TECHNOLOGY
Meta bars employees from discussing abortion, vaccine efficacy at work
According to a report in Fortune, citing a leaked internal memo, Meta has banned employees from discussing "very disruptive" topics, including abortion, gun rights, and vaccines as part of new "community engagement expectations". "As Mark mentioned recently, we need to make a number of cultural shifts to help us deliver against our priorities," read the company memo.
Microsoft may build 'super app' to fight Apple & Google
The application might combine shopping, messaging, web search, news and other services all in one place, reports AppleInsider. Executives at Microsoft believe that the application will help to grow both Bing search and their advertising business. The tech giant aspires to emulate companies such as Tencent, which has all-in-one applications like WeChat.
Apple Music to soon roll out karaoke mode
Apple Music Sing allows users to sing along with their favourite songs with adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics, the company said in a blogpost on Tuesday. Multiple lyric views are available in the new mode, allowing users to take the lead, join in duets, sing backup, and more.
YouTube rolls out Twitch-like emotes
YouTube Emotes is a new way for users to express themselves with fun images across streams and comments, the platform said in a blogpost on Tuesday. Emotes are amusing collections of still images that users can use to create a sense of community.
Apple expands self service repair to iPhone, MacBook users in Europe
Customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK can purchase genuine Apple parts and tools for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and Mac notebooks with Apple silicon. The Self Service Repair Store provides access to more than 200 individual parts and tools, as well as repair manuals. The program enables customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairi, Apple said in a statement.
Google rolls out new features for Pixel devices
The tech giant rolled out VPN by Google One for Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at no extra cost, to protect users' online activity, the company said in a blogpost on Monday. Users can now review their security and privacy settings, risk levels, and other information all in one place, making it easy to protect their phones, accounts and passwords.
HBO Max, Discovery+ streaming service to now be called just 'Max'
The combined platform's expected name, 'Max' is being vetted by the company's lawyers, reports CNBC citing sources. Some senior executives are still debating on a final name so the name might change, but 'Max' is the preference.
Some sacked Meta workers didn't get severance as promised by CEO
In one of the worst lay-offs ever in the tech industry, Zuckerberg sacked more than 11,000 employees -- about 13 per cent of the global workforce -- and extended hiring freeze through Q1 2023. According to a CNBC report, employees who joined Meta via a corporate training programme claim "they are receiving inferior severance packages compared to other workers who were recently laid off".
Oversight Board tells Meta to fix how it treats VIP users for content violation
The report revealed that Facebook operated a two-tiered content moderation system where common users were subject to the platform's defined rules while VIP users were secretly taken into a programme called "cross check." When users on Meta's cross-check lists posted such content, it was not immediately removed as it would be for most people, but was left up, pending further human review.
Iran govt-backed hackers hit 18 high-profile people via WhatsApp links
The email and other sensitive data of at least three of them had been compromised: a correspondent for a major US newspaper, a women's rights defender based in the Gulf region, and Nicholas Noe, an advocacy consultant for Refugees International based in Lebanon, the HRW report mentioned.
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