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Find out the week’s top mobile stories from around the world.

This week..  Spain starts tracking mobiles but denies spying, most web users want the web to be more ‘privacy-oriented’, Apple condemns German rule change on mobile payments and much more.

Spain starts tracking mobiles but denies spying

BBC

Millions of Spanish mobile phone users are being tracked this week as part of the government’s census, in a move that critics fear is a step closer towards spying on the population.

Statistics agency INE insists the eight-day project is anonymous and aimed at getting a better idea of where Spaniards go during the day and night. The three biggest mobile companies are taking part in the scheme. They say that by handing over the data they are not breaking any laws.

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Most web users want the web to be more ‘privacy-oriented’

Mobile Marketing Magazine

As privacy concerns continue to grow among brands, publishers, and vendors, consumers are also becoming increasingly worried about the protection of and the control they have over data. According to research from Brave Software, 76 per cent of web users feel more concerned with protecting their online privacy than they did a year ago, while 82 per cent would like it if the web was more ‘privacy-oriented’.

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Jio giveth India its data revolution. Now Jio taketh away?

Quartz

India’s digital dream may be in danger.

Yesterday (Nov. 19), the country’s largest telecom firm, Reliance Jio, said it will increase tariffs, following in the steps of rivals Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel that announced similar plans a day before.

“Like other operators, we will also… take measures including an appropriate increase in tariffs in the next few weeks,” Jio said in a press release.

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Apple condemns German rule change on mobile payments

Finextra

German lawmakers have passed new legislation that would force Apple to open up its mobile payment system to rival providers.

The rule change, passed as part of an amendment to an anti-money laundering bill, represents an attempt to rein in the power of US Big Tech firms on German soil.

Banks in Germany and neighbouring Switzerland have been striving to get Apple to open up its jealously-guarded NFC interface for some time, arguing that it discriminates against home-grown mobile payment schemes.

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SoftBank and Line to form $30B company

Mobile World Live

SoftBank subsidiary Z Holdings (formerly Yahoo Japan) is to merge with mobile messaging app Line (owned by Naver) in a deal designed to create a $30 billion company capable of competing with US and China tech powerhouses.

In a statement, SoftBank said “there is currently a big difference between such overseas companies and those in Japan and other Asian countries, other than China.”

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China’s Mobile Payments Show ‘Why Bitcoin Will Succeed’

Beincrypto

China is leaping ahead into becoming a fully cashless economy. That’s why it will soon find that it can’t do so without incorporating Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

China has become cashless and blockchain-friendly. As BeInCrypto previously reported, the country is embracing emerging technology in an attempt to out-modernize its geopolitical rivals. It also sees it as the best means of bettering its state institutions.

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RCS messaging on Android? Free me from my Google messaging mess first

Cnet

Sorry if I’m not getting excited about Google pushing RCS messaging, its Android answer to Apple iMessage technology. I welcome the features now arriving in the company’s Messages app, but I have much deeper problems after being stuck for years in a Google messaging mud bog. Along with that, RCS (Rich Communication Services) comes through a new Messages app that’s a step backward from the good parts of Google’s technology.

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Programmatic mobile comes into sharper focus for marketers in India

The Drum

Is the future of advertising going to be programmatic and mobile? For India, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

It’s estimated that programmatic will grow from a market value of US$2.7 billion to US$6.8 billion for APAC from 2017 to 2020, according to Boston Consulting Group. And as more advertisers in India seek to benefit from the advantages of targeted data driven advertising, the continent will be responsible for much of that growth.

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How IoT is improving patient care

Digital Health

The Internet of Things (IoT) is starting to make breakthroughs in the healthcare sector but what does the future hold? Jonathan Palmer, senior director for product strategy and digital trials at Oracle explores the benefits IoT technology could bring.

Until recently, if a patient was ill or experiencing symptoms, they had to visit a doctor or hospital for treatment. Any notes from that visit went into the patient file, which has evolved over the years from an actual paper file into an electronic dossier that theoretically follows the patient throughout their life. Yet this change from the analogue to the digital is a drop in the ocean compared to what the future holds.

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How live-streaming site Huya uses mobile to beat its larger competitor at its own game

South China Morning Post

Twitch might be synonymous with live-streaming games in the US, but in China, there are two giants dominating the field. Douyu is the larger of the two, but rival Huya is growing fast by focusing on a different target: Mobile games like Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile.

Huya made its platform more mobile friendly in a bid to beat its larger rival, and in a way, it’s working. Huya’s 146 million monthly active users (MAUs) might fall short of Douyu’s numbers, but streamers on Huya are more engaged, and it’s making the platform significantly more money.

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MEF