United News of Bangladesh

A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict condemning Google's Android app store as an illegal monopoly, clearing the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shakeup that's designed to give consumers more choices. The unanimous ruling issued Thursday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivers a double-barreled legal blow for Google, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials that resulted in different pillars of its internet empire being declared as domineering scofflaws monopolies since late 2023. The unsuccessful appeal represents a major victory for video game maker Epic Games, which launched a legal crusade targeting Google’s Play Store for Android apps and Apple’s iPhone app store nearly five years ago in an attempt to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged 15% to 30% commissions on in-app transactions. The jury's December 2023 rebuke of Google's app store for Android-powered smartphones began a cascade of setbacks that includes monopoly judgements against the company's ubiquitous search engine last year and the technology underlying its digital ad network earlier this year. Although not as lucrative as Google's search engine or ad system, the Play Store for Android apps has long been a gold mine that generated billions of dollars in annual revenue by taking a 15% to 30% cut from in-app transactions funneled through the company's own payment processing system. Following a month-long trial, a nine-person jury determined that Google had rigged its system to thwart alternative app stores from offering better deals to consumers and software developers. That verdict resulted in U.S. District Judge James Donato ordering Google to tear down digital walls shielding the Play Store from competition, triggering the company's appeal to overturn the jury's finding and void the judge's mandated shakeup. But a three-judge panel that heard Google's appeal in February rejected its lawyers' contention that Donato erred by allowing the case to be determined by a jury that deviated from the market definition outlined by another federal judge who mostly sided with Apple in Epic's case against the iPhone maker's app store. Epic's lawsuit "was replete with evidence that Google’s anticompetitive conduct entrenched its dominance, causing the Play Store to benefit from network effects," the judges wrote in the decision. The ruling “will significantly harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine the innovation that has always been central to the Android ecosystem,” Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a statement. Unless Google can extend the enforcement delay placed on Donato's order issued last October, the company will have to begin an overhaul that includes making the Play Store's entire library of more than 2 million Android apps available to would-be rivals and also help distribute the alternative options. Google has argued that the required revisions will raise privacy and security risks by exposing consumers to scam artists and hackers masquerading as legitimate app stores. But Epic's lawyers have ridiculed Google's warnings about the changes as scare tactics in a desperate attempt to protect the fortunes of its corporate parent Alphabet Inc. Although Epic fell short in its attempt to have the iPhone's app store declared a monopoly, that case resulted in a judge issuing an order that required Apple to surrender exclusive control over the payment processing of in-app transactions and allow links to alternative systems without collecting a commission. Besides being hit with Donato's order, Google still faces further trouble ahead that could leave an even bigger dent in its finances. As part of the effort to address Google’s illegal monopoly in search, a federal judge is weighing a proposal by the U.S. Justice Department that would require the sale of its Chrome web browser and ban the multibillion dollar deals that company has been making with Apple and others to lock-in its search engine as the main gateway to the internet. Google is also facing a proposed breakup of its advertising technology as part of the countermeasures to its monopoly in that business. A trial on that proposal is scheduled to begin in September.  

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has reported a robust 18.6% increase in net profit for the April-June quarter, driven by strong global sales of its newly launched Switch 2 console. The Kyoto-based company earned 96.03 billion yen ($640 million) during the first fiscal quarter, up from 81 billion yen in the same period last year. Revenue more than doubled, reaching 572.36 billion yen ($3.8 billion), according to the company’s earnings report released Friday. Nintendo said it sold 3.5 million units of the Switch 2 worldwide within the first four days of its June 5 release — the fastest-selling hardware launch in the company's history. Sales momentum has remained strong since, boosted in part by the console’s higher price tag of about $450, compared to the original Switch's $300 launch price in 2017. Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 from December Top-performing games included Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, while Pokemon Friends, released for the previous generation Switch, is also compatible with the new model. The Switch 2, like its predecessor, functions both as a handheld device and home console. Nintendo maintained its projection to sell 15 million Switch 2 units in the current fiscal year. It also held firm on its annual profit outlook through March 2026 at 300 billion yen ($2 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 8%. Despite a 50% rise in Nintendo’s stock over the past year, shares dipped nearly 1% just before the earnings release. Concerns remain over potential impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Japanese exports, though these have yet to affect the company's overall outlook. Source: Agency 

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA), an AI-powered marketing cloud company, has appointed Nate Yohannes as President of the newly established Zeta Data & AI Lab and Global Head of Research and Development, aiming to accelerate innovation in artificial intelligence and marketing technologies. Yohannes, who brings over 15 years of experience in AI and product innovation, previously served as Product Management Lead for Generative AI in Ads Ranking at Meta. There, he led the development of AI systems based on Meta’s Llama models to enhance its advertising operations. He also held senior roles at Microsoft’s Office of the CTO and served as a senior advisor in the U.S. federal government. In his new role, Yohannes will report directly to Zeta’s Chief Technology Officer, Christian Monberg, and will oversee the Zeta Data & AI Lab—an innovation unit tasked with developing next-generation technologies and identifying new revenue opportunities beyond the company’s core business. “Nate is a rare kind of leader—equal parts visionary and builder—who understands how to turn breakthrough technologies into transformative outcomes,” said David A. Steinberg, Zeta’s Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO. “With Nate’s leadership, we are able to accelerate our innovation engine and turn today’s breakthroughs into tomorrow’s industry standards.” Yohannes expressed enthusiasm about joining the company during a transformative period. “With its powerful platform, proprietary data, bold vision, and David’s inspiring leadership, Zeta is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of AI innovation,” he said. “I look forward to building transformative products, attracting top talent, and helping our clients achieve extraordinary outcomes.” Tea app suspends messaging feature after second data breach detected The newly formed Zeta Data & AI Lab is set to function as a strategic innovation engine, using the company's proprietary data and AI assets to explore scalable business models and respond rapidly to market shifts. Yohannes’ previous leadership at Meta included key roles across Instagram and Meta Modern Recommendation Systems, where he helped deploy advanced AI technologies to serve over 2 billion users daily. At Microsoft, he led strategic projects involving autonomous systems and robotics. Earlier in his career, he contributed to federal innovation programs at the U.S. Small Business Administration and participated in the White House Broadband Opportunity Council. He holds a Master of Science from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law. About Zeta Global:Founded in 2007 and headquartered in New York City, Zeta Global leverages AI and one of the industry’s largest proprietary databases to help marketers more efficiently acquire, grow, and retain customers. Its unified Zeta Marketing Platform integrates identity, intelligence, and omnichannel activation to simplify sophisticated marketing strategies. Source: Agency 

Tea, a U.S.-based dating discussion app that recently suffered a major cyber security breach, has taken its messaging system offline after discovering that some users' private messages were accessed without authorisation. The app, which is designed to provide women a safe space to discuss their dating experiences with men, soared to the top of the U.S. Apple App Store last week. However, on Friday, it confirmed that thousands of user-submitted selfies and photo IDs were leaked in the breach. Late on Monday, Tea announced via its social media channels that it had "recently learned that some direct messages (DMs) were accessed as part of the initial incident." Tea app suffers data breach, thousands of user photos exposed "Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken the affected system offline," the company said. “At this time, we have found no evidence of access to other parts of our environment.” It remains unclear how many messages were compromised in the breach. The second issue was first reported by 404 Media, which cited an independent security researcher who found it was possible for attackers to access private conversations. These included discussions about sensitive topics such as abortions, infidelity, and phone numbers. Last week, a spokesperson for the company said about 72,000 images were leaked during the initial breach. Among them, 13,000 were selfies or selfie-photo ID combinations submitted by users for verification. Another 59,000 images – including those from public posts, comments, and direct messages – were also accessed without authorization. Tea has stated that no email addresses or phone numbers were accessed during the incident. The company also clarified that the breach only affected users who registered before February 2024.

Media OutReach Newswire – Chinese tech giant OPPO has launched its latest AI-integrated smartphone series, the Reno14, globally, accompanied by a significant upgrade to its after-sales service ecosystem powered by its proprietary AndesGPT large language model. With this launch, OPPO becomes the first smartphone company to fully integrate AI across both its products and customer support systems, setting new standards in service coverage, quality, and user engagement. Since 2021, OPPO has steadily expanded its AI capabilities, developing a team of over 100 professionals focused on embedding artificial intelligence into every phase of the customer service process. “AI is more than just a tool to enhance our products—it is at the heart of how we reimagine customer service,” said Samuel Fang, Head of Global After-Sales Services at OPPO. He noted that AI is already being used across R&D, customer experience, and operational platforms, helping shift OPPO’s service model from reactive to proactive, ultimately delivering a smarter, more seamless experience for users. Pioneering Smart Service Solutions Traditional customer support systems often fall short due to their reliance on rule-based, scripted interactions that fail to meet personalized user demands. To address this, OPPO has developed an intelligent, AI-based service platform that combines advanced language understanding with generative AI, enabling more dynamic, multilingual assistance. This system offers tailored responses by accurately interpreting user intent and works as a real-time assistant to human support agents—enhancing responsiveness while maintaining a human element. OPPO has already localized its intelligent support system across 20 countries and regions, operating 24/7 in 13 languages. Notably, OPPO became the first brand to roll out AI-based WhatsApp support in 13 markets, with cloud-based infrastructure ensuring fast, responsive service. Over 60% of OPPO’s global users can now resolve queries through AI systems. The company plans to expand coverage to 21 countries and introduce support on platforms like Facebook, Line, and Zalo by the end of 2025, tailoring services to regional communication habits and languages. A Complete AI Framework for Seamless Customer Journeys This isn’t just a chatbot upgrade. OPPO’s enhanced AI service solution is built on its AndesGPT foundation and incorporates a complete end-to-end architecture that includes semantic recognition, intelligent task routing, and a dynamic knowledge base. When a query is received, the system interprets it through AI-driven semantic analysis, determines the best response channel—automated or human—and delivers a personalized answer using constantly updated data. The system also includes OPPO’s proprietary AI translation engine, allowing multilingual support and precise responses worldwide. AI deepfakes threaten security, experts call for action Compliant with robust data privacy and security protocols, OPPO’s AI support is integrated across its entire product and service ecosystem. It ensures a consistent experience across all OPPO devices and platforms, allowing users to access help anytime, anywhere. Users can instantly switch to human agents when necessary, while AI agents assist in background with live diagnostics, suggestions, and response scripting. This collaboration has reportedly reduced human workload by 40%, letting staff focus on complex cases. To ensure adaptability, OPPO has appointed localized AI operations teams in key markets. These teams refine AI models, build regional databases, and gather user feedback for continuous system improvement. OPPO is also working to extend AI support from digital platforms to physical service centers, with future features like email automation, enhanced retrieval-based AI, and smart queue systems on the horizon. By combining AI-driven hardware and services, OPPO is not only delivering more intuitive digital interactions but is also redefining customer relationships—offering intelligent service that blends efficiency with a personalized human experience. Source: Agency

Deepfakes powered by artificial intelligence are posing serious threats to national security, business integrity, and public trust, experts warn. Recent incidents show how synthetic media are being used to impersonate top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles. These fake messages, sent via voice, text, and messaging apps, aim to extract sensitive information or gain access to secure networks. In one case, a deepfake of Rubio falsely claimed the U.S. would cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink internet services. Another AI-generated robocall mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice to discourage Democratic voters during the New Hampshire primary. Criminals are also targeting corporate sectors. Using deepfakes, scammers impersonate CEOs or job applicants to access internal systems, steal data, or install ransomware. The U.S. says thousands of North Korean IT workers have infiltrated tech firms using stolen identities—earning salaries and planting malware. Tea app suffers data breach, thousands of user photos exposed “The financial industry is right in the crosshairs,” said Jennifer Ewbank, former CIA official. “Even trusted colleagues have been fooled.” Experts believe the solution lies in fighting AI with AI. Tools like Pindrop analyze speech patterns to detect voice cloning. Such systems could soon become standard in interviews or virtual meetings. Regulators are also calling for stricter laws and improved digital literacy to curb misuse. “We’ve entered an era where anyone can convincingly impersonate a real person,” said Brian Long, CEO of Adaptive Security. Despite the challenges, tech leaders remain hopeful. “We’re not going to be subservient to disinformation,” said Pindrop CEO Vijay Balasubramaniyan. “We are going to fight back.”

 Hackers gained access to personal data on the majority of the 1.4 million customers of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, the company confirmed Saturday. Minneapolis-based Allianz Life, a subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based Allianz SE, said the data breach happened on July 16 when a “malicious threat actor” gained access to a third-party, cloud-based system used by the company. “The threat actor was able to obtain personally identifiable data related to the majority of Allianz Life’s customers, financial professionals, and select Allianz Life employees, using a social engineering technique,” Allianz Life said in a statement. "We took immediate action to contain and mitigate the issue and notified the FBI." The company said its own systems were not accessed, just the third-party's platform. Allianz Life said its investigation is ongoing and that the company has begun reaching out to the impacted individuals. It said the incident involves only Allianz Life in the U.S., not other Allianz corporate entities. Tea app suffers data breach, thousands of user photos exposed In the case of data breaches, a “social engineering technique” usually involves using trickery to gain access. Spokesman Brett Weinberg said he couldn't provide details because they are still investigating. Allianz Life also reported the breach to multiple other authorities, including the Maine Attorney General's Office. A filing on the agency's website said the company discovered the breach the day after it happened, and that it will be offering those affected 24 months of identity theft protection and credit monitoring. Allianz Life was known as North American Life and Casualty until it was acquired by German conglomerate Allianz SE in 1979 and changed its name to Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. It has nearly 2,000 employees in U.S., with the majority working in Minnesota, according to its website. It is one of five North American subsidiaries of the Munich-based global financial services group Allianz SE, which says it serves more than 125 million customers worldwide.

Tea, a popular app designed for women to safely discuss men they date, has suffered a data breach exposing thousands of user photos and IDs, the company confirmed on Friday. According to Tea, approximately 72,000 images were leaked online, including 13,000 selfies or selfies combined with photo identification submitted during account verification. Additionally, another 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages, which were publicly viewable within the app, were accessed without authorization. The company assured that no email addresses or phone numbers were compromised and the breach only affected users who signed up before February 2024. Intel slashes workforce, trims spending in bid to regain market footing “Tea has engaged third-party cyber security experts and is working around the clock to secure its systems,” the company said in a statement. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that additional user data was affected. Protecting Tea users’ privacy and data is our highest priority.” Tea markets itself as a safe platform for women to anonymously vet men they might meet on dating apps like Tinder or Bumble to ensure their dates are genuine and not involved in other relationships. Earlier reports by 404 Media revealed that users on the forum 4Chan discovered an exposed database that allowed unrestricted access to the leaked materials. However, access to the database has since been restricted. Tea announced on Instagram this week that its user base has grown to 4 million.

Pakistan on Friday called on major global social media companies to block hundreds of accounts it claims are operated by banned militant organizations. Officials say these accounts are being used to spread extremist propaganda and glorify violent acts within the country. Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said militant groups like the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — both banned in Pakistan and listed as terrorist organizations by the U.S. — are exploiting platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram to promote violent ideologies. Speaking at a press conference, Chaudhry urged tech firms to shut down not only the accounts run by these groups but also those operated by their supporters. Deputy Law Minister Aqeel Malik, who also addressed the media, said Pakistani authorities had identified 481 social media accounts linked to the TTP and BLA. He stated that these accounts were being used to incite violence and spread hateful content. So far, none of the platforms have publicly responded to Pakistan's request. Pakistan itself has previously restricted access to platforms like X, citing the need to curb online dissent — especially from backers of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other opposition voices. The government’s appeal comes amid a recent spike in violence across the country, much of which is attributed to the TTP, BLA, and Islamic State group. While the TTP is a separate entity from the Afghan Taliban, its operations have intensified since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. Militant groups frequently use social media to claim responsibility for attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.

U.S. chipmaker Intel is laying off thousands of employees and scaling back projects as part of an aggressive restructuring drive under its new CEO, aimed at regaining lost ground in a competitive semiconductor market. In a memo to employees on Thursday, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said Intel plans to end the year with 75,000 “core” employees—down from 99,500 at the end of last year—through a combination of layoffs and attrition. The company had previously announced a 15% workforce cut. “These are difficult but essential steps to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and reinforce accountability across the company,” Tan said. The chipmaker is also cancelling planned expansions in Germany and Poland and will relocate its assembly and testing operations from Costa Rica to larger facilities in Vietnam and Malaysia. Costa Rica will continue to host key engineering and corporate teams, according to the memo. In the U.S., Intel said it will further delay construction of its new semiconductor plant in Ohio. Founded in 1968 and once a pioneer of the personal computing era, Intel has struggled to keep pace with rivals like Nvidia and AMD, especially amid the recent AI boom. Nvidia, once a smaller competitor, now dominates the market for AI chips and boasts a market valuation of $4.24 trillion—dwarfing Intel’s $98.71 billion market cap as of Thursday's market close. Apple iPhone 17 Series: Leaks, Rumours and Probable Release Date Tan emphasized that Intel is prioritizing its core products and AI development. “There are no more blank checks. Every investment must make economic sense,” he wrote. For the second quarter, Intel posted a net loss of $2.9 billion, or 67 cents per share—widening from a $1.6 billion loss a year earlier. Excluding special items, the adjusted loss was 10 cents per share. Revenue held steady at $12.9 billion, slightly above analysts' expectations of $12 billion, according to FactSet. Source: Agency