Today’s Cache | Microsoft’s AI chatbot makes its way to smartphones, study finds discrepancies in Google Play Store data privacy labels, and more

February 23, 2023 03:22 pm | Updated February 24, 2023 09:00 am IST

A file photo of the Microsoft logo.

A file photo of the Microsoft logo. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Microsoft’s AI chatbot makes its way to smartphones

Unfazed by the reported outbursts from its AI chatbot, Microsoft is bringing Bing on iOS and Android. Bing is now available on Microsoft’s Edge mobile browser and through a dedicated Bing app for users who have been accepted from the waitlist.

Powered by some of the same technology behind the popular writing tool ChatGPT, built by Microsoft partner OpenAI, the new Bing is part of an emerging class of AI systems that have mastered human language and grammar after ingesting a huge trove of books and online writings.

Study finds discrepancies in Google Play Store data privacy labels

A Mozilla study reported major discrepancies in Google Play Store data privacy labels. The report shared that data privacy labels for top apps are false or misleading with discrepancies being reported in nearly 80% of the reviewed applications.

Safety labels for popular apps including Facebook and Twitter said they do not share users’ personal data with third parties; however, the app’s privacy policies were found to explicitly state that they share user information with advertisers, internet providers, platforms, and numerous types of companies. The study compared privacy policies and labels of the 20 most popular paid apps and the 20 most popular free apps on the Google Play Store.

Google tests blocking news in Canada

Google is testing a process to block news for some users in Canada, potentially preparing for the enforcement of the “Online News Act”. The act lays out rules to force platforms like Meta’s Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content.

The tech giant confirmed that the time-limited tests, which impact a random sampling of less than 4% of the users in Canada, “limit the visibility of Canadian and international news to varying degrees.”

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