Amazon Stops Drone Delivery After Two Crashes in Oregon

Amazon's ambitious drone delivery program has hit a significant snag, as the company halts operations in Texas and Arizona following two drone crashes in December. According to Bloomberg, the incidents involved the next-generation MK30 drones, which are designed to improve on their predecessor, the MK27, with greater range and reduced weight. The crashes, occurring during test flights at the Pendleton,…

PC Market Grows Modestly in 2024 as Lenovo Leads and Apple Gains Ground

Lenovo maintained its position as the global leader in PC shipments, shipping 61.8 million units and capturing a 23.5% market share, according to IDC’s latest report. While overall global PC shipments saw modest growth of 1%, a significant shift in market dynamics emerged, with Apple making impressive gains in market share, fueled by a 17.3% increase in shipments. Modest Growth…

TikTok Resumes U.S. Operations Following Trump’s Last-Minute Reprieve

TikTok announced on Sunday that it is restoring services in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump pledged to give the popular video app a reprieve on its impending ban. Trump, in a Truth Social post, revealed his plan to sign an executive order on Monday, which would allow TikTok additional time to find a buyer before facing a total shutdown.…

European Commission Investigates X’s Recommendation Algorithms Under Digital Services Act

The European Commission (EC) has intensified its investigation into social media platform X, requesting documents detailing how its recommendation algorithms function. As part of the ongoing probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA), regulators are particularly interested in understanding any recent changes to X's algorithm. The company has been given until February 15 to provide the requested information. Document Request…

FTC Imposes Five-Year Ban on General Motors Over Driver Data Sale Scandal

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has banned General Motors (GM) and its subsidiary OnStar from selling driver data to third parties for the next five years. This move follows an investigation triggered by a report from The New York Times, which exposed the companies for collecting and sharing sensitive customer information with insurance companies without proper consent. GM and OnStar's…

Facebook Marketplace Under Fire: Meta’s Attempt to Pacify EU Regulators

Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook, has announced a trial feature allowing users in Germany, France, and the U.S. to view eBay listings directly on its Marketplace platform. This move comes as Meta seeks to address antitrust charges from the European Union, which fined the company nearly 800 million euros for anticompetitive practices. The European Commission, the EU's executive…

Google Pixel 4a Update Deliberately Reduces Battery Life to Boost Stability

Google's Pixel 4a, a beloved budget-friendly smartphone, is facing a controversial change. A recent software update intentionally reduces its battery life and charging performance. Surprisingly, this move isn’t a flaw but a deliberate effort to "improve the stability" of the device, as explained by Google. A Necessary Sacrifice for Stability With the rollout of Android 13, Pixel 4a users noticed…

Apple to Pay $95 Million to Settle Siri Privacy Lawsuit: What It Means for Users

Apple has reached a settlement in a long-standing privacy lawsuit concerning its voice assistant, Siri. According to Reuters, the tech giant has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve claims that Siri's voice recordings were inadvertently collected and used without users' consent. The settlement, filed in Oakland, California, is pending approval by US District Judge Jeffrey White. Background of the…