Search results for "WHATSAPP"

FTC calls to break up Facebook, reviving antitrust lawsuit

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) refiled its antitrust lawsuit against Facebook on Thursday, demanding that the judge forces the tech giant to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.  The new case comes after Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia notified the FTC in June that the original lawsuit filed in December against Facebook, failed […]

Despite seizing power, Taliban is still banned from Facebook

The Taliban’s content will remain banned on Facebook, the company confirmed to Sky News on Tuesday, as the group is considered a dangerous terrorist organization under the site’s policies. The Taliban seized power over Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. war with the country ended. However, the organization is listed under a Specially Designated […]

UK’s watchdog interrupts Facebook’s deal to acquire Giphy

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that Facebook owning popular short video animations company Giphy might be detrimental to other platforms since the app is vastly popular amongst the social network’s competitors. As one of the most favored GIF sites, the animations platform provides Facebook, and it’s ecosystem of apps — Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp  — with […]

Zambia kills off the internet amid presidential elections

For authoritarianism to survive, it must learn to adapt.   While governments have been utilizing the latest tech to communicate with their people and understand their sentiment, the same tools are being used in a pervasive, yet subtle manner, in a bid to enforce repression among the public and remain in power.  An example of this could be seen as WhatsApp and other social media platforms are now being blocked in Zambia […]

UK watchdog: Facebook's ownership of Giphy hurts competition

Facebook’s ownership of Giphy will hurt competition for animated images, U.K. regulators said Thursday, meaning the social network could ultimately be forced to unwind the deal if the provisional findings are confirmed. The Competition and Markets Authority said its investigation found the acquisition would hurt competition among social media platforms because there’s only one other […]

King of the hill: TikTok is officially the most downloaded app in 2020

Step aside Facebook, as TikTok just got crowned the most downloaded social media app in the world as of 2020, according to survey conducted by digital analytics company App Annie.  Launched in 2016, The Chinese video-sharing platform has since overtaken Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, all of which make up Facebook’s ecosystem. This isn’t a milestone to overlook, as Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey began in […]

FTC official raps Facebook for booting political ads probe

A senior Federal Trade Commission official is criticizing Facebook’s move to shut down the personal accounts of two academic researchers and terminate their probe into misinformation spread through political ads on the social network. Facebook wrongly used a 2019 data-privacy settlement with the FTC to justify shutting down the New York University researchers’ accounts this […]

Apple to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse

Apple unveiled plans to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused, including by governments looking to surveil their citizens. The tool designed to detected known images of child sexual abuse, called “neuralMatch,” will scan […]

EU investigates Facebook's proposed purchase of Kustomer

European Union regulators are opening an in-depth investigation of Facebook’s plan to buy Kustomer over concerns that the deal would stifle competition for customer relationship management software. The EU Commission said Monday it’s also investigating the acquisition because of worries that Facebook would get more data for personalized ads, handing it even more of an […]

Facebook profits soar but its success might be short-lived

Facebook’s success is rapidly taking flight; however, it’s about to face serious challenges on multiple fronts.   The company’s revenue grew 56 percent year-on-year (YoY) in the second quarter, amounting to $29 billion, according to a statement published on Wednesday.  Facebook’s savvy marketing strategy and technological advancement managed to double its quarterly profit to almost $10.4 billion, $8.7 billion more than what analysts estimated.  If this isn’t impressive enough, then take […]