News

Judge: California ride-hailing law is unconstitutional

A judge Friday struck down a California ballot measure that exempted Uber and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services from a state law requiring drivers to be classified as employees eligible for benefits and job protections. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that Proposition 22 was unconstitutional. Voters approved the measure in November […]

OnlyFans to ban sexually explicit content starting October

U.K.-based subscription service OnlyFans announced on Thursday its plans to ban sexually explicit content starting October. The platform enables creators to post different range of content and charge subscribers a monthly fee, however, it is best known for pornographic content.  While the company will still allow their adult-content creators to post nude photographs and videos […]

Clubhouse enforces safety measures to protect Afghan users

U.S.- based audio chat app Clubhouse announced earlier this week safety measures to protect Afghan users living in the Taliban-ruled country. As the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan earlier this month, many residents tried to delete photos from their social media accounts and phones showing any connection to the West, or the former Afghan government. […]

Facebook shuts down yet another research project into its algorithms

AlgorithmWatch, a Berlin-based non-profit organization exploring Instagram’s algorithm and data sets, got “bullied” by Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, into seizing the project and erasing the data it collected. In a blog post published on Friday, AlgorithmWatch researchers explained that they’re “committed to evaluating and shedding light on algorithmic decision-making processes that have social relevance.” The […]

Vine founder enters gaming industry with new NFT blockchain project

One of Vine’s founders is venturing into a new project called Supdrive. Dom Hofmann, also the creator of Byte and Peach, announced Supdrive on Twitter, describing it as an “on-chain fantasy game console.” In the announcement post, the co-founder of Vine explained that Supdrive will act as a video game console that offers classical games, […]

New China law tightens control over companies' data on users

China is tightening control over data gathered by companies about the public under a law approved Friday by its ceremonial legislature, expanding the ruling Communist Party’s crackdown on internet industries. The data protection law follows anti-monopoly and other enforcement actions against companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba and games and social media operator Tencent that caused […]

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 […]

UAE’S largest telecom firm acquires Maroc Telecom for $505 million

Etisalat, Emirate’s biggest telecom firm saw a 2.4 percent increase in its stock market after agreeing to acquire another stake in Maroc Telecom Group for $505 million. After obtaining the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development’s 8.7 percent stake in the holding firm Etisalat Investment North Africa (EINA), the deal boosted Etisalat Group’s ownership in Maroc […]

Arc Solutions expands network in Bahrain with Global Zone presence

Network provider and joint venture between two telecoms UAE’s du and Bahrain’s Batelco, Arc Solutions, announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its network to Bahrain in the digital business platform Global Zone.  Global Zone — that is considered the region’s hub for data movement — is a carrier-neutral digital business platform based in Bahrain’s highly secure Tier III data center. It offers terrestrial and underwater cable […]