iPhone SE 4 Not Launching Next Year
Quashing some previous leaks and rumours, analysts have said that Apple iPhone SE's launch date has been pushed back again. There have been talks about the fourth iteration of Apple's "affordable" iPhone SE since early last year. However, the new iPhone SE may not be officially unveiled even in 2024, according to Barclays analysts. The analysts have been quoted as saying by MacRumors that a 2024 launch window is unlikely for the iPhone SE 4.
Some reports suggest that the upcoming iPhone SE's hardware has gone through a lot of changes (6.1-in OLED panel instead of LCD, different chassis). The iPhone SE 4's tentative release date was earlier pushed back from 2023 to 2024, and now, it may be released in 2025.
Amazon Sued By FTC For 'Handing' Prime Subscription
Retail giant Amazon has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for allegedly duping “millions of users” by enrolling them in the Amazon Prime premium service without their knowledge and making it overly difficult to cancel. The FTC has said Amazon "tricked" users into signing up for its Prime subscription programme and intentionally made the cancellation process difficult.
According to the commission, the e-commerce giant has also violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act by using so-called dark patterns, or deceptive design tactics meant to steer users toward a specific choice, to push consumers to enroll in Amazon Prime without their consent or knowledge, says a report by CNBC.
Google-WhatsApp Fix Major Privacy Bug
Google has fixed a major Privacy Dashboard bug that was affecting WhatsApp users on Android and causing the messaging app to constantly access the device's microphone. The issue has now been resolved by the tech giant, it has said. The issue was first discovered by a Twitter engineer named Foad Dabiri. The user had stated that his device's Privacy Dashboard showed WhatsApp was frequently accessing his microphone. Google and Meta-owned WhatsApp jointly acknowledged the bug's impact on several WhatsApp users. The tech giant also thanked WhatsApp for its partnership to address the flaw.
Android Developers official Twitter handle has acknowledged the issue and wrote in a tweet: “A recent Android bug affecting a limited number of WhatsApp users produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard. Users can now update their WhatsApp app to address this issue. We thank WhatsApp for their partnership and apologize for any confusion this bug may have caused users."
OpenAI 'Influenced' EU For Weaker AI Rules
Even as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been calling for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) for months, the creator of ChatGPT has been lobbying the European Union (EU) to reduce regulations for AI. To recall, OpenAI had "threatened" to leave the EU over AI Act a couple of weeks back, but later said it has no plans to do so.
The EU is currently in the middle of bringing in the AI Act, which is a rigorous set of rules intended to protect citizens from the ongoing advancements of AI. According to a report by Time, OpenAI has been lobbying the EU to reduce particular sections of the AI Act before it becomes a law.
Snapchat Launches 2 New Lenses
Snapchat on Wednesday unveiled two new lenses inspired by a report that throws light on the Indian culture of nicknames. According to Snapchat's findings, the practice of owning a nickname is more widespread in India than one might think. Snapchat report on nicknames has been released in collaboration with YouGov. Snapchat's two new lenses will be available in India starting June 21 (Wednesday) and the users can access them by searching for "IN Top Nicknames" and "My Nickname IN" in the lens carousel.
Now, Drive A Bugatti In BGMI
Tired of seeing the same old vehicles in Battlegrounds Mobile India? Want to drive a Supercar? South Korean gaming company Krafton, the developer of BGMI, has announced a partnership with automotive haute couture icon Bugatti. With this update, you can get your hands (virtually) on Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and Bugatti La Voiture Noire, with additional secret colour themes to unlock. After this update, you will also get a themed Bugatti ornament and a parachute in BGMI. However, it is not a permanent collaboration though. These supercars will be available in BGMI from June 20 to August 6 only.