As part of a broader update to Google Play, Google is giving users a new way to try out apps before actually installing them on their phones. “The new feature takes advantage of ‘Android Instant Apps’ technology -- Google’s attempt at bridging the mobile web world with that of native applications,” TechCrunch writes. “Instant Apps were first introduced at Google’s I/O developer conference last year.”

After the Tennessee GOP alerted Twitter to an account pretending to represent the party, it took the network 11 months to take action, BuzzFeed reports. Run by Russian disinformation pros, “The account, @TEN_GOP, was enormously popular, amassing at least 136,000 followers,” it writes. “It also trafficked in deliberate fake news, claiming just before it was shut down that a photo of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA championship parade was actually a crowd waiting to hear Donald Trump speak.”

After months of testing, Facebook is officially rolling out its “Explore” feed across mobile and desktop. “The idea behind the Explore Feed is to help Facebook users discover more content across the social network, beyond posts from friends and Pages you already follow,” TechCrunch writes. “Instead, this feed surfaces recommended content it thinks you might find interesting.”

On Nov. 1, Facebook’s general counsel is expected to testify before the House of Representatives panel as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. As Reuters writes: “Executives from Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google also were expected to appear at a public hearing before the House intelligence committee, but have not yet said who will represent them.”

WhatsApp is rolling out a new location-sharing feature, this week. “This latest feature allows users to share their location with other contacts using end-to-end encryption,” 9To5Google writes. “Users can share their location on a per chat basis and for a limited amount of amount of time, and also have the ability to stop sharing at any point.”

The Verge takes a closer look at Nude, a new app that uses machine learning to scan users’ phones, and automatically store their nude pictures in a code-protected “vault.” According to The Verge: “The images on your device are never sent to Nude itself,” which "is possible thanks to CoreML, the machine learning framework Apple introduced with iOS 11.”

Facebook and Google reportedly helped a U.S.-based advocacy group spread inflammatory anti-immigration ads in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. As sources tell Bloomberg: “Facebook … competed with sales staff from Alphabet Inc.’s Google for millions in ad dollars from Secure America Now, the conservative, nonprofit advocacy group whose campaign included a mix of anti-Hillary Clinton and anti-Islam messages.”

Apple and General Electric have partnered up to develop mobile apps for industrial purposes, like managing machinery. Per the pact, GE will soon “publish a toolkit it has built with Apple that helps developers build software for iPhones and iPads that uses its Predix data-collection and analysis tool,” Bloomberg reports. “Apple is making Predix its preferred tool for connected factories."

Relative to more traditional U.S. media companies, international revenue and subscribers are helping Netflix offset rising content costs, Variety reports. “Only one of the traditional TV companies -- Discovery -- has a more even balance of domestic and international revenue than Netflix,” it writes, citing each company’s 10-K filing for the most recent fiscal year.  

As expected, eBay is rolling out a new Authenticate program, which makes its possible for sellers to verify the authenticity of their wares. In doing so, “eBay is going after high-end clientele in search of luxury goods,” TechCrunch writes. “Initially, the service will focus on luxury handbags and wallets across 12 high-end brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel … and Valentino.”