#WeeklyRecap: Google's incognito tracking, 'infected' Android wallpaper, Mitron app, more
This week, a number of developments were noted in the world of technology. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg drew flak for allowing President Donald Trump's inflammatory posts and Reddit's co-founder gave away his board seat for a black replacement, while certain new apps made headlines in India, riding on anti-China sentiments prevailing in the country. Let's take a look at everything that happened.
Mark Zuckerberg sides with Trump, Alexis Ohanian quits Reddit board
Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg took the decision to allow President Trump's misleading and inflammatory posts suggesting to shoot protesters and was heavily criticized by employees and the general public. He even defended that choice later. Meanwhile, Reddit's co-founder Alexis Ohanian left his board seat for a black replacement in light of the brutal killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, by the police.
Apps riding on anti-China sentiments in India
Two new apps raked in millions of downloads in India, riding on the anti-China sentiments prevailing in the country. One of them, dubbed Remove China Apps, gave users a way to detect and delete Chinese apps, while the other, Mitron, promised to serve as an Indian TikTok competitor. Both apps were removed for violating Google's policies but Mitron has come back with some changes.
Google sued for tracking in incognito mode
Along with criticism for removing the two aforementioned viral apps, Google also faced flak for tracking public browsing activity in the "Incognito Mode" of the Chrome browser. It has been slapped with a $5 billion lawsuit that claims the company illegally tracks users browsing in the so-called private mode and builds user profiles for tracking them. On its part, it has denied the allegation.
New features for Pixel phones, next-gen of Chromecast Ultra
Even with all the issues, Google tried to appease its users with new features for Pixel phones. We also got a look at the next-gen Chromecast Ultra, codenamed Sabrina, that the company is developing with a Google Assistant remote.
Apple tracking looters, working on services' mega bundle
Meanwhile, during the US riots, Apple stores were vandalized with iPhones being looted. But, as it turns out, the company has disabled all those devices through its proximity tech and is tracking all those units. The looters have also been warned. Additionally, the company's iOS 13.5.5 release has shown that a mega bundle of Apple services is coming, although no details are available yet.
Infected Android wallpaper, BHIM app leak
Two consumer-facing issues also came into the light this week. The first one affected the Android system and crashed phones as and when a certain image was put as wallpaper. Meanwhile, the second one was associated with an unplugged database that exposed over 7 million personal and financial records - including Aadhaar data - of Indians who signed up on the BHIM payments app.
Finally, some tempting hardware launches
Finally, for gadget lovers, several devices were unveiled, including Samsung's Galaxy A31, Galaxy M11, and Galaxy M01, Motorola's Moto G Fast and Moto E, and Vivo's X50-series. Apart from that, the new OnePlus 8 series went on sale, Dell launched a new 5G-ready Latitude 9510 laptop, and Xiaomi is gearing up to launch its first official notebook in India.
