Technology News

FarmVille, One of the Most Popular Games on Facebook, Shuts Down Tomorrow; Creator Shares Insight FarmVille, one of the most popular games on Facebook, will shut down tomorrow, January 2. Mark Pincus, chairman and co-founder at Zynga shared the title’s development through a series of tweets.

Alphabet Unit Wing Blasts New US Drone ID Rules, Citing Privacy Alphabet's drone delivery unit Wing criticised Trump administration rules issued this week mandating broadcast-based remote identification of drones, saying they should be revised to allow for internet-based tracking.

Microsoft Says SolarWinds Hackers Viewed Internal Source Code, Were Unable to Modify Software Microsoft acknowledged that attackers who spearheaded a massive hack of government and private computer networks gained access to its internal source code, a key building block for its software.

Google’s New Year’s Eve Doodle Is a Ticking Cuckoo Clock Waiting for 2020 to End Google is ushering in the new year by featuring an animated doodle with a ticking cuckoo clock, waiting to strike midnight to end the year. The cuckoo clock has 2020 written at the bottom. The rest of the letters of the Google doodle are decorated in festive lights.

Ticketmaster to Pay $10-Million Fine Over Hacking Charges Ticketmaster agreed to pay a $10-million (roughly Rs. 73 crores) fine to escape prosecution over criminal charges accusing the company of hacking into the computer system of a startup rival.

Netflix January 2021 Releases: The White Tiger, Cobra Kai, and More The White Tiger, Cobra Kai season 3, Mortal Engines, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 2, Pieces of a Woman, Outside the Wire, Call My Agent season 4, The Dig, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — the biggest movies and TV shows on Netflix India in January 2021.

Amazon Planning to Launch Computer Science Education Programme in India Amazon is in plans to launch its childhood-to-career computer science education programme, called Future Engineer, in India. The company has posted a job opening for a manager to lead the new initiative in the country.

Bitcoin Jumps to Record $28,600 as 2020 Rally Reaches New Heights Bitcoin on Wednesday jumped to a record $28,599.99 (roughly Rs. 21 lakhs), after the digital currency almost quadrupled in value this year amid heightened interest from bigger investors.

Android’s Smart Text Selection Tool Adds Unit Conversion Feature, Redirects to Google Android’s Smart Text Selection tool has added a feature for unit conversions. If you select part of a measurement, it will automatically select the full measurement, with the number and the unit, and a button offering to convert it will pop up. The feature doesn’t appear to have rolled out to all users as of now.

Google Is Testing a Feature That Will Aggregate Short-Form Videos From TikTok, Instagram: Report Google is testing a feature that will aggregate videos from TikTok and Instagram in dedicated carousels in the Google app, as per a report. It appears to be a limited early-stage feature as of now. If this feature rolls out widely, users won’t have to open individual apps to watch short-form videos.

Google to Host ‘Hello 2021 India’ Virtual New Year’s Eve Party on YouTube, Launches Party Popper Icon on Search Google is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a virtual party on YouTube. Users in India can join ‘Hello 2021 India,’ which will premiere at 11pm IST on December 31 on YouTube and feature performances from celebrities such as actor Tiger Shroff, rapper Badshah, singer Jonita Gandhi, and comedian Zakir Khan.

Apple Hits Record After December Surge Sends It Past Amazon Apple shares briefly rallied to an intraday record on Tuesday, continuing a year-end surge that’s cementing its lead over Amazon as 2020’s best performer among the largest technology stocks.

WandaVision, The White Tiger, and More: January 2021 Guide to Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar Tandav, The White Tiger, Riverdale season 5, Cobra Kai season 3, WandaVision, Dickinson season 2, Pieces of a Woman, Batwoman season 2, One Night in Miami, American Gods season 3, Outside the Wire — the biggest movies and TV series on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV+, and Colors Infinity in January 2021.

The 42 Most Anticipated Movies of 2021 The biggest Bollywood and Hollywood movies in 2021: Marvel (Spider-Man 3, Black Widow, Eternals, Shang-Chi), Fast & Furious 9, Tom & Jerry, Mission: Impossible 7, No Time to Die, The Matrix 4, The Suicide Squad, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Dune, Uncharted, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Amazon Mega Salary Days to Start on January 1 With Offers on TVs, Refrigerators, Headphones, Home Appliances, and More Amazon India has announced ‘Mega Salary Days’ which will begin on January 1 and go on till January 3, 2021. Amazon will offer deals and offers on refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, TVs, furniture, sports products, home appliances, toys, and more.

The Best Internet Memes of 2020 We take a look back at some of the funniest Internet memes of 2020 that helped make this terrible year slightly more bearable.

Apple Introduces Launch@Apple Mentorship Programme for First-Generation College Students, to Start Early 2021 Apple has introduced a mentorship program to help first-generation college students majoring in finance, economics, and accounting. Launch@Apple will match students one-on-one with Apple mentors and provide resources for learning and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

From Zoom to Quibi: Tech Winners and Losers of 2020 In many ways, 2020′s pandemic-induced isolation threw our dependence on technology into overdrive, snipping away at our real-life connections while bringing digital relationships to the fore.

TikTok US Ban: Trump Administration Appeals Federal Order Blocking App Restrictions The Trump administration appealed a federal judge's order blocking restrictions that would have effectively barred the use of Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok in the US.

Best Gadgets 2020: Our Favourite Buys, From Apple Watch to Realme Buds Air Pro Gadgets 360 staff picks the best gadgets they bought in 2020. On the list: iPhone XR, Apple Watch (Series 6, SE), Realme Buds Air Pro, Galaxy S20+, OnePlus TV, Hisense TV, TP-Link Mesh Wi-Fi, Dyson V10, HomePod, Acer Predator, Sony Z9F soundbar, 360 S7 robot vacuum, and more.

The ‘How Bad Is Your Spotify’ Bot Mercilessly Roasts You for Your Awful Music Taste The AI bot by The Pudding not only ruthlessly ridicules you for your miserable music taste, but makes sure that you keep laughing at yourself while it majestically derides us. Even if you consider yourself an elite listener of music, the AI will make sure that it will smash all the 'fine-music-listener-persona' that you've built in your head.

Bitcoin May Face Regulatory Scrutiny After Record-Breaking Rally, Experts Say With Bitcoin capturing greater attention, it could also garner further scrutiny from regulators, says Guy Hirsch, managing director for the US at online-trading platform eToro.

Facebook Shutting Irish Units at Centre of Tax Dispute: Report Facebook has moved to wind down several Irish holding companies that had allowed it to shift billions of dollars in profit to the country, where it was lightly taxed, the Times reported, citing company documents.

Alibaba’s Ant Group Ordered by Chinese Regulators to Comply With Anti-Monopoly Scruitny Chinese regulators have ordered Ant Group to rectify its businesses and comply with regulatory requirements amid increased scrutiny of anti-monopoly practices in the country’s Internet sector.

Wonder Woman 1984 Post-Credits Scene, Explained Wonder Woman 1984 post-credits scene features Lynda Carter as Asteria, in a tribute to the past. Carter played Wonder Woman in 1975–79 TV series. It also reveals that Asteria is alive.

Wonder Woman 1984 Review: DC Sequel a Major Step Down From the Original Wonder Woman 1984 review: Diana (Gal Gadot) is reunited with lover Steve Treveor (Chris Pine) as she goes up against two new villains, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), in the new DC movie. Wonder Woman 1984 out in cinemas in India, also on HBO Max in the US.

Amazon Says Work on Marathi Language Support Has Already Begun, to Launch ‘Soon’ Amazon in a tweet has said that the work on adding Marathi language on the e-commerce platform has already begun, after Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Amazon said the language support will launch soon.

Amazon Warehouse in Pune Vandalised Allegedly by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Workers An Amazon warehouse in Pune’s Kondhwa has been vandalised allegedly by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after a Mumbai court sent a notice to its chief Raj Thackeray following Amazon’s complaint. MNS had recently written a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking him to include Marathi language as an option on the Amazon website for its customers in M...

GoDaddy Apologises Over Fake Christmas Bonus ‘Phishing’ Email Security Test for Employees US web company GoDaddy apologized after an email that promised employees a Christmas bonus in the midst of the economic crisis turned out to be a computer security test.

Over 60 Percent of Cybercrime Complaints in 2020 Linked to Financial Frauds: Delhi Police Sixty-two percent of the cybercrime complaints lodged in 2020 were related to financial frauds, Delhi Police said in a statement.

Retailers Brace for Flood of Returns From Online Shopping During Pandemic A huge surge in online shopping during the pandemic has been a saviour for retailers, but it comes at a price. Shoppers are expected to return twice as many items as they did during last year's holiday period.

Odisha Launches Career Portal for Students in Collaboration With UNICEF The Department of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha in collaboration with UNICEF has launched a career portal for Secondary and Higher Secondary students to help them with expert advice on their future careers.

SolarWinds Hack Cleanup Could Take Months, Cyber-Security Experts Say Using a subverted version of the company's software as a makeshift skeleton key, SolarWinds hackers crept into a swathe of US government networks, including the Departments of Treasury, Homeland Security, Commerce, Energy, State and other agencies besides.

Soul Movie Review: Pixar Close to Its Best With Pre-Life Existential Romp Soul movie review: Pixar sends Jamie Foxx into the land before life, where he must help Tina Fey to help himself. Soul release date and time in India is December 25 at 1:30pm IST.

Facebook Removes Australian Celebrity Chef Pete Evans’ Page Over COVID-19 Conspiracies Facebook said it has removed the page of Australian celebrity chef-turned-conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, the tech giant's latest move to police false content about the pandemic.

Josh, Moj, Mitron, and More: Five Popular Made-in-India TikTok Alternatives From Josh to Moj, here are five fun and popular Indian short-form video-sharing apps that you can choose if you still miss TikTok.

IBM Agrees to Pay $24.25 Million to Resolve FCC Probes Over Subsidies IBM has agreed to pay $24.25 million (roughly Rs. 180 crores) to resolve a pair of investigations by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over subsidies awarded to connect schools and libraries to broadband.

Honk Is a New Kind of Messaging App for Real-Time, Disappearing Chats Honk app, on iPhone only, offers real-time chat and texting. On Honk, your messages are shown to the other person as you type.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube May Soon Get Blocked in Russia Over ‘Censorship’ Russian lawmakers moved a step closer to allowing regulators to block internet platforms like Facebook and YouTube if they are deemed to have censored content produced by Russians.

Alibaba Faces Antitrust Probe in China Over Monopolistic Behaviour China has launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba Group and will summon the tech giant's Ant Group affiliate to meet in coming days, regulators said, in the latest blow for Jack Ma's e-commerce and fintech empire.

SolarWinds Hackers Are ‘Impacting’ State, Local Governments: US Cyber Agency The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said that the SolarWinds cyber espionage campaign made public earlier this month is affecting state and local governments, although it released few additional details.

Facebook Joined by Human Rights Groups to Fight Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Group A coalition of human rights and press freedom groups have filed a brief supporting Facebook’s lawsuit against the Israeli surveillance technology company NSO Group, arguing that the “very core of the principles that America represents” are at stake in the case.

Russia to Launch Ya Molodets, a TikTok-Like Video-Sharing Social Platform Russia's leading media holding, controlled by state energy giant Gazprom, will launch an app similar to the video-sharing social network TikTok, the group's CEO said Wednesday.

Amazon to Face Renewed US Union Push in 2021 Energised by protests at Amazon's US warehouses and a more labour-friendly administration assuming office, unions are campaigning at the world's largest online retailer to see if its warehouse or grocery workers would like to join their ranks.

Google Told Scientists to ‘Strike a Positive Tone’ in AI Research Papers, Internal Documents Reveal In a move to tighten its control over scientists’ papers, Google launched a “sensitive topics” review and asked researchers to not cast its technology in a negative light, according to internal communications and interviews.

Twitter API v2 Update Brings New Conversation Controls and Features to Track Tweets for Developers The first expansion to Twitter’s API v2 brings conversation and reply controls. The new endpoints will allow developers to track tweets from particular accounts, those mentioning a certain account, or retrieve a list of accounts who follow a particular user.

App-Based Platform Workers’ Federation Writes to Labour Ministry, Demands Universal Social Security The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) has made a submission along with others to the Ministry of Labour and Employment over the ongoing public consultation on the Draft Code on Social Security (Central) Rules, 2020. It has also been signed by labour unions and civil society organisations to raise concerns about the implications of the ongoing lab...

His Dark Materials Season 3: BBC-HBO Renew YA Fantasy Series for Final Season His Dark Materials season 3 confirmed. BBC and HBO renew His Dark Materials for third and final season. Filming begins in 2021 in Cardiff. His Dark Materials airs on BBC One, HBO Max, and Disney+ Hotstar.

Lawmakers Urge US to Further Tighten Restrictions on Chinese Chipmaker SMIC Two Republican lawmakers, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Michael McCaul, have asked the US government to further tighten restrictions on Chinese chipmaker SMIC to stop it from accessing US technology.

Steam Winter Sale: The Best Deals on PC Games Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Need for Speed Payback, Sea of Thieves, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Control, Crusader Kings 3, Death Stranding, Doom Eternal, Fall Guys, FIFA 21, Hades, Red Dead Redemption 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — the best deals on PC games in the Steam Winter Sale, which runs from December 22 to January 5.

Let’s Encrypt, IdenTrust Extend Partnership for 3 Years to Provide Safe Web Browsing on Android 7 or Older Devices Let’s Encrypt has extended Android compatibility for its certificates for older phones allowing for continued safe Web browsing. Phones running Android 7 or older versions will continue to be able to browse HTTPS websites.

Google, Facebook Agreed to Team Up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Says Draft Lawsuit: Report Google and Facebook had agreed to "cooperate and assist one another" in case of antitrust action against their work together in online advertising, the Wall Street Journal has said in a report, citing a unredacted draft version of the lawsuit filed against Google by 10 states in the US.

Cryptocurrency Investments Top $5.6 Billion in 2020, Up by 600 Percent: Report Total investments into cryptocurrency funds and products have touched $5.6 billion (roughly R. 41,400 crores) so far this year, according to data from asset management firm CoinShares. Inflows into investment crypto investment products totaled $335 million (roughly Rs. 2,500 crores) as of Friday, with bitcoin flows accounting for $792.1 million (roughly Rs. 5,900 cror...

PlayStation Holiday Sale: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, FIFA 21, and More Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, FIFA 21, The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Watch Dogs: Legion, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate — the best end of year deals on PS5 and PS4 games in PlayStation Store’s Holiday Sale.

DigiBoxx, an Indian Cloud Storage Service With Affordable Pricing, Launched by NITI Aayog DigiBoxx, India’s first data storage and management platform, was launched today by NITI Aayog. It boasts of data security and sovereignty by keeping all data within the country.

Josh, Indian Short Video-Sharing App like TikTok, Gets Google, Microsoft Backing in $100 Million Funding Bengaluru-based VerSe Innovation that owns Josh, a short video-sharing app like TikTok, has got $100 million (roughly Rs. 700 crores) in funding led by Google and Microsoft. The popularity of the app spiked after TikTok was banned in India and has crossed 50 million downloads on the Google Play store.

Amazon Fab Phones Fest December 2020 Sale Goes Live: Here Are the Best Offers Available Today Amazon Fab Phones Fest sale is now live with discounts and bundled offers on a range of popular mobile phones. We've handpicked the best deals on mobile phones that are available today.

Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale Ends Tonight: All the Best Offers You Can Still Grab Flipkart's Big Saving Days sale will end in less than 12 hours. We've handpicked the best deals you can grab that'll make a great Christmas or a New Year's gift for your loved one.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Releasing ‘Pretty Soon’ After The Book of Boba Fett, Jon Favreau Says The Book of Boba Fett will be the next Star Wars series in December 2021. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had previously said “the next chapter” will drop in December 2021, which many took to believe as The Mandalorian season 3, but Jon Favreau clarified that she meant to say “the next show”. The Mandalorian season 3 will come “pretty soon” after The ...

Facebook’s Small Advertisers Say They’re Hurt by AI Lockouts Small advertisers who heavily rely on Facebook to spread marketing messages have been complaining that inflexible account blocking tools and a lack of customer assistance are hurting business.

Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Dell Join Facebook’s Legal Battle Against Israeli Hacking Company NSO After WhatsApp Hack Microsoft, Google, Dell, and Cisco have joined Facebook in a legal battle against hacking company NSO. The tech giants have filed an amicus brief in a US federal court saying that the Israeli firm's tools were "powerful and dangerous”.

Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft Said to Stealth Push Candidates in Senior Government Roles in US Executives and employees at big tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are pushing to place candidates in senior roles at government agencies, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter.

Facebook Provides Clarification on Why It Pulled ‘Kisan Ekta Morcha’ Page for Hours Facebook on Monday provided clarification on why it pulled the ‘Kisan Ekta Morcha’ page being used by farmers protesting the new agricultural laws. The company said that it was flagged as spam by its automated systems.

Over 200 Indian Originals Were Released in 2020. Here Are All of Them Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, Amazon Prime Video, Voot Select, SonyLIV, ALTBalaji, Flipkart Video, Eros Now, and Hungama Play released over 200 Indian originals put together in 2020. This is a complete list.

Future Group’s Plea Against Amazon on Reliance Deal Dismissed by Delhi High Court The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea from India's Future Group that sought to restrain US partner Amazon from interfering in its $3.4-billion (roughly Rs. 25,000 crores) asset sale to Reliance.

SolarWinds Hackers Broke Into US Cable Firm and Arizona County, Web Records Show Suspected Russian hackers accessed the systems of a US internet provider and a county government in Arizona, US, as part of a sprawling cyber-espionage campaign disclosed this week, according to an analysis of publicly-available Web records.

Apple Supplier Wistron Sees No Major Financial Impact From Karnataka Plant Damage The Karnataka factory damaged by violence this month was a new facility with limited production and so there will be limited financial impact, Apple supplier Wistron said.

Facebook Removes Anti-Vaccine 'Fake News' in Israel: Ministry of Justice Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel against coronavirus vaccinations as the government seeks to drum up support for the programme.

Apple Temporarily Shuts California Stores in Virus Surge, Some in UK After New Curbs Apple has temporarily shut all of its 53 stores in California, US, because of a coronavirus outbreak and 16 stores in the UK following restrictions introduced by the government in London.

Apple Supplier Wistron Could Not Manage Scaled Up iPhone Plant, Broke Several Laws: Government Report An investigation by Karnataka government into the violence at Apple supplier Wistron’s Kolar plant states that the Taiwanese contract manufacturer could not cope up with the rapid scaling up of manpower and breached several laws. The manpower at this plant, which assembles one iPhone model, rose to 10,500 workers from the permitted 5,000 in a short span of time.

Google Antitrust Case Potential Trial Date Suggested for 2023 US district judge Amit Mehta hearing an antitrust case against Google filed by the US Justice Department and joined by many states has suggested a potential trial of September 12, 2023.

US Charges China-Based Zoom Executive for Disrupting Tiananmen Crackdown Commemorations US prosecutors have charged a Zoom executive for disrupting video meetings commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown at the request of the Chinese government. Xinjiang Jin, 39, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of conspiring. Zoom said it fired Jin for violating company policies and has placed other employees on leave.

US Adds Dozens of Chinese Firms Including Chipmaker SMIC and Drone Company SZ DJI to Trade Blacklist US on Friday said that it was adding dozens of Chinese companies, including the country's top chipmaker SMIC and Chinese drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology to a trade blacklist. The US Commerce Department said the action against SMIC stems from Beijing's efforts to harness civilian technologies for military purposes.

Instagram Is Down Now, Users Around the World Complain of Crashes Instagram users on Android seem to have been facing difficulties. The issue seems to be widespread and lasted several hours, affecting users around the world. It's joining Google, Netflix, and Telegram in the list of apps and platforms that have faced issues this week.

The Book of Boba Fett Series Announced, to Premiere December 2021 on Disney+ Boba Fett series, The Book of Boba Fett, announced by Disney and Lucasfilm in a post-credits scene attached to The Mandalorian season 2 episode 8. It will feature Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand. The Book of Boba Fett is now one of eight live-action Star Wars series.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Review: The Star Wars Cinematic Universe Awakens The Mandalorian season 2 review: more interconnected with the rest of Star Wars (by involving Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, and Ahsoka Tano, and giving them spin-offs), but still great on its own as it gave us exciting action across genres, and took steps on a revolutionary story path.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8 Recap: A New Hope and a Teary Goodbye The Mandalorian season 2 episode 8 review and recap: (SPOILER ALERT) Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) saves the day in the season 2 finale, leaving behind a very different The Mandalorian season 3.

Telangana Government Site Flaw Exposed Sensitive Data of All Its Employees, Pensioners; Fixed Only After Three Months Telangana government took over three months to fix a server misconfiguration issue on its website that could have allowed hackers to access sensitive data of its employees and pensioners. The files that were exposed included thousands of employee payslips, income tax details, and pensionary documents, among others.

Telangana Government Site Flaw Exposed Sensitive Data of All Its Employees, Pensioners; Fixed Only After Three Months Telangana government took over three months to fix a server misconfiguration issue on its website that could have allowed hackers to access sensitive data of its employees and pensioners. The files that were exposed included thousands of employee payslips, income tax details, and pensionary documents, among others.

Track Santa Claus Online With Google, NORAD NORAD Tracks Santa has been operating for 65 years now. NORAD’s tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense (CONAD) Operations Center upon seeing a newspaper advertisement telling kids to call Santa. Inspired by NORAD, Google has also been tracking Santa every Christmas sin...

Apple Supplier Wistron's 'Labour Violations': 12-Hour Shifts, No Overtime Karnataka labour department’s preliminary investigation into violence last weekend at a factory run by Apple supplier Wistron found several violations by the Taiwanese firm and its vendors, according to its report.

Google Discover to Show Beauty, Apparel Recommendations; Reportedly Gets ‘What to Watch’ Tab For Movies Google will start showing recommendations from beauty, apparel, home, and garden enthusiasts and experts in its Discover feed and on Google Shopping, to users in the US. The feed will also reportedly feature a ‘What to watch’ carousel. Google will let users visualise makeup looks and virtually try on products.

Twitter Verification Policy Revamped, Will Be Implemented on January 20 Next Year Twitter will implement its revamped account verification policy on January 20, 2021. The company shared the development through a blog post. It will also implement a new memorialisation policy.

Walmart Partners With TikTok to Sell Merchandise While Livestreaming Walmart, looking to invest in TikTok, said it would partner with the Chinese-owned video-sharing app to sell items seen on a livestream by creators featuring the retailer's fashion merchandise.

Twitter Plans to Create Label for Automated Bot Accounts in 2021 Twitter is planning to create a new type of account for bots next year that will identify them as automated, the company said in a blog post finalising plans for a reboot of its long-paused verification programme.

Facebook Removes French, Russian Accounts Active in Africa Over Covert Disinformation Campaign Individuals linked to Russia and the French military used fake Facebook and Instagram accounts to wage a covert disinformation campaign in the Central African Republic ahead of elections there this month, Facebook announced this week.

Google Hit With Third Antitrust Lawsuit Over Anti-Competition Behaviour by New US State Coalition Enforcers from 38 US states hit Google with its third antitrust suit in recent months, accusing the Internet giant of abusing its internet search dominance to eliminate competition.

Microsoft Says It Found Malicious Solar Winds Software in Its Systems Microsoft said it found malicious software in its systems related to a massive hacking campaign disclosed by US officials this week, adding a top technology target to a growing list of attacked government agencies.

Zoom to Lift 40-Minute Meeting Limit for Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year for Free Accounts Zoom has announced that it will lift the 40-minute meeting limit for free accounts for Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year. The limit will be lifted automatically from December 17 at 10am ET (8.30pm IST) to December 19 6am ET (4.30pm IST), which covers the last few days of Hanukkah.

Bitcoin Peaks Past $23,000, Spurred by Surging Investor Interest Bitcoin rose to a record high on Thursday, just a day after passing the $20,000 (roughly Rs. 14.7 lakhs) milestone for the first time, amid surging interest from larger investors.

Asus ZenBook, Asus VivoBook Models With 11th-Gen Intel Tiger Lake CPUs Launched in India Asus ZenBook and VivoBook models have been refreshed in India with Intel’s Tiger Lake CPUs. The new lineup includes ZenBook Flip S (UX371EA), ZenBook Flip 13 (UX363EA), ZenBook 14 (UX435), and more.

The Grand Tour Madagascar Special Released a Day Early on Amazon Prime Video The Grand Tour Madagascar special — season 4 episode 2 “A Massive Hunt” — has been released a day early on Amazon Prime Video. It was originally set to premiere Friday on Prime Video.

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Browser Extensions Infected With Malware Hit 3 Million Users: Avast Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers are hosting malware-laden extensions that may have affected up to 3 million people, cybersecurity software company Avast said. These extensions were billed as a way to download content from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and Spotify.

Flipkart Big Saving Days 2020 Sale Goes Live for Plus Members: Best Offers on Mobile Phones, Laptops, TVs, and More Flipkart Big Saving Days 2020 sale is now live for Plus members. The sale promises 'lowest' prices on select bestselling products. We've handpicked some of the best deals and offers available on the first day of the sale.

Google Search Spotted Testing a Tweaked UI to Show Image Previews, Expanded Text Google Search is reportedly testing a new UI that shows image previews if you hover the mouse pointer over a search result. It also shows an expanded text preview. The new feature has appeared for some users, but hasn’t rolled out widely.

Google AI Researchers Lay Out Demands, Escalating Internal Fight A group of Google artificial intelligence researchers sent a sweeping list of demands to management calling for new policies and leadership changes, escalating a conflict at one of the company’s prized units.

Twitter Brings Back Old Retweet Function Following US Presidential Election Twitter is reversing changes made to its retweet function intended to curb the spread of misinformation during the US presidential election.

Google Will Let You Search in More Indian Languages, Google Maps Gets Native Language Support in India Google at its L10n event on Thursday announced a list of features focused on Indian language users. The new features include the ability to switch search results between English and four newly added Indian languages — in addition to Hindi. Google also highlighted that it would start showing relevant content in supported language even if the local language query was ...

HBO Max App Comes to Roku and PlayStation 5 HBO Max app is now on Roku devices and PlayStation 5, AT&T-owned WarnerMedia has announced. HBO Max PS5 app is already live, and HBO Max Roku app will be available Thursday.

Huawei Faces Potential Setback Due to German IT Security Law The German government approved a draft IT security law that raises the requirements for manufacturers working on critical infrastructure like the country's next-generation 5G mobile network, in a potential setback to China's Huawei.

Google Faces Lawsuit From 10 US States Over 'Anti-Competitive' Online Advertisement Sales Google faces a lawsuit brought by 10 US states who accused the search giant of “anti-competitive conduct" in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Documentary Special Set for Christmas on Disney+ The Mandalorian season 2 episode 8 release date is December 18. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian “Making of Season Two” special episode drops Christmas Day, December 25.

Facebook Criticises Apple Privacy Policy in Newspaper Advertisements Facebook is again pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices, this time saying in full page newspaper advertisements that the social media giant is standing up for small businesses.

Twitter Bans Harmful False Claims About COVID-19 Vaccinations Twitter said that it will start removing false or misleading tweets about COVID-19 vaccinations that could be harmful, including false claims the vaccines will intentionally cause harm or control populations or that invoke "a deliberate conspiracy."

Bitcoin Surpasses Record $20,000-Mark for First Time Bitcoin on Wednesday traded above $20,000 (roughly Rs. 14.7 lakhs) for the first time following a sustained run higher in recent weeks.

Telegram Is Down in Some Parts of the World, Company Confirms on Twitter Telegram is the latest global platform to see an outage — users are reporting issues from around the world although most of the issues appear to be in Europe and the Middle East. Telegram confirmed the issue and said it is working on getting people back online.

Facebook Says It’s Developing a Tool That Could Read Your Brain; and AI Tool to Summarise News Articles: Report Facebook is working on a neural sensor that will be able to detect people’s thoughts and translate them into action, as per a report. Facebook is also developing a tool called “TL;DR” that would summarise news articles with the help of AI, so that users don’t have to read the full piece.

Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox Series X Review: Still Flawed, but a Step Forward Our Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 review looks at the game’s performance on Xbox One X and Xbox Series X, where it lacks (the resolution and fps), and why Cyberpunk 2077 is a game for the chosen few.

How to Watch India vs Australia Test Live Stream India vs Australia Test series began Thursday, and will last until January 2021. Here’s how you can watch the live stream of IND vs AUS, the channels it’s broadcasting on, and the schedule for the Test series.

Google One Plans for Above 10TB Storage Get a 50 Percent Price Cut Google One higher-tier plans have received a price cut of 50 percent and are available starting at $49.99 (roughly Rs. 3,700) per month for 10TB storage. The new change comes just over a month after Google announced the discontinuation of free unlimited backups through Google Photos.

Facebook India Head Ajit Mohan Questioned by Parliamentary Panel Over Reluctance to Ban Bajrang Dal Facebook's India head Ajit Mohan deposed before a parliamentary panel and was questioned about a recent report that the social media giant is reluctant to ban the Bajrang Dal due to concerns over the security of its staff.

Cyberpunk 2077 PS4 and Xbox One Version Was ‘Ignored’, CD Projekt Red Admits Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red “ignored” PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, and focused more on “PC and next-gen performance rather than current-gen”. CD Projekt Red doesn’t have a special refund policy in place, which is leading to refund requests being rejected for some PS4 owners.

Facebook Faces Lawsuit in Australia Over Collecting User Data Without Permission An Australian regulator sued Facebook accusing it of collecting user data without permission, building on government efforts around the world to rein in the social network.

Google Hires Fiona Cicconi as New Personnel Head Amid Rising Worker Tensions Google has hired Fiona Cicconi, a top executive from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, to oversee its personnel policies amid ongoing tensions with many employees who are upset with the company's policies.

Facebook Removes Disinformation Accounts Linked to French Military Facebook said that it had removed two networks based in Russia and one linked to the French military, accusing them of carrying out interference campaigns in Africa.

Gmail Service Disrupted in New Google Mishap, Restored Within Hours Google's cloud-hosted email service Gmail suffered a "significant" disruption Tuesday, just a day after it went down during a massive outage of the internet giant's platform.

Facebook Takes Swipe at Apple While Supporting Draft EU Rules Facebook said it hopes new draft rules by the European Union aimed at curbing powers of big US companies could set boundaries for Apple, its latest volley in an ongoing feud.

Kia’s UVO Connected Car Platform Gives You More Control Over Your Car: How Does It Work? Plain and simple smartphone connectivity with your car’s audio system is so 2015; new cars such as the Kia Sonet come with far more abilities, including remotely powering on your car using a smartwatch. We try out Kia’s UVO system for a glimpse into the future of connected cars.

Spotify Premium Mini Subscription Brings Discounts to Daily, Weekly Plans Spotify has revised its daily and weekly Premium plans in India. The two are now under Premium Mini subscription plans and are priced at Rs. 7 per day and Rs. 25 per week.

Twitter Fined EUR 4,50,000 in Ireland Over Bug That Made Some Private Tweets Public Ireland's data regulator has fined Twitter EUR 450,000 (roughly Rs. 4 crores) for a bug that made some private tweets public, in the first sanction against a US firm under a new European Union data privacy system.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Calls India ‘Very Special’ Country, Looks to Push WhatsApp Payments Services Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said India is a very special and important country with a remarkable entrepreneurship culture, as he sought to push deeper the just-launched payments services that allow users to make payments over WhatsApp.

Signal Group Video Calls With End-to-End Encryption Debut on Android, iOS for Up to 5 Participants Signal has introduced group calls for its app on Android and iOS. The group calls are end-to-end encrypted and available on the latest version of the app. The number of participants in a group call is limited to five, but Signal said that it was working on expanding the maximum number of participants in a call.

Amazon Alexa Now Supports Live Translation for Six Languages, Including Hindi, on Echo Devices Amazon is now rolling out Live Translation for Alexa on Echo devices, that allows the smart speaker series to translate between two supported languages in real time. The feature is only available in the US for now.

Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag Features, Expected Price Emerge Online; Will Be Offered in Two Colour Options Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag details have surfaced online, ahead of its expected launch. The tracker is expected to be priced at EUR 15 (roughly Rs. 1,300) and be offered in two colour options, as per a tipster. It carries the model number EI-T5300 and will reportedly be powered by a replaceable 3V CR2032 button cell.

Facebook, Twitter, TikTok to Face British Fines Upon Failing to Remove Harmful Content Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok face fines of up to 10 percent of turnover if they fail to remove and limit the spread of illegal content under laws proposed by Britain.

Facebook, Google, More Tech Giants Said to Face Huge Fines or Get Banned for Breaches Due to Draft EU Rules Draft EU rules to be unveiled would see tech giants face huge fines or banned from the market for breaches, sources said, posing a major challenge to the likes of Google and Facebook.

Tom & Jerry, Mortal Kombat, Reminiscence Release Dates Shifted by Warner Bros. Tom & Jerry new release date is February 26, 2021. Mortal Kombat arrives three months later than planned on April 16, 2021. Lisa Joy’s Reminiscence is now TBA 2021.

Facebook, Twitter, More Social Media Companies Ordered to Provide Data Collection Details by US Regulators Federal regulators are ordering Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, TikTok’s parent ByteDance and five other social media companies to provide detailed information on how they collect and use consumers’ personal data and how their practices affect children and teens.