The Walt Disney Company is looking to lure more subscribers to its streaming services. The entertainment giant has formed an international content group to expand its pipeline in local and regional markets. The group will be helmed by Disney streaming executive Rebecca Campbell, who will directly report to CEO Bob Chapek.

Chinese domestic smartphone shipments totaled 342.8 million in 2021, up 15.9% year-on-year. That was strong growth compared to 2020 which saw the market take a hit due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. But 2021′s smartphone shipment figure is below the 371.7 million units shipped in 2019, before the pandemic.

Erik Thedéen, vice chairman of the European Securities and Markets Authority, said the main form of bitcoin mining was doing harm to the environment. He said the EU should weigh a ban on so-called “proof of work” mining in favor of the more energy-efficient ‘proof of stake’ mining.

China has notified some companies of new rules that would require the country's biggest internet firms to seek approval for investment deals. The mechanism is likely to curb domestic technology giants from growing even bigger through acquisitions.

Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The move will make Microsoft the world's third largest gaming company. But it could also cut off gamers from their favorite titles. Console makers have always used exclusive titles to get gamers to purchase their devices. But as the industry consolidates, titles that were previously third-party games will become first-party exclusives.

Tesla shareholders urged a judge on Tuesday to charge Elon Musk $13 billion for his role in the company's acquisition of SolarCity. SolarCity is a company that installs solar panels for residential, commercial and industrial customers. It was acquired by Tesla in 2016 after Musk presented it to the board.

Google is ending its free Workspace version of its G Suite productivity software. The company will transition users to paid accounts starting on May 1st. Users who don't migrate to a paid plan automatically won't be billed for at least two months. Google will suspend accounts of those who don’t input billing information by July 1st, however.

Coinbase and Mastercard team up to make buying NFT easier. The NFT market is expected to be worth more than $40 million in 2021. NFT buyer and seller have been surprised by high costs of buying and selling NFTs. The move is aimed at making the process easier for new NFT users.

Instagram Subscriptions is now in early testing with 10 U.S. creators. Subscribers will be able to offer their followers paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories. There are eight price points to choose from, starting at $0.99 per to month.

The American innovation and choice online Act would keep big tech companies from excluding competitors. Over forty companies have signed an open letter of support for the bill. The bill would also prevent companies from using data to discriminate against competitors. Apple and Google have both argued that the bill will harm their products.

Amazon has an insatiable appetite for electric vans. But the auto industry barely produces any of the vehicles yet. Amazon would not say if Rivian delivered the first 10 production vans in December, as was expected. Other automakers are not manufacturing at scale yet, either.

My 2022 app will be used to monitor health of Winter Olympics participants. Canadian researchers say the app fails to authenticate the identity of certain websites, leaving personal data open to attackers. The app is mandatory for all participants in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.