Google awarded patent for dynamic knowledge panels in productivity apps
A U.S. patent recently awarded to Google describes integrating dynamic knowledge panels into apps, like Google Docs. The feature enables users to research without leaving the app and provides Google another channel for its shopping and ad networks.
FTC to investigate whether ad-tech like real-time bidding is too invasive with our data
Recent reports have shown that apps and real-time bidding tools may have unrestrained access to location, demographic, and personal interest data. Federal legislators have called on the FTC to investigate the depth of data collected by technology and the potential for misuse by data brokers, government agencies, and tech companies.
Facebook adds support for uploading AVIF images
Chrome and Firefox users can now upload AVIF images to Facebook posts. Facebook automatically converts the AVIF images to JPEG format.
Updated: Tim Cook responds to Facebook’s attack ads against Apple’s App Tracking Transparency
Facebook paid for a full-page ad in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal that accuses Apple will reduce small business revenue by 60%.
Pixelmator Pro adds ‘Export for Web’ for the WebP image format
A much-anticipated feature, exporting optimized WebP images, is coming to the next version of Pixelmator Pro. The new feature will enable web designers and developers on macOS to switch from using JPG and PNG images to solely using the WebP image format for sites.
WordPress adds support for video captions and subtitles
The release of WordPress 5.6 contained several accessibility improvements, including the ability to add captions and subtitles to videos using the Web Video Text Tracks Format (WebVTT).
‘Big Mail’ continues the endless fight to make email better
'The Not So Big Company' opened up its beta registration for their new email app called Big Mail. They are the latest company attempting to fix how we experience email.
Squarespace announces ‘Member Areas’ for paywalled content
Member Areas can be used to put courses, webinars, white papers, and more behind a one-time or subscription paywall.
CM Group adds Selligent Marketing Cloud to its growing list of brands
Selligent Marketing Cloud’s enterprise and mid-market omnichannel tool is known for personalized insights driven by AI and machine learning. The company will retain its brand and continue normal operations after the acquisition by CM Group.
DOJ suit against Google renews Apple search engine speculation
The Department of Justice lawsuit against Google has the tech industry further speculating that Apple may be readying the launch of a new search engine.
Shopify partners with TikTok for creator-friendly ecommerce tools
The ecommerce platform will connect to a TikTok For Business account where creators can build shoppable content and ads. This is the first shoppable partnership TikTok has made available to the general public.
WooCommerce Payments now includes Subscriptions support
WooCommerce has added support for Subscriptions in WooCommerce Payments. The service is available as an add-on for $199 a year.
Cloudflare ‘Browser Isolation’ makes remote browser isolation (RBI) faster and more secure
As part of Cloudflare’s Zero Trust week, the company announced the beta of a new service called Browser Isolation. The service enables companies using Cloudflare for Teams to leverage its network to safely browse sites in the cloud but render web pages locally via Google Chrome.
Google Analytics 4 leverages machine learning for business intelligence and new reports
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) replaces the apps and web beta property. This newest version of Google Analytics combines data streams from websites, iOS apps, and Android apps for a more complete view of customer behavior on your properties.
Shopify rolls out support for international domains and multiple languages with a focus on SEO
Shopify is helping online stores expand their presence into other countries and languages. The new international features are also optimized for search engines thanks to the automated creation of hreflang links and sitemaps.
New Slack Connect features will facilitate communication between organizations
The tool promises secure connections between workspaces without adding extra seats to a subscription plan. The new features debuted at the Slack Frontiers 2020 conference.
New ‘Do Not Track’ signal for browsers is designed to simplify privacy and be legally enforceable
Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a proposed standard for a browser signal that communicates to sites and services not to sell or share personal information. Unlike past ‘do not track’ efforts, this standard is designed to enforce existing and future laws.
Cloudflare launches Automatic Platform Optimization (APO) for WordPress: Here’s how to install it
Cloudflare announced a new site speed optimization service called Automatic Platform Optimization. The service launched with support for WordPress, but it requires several steps to enable it for self-hosted sites.
Cloudflare offers API Shield for free with all plans
API Shield is available for customers with gRPC-based APIs and by request through a closed beta for JSON APIs.
Twitter rolling out a feature that increases referral traffic by up to 40% for shared articles
The Twitter Communication team announced the success of a test that prompts users to read articles before they Retweet. They plan to make the feature available to everyone globally.
