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 […]
Technology
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 […]
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 […]
Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that’s so far fizzled with consumers. The electronics giant on Wednesday launched its effort to turn things around with two new products designed to function as both a phone and, when unfolded outward on a […]
China on Thursday dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences handed down by Chinese courts to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Ottawa of making unwarranted, groundless accusations that “grossly interfered […]
South Korean developer of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG), Krafton, initial public offering recorded a 20 percent drop on Tuesday following a crackdown due to a state-led media attack on the gaming industry. This is considered the biggest initial decline of a South Korean IPO after LG Philips LCD collapse in the same market 17 years ago. Krafton’s loss came after it reduced its IPO target by more than 10 percent last month following regulatory demands […]
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 […]
Many tech enthusiasts consider that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world at just the right time, describing it as the spark that ignited a tidal wave of disruptive technological innovations. Rollout of services and products were accelerated at a skyrocketing pace trickling down to a myriad of other solutions that would have taken years to hit the […]
Softbank dropped $5 billion worth of publicly listed shares through its SB NorthStar trading unit of four tech giants during its first quarter, the Japanese conglomerate revealed in a financial report released on Tuesday. Back in 2020, the Tokyo-based multinational company vastly invested in social networking platform Facebook, Google’s parent company Alphabet, popular streaming service […]
A Canadian entrepreneur who was charged with spying after his government arrested an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei faces a possible verdict Wednesday as Beijing steps up pressure on Canada ahead of a court ruling on whether to hand over the executive to face U.S. criminal charges. Michael Spavor and another Canadian were detained […]