Meta ordered to sell Giphy by UK antitrust authorities
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on November 30 that Meta’s control over Giphy, a popular search engine for GIF animations that Meta purchased in 2020, would reduce competition between social media platforms. Meta was intending to integrate the Giphy app with Instagram messaging and stories. Although Meta had voiced that it would continue to grant third parties the same access to Giphy, social media competitor concerns have led the CMA to conclude that this acquisition would give Meta too much more market power.
Meet the robot that can write poetry and create artworks
Aidan Meller invented the robot Ai-Da, which is “the world’s first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist.” Ai-Da can use her algorithms to create art and to write poems on specific inputted subjects. Her poetic response to Dante’s “Divine Comedy” has left people in awe of how human-like the writing is. Meller says Ai-Da is a perfect representation of how humans tend to repeat behaviors.
Square to become Block as tech world sees shifts in names and leadership
As of December 10, Square Inc., the parent company of the merchant payment processing platform Square, is changing its name to Block to give the company more dimensions. This metaphorical change is happening as many tech companies are changing their names or seeing leadership change.
Microsoft Edge buy now pay later scheme met with criticism
Microsoft implemented a “buy now pay later” function in its Edge browser, which has led to user outrage as they claim that the feature increases the risk that users will incur debt. Microsoft stated that it does not receive fees from loan providers, but users distrust Microsoft partially because the feature is automatically put on everyone’s browser and can only be opted out by contacting Microsoft. A study in the US found that 34% of users of buy now pay later programs believe it hurts their credit score.
Cryptocurrency executives to be questioned in Congress
The US House Financial Services Committee is calling executives of eight major cryptocurrency firms including Coinbase to testify on December 8. The concerns surrounding cryptocurrency are focused on the anonymity of using them a payment source, potentially in criminal activities. China and India are moving to ban crypto-currency transactions, while El Salvador and some US cities are planning on expanding crypto-currency use.