Axios

Facebook is reportedly getting ready to launch a standalone group video chat app that may resemble Houseparty, according to The Verge. The new app would be called Bonfire and is reportedly aimed for a fall release. Facebook said it had nothing to share at this time.

Two years ago the group video chat app, Houseparty, took off with teenagers — by November 2016 it had 1.2 million users, each spending a whopping 20 minutes a day on it. Houseparty is in the top 200 apps on Apple's U.S. App Store, marking it prime meat for Facebook's next move, which has been on the hunt to buy or mimic other products that do well among young clientele (think its buyout of Instagram or its attempts to mimic Snapchat's features).

European antitrust regulators are mulling another sizable fine against Google over its Android operating system and are seeking a second opinion from a panel of experts, Reuters reports. If the outside panel agrees with the regulators' conclusions, the European Commission could be on its way to issuing a decision against Google by the end of the year.

It's expected to top the record $2.7 billion (2.4 billion euro) fine the commission slapped Google with last month for allegedly favoring its own shopping service over rivals.

Why it matters: The money — albeit a lot of money — isn't that big a deal for Google. The fact that the EU is aggressively taking action over its dominance in multiple areas spells trouble ahead for dominant U.S.-based tech platforms that do significant business in Europe. In addition, the commission (which is also investigating Google's AdSense platform) has paved the way for companies who claim to be hurt by the search giant to bring cases against it.

China's Alibaba on Wednesday launched the Tmall Genie, its take on a smart speaker along the lines of Amazon's Echo. The speaker is launching in beta form for roughly $75 (499 Chinese Yuan).

Alibaba joins Google and Apple in entering the category, though Apple's HomePod isn't due out until the end of this year. Samsung is also said to be working on its own device, though it has struggled to get its Bixby voice assistant working well enough for English-speaking users.

Why it matters: A lot of tech giants are betting that voice assistants and the devices they can control are one of the next frontiers of computing.

American authorities have asked to get involved in a case that pits Apple against the European Union over the bloc's decision to order the company to pay more than $14 billion in back taxes.

• A source familiar with the issue confirmed that the U.S. filed an application with the E.U. General Court to "intervene in the case involving the retroactive application of state aid rules to Apple." MLex was the first to report the request.
• European regulators are skeptical of the growing power of American tech companies. Most recently, the antitrust regulator who levied the tax order issued a multibillion dollar fine against Google.
• The U.S. needs permission to intervene in the case, which stems from an E.U. order last year that Apple pay $14.5 billion in taxes to Ireland. Ireland gave tax breaks to the company that European officials say were illegal. Then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew slammed the ruling, which Apple has appealed.