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ByteDance’s dilemma: Defending TikTok’s ‘secret sauce’ from US interference
Seoul, South Korea - As a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing's response to a forced sale of the app -- and its 'secret sauce' algorithm -- will be clear: Hands off. Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives...
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World’s 10 richest men doubled wealth during pandemic, says Oxfam
Oxfam said the men's wealth jumped from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion, at an average rate of $1.3 billion per day, in a briefing published before a virtual mini-summit of world leaders being held under the auspices of the World Economic Forum. -
Google and Facebook chiefs made ‘illegal’ deal: US court documents
Top bosses of Google and Facebook were directly involved in approving an allegedly illegal 2018 deal to cement their dominance of the online advertising market, US court documents revealed Friday. -
‘Google, Facebook OK’d pact’
Suit says Big Tech giants hold online monopolies -
Facebook antitrust suit
James Boasberg's ruling is a blow to Facebook. -
CES show highlights: Robo-dogs, self-sailing boat, brain tech
The CES tech show in Las Vegas closed its 2022 edition on Friday, after pushing ahead with a significantly downsized gathering despite surging Covid cases. Industry behemoths like Amazon and Google stayed away over the virus risk, but the more than 2,200 firms big and small in attendance still pitched... -
France hits Google, Facebook with huge fines over ‘cookies’
Cookies are little packets of data that are set up on a user's computer when they visit a website, allowing web browsers to save information about their session. -
Palestinians raise alarm over Facebook content ‘suppression’
Allegations of pro-Israeli bias at Facebook were renewed in October when Human Rights Watch said the platform had "suppressed content posted by Palestinians -
Russia fines Google $98m
The fine was for repeatedly failing to delete ‘illegal’ content. -
Brands from Ferrari to Nike rush toward ‘metaverse’ future
The clamor over virtual goods comes amid feverish predictions that the metaverse -- a virtual reality version of the internet -- will eventually replace the web of today. -
Rohingya sue FB for $150bn
The complaint says Facebook's algorithms target susceptible users. -
Metaverse hype fuels digital-property boom
Metaverse has been a Silicon Valley buzzword for months, but interest soared in October after Facebook's parent company renamed itself Meta. -
Meta launches MENA campaign against child abuse
In the eye of the storm of allegations that it did not act against child abuse, Meta said the campaign will prevent exactly those things. -
Facebook whistleblower wants to start a youth movement
Francis Haugen, 37, plans to tour universities early next year. She stresses her role would simply be to get the youth movement started, envisaging it as a campus-based movement where students could help teens deal with internet-related problems their parents might not understand. -
Meta to tweak ad policy
Meta ads will not consider race, religion, sexuality, or political party. -
Finfluencers turn to TikTok to peddle investment advice
Across the globe, investment gurus in their 20s are building huge followings on social media. -
Augmented reality: an early taste of the metaverse?
The key idea behind metaverse, supposedly the internet of the future, is the blurring of the divide between the physical world and the digital one. -
Facebook whistleblower sits atop publicity juggernaut
Haugen's leak of company records has benefited from well-oiled communications machinery, powerful backers and a lucky cryptocurrency bet. -
Facebook says will shut down facial recognition system
Face recognition technology could compromise privacy, target marginalized groups, and normalize intrusive surveillance, according to critics. -
Facebook on defensive over work in ‘fragile’ countries
Some 87 percent of Facebook's anti-misinformation budget is focused on the US even though the vast majority of its users are elsewhere, 'Facebook Papers' revealed. -
Experts weigh in on Facebook rebranding to Meta
Facebook is currently facing a lot of flak for accusations of bias, and leaked internal documents back them up. -
10 big companies that changed their names
It was nothing new when Facebook changed its name to Meta, and invited people to the Metaverse. TRENDS has curated a list of such companies. -
Facebook’s future tops agenda at Web Summit in Lisbon
Frances Haugen, the former Facebook engineer who leaked a trove of internal documents to international media, is due to speak on the opening night. -
Amazon quarterly profit slips
The company said its sales climbed to $110.8 billion -
Facebook renames its company ‘Meta’
The new handle comes as the social media giant tries to fend off one of its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the "metaverse" virtual reality version of the internet -
TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat defend impact on kids
In their first testimony to US senators, they argued they are built to protect against the mental health and safety risks present on social media. -
‘Facebook Papers’ hit as platform earns billions
Facebook executives say the profits could have been even more if not for Apple updating its iPhone operating system to thwart advertisers targeting users without permission. -
New leaks rock Facebook
Internal documents seem to support the accusations. -
Oversight panel will review Facebook VIP system
The so-called "cross-check" or "XCheck" system shields millions of elite users from rules that Facebook claims to apply equally at the social media giant. -
Facebook ‘metaverse’ to become reality soon
The technology might, for example, allow someone to don virtual reality glasses that make it feel as if they're face-to-face with a friend. -
Embattled Facebook releases new curbs on harassment
The company has faced a storm of criticism since an ex-worker at the company alleged Facebook put profits before the safety of its users. -
UAE may open VoIP services to all next year
Mobile phone users in the Gulf country are currently allowed to use the internet-enabled video and audio calls only through BOTIM app. -
Facebook says some users struggling to access its services
Facebook did not provide details on the cause or scope of the problems, which caused users to flock to Twitter to voice frustration. -
Facebook bans sales of Amazon areas on its apps
The announcement came as the tech giant defends itself against accusations that it has long put profit over societal good. -
Kids may be a red line in Facebook regulation fight
Facebook's previous major scandals barely dented its global dominance but a former employee's damning revelations have put it in a tight spot. -
Whistleblower urges regulation to tackle FB ‘crisis’
Ex-employee Frances Haugen has fueled one of Facebook's most serious crises yet and prompted a denial from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. -
FB family of apps return online after seven hours
Users of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp across the world, including the Gulf countries, remained heavily affected for hours. -
Facebook chooses ‘profit over safety,’ says whistleblower
Frances Haugen, a 37-year-old data scientist from Iowa, has worked for companies including Google and Pinterest. She said in an interview that Facebook was "substantially worse" than anything she had seen before. -
Facebook grilled over mental health fears
Facebook study warned of the harm Instagram can do to girls' well-being -
Facebook hits back at scathing reports
The company is under pressure to guard against being misinformation platform -
Some Facebook rules exempt VIPs
The program, "XCheck," shields millions of elite users -
WhatsApp users may encrypt backups
FB was recently accused of breaching WhatsApp users’ privacy. -
Facebook, Ray-Ban debut ‘smart’ shades
Facebook is wading into a market that has already seen 2013's Google Glass, which sparked a privacy backlash over built-in cameras and prompted the tech titan to pivot its focus for the device away from the general public. -
LinkedIn to drop Stories format
Stories is expected to be removed from LinkedIn by September. -
Facebook may launch digital wallet
The wallet, Novi, would let users store cryptocurrencies. -
Ethiopia to build local rival to Facebook, other platforms
Social media services have previously been closed in the country over the past year -
Monopoly case against Facebook revived
The case was dismissed by a US federal judge two months ago. -
Facebook to offer business loans in India
Facebook has announced that it will join hands with an online Indian lending firm to help provide loans to small domestic businesses in order to lure more businesses to advertise on its platform. -
FB to unveil digital wallet soon?
The Novi wallet has been under development for two years. -
Twitter lets users flag ‘misleading’ content
A new test feature will allow some Twitter users mark tweets as "misleading". -
Facebook blocks Taliban’s WhatsApp accounts
Taliban had set up Whatsapp hotline to receive complaints