provide its logistics service to small and medium business owners who aim to expand the sale of their products around the world.

Google, Twitter Supreme Court Cases Won’t Break the Internet

Google is being sued based on the recommendations that YouTube’s algorithms make to users in the familiar “up next” box. Twitter is accused of making insufficient efforts to remove pro-terror postings.

Paytm Launches Support for UPI Lite Payments With Faster, Failure-Free Digital Transactions: All Details

Paytm has launched support for UPI Lite payments that allow customers to send real-time transactions on the app. These transactions are claimed to work even during peak transaction hours, when banks typically have lower success rates. UPI Lite is enabled by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and allows customers to declutter their bank statements.

YouTube Music to Bring Podcast Feature to Rival Streaming Giant Spotify: Details

Kai Chuk, the head of podcasting at YouTube, has revealed that YouTube Music will soon be getting a podcast feature. YouTube Music will add an array of enhanced library tools to have podcast creators experiment with advanced audio technologies.

Digital Payments Transformed Governance, Financial Inclusion in India, Says PM Modi at G20 Meet

With the aim to foster global economic cooperation, the first G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting is being held in Bengaluru on Friday. PM Modi gave opening remarks at the meet via a video message.

Uber Overhauls App Design, Brings New Homescreen, Increased Personalisation Features

Cab aggregator app Uber has announced a comprehensive overhaul of its app globally, adding a host of new features and services to help riders go anywhere effortlessly. The new app also features a 'Services' tab as a one-stop shop to find all product offerings available to riders in their city - from a nearby Moto to Auto, Intercity, Rentals, Reserve, Connect and more.

YouTube Spotted Testing ‘1080p Premium’ Video Quality With Enhanced Bitrate

YouTube has been spotted testing a new high-quality video feature. The new video quality “1080p Premium,” as seen by a Reddit user, appears on YouTube video quality settings with the “Enhanced bitrate” label. The new video quality option seems to be available only for YouTube Premium users. The option appears alongside the ‘regular’ 1080p streaming quality...

Zomato Everyday to Offer Home-Made Food Delivery Starting at Rs. 89

Food delivery platform Zomato on Wednesday said it has launched Everyday, home-style meal service under which its food partners will collaborate with home-chefs. "Zomato Everyday will bring you closer to home by serving you meals that make you feel at home," company's Founder Deepinder Goyal said in a blog-post. 

Around 95 Percent WhatsApp Users in India Receive Pesky Calls, SMS Through Online Business: Survey

Around 76 percent of respondents have claimed that they have noticed a rise in pesky calls or SMS based on their conversations with WhatsApp business accounts and their activity on Facebook or Instagram, online survey firm LocalCircles said on Wednesday.

Facebook Parent Meta Plans Another Round of Job Cuts, May Lay Off Over 1,000 Employees: Report

Facebook-parent Meta Platforms is planning a fresh round of job cuts in a reorganisation and downsizing effort that could affect thousands of workers, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Last year, the social media company let go 13 percent of its workforce — more than 11,000 employees — as it grappled with soaring costs and a weak advertising market.

SBI Partners With PayNow for Cross-Border Payments Through Bhim App

A day after a real-time payments system linkage was established between India and Singapore using the UPI platform, State Bank of India on Wednesday announced a partnership with PayNow, the online payment system of the city state, for cross-border payments. The facility is offered through SBI's Bhim SBIPay mobile application and the linkage will allow fund transfers f...

Microsoft Teams Working to Roll Out New Version, Could Launch in March: Report

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new version of Teams, to be dubbed Microsoft Teams 2.0. The new version is likely to bring several improvements to the performance and battery life. It is said to consume 50 percent less memory and could be launched next month.

Google Chrome Tipped to Bring a Double-Click Shortcut to Close Tabs: Report

Google is reportedly working on a new shortcut for its Chrome browser that will let users close active tabs quickly. The new shortcut is likely to be a mouse input enabling users to close tabs by double-clicking. Currently, the browser allows users to close active tabs by simply clicking on the “X” symbol on the tab or by using the Ctrl+W keyboard shortcut.

Authenticator App Reportedly Uses App Store Advertising to Scam Users, Collects Secret QR Codes

Soon after Twitter announced that it was turning off support for SMS-based two-factor authentication for users without a Twitter Blue subscription, copycat 2FA apps have reportedly appeared on Apple's App Store, charging users up to $40 (roughly Rs. 3,300) in annual charges.

ChatGPT Is Leading to Increase in AI-Written E-Books on Amazon, Kindle

The software's emergence has already ruffled some of the biggest technology firms, prompting Alphabet and Microsoft to hastily debut new functions in Google and Bing, respectively, that incorporate AI. The rapid consumer adoption of ChatGPT has spurred frenzied activity in tech circles as investors pour money into AI-focused startups and given technology firms new p...

Tencent Said to Be in Talks With Meta to Distribute Quest VR Headsets in China

Tencent Holdings is in talks with Meta Platforms to distribute its Meta Quest line of virtual reality headsets in China, three people familiar with the matter said. The talks between Tencent and Meta started last year and have continued in recent months, according to one of the sources who has direct knowledge of the matter, adding that the talks remain early stage a...

Mark Zuckerberg May Have Better Luck With Elon Musk’s ‘Blue Tick'

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced Meta Verified, a paid subscription service for users to receive a verification badge on the platform, after providing government-issued ID to prove their identity. Here's why Zuckerberg may have better luck with Meta Verified than Elon Musk's revamped Twitter Blue, which has reportedly floundered — only about 0.2 percent of Twitter...

UPI-PayNow Linkage Would Take Bilateral Relations to Greater Heights: Singaporean Envoy

UPI-PayNow linkage took place on Tuesday, on which Singaporean High Commissioner to India Simon Wong Wie Kuen said this collaboration would take bilateral relations to greater heights and his country looks forward to continuing to be part of India's digital transformation journey.

India's Digital Transactions Estimated to Soon Overtake Cash Transactions, PM Modi Says

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that many experts are estimating that very soon India's digital wallet transactions are going to overtake cash transactions. A large number of transactions via UPI demonstrate that this indigenously designed payment system is very secure, the Prime Minister added.

UPI-PayNow Integration for Cross-Border Payments: 5 Points on What the System Aims to Achieve

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday announced the launch of the UPI-PayNow integration to allow for faster, cheaper cross-border money transfers between Singapore and India. Here are five quick points on the newly announced integration.

JioCinema to Stream IPL 2023 in Ultra-HD 4K Resolution for Free in 12 Languages: All Details

The Indian Premier League cricket tournament is set to stream on JioCinema from 2023 onwards, with the streaming platform introducing new technological improvements to enhance the viewing experience. IPL 2023 will stream for free on JioCinema from March 31 onwards.

India, Singapore to Link Digital Payments Systems UPI, PayNow for Cross-Border Transactions: All Details

India and Singapore are set to link their digital payments systems UPI and PayNow for easier cross-border transactions. The linkage of these two payment systems of both countries would enable residents of both countries to the faster and more cost-efficient transfer of cross-border remittances. 

‘AI Could Be the Next Platform’: Silicon Valley Investors Rush to Find the Next ChatGPT

Since its discrete release in late November, ChatGPT has become one of the fastest growing apps ever and pushed Microsoft and Google to rush out projects that had until now stayed carefully guarded over fears that the technology wasn't yet ready for the public.

Meta Launches Twitter Blue-Style Subscription for Facebook and Instagram, Service Starts at $11.99 a Month

Meta is launching a subscription service starting at $11.99 (roughly Rs. 990) for Facebook and Instagram to authenticate one's account, which follows a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter. Subscribers will get a badge indicating their account has been verified with a government ID, extra protection against impersonation, direct access to customer support and more vis...

How to Set Up App-Based Two Factor Authentication on Twitter for Free

Twitter has confirmed that it will shut down SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) for all users except Twitter Blue subscribers on March 20. However, you won't have to pay Twitter a monthly fee to keep your account secure. Here's how to set up 2FA using third party apps for free, without a Twitter Blue subscription.

WhatsApp Picture-in-Picture Feature for Video Calls Rolling Out to iOS Users: All Details

WhatsApp for iOS has been updated with support for picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, allowing users on iOS to switch to another app on a video call without the app pausing their video. The latest update also adds support for longer group subjects and descriptions and the ability to add captions while sharing documents on the app.

Twitter to Begin Charging Users to Protect Their Accounts via SMS Messages From March

Twitter on Friday said that it would begin charging users to secure their accounts via SMS-based two-factor authentication. Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to continue receiving SMS messages after entering their password when logging in to Twitter. Users who do not pay can use third party 2FA authentication apps or hardware security keys instead.

Google Calls CCI Fine Over Mobile App Distribution 'Unfair Imposition'

Google on Friday submitted before the NCLAT that there was "unfair imposition" by the competition watchdog CCI over its mobile app distribution agreement with device makers as it does not restrict from installing other apps, including that of rivals. A two-member NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan on Friday said it will start day-to-day hearing of...

Netflix CEO Discusses Popularity of India's Regional Content During His Recent Visit

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos met Union Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Singh Thakur in the national capital on Friday. They discussed how India's regional content is a global favourite at present. Netflix abrought a lot of regional content on the world map, including GodFather (Telugu), Don (Tamil), Major (Telugu), The Ghost (Telugu), and Beast (Tamil).

mPassport Police App Launched by MEA to Expedite Police Verification of Passport Issuance

mPassport Police App was launched by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, as part of the ministry's efforts to expedite and streamline police verification of passport issuance. According to a regional passport officer, verification using tablets will effectively reduce the passport issuance timeline by 10 days.

Microsoft Looks to Tame Revamped AI-Powered Bing as Users Report Being Disparaged by Chatbot

Microsoft has announced that it will make improvements to the AI-powered Bing chatbot after users began to complain that they were disparaged by the service. The company said in a blog post that the search engine chatbot is responding with a “style we didn’t intend” to certain types of questions.

Instagram to Roll Out New Broadcast Chat Feature ‘Channels’, Will Be Available on Messenger, Facebook

Instagram, the social media platform owned by Meta Platforms, is rolling out a broadcast chat feature called Channels, the company's boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday. The company will also introduce the feature to Messenger and Facebook in the coming months.

ChatGPT to Receive Upgrade to Allow Users to Customise Viral Chatbot, Microsoft-Backed OpenAI Says

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said that it will upgrade the viral chatbot with the option to customise the service, as the chatbot creator works to mitigate political and other biases while accommodating more diverse views on the popular chatbot. Some media outlets have pointed out that some answers by ChatGPT are potentially dangerous and the technology may not be ready for p...

YouTube to Be Headed by Indian-American Neal Mohan, CEO Susan Wojcicki to Step Down

YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki will be stepping down after nine years at the helm of the world's largest online video platform, she said in a blog post on Thursday. YouTube's chief product officer, Neal Mohan, will be the new head of YouTube, she said.

Hands on With Microsoft’s New AI-Powered Bing: From Poems to Diet Advice, Here’s What the Chatbot Told Us

Bing is set to get a notable upgrade this year, with powerful AI chops that could help Microsoft’s search engine compete better with Google. While the latter has dominated search engine marketshare for years, Microsoft’s new AI-powered chatbot could pose a challenge to Google, which is also developing its own rival service. Here’s how the new Bing fared when we ...

Amazon, Google in RBI’s List of Online Payment Aggregators, Over 50 Entities Granted License to Operate

RBI on Wednesday released a list of 54 entities, including Amazon (Pay) India, Google India Digital Services, NSDL Database Management, and Zomato Payments, which can continue to operate as Online Payment Aggregators (PAs).

Chrome Custom Tabs on Android Updated With Improved Multitasking Features and Password Autofill Support

Google Chrome and other apps that provide in-app browsers on Android will gain support for features like "partial" custom tabs to ease multitasking between the app and website links. Auto-filling passwords and addresses will also get easier with custom tabs, according to Google.

WhatsApp Updated With Support for Sending Up to 100 Media Files, Captions for Documents, More: Details

WhatsApp has announced three new features - document captions, longer group subjects and descriptions, the ability to share up to 100 media files, and avatars. These features are now accessible to all users who download the most latest version of WhatsApp for Android from the Google Play store.

F1 TV Pro Subscription Now Available in India: Price, Features, and More

F1 TV Pro subscription is now available in India, with pricing starting at Rs. 249 per month or Rs. 2,999 for the full season. The service gives access to live streamed F1 and feeder series races, as well as timing, telemetry, and other data, on various supported platforms.

Adobe's Figma Takeover Deal Will Require EU Antitrust Approval, Regulators Say

Adobe will require EU antitrust approval for its $20 billion (roughly Rs. 16,55,000 crore) deal to acquire the cloud-based Figma design platform, according to regulators. Sixteen EU countries have asked the EU competition enforcer to review Adobe's acquisition of the service.

Jio, Airtel and Vi Said to Push for Regulation of Communication OTT Services at Meeting With TRAI Chief

Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) asked TRAI chief P D Vaghela for regulation of communication OTT players, making a unanimous pitch for 'same service-same rules'. Telecom operators have argued that OTT players, which offer similar services as telcos do, should be regulated on similar lines.

Instagram to Remove Live Shopping Feature From Next Month: All Details

Instagram is all set to remove the live shopping feature from the app. The feature announced in 2020 lets creators directly tag products and promote links in their live broadcasts. However, other live broadcasting features will continue to exist.

Elon Musk Requested Twitter Algorithm Change To Boost His Tweets, Was Unhappy with Views: Report

Twitter CEO Elon Musk reportedly requested Twitter engineers to alter the site’s algorithm to boost the performance and engagement of his tweets. With Musk’s tweets prioritised, a glut of them showed up in users’ feeds on Monday, according to a report by Platformer.

Twitter Should Be Stable by End of 2023, Will Be Good Time to Find New CEO Then: Elon Musk

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said that he expects the microblogging site to be stable by the end of 2023. He also said that end of this year would be good timing to find someone else to run the company. "I think I need to stabilise the organisation and just make sure it's in a financially healthy place and that the product roadmap is clearly laid out," Musk said, speaking vi...

Apple’s ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Service to Look at Users’ Spending History, Which Apple Devices They Own

Apple’s upcoming ‘buy now, pay later’ service, dubbed Apple Pay Later, will look at customers’ spending history, linked bank cards to Apple Pay account, and even which Apple devices they own to evaluate borrowers.

Meta Oversight Board to Review More Cases, Expedite Decision-Making Process

Meta Platforms' Oversight Board announced on Tuesday that it will review more types of content moderation cases and expedite some decisions, as it aims to expand its work. The Oversight Board was created in late 2020 to review Facebook and Instagram's decisions on taking down or leaving up certain content and make rulings on whether to uphold or overturn the social me...

CBSE Class 10, 12 Examinations 2023: Board Prohibits Use of ChatGPT, Mobiles During Board Exams

The use of Artificial Intelligence-based ChatGPT has been prohibited in the upcoming class 10, 12 board exams by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), officials said on Tuesday. The class 10 and 12 board exams are set to begin on Wednesday, February 15. The use of ChatGPT will amount to using unfair means in the exam, the board officials said.

PhonePe Gets $100 Million in Additional Funding, Total $450 Million Raised in Six Weeks

PhonePe, India’s most valuable payments firm, has raised an additional $100 million (roughly Rs. 828 crore) in funding from new investors Ribbit Capital and TVS Capital Funds with participation from existing investor Tiger Global, at a pre-money valuation of USD 12 billion, the company said on Tuesday.

Google’s Search Business Doesn’t Have to Be Killed by AI Chatbots – Here’s the Ugly Workaround

Google lost a sizeable chuck of its market value when it's upcoming chatbot provided an incorrect answer during a promotion of the service, while Microsoft's shares rose after the company announced it would integrate technology from OpenAI into its Bing search engine, productivity apps, and Teams meeting software. Do chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT entirely circumvent ...

Meta's Chief Business Officer Marne Levine, Appointed in 2021, Leaves Company

Meta Platforms said on Monday Chief Business Officer Marne Levine was leaving the owner of Facebook after a 13-year stint. Fifty-two-year-old Levine, appointed as the company's first chief business officer in 2021, has served in various other executive positions at the social media company, including chief operating officer of Instagram.

Google to Spread Misinformation Prebunking in Europe; Initiative in the Works in India

Google, after seeing promising results in Eastern Europe, will initiate a new campaign in Germany to make people more resilient to the corrosive effects of online misinformation. The tech giant plans to release a series of short videos highlighting the techniques common to many misleading claims.

ChatGPT's Popularity Worries US Lawmakers About Its Impact on National Security

ChatGPT, a fast-growing artificial intelligence program, has drawn praise for its ability to write answers quickly to a wide range of queries, and attracted US lawmakers' attention with questions about its impact on national security and education. It was created by OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft, and made available to the public for free.

Microsoft to Demonstrate AI Features Inspired by ChatGPT for Word, PowerPoint and Outlook: Report

Microsoft is said to be preparing to demonstrate AI-powered capabilities for its Microsoft Office apps: Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The company is reportedly working on integrating advanced technology from OpenAI with the ability to generate content and other data based on machine learning technlogy from the San Francisco startup.

Internet Explorer to Be Permanently Deactivated on Windows 10 via Microsoft Edge Update on February 14

Internet Explorer 11 will finally be permanently disabled on February 14 and Microsoft's outdated browser will be killed by the Redmond company via a software update to its current generation Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10.

WhatsApp Starts Testing Ability to Share Up to 100 Images, Working on Ability to Send High-Quality Photos

WhatsApp's latest beta update includes the ability for users to share a higher number of image files at once in a chat. WhatsApp has also been spotted working on an update that will allow for high-quality image sharing over chats, as well as the ability for photos to retain their original quality.

ChatGPT Passes United States Medical Licensing Exams: Study

ChatGPT could score at or around the approximately 60 per cent passing threshold for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), with responses that made coherent, internal sense and contained frequent insights, according to a new study. Taken by medical students and physicians-in-training, the USMLE assesses knowledge spanning most medical disciplines, ranging ...

PhonePe Launches Support for Cross-Border UPI Payments in Select Countries: Report

PhonePe, Indian digital payments and financial technology company, has launched support for cross-border UPI payments, under UPI International. The apps' users can now use their Indian bank accounts to pay at merchant outlets in the UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan, The Bhutan Live reported. Earlier, Indian users had to use either foreign currency in cash o...

PayPal Pauses Work on Stablecoin Amid Increased Crypto Scrutiny by Regulators

PayPal is pausing work on its stablecoin as regulators increase scrutiny of cryptocurrencies and a key partner in the project faces a probe by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Stablecoins are intended to hold a set value, and some are underpinned by a matching reserve of assets such as cash and bonds.

Supreme Court Dismisses Google's Plea to Modify January 19 Order Upholding NCLAT Decision on CCI Penalty

Google's plea seeking a modification of the Supreme Court's January 19 order upholding the NCLAT's view on a penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), directing the company to raise its grievances during hearing of its appeal before the NCLAT next week.

Government Said to Revoke Ban on LazyPay, Kissht, Other Fintech Firms

The government will revoke the ban imposed on fintech firms LazyPay and Kissht after representations were made by these companies, a senior official said on Friday. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued blocking orders on Saturday, based on an emergency request.

Is 13 Too Young to Have a TikTok or Instagram Account?

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, require users to be at least 13 years old to use their services. However, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy recently warned 13 is too young to join social media. It is worth noting that these apps and services do present some risks for younger people including bullying, misinformation, grooming, and p...

Google Meet Updated With Support for Captions in Video Recordings: All Details

Google is adding new features to improve its Google Workspace services and make video meetings more productive. It has announced that it is adding support for captions to Google Meet video recordings. The translated caption feature to Google Meet was first rolled out in January 2022.

Bard, Bing and Baidu: How Big Tech’s AI Race Will Transform Search – and All of Computing

Google's Bard, Microsoft's Bing (powered by ChatGPT), and Baidu are all racing towards offering users access to AI powered results. Instead of using words provided by users to search for results, these services will attempt to “understand” complex questions and then answer those queries themselves. Here's how Big Tech's AI race will transform not only online sear...

Twitter Failed to Submit Complete Report on Efforts to Combat Online Disinformation, EU Says

Twitter did not provide a full report to the European Union (EU) on the efforts taken by the microblogging platform to combat disinformation and fake news, according to officials. Twitter said it's "making real advancements across the board" at fighting disinformation in its baseline report, but lagged behind firms like Google, TikTok, Microsoft as well as Facebook an...

Digital Credit Service to Roll Out in 2023, UPI Services for NRIs to Be Made Available in 10 Countries

The government will roll out digital credit service this year which will enable even small street vendors to avail credit from large banks, Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. Speaking at 'Digital Payments Utsav', Vaishnaw said it will be rolled out like UPI service and will be a big achievement under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Dig...

Google Translate for iOS Gets a Redesign, AI Features, Contextual Translation and More: Details

Google is adding more AI-powered features to its native services like Lens and Translate. The tech giant has announced a bunch of new features to Google Translate including more context, new design as well as new gestures and more languages. The app on the web and mobile is getting support for additional 33 languages.

Google Lens Gets New Search Screen Feature on Android, Multisearch Available Globally

Google has rolled out the multi-search feature to Lens on mobile globally. The feature lets users search using Google Lens with both text and pictures simultaneously. The feature will be available in all languages and countries supported by Google Lens.

Google Maps Immersive View Rolling Out, Glanceable Directions Will Launch Soon: All Details

Google released Immersive View for Maps in five cities - London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo - and plans to expand the feature to more cities, including Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, and Venice, in the near future. The feature creates a virtual world model by combining billions of Street Views and aerial images.

Twitter Will Restore Services After Users Were Unable to Tweet During Outage, Elon Musk Says

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Thursday said that Twitter services would be restored later in the day, after several users were unable to access the service for hours. Users who were unable to tweet during the outage were shown a message stating that they had exceeded the daily limit for sending tweets.

Disney to Lay Off 7,000 Workers to Cut Costs, Restructure Company in Sweeping Revamp by CEO Bob Iger

Disney on Wednesday announced that it would cut 7,000 jobs at the firm, as part of efforts to cut costs and return power to creative executives. The company also said it would be restructured into three distinct segments, with the aim of having a more cost-effective, coordinated approach to its operations, according to CEO Bob Iger.

TikTok Could Face Stricter EU Online Content Rules Under Digital Services Act

Chinese social media company TikTok is likely to be subject to stricter EU online content rules because its number of active users exceed a threshold set out under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a senior executive at the company said on Wednesday. The landmark rules take a tougher line on very large online platforms, characterising these as companies with more than 4...

Google AI Chatbot Bard Caught Providing Inaccurate Information in Company Ad

Google published an online advertisement in which its much-anticipated AI chatbot Bard delivered an inaccurate answer. The tech giant posted a short GIF video of Bard in action via Twitter, describing the chatbot as a "launchpad for curiosity" that would help simplify complex topics.

WhatsApp Spotted Working on Call Scheduling, Voice Note Transcription Features: All Details

WhatsApp is working on the ability to schedule calls in groups and receive transcriptions of voice notes, according to details shared by a feature tracker.

Google Chrome on Windows, macOS to Get Fingerprint Authentication for Saved Passwords: How It Works

Google Chrome on macOS and Windows will soon add new privacy feature for its password manager. The app will soon let users set up fingerprint authentication to access saved passwords. As of now, users are required to fill in a password or PIN to view their saved passwords in Chrome’s password manager.

US President Joe Biden Says Social Media Firms Exploiting Children, Asks Lawmakers to Restrict Use of Data

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Big Tech firms of conducting a "for profit" experiment on the country's youth and urged US lawmakers to rein in social media firms' abilities to collect the data of children and teenagers online. The US has trailed other countries in creating modern rules to curb the power of the biggest tech firms.

ChatGPT vs Bard: Everything We Know About Google's Upcoming AI Chatbot

Zoom announced on Tuesday that it will cut about 1,300 jobs, amid slowing demand in a post-pandemic world. The cuts will affect 15 percent of the company's workforce. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said he would take a pay cut of 98 percent for the coming fiscal year and forego his bonus.

Microsoft Announces ChatGPT-Like AI Technology for Search Engine Bing, Edge Browser

Microsoft on Tuesday announced the launch of a revamped version of its Bing search engine that is powered by ChatGPT-like technology. The service will also be integrated with the company's Edge browser, Microsoft said. A public preview of the new Bing was launched for desktop users who sign up for it, and the technology will scale to millions of users in the coming we...

WhatsApp Status Updated With Emoji Reactions, Voice Status, Link Previews and More Features: Details

WhatsApp is rolling out a bunch of new features globally to all users. The instant messaging app has added a more advanced privacy option to choose who can see their status updates as well as voice status updates, emoji reactions, and preview links on the status.

Twitter Update for iOS, Android to Remember Choice of Recommended or Chronological Feed

Twitter Support has confirmed that the most recent version of the app for iOS and Android now remembers which tab the user last selected. As a result, after closing and reopening the app, Twitter will always display the most recently used tab first. Twitter allowed the same for its Web platform earlier in January. Twitter CEO Elon Musk promised users last month that a...

US Lawmakers Question Meta on Sensitive Facebook User Data Access Granted to Chinese, Russian Developers

Meta was questioned by two US senators on Monday over the access to personal user information granted to developers in China and Russia that could be used for espionage. The letter sent to Meta said that even though Facebook has never been able to operate in China, nearly 90,000 developers had access to users' profile data, photos, and private messages, according to a...

Big Tech Firms Not Doing Enough to Remove Fake News, Comply With EU Online Content Rules: NGO Avaaz

Big Tech services like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok didn't do enough to tackle disinformation in languages other than English, an activist NGO claims. The firms are expected to submit reports on compliance with updated EU rules on disinformation as part of the Digital Services Act (DSA) that came into force last November.

Paytm Registers Incentive Worth Rs. 130 Crore From UPI Transactions in 3 Quarters

One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand, expects to sustain operational profit growth, company's founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said on Monday. The company has calculated an incentive of Rs. 130 crore from UPI transactions in three quarters but Sharma said that the incentive may technically make the fourth quarter a free cash flow positive qua...

EU Lawmakers Plan to Finalise Draft AI Rules by March Amid Concerns About ChatGPT

EU lawmakers hope to agree on draft artificial intelligence rules next month, with the aim of clinching a deal with EU countries by the end of the year, one of the legislators steering the AI Act said. EU industry chief Thierry Breton has said new proposed artificial intelligence rules will aim to tackle concerns about the risks around ChatGPT.

Facebook Parent Meta Can Be Sued for Inhumane Working Conditions, Rules Kenyan Court

A Kenyan court on Monday rejected a bid by Facebook's parent company Meta to stop a case accusing it of exploitation and poor working conditions. The suit was filed by a former content moderator at Sama, a company contracted by Meta to review Facebook posts, and alleges that workers in Kenya were subjected to inhumane conditions, including forced labour, irregular pay...

Telegram Gets Real Time Chat Translation, Annual Premium Subscription, and More in Latest Update

Telegram released its first major update of the year on February 3, which included a few new features. The app received its most recent major update in December of last year. Some of the most recent updates, however, are only available to Telegram Premium users, including the ability to translate an entire chat in real time.

Google Chrome Working on Option to Quickly Delete 15 Minutes of Browsing History: Report

Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Chrome that will let users delete their browsing history for last 15 minutes. The feature has been spotted in the Chromium source code that will enable users to quickly delete their browsing history on Chrome for Android.

Government Bans Over 230 Betting, Loan Lending Apps With Chinese Links After Complaints of Extortion

Central government has initiated the process to ban and block 138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps with Chinese links on an 'urgent' and 'emergency' basis, top government sources said on Sunday. As per sources, the MHA recommended the MeitY this week to ban and block these apps, and the Ministry subsequently initiated the process as per communication.

Meta Gets Nod to Buy VR Content Maker Within Unlimited as FTC's Request Gets Denied

Meta may not go ahead in its deal to buy virtual reality content maker Within Unlimited as a judge on Friday released a ruling denying the Federal Trade Commission's request to stop the acquisition. The regulator had concerns that the deal would reduce competition in a new market. A December trial to decide if Meta could go forward with the relatively small deal was s...

Google Said to Have Invested $400 Million in OpenAI's ChatGPT Rival Anthropic

Google is said to have invested almost $400 million (roughly Rs. 3,299 crore) in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, which is testing a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google and Anthropic separately announced a partnership in which Anthropic will use Google’s cloud computing services.

Paytm's Parent Firm Witnesses Strong Revenue Momentum With 42 Percent YoY Growth

One97 Communications, which owns the payments and financial services platform Paytm, continue to witness strong revenue momentum across its business verticals. The fintech firm on Friday reported its revenue from operations increased to Rs. 2,062 crore, a growth of 42 percent on a yearly basis and 8 percent on a quarterly basis.

Twitter to Share Ad Revenue With Some of Its Content Creators, Says Elon Musk

Twitter will start sharing revenue from advertisements with some of its content creators, Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Friday. Effective Friday, revenue from ads that appear on a creator's reply threads, will be shared. The user must be a subscriber of Blue Verified, Musk said.

ChatGPT Faces Another Issue as EU Chief Suggests New AI Rules to Tackle Risks

EU industry chief Thierry Breton has said new proposed artificial intelligence rules will aim to tackle concerns about the risks around the ChatGPT chatbot and AI technology, in the first comments on the app by a senior Brussels official. Just two months after its launch, ChatGPT — which can generate articles, essays, jokes and even poetry in response to prompts ...

Google Chrome Working on Advanced Picture-in-Picture Feature for Video Conferencing, Custom Video Player

Google is reportedly working on a more advanced PiP for Chrome that will bring additional abilities and features for users. The new development has been spotted on the Chrome Developers website. The new Document in Picture-in-Picture will bring in more advanced tools than the existing one, including custom controls and inputs

Amazon Halts Fresh Stores Expansion; Firm Still Grasping for Success With Supermarkets, CEO Andy Jassy Says

Amazon has halted plans to expand its Fresh supermarkets and cashier-less convenience stores as the company is still grasping for success with supermarkets, CEO Andy Jassy said a in a rare appearance on the company's quarterly results call. Jassy said the firm needs a distinctive store format that's doing well financially before embarking on a major expansion.

India Among Top 3 Nations Contributing Active Users Growth for Facebook: Meta

India is among the top three nations contributing active users growth for Facebook as of December 31, 2022, social media major Meta said in a regulatory filing. The company has reported a 4 percent increase in worldwide daily active users (DAUs) to 2 billion on average during December 2022 from 1.93 billion during December 2021.

Microsoft Reportedly Working on Adding Improved ChatGPT Version Based on GPT-4 to Bing to Compete With Google

Microsoft is reportedly planning to integrate OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot into its search engine Bing. The tech giant recently announced a multi-million-dollar investment into OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT.

US Senator Urges Apple, Google to Remove TikTok From App Stores Over National Security Risks

A US Senator on the Senate intelligence committee, asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores for iOS and Android respectively, stating that the short video sharing platform poses a threat to national security. TikTok says China's government cannot access the personal data of US citizens or manipulate the app's content, but the app is facing increas...

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 Update Rolls Out to Compatible Google Pixel Smartphones: All Details

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 update is rolling out to the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro device users who have registered for the Android Beta for Pixel program. The latest update bears the build number T2B3.230109.002 and includes various bug fixes, performance improvements, and optimisations, while also b...

Netflix Expands Spatial Audio Support to Over 700 Titles for Premium Subscribers

Netflix has announced the expansion of its spatial audio support to over 700 titles for its Premium subscribers. The video streaming giant has introduced spatial audio support in July last year, for selected movies and TV shows from its originals list.

ChatGPT Plus Paid Subscription Plan Announced: The Promises, Pitfalls and Panic

ChatGPT, OpenAI's popular chatbot, has taken the Internet by storm. The potential impact of this chatbot on our society is yet to be completely understood, while OpenAI has already a paid subscription version called ChatGPT Plus in the US. Here's everything you need to know about ChatGPT.

WhatsApp Directed to Publicise Its Undertaking Given to the Centre in 2021

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed WhatsApp to widely publicise its undertaking given to the Centre in 2021 stand its users in India do not have to accept its 2021 privacy policy in order to use it. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph asked WhatsApp to give advertisement in five newspapers to publicise its undertaking given to the government...

Gmail Package Tracking Feature Is Now Live on App for Android and iOS Users: Report

Google has rolled out the package tracking feature for Gmail app users on Android and iOS. The tech giant had announced last year in November that it would bring the feature to track shipments. The feature will soon roll out on the Gmail for Web.

Twitter Makes First Interest Payment to Banks on Elon Musk’s $13 Billion Buyout Loan

Twitter has begun interest payments on the bank loan that helped finance Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of the social media platform last year. According to people familiar with the matter, Twitter has made its first interest payment to banks, paying about $300 million last week.

Beware ChatGPT Trying to Teach Your Kids Math … or Anything

ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to answer users' questions, has been cautiously praised by educators as a tool that could revolutionise education. The tool’s personalised responses are what make it so tantalising as an all-knowing digital tutor. Here's why you should beware of ChatGPT teaching your children math or any...

Snap Expects Lower Revenue in First Quarter Amid Increased Competition From TikTok, Lower Ad Demand

Snap reported on Tuesday that the firm swung to a net loss in Q4 2022 and the parent firm of popular app Snapchat expects revenue to fall by up to 10 percent in the current quarter. The company said that its business continued to be hurt by a weakening economy, increased competition from rivals and "platform policy changes".