Tech Wrap: Jio-Mudabala deal, Mitron app back on Play Store and more

The day started very early with Reliance Industries bagging another deal for its Jio Platforms. Facebook announced that it would block ads from state-controlled media.

Then there was quite a lot happening here in India with the Mitron app coming back to Google Play. There happened to be a case of 13,500 phones registered with the same IMEI number. Crazy, right?

Instagram also revealed something that will change how post embeds on news websites work.

So here’s a roundup of all things that made news in tech today.

Mubadala-Jio deal

Reliance Jio’s latest investment is from Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company. This is the sixth investment in Jio Platforms after a flurry of deals from tech majors like Facebook, Silver Lake, Generale Atlantic and more.

Facebook to block state-controlled ads

Facebook announced it will start blocking advertisements from state-controlled media. It will also start showing labels for such posts for more transparency. The new labels will appear for users around the world. It will roll out first in the US over the next week. This will be visible on the user’s News Feed.

Mitron app back on Google Play

In what was expected but a surprisingly quick comeback, Google reinstated the controversial video app Mitron to Play Store. The app was removed by Google earlier this week to which it later clarified that it has informed the developer of the issues, and once they’re fixed the app can come back.

Instagram post embeds

Instagram lets you embed public posts but this could get difficult now and you might need the account holder’s permission for it. Instagram said that it does not sublicence rights to its embed API and people may need to ask for permission to embed posts. Not doing so could lead to a court case.

Vivo-IMEI controversy

The Meerut Police discovered around 13,500 phones were registered with the same IMEI number. While the name of the smartphone wasn’t revealed, a Zee journalist said the company behind this is Vivo. Vivo hasn’t given an official statement on the accusation so far.

Silver Lake invests an additional ₹4,546.80 crore in Reliance Jio

Just after announcing a ₹9,093.60 crore deal with Abu Dhabi-based investor Mubadala today morning, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has announced that Silver Lake is going to invest an additional ₹4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms.