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Andreas Mundt, president of Germany's Federal Cartel Office, says "Facebook obtains very detailed profiles of its users and knows what they are doing online" by merging data from a number of sources. Mundt announced the antitrust watchdog's findings in Bo

World News

Facebook Can't Gather Users' Data From Other Websites, German Antitrust Office Says

3:25pm February 07, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Facebook "was able to build a unique database for each individual user and thus to gain market power," says Andreas Mundt of Germany's Federal Cartel Office.

An attendee wears a Venezuelan flag during a rally in Caracas Friday with Juan Guaido, president of the National Assembly, who swore himself in as the leader of Venezuela.

World News

Amid Chaos Venezuelans Struggle To Find The Truth, Online

7:40am January 26, 2019

by Jasmine Garsd

As Venezuela grapples with a major political crisis, people there are struggling with misinformation online. WhatsApp, a popular messaging app, has been used to spread both rumors and news reports.

World News

WhatsApp Tries To Curb Misinformation, And Annoying Aunts And Uncles

3:04pm January 22, 2019

by Jasmine Garsd

WhatsApp has been accused of being used to spread rumors — with serious consequences. Now the ubiquitous messaging app is moving to limit how many people users can forward messages to.

Harssh Poddar, a senior police official, addresses a village meeting at a rural school near Malegaon, in northern Maharashtra state. He warns families to be skeptical of what they read online. Earlier this month, Poddar helped rescue five people from bein

World News

Viral WhatsApp Messages Are Triggering Mob Killings In India

2:17pm July 18, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

In recent months, about two dozen people across India have been beaten to death by mobs driven to violence by what they've read on social media and messaging apps.

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No need to worry about that snake in your milk. It's a hoax.

Fake Medical News Can Now Be Fact-Checked In India

10:58am May 12, 2017

by Chhavi Sachdev

Whatsapp is spreading bogus medical advice in India. A website called Check4Spam is debunking the claims.

Freedom House reviews restrictions to Internet access and how it's used around the world, weighing whether countries are free, partly free or not free in terms of Internet freedom.

Internet Freedom Wanes As Governments Target Messaging, Social Apps

11:55am November 14, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are the latest to face crackdowns, a new report says. Two-thirds of Internet users live in countries that censor criticism of the government, military or rulers.

WhatsApp and Facebook icons are shown on a phone screen.

WhatsApp Will Start Sharing Data, Including Phone Numbers, With Facebook

9:55pm August 25, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

It will also test new ways for businesses to communicate with users on the app. The privacy policy changes mark the long-expected move by Facebook to begin making money from the free app.

From the Apple and FBI dispute in the U.S. to a legal case in Brazil involving the WhatsApp messaging service, U.S. tech companies are finding themselves subject to widely varying laws for cooperating with local police.

World News

For U.S. Tech Firms Abroad And Data In The Cloud, Whose Laws Apply?

5:16pm March 03, 2016

by Martin Kaste

The FBI's efforts to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone is one fight in a larger global conflict: Firms face varying laws for police cooperation and say a lack of legal standards is creating a crisis.

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Economy

Comcast-Time Warner Deal Tops A Year Of Corporate Mergers

7:05pm December 30, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

This was a big year for corporate mergers, with $3 trillion worth of deals announced worldwide. Analysts say the strong acquisitive trend is expected to continue into next year.

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Are we in a tech bubble about to burst? Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion earlier this year. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum speaks during a conference at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Spain.

Silicon Valley Buying Spree: A Tech Bubble, Or Strategy At Play?

9:22am April 08, 2014

by Steve Henn

Over the past few months, the country's biggest technology firms have spent billions buying startups like WhatsApp and Nest. That has analysts wondering if another tech bubble is about to burst.

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