This week’s international tech news features Twitter’s latest update, great performance from top tech companies like Microsft and Apple.
Twitter is Testing a New E-Commerce Feature: Shop Module: Social media platform Twitter has begun testing its new Shop Module e-commerce feature, beginning on Wednesday. The new feature is set to be Twitter’s version of other e-commerce novelties offered by social networks like Facebook’s Marketplace and Instagram’s Checkout. With Shop Module, Twitter users can scroll and tap through a catalogue of products, learn more about said products and shop without ever leaving the Twitter app.
Apple, Google and Microsoft made $57 billion last quarter: A rapid shift to digitization due to Covid-19 has handsomely benefited the world’s biggest tech companies. Yet even as the pandemic eased, they still minted record sums of money. Tesla (TSLA) celebrated earning more than $1 billion last quarter. Amazon (AMZN), Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) just announced that they netted a combined $57 billion in profit during the same period.
Instagram to Begin Defaulting Accounts for New Users Under the Age of 16 to Private: Instagram is stepping up its efforts to make the network safer for its younger users, announcing new options to do so. The first feature is that Instagram accounts for people under the age of 16 will be set to private by default.
Users with private accounts have more control over who follows them, as well as who sees their posts, Stories, and Reels. Your private account’s content isn’t searchable in the Explore Page, hashtags, or Accounts Suggested For You.
Amazon fined record $887 million over EU privacy violations: Now that Amazon’s Q2 earnings are in, it has submitted a 10-Q filing with the SEC that includes additional details like this eye-popping note about a fine imposed by Luxembourg’s National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) (via Bloomberg).
On July 16, 2021, the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (the “CNPD”) issued a decision against Amazon Europe Core S.à r.l. claiming that Amazon’s processing of personal data did not comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The decision imposes a fine of €746 million and corresponding practice revisions. We believe the CNPD’s decision to be without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
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