HomeNewsPhotosTechnologyThe Tech Weekender: Twitter and WhatsApp express concerns over India's new IT rules, Unreal Engine 5 is here, Oppo Reno6 series launch and more
Twitter recently found itself at odds with the Indian Government as social media giants including Facebook were asked to comply with the country’s new IT rules. While Twitter did mention that it would work to comply with the new regulations, the company expressed concern for its employees after police raided its premises for tagging a tweet by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as manipulated media. Additionally, the social media platform is also expressed concerns about aspects of the new law that could potentially infringe on freedom of expression on the platform.
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Twitter’s concerns over India’s new IT laws were echoed by WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging app recently took the government of India to court, in a bid to block new IT regulations. WhatsApp says that one of the new rules is a violation of privacy rights in India since it requires social media companies to identify the "first originator of information" when authorities demand it. Because messages are end-to-end encrypted, to comply with the law WhatsApp says it would break encryption for receivers, as well as "originators", of messages.
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Epic recently announced that early access build for Unreal Engine 5 would now be available for game developers. The next-gen game engine can now be downloaded for testing purposes. The early access build for Unreal Engine 5 comes with key features like virtualised micro-polygon system Nanite, the global lighting module Lumen, and the World Partition system. These features are tailored towards aiding developers in creating vast, interconnected open worlds, bigger than anything we’ve seen to date. Unreal Engine 5 supports PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, Mac, iOS, and Android.
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ARM recently announced plans to end its 32-bit designs. The semiconductor manufacturer is planning to make the Cortex-A cores 64-bit only by 2023. ARM also announced new CPU and GPU designs that will lay the groundwork for future chipsets for everything from laptops to smartphones. ARM announced a Cortex-X2 CPU to replace the current Cortex-X1 CPU which is used on the Snapdragon 888 SoC. ARM also announced A-series CPUs for mid-range (A710) and affordable (A510) devices. ARM also unveiled the Mali-G710, G610, G510, and G310 GPUs. ARM claims that the new CPUs and GPUs will offer a considerable boost in performance over its current lineup. ARM also confirmed Mali is the number one GPU in terms of shipments with over one billion GPUs shipped in 2020.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is considering bringing communication apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype under its purview. A government official told The Economic Times, “Some sort of licensing is required so that these companies store data of Indians within India like telcos do and give information to law enforcement agencies in a manner similar to that provided by telcos.” The DoT is mulling this move from a national security point of view, and has sought comments from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs before preparing a licensing system.
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Twitch is giving players the ability to add a transgender label to their videos. The company said that the move would aid inclusion among its 30 million daily gamers. The Amazon-owned game streaming service said, “This has been one of the most popular requests we've heard, and the simple truth is that we should have done this sooner.”
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Apple is delaying an update to its podcast app that will allow users to sign up for freemium or paid podcast shows as posted by creators. The company’s upcoming Podcasts subscription was scheduled to launch this month but is now being delayed until June. The update will offer perks like ad-free listening or early access to episodes. Last month, Apple said that the subscriptions would launch in 170 countries globally.
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Oppo recently dropped the Reno6 series in China. The smartphone maker announced three new phones including the Oppo Reno6, Reno6 Pro, and Reno6 Pro+. The Oppo Reno6 series features a starting price of CNY 2,799 (around Rs 31,800) in China. The Oppo Reno6 and 6 Pro opt for MediaTek Dimensity chipsets, while the top-end Reno6 Pro+ gets a Snapdragon 870 SoC. The Reno6 features a triple-camera setup, while both the Reno6 Pro and 6 Pro+ get a quad-camera setup. The Reno6 series phones also opt for high-refresh-rate AMOLED panels. Check out all the details about the Oppo Reno6 series here.
Xiaomi launched new 5G smartphones in its Redmi Note 10 series in China this week. The Redmi Note 10 series smartphones were unveiled in India and globally earlier this year. Now, the Redmi Note 10 5G and Note 10 5G Pro run on the MediaTek Dimensity mobile platform paired with high-refresh-rate displays. The Redmi Note 10 5G series feature a starting price of CNY 1,099 (Roughly Rs 12,500). For more details on the Redmi Note 10 series, head on over to the link.
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Nubia recently launched the Red Magic 6R, the third phone in the Red Magic 6 series. The Red Magic 6R features a slimmer design and opts for a less gaming-centric aesthetic. The phone has a starting price of CNY 2,999 (Roughly Rs 34,100). The Red Magic 6R comes with a Snapdragon 888 SoC, a 144Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, a 64 MP quad-camera setup, and a 55W super-fast charging support. Check out all the details about the Red Magic 6R here.
![Twitter’s concerns over India’s new IT laws were echoed by WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging app recently took the government of India to court, in a bid to block new IT regulations. WhatsApp says that one of the new rules are a violation of privacy rights in India since it requires social media companies to identify the "first originator of information" when authorities demand it. Because messages are end-to-end encrypted, to comply with the law WhatsApp says it would have break encryption for receivers, as well as "originators", of messages.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2020/11/Whatsapp-pay.jpg "Twitter’s concerns over India’s new IT laws were echoed by WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging app recently took the government of India to court, in a bid to block new IT regulations. WhatsApp says that one of the new rules are a violation of privacy rights in India since it requires social media companies to identify the "first originator of information" when authorities demand it. Because messages are end-to-end encrypted, to comply with the law WhatsApp says it would have break encryption for receivers, as well as "originators", of messages.")
