TikTok's New Privacy Policy, Google Photos AI, and Tesla's Subscription Model

TikTok's Expanded Data Collection

• 📌 TikTok's revamped privacy policy now includes precise location information if device permissions are granted, a feature not previously available in the US.
• 💡 The policy also explicitly logs user interactions with AI tools, including prompts and model outputs.
• 📈 TikTok is expanding its ads network, allowing data to be used for targeted ads beyond the app, with publishers as new partners.

Generative AI Features and Assistant Updates

• 🖼️ Google Photos is introducing a generative feature called "Me Meme," which uses Gemini image tech to let users create memes from their own images.
• 🗣️ Amazon is offering early access to Alexa Plus in Mexico, featuring new voices and slang support, with strong adoption reported.
• 🚗 Alexa Plus will expand to over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices, including mobile, web, TVs, cars, and smart home appliances.

Tesla's Shifting Autonomy and Subscription Strategy

• 🤖 Tesla is offering fully driverless robo-taxi rides in Austin, Texas, with no human safety monitor on board, building on a supervised rollout.
• 💸 Tesla is removing lane centering (Auto-Steer) as a standard feature on new Model 3 and Y purchases in the US and Canada, moving it behind a $99 per month subscription.
• 🔑 This shift aligns with Tesla's move towards subscription-only Full Self-Driving (FSD), with the one-time purchase option ending soon.

AI Safety, Lawsuits, and Apple's AI Push

• 🔒 Meta is pausing teen access to its AI characters across all apps to implement updated parental controls and age-appropriate responses amid scrutiny over teen safety.
• ⚖️ Snap has settled a social media addiction lawsuit, which argued that algorithmic design fosters addiction and harms mental health.
• 🍎 Apple is reportedly overhauling Siri with a ChatGPT-style chatbot capability, expected to be announced at WWDC, and has confirmed a deal to use Google's Gemini as its AI partner.

Netflix's Acquisition Bid and Market Trends

• 🤝 Netflix updated its bid for Warner Brothers and HBO to an all-cash offer of $27.75 per WBD share, aiming to streamline the deal.
• 📈 iPhone shipments in India hit a record 9% share in 2025, driven by aspirational demand and wider retail availability, while the overall smartphone market remained flat.