NewsBytes Briefing: SoftBank considering bidders for TikTok India, and more
In another twist to the saga, SoftBank is reportedly working to broker a deal for TikTok India. The conglomerate, which holds a minor stake in TikTok's parent company ByteDance, is exploring bidders for the video service's India assets and has held talks with Jio and Airtel. So far, however, nothing has been finalized to bring the banned service back to its biggest overseas market. Here are more updates.
Justice Department to file lawsuit against Google
Google could face an antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice this month. The case stems from a year-long investigation into the internet giant's search and advertising business and could challenge it over promoting its own products, like YouTube in search, over rival offerings like Dailymotion. Reportedly, Attorney General William Barr is pressing to move forward with the case as soon as possible.
Apple delays important privacy tool until next year
Meanwhile, Apple confirmed on Thursday that it will not be enforcing its ad anti-tracking feature until next year. The capability, set to be released with iOS 14, shows a prompt to let users allow or reject ad tracking on an app-by-app basis. You will be able to use it as soon as the platform is rolled out, but won't be mandatory, to begin with.
Facebook did not remove Kenosha guard event
Following the Kenosha shooting, Facebook claimed that the militia group that called to take up arms through an event has been removed from its service, along with the event itself. However, BuzzFeed reports that while the group was removed by Facebook, the event was not purged by the company. It was taken down by its creators well before Facebook could act in any way.
Other important developments to note
Among other things, Facebook pushed major updates for its key products. First, the social network limited forwarding messages on Messenger to five people or groups at a time. Then, WhatsApp launched a dedicated website to keep people updated on bugs and Instagram gave a prominent place to Reels, its TikTok rival, by putting it at the place of the Explore tab in its app.
Finally, some COVID-19-related updates
India on Thursday reported over 84,000 new coronavirus infections, taking the nationwide tally to 39.3 lakh. The death toll rose to 68,589 with over 1,000 fresh fatalities. In the fight against the disease, Pfizer has said that it expects efficacy data on its vaccine by October, while the US CDC has asked states to allow necessary permissions for vaccine distribution by November 1.
