1. Google Orders WhatsApp Ban for Brazil
A judge in São Paulo has ordered WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging app in Brazil, to shut down temporarily for 48 hours. Brazilian telcos have been lobbying the government for months to argue that WhatsApp’s voice service is unregulated and illegal, blaming it for driving millions of Brazilians to abandon their cell phone lines. The ban was eventually lifted after the backlash.
In response, Telegram saw a surge in new users as people sought alternatives to WhatsApp.
2. Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Faces Pressure
We spoke with Caitlyn Fox, chief of staff for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), about its strategy for supporting Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropic foundation. The conversation revealed that while CZI operates as a traditional nonprofit, its approach to outreach and decision-making closely resembles that of a startup.
3. Google Releases 2015 Year in Search
Google has released its 2015 "Year in Search," highlighting the most popular search queries from that year. The list included basketball player Lamar Odom, terrorist attacks in Paris, and action game Agar.io as the top searches globally.
4. Chinese Investors Buy Dot Coms
Chinese investors and domain speculators have been on a buying spree, purchasing numeric and short-character .com domains. Guest contributor Alan Dunn questioned whether this trend is a genuine investment opportunity or part of a larger strategy to manipulate the global domain market.
5. Hacker Anonymity Targets Republican Nominee
Hacker Anonymity, the anonymous hacking collective known as Tor, has been Compilation of Press Releases attacking Republican National Committee (RNC) officials ahead of the 2016 presidential primaries. The group claims to have obtained sensitive material from a RNC employee and is threatening further leaks if unvaccinated officials are not compelled to get vaccinated under the Affordable Care Act.
6. Intersectionality and Diversity
Intersectionality has been a hot topic in discussions about diversity in tech. Researchers have called for more nuanced conversations that acknowledge how race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other identities intersect within individual experiences to create unique profiles of inclusion/exclusion.
7. Adobe’s Big Year
Adobe reported strong financial performance, with revenue rising by double digits year over year as the company continues to benefit from its transition to cloud-based creative tools. The company also highlighted its efforts to expand into new markets and deepen partnerships in areas like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
8. Uber Orders ‘Transportation’ on Facebook
Uber has officially begun offering its rideshare service through Facebook Marketplace, with the app now available on the social media platform under the name "Rides." This marks a significant shift for the company as it continues to compete with ride-sharing giants like Lyft and others in the market.
9. UC Invests in Startups
The University of California system has announced an unnamed $2 billion investment fund aimed at backing promising startups within the state’s tech ecosystem. The initiative reflects a growing trend among public universities to establish their own venture capital pools as part of their broader strategic goals.
10. Google Promises Muslim_tolken Tolerance
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to ensuring freedom of belief, promising that measures taken against a Muslim nonprofit last year will not be repeated. The company has since stated it is reviewing its policies on how to address religious concerns in its products and services.
11. FAA Issues Drone Regulations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized updated rules for general aviation, including small drones, which now require operators to register their aircraft with the agency before flying within U.S. borders. This is part of a broader push by the FAA to modernize air traffic management and streamline operations in a growing recreational drone market.
12. Netflix Transforms Content Delivery
Netflix has announced plans to re-encode many of its popular shows, including "House of Cards," for better compression at lower bitrates. This move aims to reduce the time it takes for users to start watching on mobile devices without sacrificing picture quality or audio fidelity.
13. Apple’s App Store Changes
Apple has rolled out new guidelines for app ratings and reviews, making it more difficult for developers to remove negative feedback from their apps once they’ve posted it online. The change reflects a broader shift in the company’s policies on transparency and user reviews within its ecosystem.
14. Meta News: AI Becomes a Household Word
Meta has reported record growth in its artificial intelligence initiatives, with investment in AI-related startups doubling over the past year. This follows growing interest from major tech companies as they seek to maintain their competitive edge in an increasingly data-driven economy.
15. Government & Policy Updates
The SEC has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose Twitter’s acquisition of his company, X, within the required timeframe following its merger deal. The move comes amid ongoing scrutiny over Musk’s handling of personal and company assets in high-stakes deals.
This concludes our coverage of the best tech news from the past week. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to track the fast-paced world of technology.
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