Tech Digest daily roundup: UK Government plans to rein in big tech
Large tech companies such as Google and Facebook will have to abide by new competition rules in the UK or risk facing huge fines, the government said. The new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be given powers to clamp down on “predatory practices” of some firms. The regulator will also have the power to fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover if they fail to comply. Besides boosting competition among tech firms, the rules also aim to give users more control over their data. BBC
Elon Musk has secured $7bn from new investors for his $44bn takeover of Twitter. The 19 contributors supporting the billionaire’s deal include Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle and Tesla board member, who is pledging $1bn. The Qatar state investment fund is putting up $375m, while Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, is pitching in $500m, according to a regulatory filing. Sky News
It is a frustration experienced the world over, but now the era of forgetting your password could be over, as tech giants supported plans to replace them with facial recognition and fingerprints. Apple, Google and Microsoft have announced a joint effort to put a new security standard in place, allowing people to sign in to websites and apps using a smartphone device. The new form of authentication has been designed to make the web more “secure and usable” amid concern that users recycling the same password is one of the biggest security risks in the digital world. Telegraph
Taking a break from social media for as little as a week can reduce depression and anxiety, according to new research. People who took a break from platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing, a study by the University of Bath found. Researchers split a sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups – one of which was banned from social media while the other was not…Those who took a one-week break from social media saw their wellbeing climb from an average of 46 to 55.93 on The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Yahoo!
WhatsApp is now rolling out the ability to react to a message with emoji, as well as share files that are up to 2GB in size, a massive jump from the previous 100MB limit. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, said last month that these features would be coming “soon,” and it seems like today’s the day. The company also announced on Thursday that it’ll be doubling the maximum size of group chats. When reactions were first announced, Meta said that you’d only be able to use a select few to start out with but that support for “all emojis and skin-tones” would be added in the future. The Verge
We’re less than a week away from the May 11 unveiling of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, so it’s no surprise that Sony is ramping up its teasers for the phone, and that includes three short videos that hint at major features. First up there’s a video claiming that the Sony Xperia 1 IV has been built for content creators, with Pierre T. Lambert (a travel and adventure photographer and YouTuber) claiming that the Xperia 1 IV “feels as if you had a big optical lens in your hand with a great camera.” They go on to say that it adds range, both in terms of focal length and creative possibilities. So aside from anything else that hints at a telephoto camera, and perhaps longer-range optical zoom than the 4.4x offered by the Sony Xperia 1 III. Tech Radar
