Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that we feel every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
WhatsApp launches a new ‘Chat Lock’ Feature to Protect your Private Conversation
Did you always wish that WhatsApp should offer additional security for your intimate conversations? No worries. The instant messaging giant has just announced a new privacy feature that seeks to lock all your intimate chats inside a secured folder. This feature has been named as ‘chat lock.’ Once the chat is locked, you can access it only by entering the correct password or through biometrics like ‘face scan’ and ‘fingertips.’ Users won’t be able to see the chat even on the notification bar once it is duly locked. WhatsApp has said that this new privacy feature will be especially useful for those who share their phones with their family members.
2)
Court Rules Musk’s Tesla Tweets need Prior Approval
Elon Musk has once again failed in his attempt to end SEC’s punitive action of legally monitoring Musk’s Tesla related tweets. A federal court in Manhattan has rebuked Musk’s claim that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) 2018 decision of keeping a check on Musk’s Tesla related tweets is completely ‘unfair’ and ‘arbitrary.’ This simply means that Musk will still have to seek prior consent from SEC before making any tweet on Tesla or its business operations. The SEC had imposed the legal embargo on Musk’s Tesla related tweets in 2018 after claiming that the tech billionaire blatantly lied when he tweeted that he has ‘secured funds’ for taking Tesla private.
3)
EU gives approval to Microsoft’s $69 Bn Activision Deal
In a huge victory for Microsoft, the European Union regulators (EU) has given approval to Microsoft’s $69 Bn takeover deal of the Activision. However, the EU said that this approval is ‘conditional’ as it is subjected to addressing the anti-trust concerns raised by the EU regulators. As part of the condition, the EU regulators has asked Microsoft to allow users to stream Activision Games they purchase on any cloud streaming platform. This decision will come as a huge respite for Microsoft especially after UK’s anti-trust body had recently sought to block the deal. Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard earlier this year, making it one of the biggest acquisition deals in the tech history.
4)
Tatas to soon Manufacture Apple iPhone
Indian conglomerate Tata Sons is all set to make an ambitious move in the smartphone manufacturing business. This after Tata is all set to acquire the Narasapura factory located in the outskirts of the Bengaluru city. This factory was once owned by the Apple contractor and Taiwanese electronic giant Wistron. Wistron had recently announced that it is exiting the Apple manufacturing business in India. According to media reports, Tim Cook even held a detailed meeting with Tata Chairman N Chandrasekaran during his recent India visit. In another interesting development, Apple’s another high-profile manufacturing partner Foxconn announced that it will be investing $500 Mn in India’s southern state Telangana for setting a new manufacturing plant.
5)
Amazon starts Layoffs in India as part Global Job cuts
Amazon India has decided to let go nearly 500 employees across various verticals including AWS, human resources and other support team. This will be its first major layoff in India after the e-commerce giant had started laying off employees in the U.S. and other markets as part of its global workforce reeducation. In March, Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy announced that the company would layoff 9,000 employees globally to overcome the ongoing economic recession.