NewsBytes Briefing: China could leave TikTok deal hanging, and more
Over the weekend, China included AI technologies such as speech and text-recognition and those that analyze data to make recommendations in its list of export-control products. The move covers the tech used by TikTok and could ultimately mean that the company would have to take the Chinese government's permission to sell its US assets, which could leave possible deals hanging. Here are other updates.
Paytm rebuffed claims of data breach
A US-based cybersecurity agency recently claimed that a hacker group has breached the database of Paytm's e-commerce arm, Paytm Mall, and is demanding ransom. Paytm, however, rebuffed the claim, saying, "We would like to assure that all users, as well as company data, is completely safe and secure. We have noted and investigated the claims of a possible hack, and these are absolutely false."
Chadwick Boseman's tweet becomes most liked ever
Twitter has confirmed that the last post on the account of late Chadwick Boseman has become the most liked tweet ever on the platform with over 7.3 million likes. The Black Panther star died of colon cancer on August 28, after a four-year-long fight against the disease. The post in question was the obituary from his family.
HCL America sued for patent infringement
HCL America, the US-based subsidiary of Noida-headquartered IT giant HCL Technologies, has been sued for patent infringement by Coretek Licensing, the legal arm of technology services company Coretek Services. Coretek has alleged that HCL's Sametime product, used for conferences and collaboration by enterprises, enables wireless devices to initiate connections without using the user's home location details - a system it had already patented.
Other developments to note
Among other things, Microsoft released Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), an enterprise-grade security service for Android users, and was reported to be mulling shifting to the schedule of releasing one major Windows feature update every year. Beyond that, 9to5Mac reported that Apple has revived the iPod's Music Quiz game and is bringing it as a Shortcut on the iOS 14.
Finally, some COVID-19-related updates
India on Sunday reported nearly 80,000 new coronavirus infections, taking the nationwide tally to 36.2 lakh. The death toll reached 64,638 with over 900 fresh fatalities. In the fight against the disease, FDA has said it may consider vaccines for approval before Phase-3 completion, while Indian Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that the pandemic will come under control by Diwali this year.
