China expands the digital yuan pilot scheme to more cities ahead of Asian Games 2022

Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen and six cities in the coastal Zhejiang province will be added to the existing 10 major "pilot" cities to test the use e-CNY, it said. The six cities in Zhejiang, which included the provincial capital of Hangzhou, will host the Asian Games in September 2022. https://ift.tt/Z2lRbe4

Sri Lanka restores social media platforms after 15 hours amid the country's worst economic crisis

The services of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TokTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger were restored after 15 hours, according to an official. The services had been fully or partially blocked. The move was aimed at preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government's failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts, the Colombo Page newspaper reported. https://ift.tt/oel3cub

How to increase playback speed of WhatsApp voice message

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Smartphone launches of March 2022: Why these 12 phones from Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Realme that ‘matter’

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As the first cases involving NFTs hit court dockets, a look at issues in play including outright scams, gaps in securities regulation, and contract enforcement (Jessica Rizzo/Wired)

Jessica Rizzo / Wired:
As the first cases involving NFTs hit court dockets, a look at issues in play including outright scams, gaps in securities regulation, and contract enforcement  —  As the first cases involving NFTs hit the dockets, courts will decide questions around ownership, art, and commerce.

Government record keepers and watchdogs worry that use of Wickr and other auto-deletion apps may help CBP and other agencies sidestep transparency requirements (NBC News)

NBC News:
Government record keepers and watchdogs worry that use of Wickr and other auto-deletion apps may help CBP and other agencies sidestep transparency requirements  —  In October, Laurence Brewer, the chief records officer of the National Archives and Records Administration …

A look at how Apple's rumored iPhone and other hardware subscription programs may work, and the thinking behind forecasted expansion of its financial services (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
A look at how Apple's rumored iPhone and other hardware subscription programs may work, and the thinking behind forecasted expansion of its financial services  —  Apple's in-the-works iPhone hardware subscription service will squeeze more revenue from its giant user base.

Unpacking Terra's design for its algorithmic stablecoins and how partial collateralization using bitcoin reserves could impact its price stabilization mechanism (damsondao/P -- Mirror)

damsondao / P — Mirror:
Unpacking Terra's design for its algorithmic stablecoins and how partial collateralization using bitcoin reserves could impact its price stabilization mechanism  —  As Terra climbed crypto market cap rankings at the start of 2022 while most of the market dumped or stalled …

Apple launches 'Business Essentials' service for small businesses

Apple Business Essentials service is now available to all small businesses in the US that brings together device management, 24/7 Apple support, and iCloud storage into flexible subscription plans. https://ift.tt/AnJuC5r

Users can react with emojis in Google Meet soon

You will be able to use emoji reactions in Google Meet soon, a feature the company hope will make people feel more connected. https://ift.tt/ufJSHDU

Global cellular IoT module revenue grew 58% YoY in Q4 2021

Global cellular IoT module revenue grew 58 per cent YoY in Q4 2021. China, the leading region in the cellular IoT module market, accounted for more than 40 per cent of the revenue. However, India was the fastest growing (154 per cent YoY) cellular IoT module market, a new study revealed. https://ift.tt/Xz2fLjY

How Binance, which trades on its own exchange and plays a number of roles that pose conflicts of interest, remains mostly unaccountable to its customers (Washington Post)

Washington Post:
How Binance, which trades on its own exchange and plays a number of roles that pose conflicts of interest, remains mostly unaccountable to its customers  —  On May 19, 2021, Francis Kim thought he had hit it big.  The Australia-based entrepreneur had been dabbling in derivatives trading …

Google removes 93,067 pieces of bad content in India in February

Google said it removed 93,067 pieces of bad content based on user complaints in February this year -- a decrease from 104,285 pieces of bad content the tech giant removed in January. https://ift.tt/goCsAql

As foreign digital firms leave, Russia's domestic providers pounce

Russian domestic tech companies, led by entities controlled or associated with state-owned gas giant Gazprom, are pouncing on the blockade and exodus of foreign internet firms, sensing opportunities in Russia's growing digital isolation. https://ift.tt/zC2l4R7

Meta no longer requiring COVID booster shots for staff in US offices

Facebook-owner Meta is no longer requiring employees to have COVID-19 boosters to enter its offices in the United States, a company spokesperson said. https://ift.tt/8KWdSOw