2019 Lok Sabha polls: Social media dos and don'ts for parties, candidates

Tattooed models in mustard robes replaced the usual grey-suited bankers at Nordea Bank's Copenhagen headquarters recently, as the Danish bank strutted out its latest attempt to woo young talent.

Hosting a fashion show is just one-way companies like Nordea, the largest financial group in Nordic countries, are trying to attract twentysomething and thirtysomething employees. As financial services have moved online, banks have to battle with tech giants like Google and Amazon, which boast offices with features like massage rooms, to sign up tech-savvy millennials skilled in areas like artificial intelligence and programming.

"Banks today are not really banks like they were years ago," Danske Bank's head of real estate, Christian Ronn Osteraas, said in an interview. "Banks are more and more IT companies, so the fact that we compete for the same talents also means that we have to offer the same or better physical benefits and services."

Workplace ambience is becoming increasingly crucial for banks in the quest for talent among youth who care about the environment and not just a juicy paycheck.

"Seventy-seven per cent of millennials say that the workspace is more important than salary," said chief operating officer Troels Bjerg at ISS, a top facility services firm whose customers include most of Europe's 25 biggest banks.

Chief executives see attracting and retaining talent as their No. 1 challenge, according to data from ISS World, a Danish provider of facilities management, security, catering and other support services to companies globally.

"It has moved from being on the janitor's agenda to the CEO's agenda," Bjerg said.

That start-up feeling

Nordea is also looking at places like Disney and Silicon Valley for inspiration to shed banking's dusty image.

"It is important that you have something you can talk about when you get home," said Trine Thorn, Nordea's head of workplace management in Denmark. "We have to create something attractive and different. I want to have this start-up feeling."

At Danske Bank in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital where it has 700 IT employees, you can nap in a booth in 'The Library' relaxation area or challenge colleagues at ping pong or PlayStation in another room.

Danske's shared services centre in Vilnius will stay when the bank pulls out of the Baltic countries and Russia in the wake of one of the largest-ever money laundering scandals.

Video games and flexible seating may not suit everyone, though.

"Everybody wants an inspiring workplace and the challenge might be that millennials have been highlighted so much lately," Osteraas of Danske said. "It is important to attract talents of the future, but it should not remove focus from other types of employees."

From cleaner to experience manager

Nordea has been working closely with ISS to create a workplace that feels both like a bank and a tech start-up.

ISS, mainly known for its cleaning and catering services, said its new business for workplace experiences has been one of its fastest-growing areas in recent years. "Experience managers" create initiatives like a pop-up car wash in an office parking lot or a tour around the company to support knowledge sharing.

"My role is to help create a culture that's more relevant to generation Z," said Dino Portelli, an ISS experience manager contracted by a big global bank in New York.

Portelli is behind initiatives like a shuttle bus to the bank's remote site, with a host onboard who can help employees book a meeting room, provide replacement pantyhose if needed, or pre-order coffee to be ready upon arrival.

"Banks are very corporate, but here it feels like you are in a Google (office)," he said of the site, which also includes a manicure salon and works with a local farm to supply greens.

"They arrive in their suits on Monday. By Wednesday they're in slacks. And by Friday they're playing ping-pong."

Tattooed models in mustard robes replaced the usual grey-suited bankers at Nordea Bank's Copenhagen headquarters recently, as the Danish bank strutted out its latest attempt to woo young talent.

Tattooed models in mustard robes replaced the usual grey-suited bankers at Nordea Bank's Copenhagen headquarters recently, as the Danish bank strutted out its latest attempt to woo young talent. Hosting a fashion show is just one-way companies like Nordea, the largest financial group in Nordic countries, are trying to attract twentysomething and thirtysomething employees. As financial services have moved online, banks have to battle with tech giants like Google and Amazon, which boast offices with features like massage rooms, to sign up tech-savvy millennials skilled in areas like artificial intelligence and programming. "Banks today are not really banks like they were years ago," Danske Bank's head of real estate, Christian Ronn Osteraas, said in an interview. "Banks are more and more IT companies, so the fact that we compete for the same talents also means that we have to offer the same or better physical benefits and services." Workplace ambience is becoming increasingly crucial for banks in the quest for talent among youth who care about the environment and not just a juicy paycheck. "Seventy-seven per cent of millennials say that the workspace is more important than salary," said chief operating officer Troels Bjerg at ISS, a top facility services firm whose customers include most of Europe's 25 biggest banks. Chief executives see attracting and retaining talent as their No. 1 challenge, according to data from ISS World, a Danish provider of facilities management, security, catering and other support services to companies globally. "It has moved from being on the janitor's agenda to the CEO's agenda," Bjerg said. That start-up feeling Nordea is also looking at places like Disney and Silicon Valley for inspiration to shed banking's dusty image. "It is important that you have something you can talk about when you get home," said Trine Thorn, Nordea's head of workplace management in Denmark. "We have to create something attractive and different. I want to have this start-up feeling." At Danske Bank in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital where it has 700 IT employees, you can nap in a booth in 'The Library' relaxation area or challenge colleagues at ping pong or PlayStation in another room. Danske's shared services centre in Vilnius will stay when the bank pulls out of the Baltic countries and Russia in the wake of one of the largest-ever money laundering scandals. Video games and flexible seating may not suit everyone, though. "Everybody wants an inspiring workplace and the challenge might be that millennials have been highlighted so much lately," Osteraas of Danske said. "It is important to attract talents of the future, but it should not remove focus from other types of employees." From cleaner to experience manager Nordea has been working closely with ISS to create a workplace that feels both like a bank and a tech start-up. ISS, mainly known for its cleaning and catering services, said its new business for workplace experiences has been one of its fastest-growing areas in recent years. "Experience managers" create initiatives like a pop-up car wash in an office parking lot or a tour around the company to support knowledge sharing. "My role is to help create a culture that's more relevant to generation Z," said Dino Portelli, an ISS experience manager contracted by a big global bank in New York. Portelli is behind initiatives like a shuttle bus to the bank's remote site, with a host onboard who can help employees book a meeting room, provide replacement pantyhose if needed, or pre-order coffee to be ready upon arrival. "Banks are very corporate, but here it feels like you are in a Google (office)," he said of the site, which also includes a manicure salon and works with a local farm to supply greens. "They arrive in their suits on Monday. By Wednesday they're in slacks. And by Friday they're playing ping-pong."

Denmark: To lure young talent, banks mimic tech workspaces

Tunisian authorities on Saturday launched multiple investigations into the sudden deaths of 11 newborn babies at a state maternity hospital in the capital.&nbsp;

Tunisia's health minister Abdel-Raouf El-Sherif resigned&nbsp;after 11 babies mysteriously died, state news agency TAP said.

The health ministry was conducting medical and hygiene checks and probing the management of the hospital pharmacy after the babies died Thursday and Friday at the Rabta clinic, a spokesman told AFP.&nbsp;

Prosecutors said they had opened a judicial inquiry into the deaths.

The Tunisian pediatrics society wrote in a Facebook statement that "elements of the ongoing investigation" pointed to an infection caused by an intravenous feeding product.

The association called on the authorities to "shed light" on the situation and recalled the "precarious conditions in which health professionals work".

The health ministry said in a statement that "preventive measures and treatment have been taken to avoid other victims and to ensure the health status of other babies in the maternity ward".

The independent Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights called on the health minister to resign over the deaths.

The public health system, once a source of pride in Tunisia, has been hit by management and financial problems that lowered standards and caused drug shortages.

Tunisian authorities on Saturday launched multiple investigations into the sudden deaths of 11 newborn babies at a state maternity hospital in the capital. Tunisia's health minister Abdel-Raouf El-Sherif resigned after 11 babies mysteriously died, state news agency TAP said.

Tunisian authorities on Saturday launched multiple investigations into the sudden deaths of 11 newborn babies at a state maternity hospital in the capital. Tunisia's health minister Abdel-Raouf El-Sherif resigned after 11 babies mysteriously died, state news agency TAP said. The health ministry was conducting medical and hygiene checks and probing the management of the hospital pharmacy after the babies died Thursday and Friday at the Rabta clinic, a spokesman told AFP. Prosecutors said they had opened a judicial inquiry into the deaths. The Tunisian pediatrics society wrote in a Facebook statement that "elements of the ongoing investigation" pointed to an infection caused by an intravenous feeding product. The association called on the authorities to "shed light" on the situation and recalled the "precarious conditions in which health professionals work". The health ministry said in a statement that "preventive measures and treatment have been taken to avoid other victims and to ensure the health status of other babies in the maternity ward". The independent Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights called on the health minister to resign over the deaths. The public health system, once a source of pride in Tunisia, has been hit by management and financial problems that lowered standards and caused drug shortages.

Tunisia probes deaths of 11 newborns at maternity clinic

Senator Elizabeth Warren vowed on Friday to break up Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc if elected U.S. president to promote competition in the tech sector.

Warren, who is seeking to stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates, said in a blog post that on their way to the top, the big tech companies purchased a long list of potential competitors, like Facebook's acquisition of Instagram.

"They’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else. And in the process, they have hurt small businesses and stifled innovation," Warren wrote in a post&nbsp;on Medium.

Warren said she would nominate regulators who would unwind acquisitions such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, Amazon's deals for Whole Foods and Zappos, and Google's purchases of Waze, Nest and DoubleClick.

Investors shrugged off her comments. Shares of Facebook closed up 0.3 per cent on Friday, while Alphabet fell 0.08 per cent and Amazon.com lost 0.3 per cent.

It is rare for the government to seek to undo a consummated deal.

The most famous case in recent memory is the government's effort to break up Microsoft. The Justice Department won a preliminary victory in 2000 but was reversed on appeal. The case settled with Microsoft intact.

Warren also proposed legislation that would require tech companies like Google and Amazon that offer an online marketplace or exchange to refrain from competing on their own platform. This would, for example, forbid Amazon itself from selling on its Amazon Marketplace platform.

Amazon and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook declined to comment.

'An archaic idea'

Tech companies have come under fire because of their role in displacing existing businesses. Amazon has replaced many brick-and-mortar stores and has been criticized for poorly paying its warehouse workers.

Facebook has angered lawmakers for losing track of users' data and for not doing more to stop foreign meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Google has clashed with smaller companies, like Yelp, over search placements and has raised concerns it would comply with China's internet censorship and surveillance policies if it re-enters the Asian nation's search engine market.

Congress held a series of hearings last year looking at the dominance of major tech companies.

NetChoice, an e-commerce trade group whose members include Facebook and Google, said Warren's plan would lead to higher prices.

"Senator Warren is wrong in her assertion that tech markets lack competition. Never before have consumers and workers had more access to goods, services and opportunities online," said Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice.

In Washington, the president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, said breaking up the big tech companies would "take us back to the Stone Age."

"This is not a vision for the future, but an archaic idea that should be dumped in your computer trash can," he said.

Public Knowledge, a tech policy group, called Warren's plan a step toward protecting the next generation of businesses but stopped short of full-throated support for breaking up the tech giants.

"We need legislation specifically targeted to enhance competition on digital platforms so that there is a real opportunity for new, innovative competitors to succeed," said Charlotte Slaiman, the group's policy counsel.

Tim Wu, a professor of law, science and technology at Columbia Law School who coined the term "net neutrality" and has warned against an economy dominated by a few giant firms, said in a tweet that it was "heartening" to see the idea of breaking up the tech giants gaining some traction.

Tech companies are some of the biggest political donors. Google spent $21 million to lobby in 2018 while Amazon spent $14.2 million and Facebook spent $12.62 million, according to their filings to US&nbsp;Congress.

Angering a deep-pocketed industry could hurt Democrats, but that is not likely to be a big worry for Warren, who made her political mark and plenty of enemies by going after big banks after the 2007-09 financial crisis. In the Senate, Warren continues to be an outspoken critic of Wall Street and is a leader of her party's progressive wing.

Other Democratic candidates have also criticized the tech firms.

Senator Amy Klobuchar used her campaign launch speech to vow action on digital issues like privacy, saying "big tech companies" misuse personal data.

Senator Bernie Sanders, another presidential candidate, in 2018 even named a bill after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Stop BEZOS Act, which would tax big companies if their employees receive public benefits.

Senator Elizabeth Warren vowed on Friday to break up Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc if elected U.S. president to promote competition in the tech sector.

Senator Elizabeth Warren vowed on Friday to break up Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc if elected U.S. president to promote competition in the tech sector. Warren, who is seeking to stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates, said in a blog post that on their way to the top, the big tech companies purchased a long list of potential competitors, like Facebook's acquisition of Instagram. "They’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else. And in the process, they have hurt small businesses and stifled innovation," Warren wrote in a post on Medium. Warren said she would nominate regulators who would unwind acquisitions such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, Amazon's deals for Whole Foods and Zappos, and Google's purchases of Waze, Nest and DoubleClick. Investors shrugged off her comments. Shares of Facebook closed up 0.3 per cent on Friday, while Alphabet fell 0.08 per cent and Amazon.com lost 0.3 per cent. It is rare for the government to seek to undo a consummated deal. The most famous case in recent memory is the government's effort to break up Microsoft. The Justice Department won a preliminary victory in 2000 but was reversed on appeal. The case settled with Microsoft intact. Warren also proposed legislation that would require tech companies like Google and Amazon that offer an online marketplace or exchange to refrain from competing on their own platform. This would, for example, forbid Amazon itself from selling on its Amazon Marketplace platform. Amazon and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook declined to comment. 'An archaic idea' Tech companies have come under fire because of their role in displacing existing businesses. Amazon has replaced many brick-and-mortar stores and has been criticized for poorly paying its warehouse workers. Facebook has angered lawmakers for losing track of users' data and for not doing more to stop foreign meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Google has clashed with smaller companies, like Yelp, over search placements and has raised concerns it would comply with China's internet censorship and surveillance policies if it re-enters the Asian nation's search engine market. Congress held a series of hearings last year looking at the dominance of major tech companies. NetChoice, an e-commerce trade group whose members include Facebook and Google, said Warren's plan would lead to higher prices. "Senator Warren is wrong in her assertion that tech markets lack competition. Never before have consumers and workers had more access to goods, services and opportunities online," said Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice. In Washington, the president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, said breaking up the big tech companies would "take us back to the Stone Age." "This is not a vision for the future, but an archaic idea that should be dumped in your computer trash can," he said. Public Knowledge, a tech policy group, called Warren's plan a step toward protecting the next generation of businesses but stopped short of full-throated support for breaking up the tech giants. "We need legislation specifically targeted to enhance competition on digital platforms so that there is a real opportunity for new, innovative competitors to succeed," said Charlotte Slaiman, the group's policy counsel. Tim Wu, a professor of law, science and technology at Columbia Law School who coined the term "net neutrality" and has warned against an economy dominated by a few giant firms, said in a tweet that it was "heartening" to see the idea of breaking up the tech giants gaining some traction. Tech companies are some of the biggest political donors. Google spent $21 million to lobby in 2018 while Amazon spent $14.2 million and Facebook spent $12.62 million, according to their filings to US Congress. Angering a deep-pocketed industry could hurt Democrats, but that is not likely to be a big worry for Warren, who made her political mark and plenty of enemies by going after big banks after the 2007-09 financial crisis. In the Senate, Warren continues to be an outspoken critic of Wall Street and is a leader of her party's progressive wing. Other Democratic candidates have also criticized the tech firms. Senator Amy Klobuchar used her campaign launch speech to vow action on digital issues like privacy, saying "big tech companies" misuse personal data. Senator Bernie Sanders, another presidential candidate, in 2018 even named a bill after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Stop BEZOS Act, which would tax big companies if their employees receive public benefits.

Wall Street critic Elizabeth Warren vows to break up Amazon, Facebook, Google

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services and make them compatible, the latest sign that the world's biggest social network sees its future in intimate online chats.

Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook profile that within a few years direct messaging would dwarf discussion on the traditional, open platform of Facebook's news feed, where public posts can go viral across the world.

"Working towards implementing end-to-end encryption for all private communications is the right thing to do," Zuckerberg said. He cautioned that details of the plan could change as the company consults experts throughout 2019.

The strategy could frustrate law enforcement surveillance efforts as well as lawmakers who have called on Facebook to better moderate user content. It also would limit the company's ability to generate revenue through targeted ads.

But Zuckerberg said he could live with those tradeoffs because users want better control of their data while still having easy access to their contacts.

As part of Zuckerberg's strategy, a Facebook user would be able to communicate with WhatsApp users while only having a Messenger account and vice versa. Users would also have more options for how long chats are saved, he added.

"The future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won't stick around forever," he said. "This is the future I hope we will help bring about."

Facebook shares rose 0.7 per cent on Wednesday. Shares in Snap Inc, which owns messaging app Snapchat, ended down more than 2 per cent.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that the public may be sceptical about Facebook's privacy push given the company does not have a "strong reputation for building privacy protective services."

Lawmakers, users and investors have expressed concerns over the last two years that Facebook is not doing enough to safeguard user data after a series of breaches and privacy bugs.

But Zuckerberg wrote that "we've repeatedly shown that we can evolve to build the services that people really want."

Facebook is one of the biggest global players in private messaging with its WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, each used by more than 1 billion people. Only WhatsApp fully secures message content from all outsiders, including Facebook itself.

Police have raised concerns about introducing similar security to the other services because they would no longer be able to access online chat records to track religious extremists or other perpetrators.

Regulators have called for Facebook to increase moderation of user content, but more encryption would make it difficult to view and track problematic posts.

Encrypted conversations also limit Facebook's ability to send targeted advertisements. Facebook may need to look for new ways to insert itself between businesses and consumers to generate revenue.

Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat app has shown how a messaging service can generate revenue through not only displaying ads but also being a marketplace for games, merchandise and services such as taxi rides.

Facebook has encouraged messaging conversations between businesses and consumers since at least 2016 but has not disclosed its revenue from the efforts.

Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that "significant thought" still needs to go into integrating commerce into messaging.

James Cordwell, a financial analyst at Atlantic Equities, said Facebook's strategy risks undercutting its current way of making money.

"But if they can pull off this WeChat-esque strategy," he said, "it could open up material revenue streams beyond just advertising, something that investors have been craving for quite some time."

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services and make them compatible, the latest sign that the world's biggest social network sees its future in intimate online chats.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services and make them compatible, the latest sign that the world's biggest social network sees its future in intimate online chats. Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook profile that within a few years direct messaging would dwarf discussion on the traditional, open platform of Facebook's news feed, where public posts can go viral across the world. "Working towards implementing end-to-end encryption for all private communications is the right thing to do," Zuckerberg said. He cautioned that details of the plan could change as the company consults experts throughout 2019. The strategy could frustrate law enforcement surveillance efforts as well as lawmakers who have called on Facebook to better moderate user content. It also would limit the company's ability to generate revenue through targeted ads. But Zuckerberg said he could live with those tradeoffs because users want better control of their data while still having easy access to their contacts. As part of Zuckerberg's strategy, a Facebook user would be able to communicate with WhatsApp users while only having a Messenger account and vice versa. Users would also have more options for how long chats are saved, he added. "The future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won't stick around forever," he said. "This is the future I hope we will help bring about." Facebook shares rose 0.7 per cent on Wednesday. Shares in Snap Inc, which owns messaging app Snapchat, ended down more than 2 per cent. Zuckerberg acknowledged that the public may be sceptical about Facebook's privacy push given the company does not have a "strong reputation for building privacy protective services." Lawmakers, users and investors have expressed concerns over the last two years that Facebook is not doing enough to safeguard user data after a series of breaches and privacy bugs. But Zuckerberg wrote that "we've repeatedly shown that we can evolve to build the services that people really want." Facebook is one of the biggest global players in private messaging with its WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, each used by more than 1 billion people. Only WhatsApp fully secures message content from all outsiders, including Facebook itself. Police have raised concerns about introducing similar security to the other services because they would no longer be able to access online chat records to track religious extremists or other perpetrators. Regulators have called for Facebook to increase moderation of user content, but more encryption would make it difficult to view and track problematic posts. Encrypted conversations also limit Facebook's ability to send targeted advertisements. Facebook may need to look for new ways to insert itself between businesses and consumers to generate revenue. Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat app has shown how a messaging service can generate revenue through not only displaying ads but also being a marketplace for games, merchandise and services such as taxi rides. Facebook has encouraged messaging conversations between businesses and consumers since at least 2016 but has not disclosed its revenue from the efforts. Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that "significant thought" still needs to go into integrating commerce into messaging. James Cordwell, a financial analyst at Atlantic Equities, said Facebook's strategy risks undercutting its current way of making money. "But if they can pull off this WeChat-esque strategy," he said, "it could open up material revenue streams beyond just advertising, something that investors have been craving for quite some time."

Facebook to implement end-to-end encryption in all private chats: Mark Zuckerberg

YouTube Thursday said it will start showing 'information panels' -- flagging misinformation and offering correct insights -- for news-related videos on its platform as part of its efforts to curb the spread of fake news.

YouTube currently offers features like 'Breaking News' and 'Top News' - available in India in English - to promote verified news sources when a major news event happens in the country.

The information panels would be available when a user seeks information about the accuracy of a claim related to a news item in Hindi and English language. YouTube would then match that query with a relevant article marked as fact check by an eligible publisher. 
 
"As part of our ongoing efforts to build a better news experience on YouTube, we are expanding our information panels to bring fact checks from eligible publishers to YouTube," a YouTube spokesperson told PTI. 
 
The spokesperson added that the feature is being launched first in India and planned to be rolled out in more countries later. 
 
The Google-owned platform is engaging with a number of third-party publishers like BOOM, Quint, Factly, AFP, Jagran, and others to verify the facts in news videos, and flag incorrect information to help users distinguish between misinformation and authentic news stories. 
 
While these third-party fact checkers are part of an open ecosystem, the publishers will have to meet certain standards to be part of the initiative. Also, the content that has been flagged is not removed (unless it violates the company's guidelines), and instead the information panel outlines the correct information for the users.&nbsp; 
Given apprehensions that social media could be misused to interfere in the upcoming elections, the government has been warning these platforms of strong action if any attempt was made to influence the country's electoral process through undesirable means.&nbsp; 
 
Social media giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, on their part, have been expanding their efforts in collaborating with third-party partners to verify content to combat the spread of "fake news" on digital platforms, especially ahead of general elections. 
&nbsp; 
These companies have also promised to infuse more transparency into political advertisements on their platform and announced a slew of other measures as part of their election integrity efforts.

YouTube Thursday said it will start showing 'information panels' -- flagging misinformation and offering correct insights -- for news-related videos on its platform as part of its efforts to curb the spread of fake news.

YouTube Thursday said it will start showing 'information panels' -- flagging misinformation and offering correct insights -- for news-related videos on its platform as part of its efforts to curb the spread of fake news. YouTube currently offers features like 'Breaking News' and 'Top News' - available in India in English - to promote verified news sources when a major news event happens in the country. The information panels would be available when a user seeks information about the accuracy of a claim related to a news item in Hindi and English language. YouTube would then match that query with a relevant article marked as fact check by an eligible publisher. "As part of our ongoing efforts to build a better news experience on YouTube, we are expanding our information panels to bring fact checks from eligible publishers to YouTube," a YouTube spokesperson told PTI. The spokesperson added that the feature is being launched first in India and planned to be rolled out in more countries later. The Google-owned platform is engaging with a number of third-party publishers like BOOM, Quint, Factly, AFP, Jagran, and others to verify the facts in news videos, and flag incorrect information to help users distinguish between misinformation and authentic news stories. While these third-party fact checkers are part of an open ecosystem, the publishers will have to meet certain standards to be part of the initiative. Also, the content that has been flagged is not removed (unless it violates the company's guidelines), and instead the information panel outlines the correct information for the users. Given apprehensions that social media could be misused to interfere in the upcoming elections, the government has been warning these platforms of strong action if any attempt was made to influence the country's electoral process through undesirable means. Social media giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, on their part, have been expanding their efforts in collaborating with third-party partners to verify content to combat the spread of "fake news" on digital platforms, especially ahead of general elections. These companies have also promised to infuse more transparency into political advertisements on their platform and announced a slew of other measures as part of their election integrity efforts.

YouTube to show info panels to flag misinformation

Jeff Bezos remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, according to the latest Forbes list of the ultra wealthy, while far behind President Donald Trump jumped 51 spots in the ranking.

While things are largely stable up on top of the list, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two.

According to the list announced Tuesday by Forbes, the riches of Bezos, 55, have swelled by $19 billion in one year and he is now worth $131 billion.

Bezos, who holds 16 per cent of Amazon and whose wealth now makes him a target of the left wing of the US Democratic Party, has widened the money gap between himself and Gates, the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft.

Gates, 63, has seen his wealth grow to $96.5 billion, up from 90 billion last year, said Forbes.

Third place is held by Buffett, 88 and long considered an investment guru, although he did get stung in late February by a deep plunge in shares of US processed food maker Kraft Heinz, in which he had a large stake.

Buffett's fortune slipped by $1.5 billion to $82.5 billion, the magazine estimated.

It is more or less after this trio that things start to get shaken up on the Forbes list.

The CEO of French luxury good company LVMH, Bernard Arnault, held on to fourth place. But Zuckerberg lost $9 billion in net worth and slipped from fifth to eighth.

Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Bloomberg rose from 11th to ninth place as his fortune increased to $55.5 billion, from $50 billion, said Forbes.

Americans still dominate the list with 14 of the top 20 billionaires from the US.

Non-Americans among the top 20 include India's Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, in 13th place, and China's Ma Huateng, head of the Chinese internet giant Tencent, who rounds out the top 20.

Donald Trump 715th richest

Forbes estimates Trump's wealth at $3.1 billion, unchanged from last year.

While 994 people from last year's ranking saw their wealth drop -- a record, according to Forbes -- Trump rose in the Forbes ranking from 766 last year to 715 this year.

Trump's nine New York skyscrapers, including the famous Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, account for nearly half of his wealth, while his clubs and golf courses are valued at $550 million.

However, one of Trump's Florida golf clubs, the National Doral Miami, took a hit and has been depreciated by $26 million following a sharp drop in bookings attributed to disagreements with the president's policies, Forbes said.

Trump is not the richest US elected official: that honour goes to JB&nbsp;Pritzker, a Democrat who took office as governor of Illinois in January. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, was estimated to be worth $3.2 billion.&nbsp;

Jeff Bezos remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, according to the latest Forbes list of the ultra wealthy, while far behind President Donald Trump jumped 51 spots in the ranking.

Jeff Bezos remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, according to the latest Forbes list of the ultra wealthy, while far behind President Donald Trump jumped 51 spots in the ranking. While things are largely stable up on top of the list, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two. According to the list announced Tuesday by Forbes, the riches of Bezos, 55, have swelled by $19 billion in one year and he is now worth $131 billion. Bezos, who holds 16 per cent of Amazon and whose wealth now makes him a target of the left wing of the US Democratic Party, has widened the money gap between himself and Gates, the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft. Gates, 63, has seen his wealth grow to $96.5 billion, up from 90 billion last year, said Forbes. Third place is held by Buffett, 88 and long considered an investment guru, although he did get stung in late February by a deep plunge in shares of US processed food maker Kraft Heinz, in which he had a large stake. Buffett's fortune slipped by $1.5 billion to $82.5 billion, the magazine estimated. It is more or less after this trio that things start to get shaken up on the Forbes list. The CEO of French luxury good company LVMH, Bernard Arnault, held on to fourth place. But Zuckerberg lost $9 billion in net worth and slipped from fifth to eighth. Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Bloomberg rose from 11th to ninth place as his fortune increased to $55.5 billion, from $50 billion, said Forbes. Americans still dominate the list with 14 of the top 20 billionaires from the US. Non-Americans among the top 20 include India's Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, in 13th place, and China's Ma Huateng, head of the Chinese internet giant Tencent, who rounds out the top 20. Donald Trump 715th richest Forbes estimates Trump's wealth at $3.1 billion, unchanged from last year. While 994 people from last year's ranking saw their wealth drop -- a record, according to Forbes -- Trump rose in the Forbes ranking from 766 last year to 715 this year. Trump's nine New York skyscrapers, including the famous Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, account for nearly half of his wealth, while his clubs and golf courses are valued at $550 million. However, one of Trump's Florida golf clubs, the National Doral Miami, took a hit and has been depreciated by $26 million following a sharp drop in bookings attributed to disagreements with the president's policies, Forbes said. Trump is not the richest US elected official: that honour goes to JB Pritzker, a Democrat who took office as governor of Illinois in January. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, was estimated to be worth $3.2 billion.

Bezos, Gates and Buffett still top the world's ultra rich: Forbes

Facebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia ahead of the country's presidential poll, just weeks after being heavily criticised by the European Union for not doing enough to counter election meddling.

The world's biggest social network said it was temporarily restricting any paid material from advertisers based outside the Southeast Asian nation that related to politicians, parties or attempts to encourage voter suppression.

"We want to make it harder to interfere with elections on the platform, and easier for people to make their voices legitimately heard in the political process," Facebook said in a statement, adding the new policy will be effective Tuesday.

EU officials blasted the company earlier this year for not doing enough to scrutinise advertising on its site in the run-up to European Union elections in May.

In response, the company unveiled new tools and rules that would require a wide range of political ads linked to the elections to be specifically authorised and tagged with a clear "paid for by" disclaimer.

The US firm first began looking into its influence on elections after revelations of Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 US election.

But the social media giant has been accused of being too slow to act by some leaders.

Facebook said it would use a combination of automated and human intervention to remove offending ads relating to Indonesia.

Indonesia is battling its own wave of online hate speech, as conservative groups exploit social media to spread lies and target minorities.

Authorities are worried inflammatory material posted online could crack open social and religious fault lines in the world's largest Muslim-majority country ahead of presidential elections in April.

Facebook said in February it removed hundreds of accounts and pages linked to Indonesian cyber group Saracen that has been accused of spreading hate speech and fake news.

Facebook has a fact-checking partnership with AFP in multiple countries.

Facebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia ahead of the country's presidential poll, just weeks after being heavily criticised by the European Union for not doing enough to counter election meddling.

Facebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia ahead of the country's presidential poll, just weeks after being heavily criticised by the European Union for not doing enough to counter election meddling. The world's biggest social network said it was temporarily restricting any paid material from advertisers based outside the Southeast Asian nation that related to politicians, parties or attempts to encourage voter suppression. "We want to make it harder to interfere with elections on the platform, and easier for people to make their voices legitimately heard in the political process," Facebook said in a statement, adding the new policy will be effective Tuesday. EU officials blasted the company earlier this year for not doing enough to scrutinise advertising on its site in the run-up to European Union elections in May. In response, the company unveiled new tools and rules that would require a wide range of political ads linked to the elections to be specifically authorised and tagged with a clear "paid for by" disclaimer. The US firm first began looking into its influence on elections after revelations of Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 US election. But the social media giant has been accused of being too slow to act by some leaders. Facebook said it would use a combination of automated and human intervention to remove offending ads relating to Indonesia. Indonesia is battling its own wave of online hate speech, as conservative groups exploit social media to spread lies and target minorities. Authorities are worried inflammatory material posted online could crack open social and religious fault lines in the world's largest Muslim-majority country ahead of presidential elections in April. Facebook said in February it removed hundreds of accounts and pages linked to Indonesian cyber group Saracen that has been accused of spreading hate speech and fake news. Facebook has a fact-checking partnership with AFP in multiple countries.

Facebook to restrict foreign political advertising ahead of Indonesia poll

Facebook, Twitter and foreign investors need to do more to ensure they support human rights in Myanmar, the UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee said in a report published on Tuesday.

"Public institutions linked to the military, its supporters, extremist religious groups, and members of the government continue to proliferate hate speech and misinformation on Facebook," Lee wrote in the report, which also examined the role of military-run conglomerates in Myanmar's mining sector.

Facebook, Twitter and foreign investors need to do more to ensure they support human rights in Myanmar, the UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee said in a report published on Tuesday.

Facebook, Twitter and foreign investors need to do more to ensure they support human rights in Myanmar, the UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee said in a report published on Tuesday. "Public institutions linked to the military, its supporters, extremist religious groups, and members of the government continue to proliferate hate speech and misinformation on Facebook," Lee wrote in the report, which also examined the role of military-run conglomerates in Myanmar's mining sector.

UN Myanmar expert wants tighter checks by Facebook and investors

The fast-growing, Chinese-owned video sharing network TikTok agreed to pay a $5.7 million fine to US authorities to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children, officials said Wednesday.

The Federal Trade Commission said the penalty by the social network, which had been known as Musical.ly, was the largest ever in a children's privacy investigation.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/chinese-apple-staff-suspected-of-selling-private-data-16580">Chinese Apple staff suspected of selling private data</a>

The social network, which has been surging in popularity with young smartphone users and taking over from rivals like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, failed to obtain parental consent from its underage users as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, FTC officials said.

"The operators of Musical.ly -- now known as TikTok -- knew many children were using the app, but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13," said FTC chairman Joe Simons.&nbsp;

"This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law."

TikTok claimed some 500 million users worldwide last year, making it one of the most popular worldwide apps.

Owned by China's ByteDance, it expanded its reach in the US with the merger with Musical.ly.

Teens have been flocking to the service, which allows them to create and share videos of 15 seconds.

According to the FTC, the company required users to provide an email address, phone number, username, first and last name, a short biography, and a profile picture.

The consumer protection regulator said 65 million accounts have been registered in the United States.

Officials said the company knew that many of its users were under 13 and should have taken greater precautions.

"In our view, these practices reflected the company's willingness to pursue growth even at the expense of endangering children," said a statement from FTC commissioners Rohit Chopra and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.

"The agency secured a record-setting civil penalty and deletion of ill-gotten data, as well as other remedies to stop this egregious conduct."

TikTok has faced criticism around the world for featuring sexually suggestive content inappropriate for children.

TikTok said in a statement it would create a "separate app experience" for younger users with additional privacy protections as part of its agreement with regulators.

"It's our priority to create a safe and welcoming experience for all of our users, and as we developed the global TikTok platform, we've been committed to creating measures to further protect our user community -- including tools for parents to protect their teens and for users to enable additional privacy settings," the statement said. 
&nbsp;

The fast-growing, Chinese-owned video sharing network TikTok agreed to pay a $5.7 million fine to US authorities to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children, officials said Wednesday.

The fast-growing, Chinese-owned video sharing network TikTok agreed to pay a $5.7 million fine to US authorities to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children, officials said Wednesday. The Federal Trade Commission said the penalty by the social network, which had been known as Musical.ly, was the largest ever in a children's privacy investigation. Also read: Chinese Apple staff suspected of selling private data The social network, which has been surging in popularity with young smartphone users and taking over from rivals like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, failed to obtain parental consent from its underage users as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, FTC officials said. "The operators of Musical.ly -- now known as TikTok -- knew many children were using the app, but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13," said FTC chairman Joe Simons. "This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law." TikTok claimed some 500 million users worldwide last year, making it one of the most popular worldwide apps. Owned by China's ByteDance, it expanded its reach in the US with the merger with Musical.ly. Teens have been flocking to the service, which allows them to create and share videos of 15 seconds. According to the FTC, the company required users to provide an email address, phone number, username, first and last name, a short biography, and a profile picture. The consumer protection regulator said 65 million accounts have been registered in the United States. Officials said the company knew that many of its users were under 13 and should have taken greater precautions. "In our view, these practices reflected the company's willingness to pursue growth even at the expense of endangering children," said a statement from FTC commissioners Rohit Chopra and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. "The agency secured a record-setting civil penalty and deletion of ill-gotten data, as well as other remedies to stop this egregious conduct." TikTok has faced criticism around the world for featuring sexually suggestive content inappropriate for children. TikTok said in a statement it would create a "separate app experience" for younger users with additional privacy protections as part of its agreement with regulators. "It's our priority to create a safe and welcoming experience for all of our users, and as we developed the global TikTok platform, we've been committed to creating measures to further protect our user community -- including tools for parents to protect their teens and for users to enable additional privacy settings," the statement said.

TikTok app fined in US for illegally gathering children's data

Facebook will introduce a tool allowing users to clear their browsing history this year, which will affect the company's ability to target advertisements, Chief Financial Officer David Wehner told an investment conference on Tuesday.

Facebook announced plans for a "Clear History" product last year, but technical challenges have delayed its implementation.

Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-bans-british-far-right-activist-tommy-robinson-for-violating-community-standards-199913">Facebook on Tuesday</a> removed the accounts of leading British far-right activist Tommy Robinson for violating its "community standards" by promoting "organised hate" and other prohibited behaviours.

The company added it was closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile because its community standards forbid "hate speech that may create an environment of intimidation and exclusion for certain groups".

Facebook will introduce a tool allowing users to clear their browsing history this year, which will affect the company's ability to target advertisements, Chief Financial Officer David Wehner told an investment conference on Tuesday.

Facebook will introduce a tool allowing users to clear their browsing history this year, which will affect the company's ability to target advertisements, Chief Financial Officer David Wehner told an investment conference on Tuesday. Facebook announced plans for a "Clear History" product last year, but technical challenges have delayed its implementation. Meanwhile, Facebook on Tuesday removed the accounts of leading British far-right activist Tommy Robinson for violating its "community standards" by promoting "organised hate" and other prohibited behaviours. The company added it was closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile because its community standards forbid "hate speech that may create an environment of intimidation and exclusion for certain groups".

Facebook will introduce 'clear history' tool this year: CFO

A parliamentary panel Monday asked micro-blogging site <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/twitter-forms-internal-team-for-upholding-electoral-integrity-on-platform-in-india-198824">Twitter to address issues</a> in real-time and engage more with the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of general elections and also summoned senior officials of other social media platforms <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/hard-to-ignore-congress-form-asks-for-caste-along-with-twitter-whatsapp-197165">Facebook, WhatsApp </a>and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/2019-lok-sabha-elections-instagram-a-new-game-changer-to-woo-young-voters-186133">Instagram</a> on March 6.

This was informed by Anurag Thakur, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, after a nearly three-and-a-half-hour meeting with Global Vice President of Public Policy for Twitter Colin Crowell and other officials of the micro-blogging platform.

Thakur said Twitter officials were asked to "engage more" with the ECI and address issues on a "real-time" basis.

The Twitter officials were told that there should not be any "international interference" in the Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said the social media platform was categorically asked to ensure the forthcoming elections are not undermined and influenced by foreign entities.

This message to the micro-blogging site was in an apparent reference to numerous complaints of interference by social media platforms in the US elections, they said.

Thakur said Twitter officials replied to most questions and would submit replies to remaining queries in writing in 10 days.

The panel, which hears the views of the representatives of Twitter on 'safeguarding citizens rights on social/online news media platforms', has also summoned public policy heads of Facebook, WhatsApp and Platform, he said.

Sources also revealed that Thakur read out a letter addressed to him by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during the meeting.

A parliamentary panel Monday asked micro-blogging site Twitter to address issues in real-time and engage more with the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of general elections and also summoned senior officials of other social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram on March 6.

A parliamentary panel Monday asked micro-blogging site Twitter to address issues in real-time and engage more with the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of general elections and also summoned senior officials of other social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram on March 6. This was informed by Anurag Thakur, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, after a nearly three-and-a-half-hour meeting with Global Vice President of Public Policy for Twitter Colin Crowell and other officials of the micro-blogging platform. Thakur said Twitter officials were asked to "engage more" with the ECI and address issues on a "real-time" basis. The Twitter officials were told that there should not be any "international interference" in the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said the social media platform was categorically asked to ensure the forthcoming elections are not undermined and influenced by foreign entities. This message to the micro-blogging site was in an apparent reference to numerous complaints of interference by social media platforms in the US elections, they said. Thakur said Twitter officials replied to most questions and would submit replies to remaining queries in writing in 10 days. The panel, which hears the views of the representatives of Twitter on 'safeguarding citizens rights on social/online news media platforms', has also summoned public policy heads of Facebook, WhatsApp and Platform, he said. Sources also revealed that Thakur read out a letter addressed to him by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during the meeting.

Lok Sabha elections: Parliamentary panel asks Twitter to engage more with Election Commission; summons Facebook, WhatsApp officials on March 6 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered two state agencies to investigate a media report that Facebook&nbsp;may be accessing far more personal information than previously known from smartphone users, including health and other sensitive data.

The directive to New York's Department of State and Department of Financial Services (DFS) came after the Wall Street Journal said testing showed that Facebook collected personal information from other apps on users' smartphones within seconds of them entering it.

The WSJ reported that several apps share sensitive user data including weight, blood pressure and ovulation status with Facebook. The report said the company can access data in some cases even when the user is not signed into Facebook or does not have a Facebook account. In a statement Cuomo called the practice an "outrageous abuse of privacy." He also called on the relevant federal regulators to become involved.

Facebook said in a statement it would assist New York officials in their probe, but noted that the WSJ's report focused on how other apps use people's data to create ads.

"As (the WSJ) reported, we require the other app developers to be clear with their users about the information they are sharing with us, and we prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data. We also take steps to detect and remove data that should not be shared with us," the company said.

Shares in Facebook took a short-lived hit after the newspaper report was published, but closed up 1.2 per cent. In late January Cuomo along with New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into Apple Inc's failure to warn consumers about a FaceTime bug that had let iPhones users listen to conversations of others who have not yet accepted a video call.

Facebook is facing a slew of lawsuits and regulatory inquiries over privacy issues, including a US Federal Trade Commission investigation into disclosures that Facebook inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million users with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

New York's financial services department does not traditionally supervise social media companies directly, but has waded into digital privacy in the financial sector and could have oversight of some app providers that send user data to Facebook.

In March, it is slated to implement the country's first cybersecurity rules governing state-regulated financial institutions such as banks, insurers and credit monitors.

Last month, DFS said life insurers could use social media posts in underwriting policies, so long as they did not discriminate based on race, colour, national origin, sexual orientation or other protected classes.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered two state agencies to investigate a media report that Facebook may be accessing far more personal information than previously known from smartphone users, including health and other sensitive data.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered two state agencies to investigate a media report that Facebook may be accessing far more personal information than previously known from smartphone users, including health and other sensitive data. The directive to New York's Department of State and Department of Financial Services (DFS) came after the Wall Street Journal said testing showed that Facebook collected personal information from other apps on users' smartphones within seconds of them entering it. The WSJ reported that several apps share sensitive user data including weight, blood pressure and ovulation status with Facebook. The report said the company can access data in some cases even when the user is not signed into Facebook or does not have a Facebook account. In a statement Cuomo called the practice an "outrageous abuse of privacy." He also called on the relevant federal regulators to become involved. Facebook said in a statement it would assist New York officials in their probe, but noted that the WSJ's report focused on how other apps use people's data to create ads. "As (the WSJ) reported, we require the other app developers to be clear with their users about the information they are sharing with us, and we prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data. We also take steps to detect and remove data that should not be shared with us," the company said. Shares in Facebook took a short-lived hit after the newspaper report was published, but closed up 1.2 per cent. In late January Cuomo along with New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into Apple Inc's failure to warn consumers about a FaceTime bug that had let iPhones users listen to conversations of others who have not yet accepted a video call. Facebook is facing a slew of lawsuits and regulatory inquiries over privacy issues, including a US Federal Trade Commission investigation into disclosures that Facebook inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million users with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. New York's financial services department does not traditionally supervise social media companies directly, but has waded into digital privacy in the financial sector and could have oversight of some app providers that send user data to Facebook. In March, it is slated to implement the country's first cybersecurity rules governing state-regulated financial institutions such as banks, insurers and credit monitors. Last month, DFS said life insurers could use social media posts in underwriting policies, so long as they did not discriminate based on race, colour, national origin, sexual orientation or other protected classes.

New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users.

The Wall Street Journal report based on its own in-house tests showed that intimate data could be shared with Facebook using a tool designed to help target ads, even if app users were not members of the leading social network.

Information collected by apps included personal details regarding body weight, pregnancy status, ovulation, and home shopping, according to the Journal.

Facebook said data sharing across apps on iPhones or Android-powered devices is standard industry practice when it comes to how mobile advertising works.

Facebook spokeswoman Nissa Anklesaria said in response to an AFP inquiry: "We require app developers to be clear with their users about the information they are sharing with us, and we prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data."

She added, "We also take steps to detect and remove data that should not be shared with us."

The Journal reported that its testing showed at least 11 popular apps that had, overall, been downloaded tens of millions of times share user information, often without disclosing the practice prominently or directly.

According to the report, California-based Facebook said that some of the shared data pinpointed appeared to violate business terms that direct app makers not to send the social network health, financial "or other categories of sensitive information."

App developers identified in the report were to get word from Facebook to stop sending data deemed sensitive, according to the Journal.

A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users.

A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users. The Wall Street Journal report based on its own in-house tests showed that intimate data could be shared with Facebook using a tool designed to help target ads, even if app users were not members of the leading social network. Information collected by apps included personal details regarding body weight, pregnancy status, ovulation, and home shopping, according to the Journal. Facebook said data sharing across apps on iPhones or Android-powered devices is standard industry practice when it comes to how mobile advertising works. Facebook spokeswoman Nissa Anklesaria said in response to an AFP inquiry: "We require app developers to be clear with their users about the information they are sharing with us, and we prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data." She added, "We also take steps to detect and remove data that should not be shared with us." The Journal reported that its testing showed at least 11 popular apps that had, overall, been downloaded tens of millions of times share user information, often without disclosing the practice prominently or directly. According to the report, California-based Facebook said that some of the shared data pinpointed appeared to violate business terms that direct app makers not to send the social network health, financial "or other categories of sensitive information." App developers identified in the report were to get word from Facebook to stop sending data deemed sensitive, according to the Journal.

Smartphone apps send intimate user data to Facebook: Report

European Union countries on Wednesday endorsed an overhaul of the bloc's copyright rules which would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay publishers for news snippets and filter out copyright-protected content on YouTube or Instagram.

A majority of EU diplomats agreed to the revamp while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland refused to back the deal and two other EU countries abstained.

Negotiators from the EU countries, the European Parliament and the European Commission sealed a deal last week, two years after the EU executive proposed changes to protect the bloc's cultural heritage and ensure that publishers, broadcasters and artists are remunerated fairly.

Romania, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said in a tweet that the copyright agreement had been approved by the EU Council.

The dissenting countries said the proposed changes could hinder innovation and hurt the bloc's competitiveness in the digital market.

"We regret that the Directive does not strike the right balance between the protection of right holders and the interests of EU citizens and companies," they said in a joint statement.

The next step in the process is a vote by a committee of lawmakers next week followed by a parliamentary vote either next month or early April before the changes can become law.

The revamp would require Google and other online platforms to sign licensing agreements with rights holders such as musicians, performers, authors, news publishers and journalists to use their work online.

Google's YouTube and Facebook's Instagram and other sharing platforms will have to install upload filters to prevent users from uploading copyrighted materials.

Google, which has lobbied against both features and has even suggested that it might pull Google News from Europe, said last week it would study the text before deciding on its next steps.

European Union countries on Wednesday endorsed an overhaul of the bloc's copyright rules which would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay publishers for news snippets and filter out copyright-protected content on YouTube or Instagram.

European Union countries on Wednesday endorsed an overhaul of the bloc's copyright rules which would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay publishers for news snippets and filter out copyright-protected content on YouTube or Instagram. A majority of EU diplomats agreed to the revamp while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland refused to back the deal and two other EU countries abstained. Negotiators from the EU countries, the European Parliament and the European Commission sealed a deal last week, two years after the EU executive proposed changes to protect the bloc's cultural heritage and ensure that publishers, broadcasters and artists are remunerated fairly. Romania, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said in a tweet that the copyright agreement had been approved by the EU Council. The dissenting countries said the proposed changes could hinder innovation and hurt the bloc's competitiveness in the digital market. "We regret that the Directive does not strike the right balance between the protection of right holders and the interests of EU citizens and companies," they said in a joint statement. The next step in the process is a vote by a committee of lawmakers next week followed by a parliamentary vote either next month or early April before the changes can become law. The revamp would require Google and other online platforms to sign licensing agreements with rights holders such as musicians, performers, authors, news publishers and journalists to use their work online. Google's YouTube and Facebook's Instagram and other sharing platforms will have to install upload filters to prevent users from uploading copyrighted materials. Google, which has lobbied against both features and has even suggested that it might pull Google News from Europe, said last week it would study the text before deciding on its next steps.

EU countries back copyright reforms aimed at Google, Facebook

Nepal's government on Wednesday tabled draft legislation that would impose harsh <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bill-introduced-by-nepal-pm-proposes-five-years-of-jail-for-posting-anti-government-content-on-social-media-197921">penalties for "improper" social media posts</a>, igniting concerns it could be used to suppress freedom of speech and stifle dissent.

Under the proposed law, the government would have the power to block social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube unless they register in Nepal.

And social media posts deemed defamatory or against national sovereignty could be punished with up to five years in jail and a fine of 1.5 million Nepalese rupees ($13,000).

No timetable was given for passing the bill, but activists have described it as an attempt to shackle criticism of the powerful communist government, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament.

"The bill is against the freedom of expression and justice as it criminalises online expression," Tara Nath Dahal of Freedom Forum, a media freedom organisation, told AFP.

The government has defended the bill, saying it is needed to ensure data and internet security.

"The bill was registered to manage social networking sites because the challenges caused by such sites are increasing," information minister Gokul Prasad Baskota told parliament.

Under the proposed law, the government can also instruct social network site operators to remove posts. Failure to do so could lead to a three-year jail term and a 30,000-rupee fine.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the government to address concerns raised by rights groups.

"The proposed law put forward by the Nepal government is a blatant attempt to control and muzzle freedom of expression on social media," it said in a statement.

"Freedom of expression is guaranteed in the Nepal constitution, and this must be respected and protected by the government."

The ruling party has shown increasing intolerance for dissent since its landslide victory in 2017.&nbsp;

Another law barring civil servants from criticising government policies on social media was tabled earlier this month.

A popular folk singer was forced to take down a satirical anti-corruption song from YouTube last week after pressure from ruling party cadres.

Nepal, with a population of about 30 million, has an internet penetration of 57 percent.&nbsp;

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have millions of users in the South Asian nation.

Nepal's government on Wednesday tabled draft legislation that would impose harsh penalties for "improper" social media posts, igniting concerns it could be used to suppress freedom of speech and stifle dissent.

Nepal's government on Wednesday tabled draft legislation that would impose harsh penalties for "improper" social media posts, igniting concerns it could be used to suppress freedom of speech and stifle dissent. Under the proposed law, the government would have the power to block social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube unless they register in Nepal. And social media posts deemed defamatory or against national sovereignty could be punished with up to five years in jail and a fine of 1.5 million Nepalese rupees ($13,000). No timetable was given for passing the bill, but activists have described it as an attempt to shackle criticism of the powerful communist government, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament. "The bill is against the freedom of expression and justice as it criminalises online expression," Tara Nath Dahal of Freedom Forum, a media freedom organisation, told AFP. The government has defended the bill, saying it is needed to ensure data and internet security. "The bill was registered to manage social networking sites because the challenges caused by such sites are increasing," information minister Gokul Prasad Baskota told parliament. Under the proposed law, the government can also instruct social network site operators to remove posts. Failure to do so could lead to a three-year jail term and a 30,000-rupee fine. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the government to address concerns raised by rights groups. "The proposed law put forward by the Nepal government is a blatant attempt to control and muzzle freedom of expression on social media," it said in a statement. "Freedom of expression is guaranteed in the Nepal constitution, and this must be respected and protected by the government." The ruling party has shown increasing intolerance for dissent since its landslide victory in 2017. Another law barring civil servants from criticising government policies on social media was tabled earlier this month. A popular folk singer was forced to take down a satirical anti-corruption song from YouTube last week after pressure from ruling party cadres. Nepal, with a population of about 30 million, has an internet penetration of 57 percent. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have millions of users in the South Asian nation.

Nepal social media bill sparks freedom of speech concerns

Soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the nation on the Pulwama terror attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir, an image on his official Facebook page was posted with the&nbsp;caption: "Don't mess with my country."

In a video message, five days after the Pulwama terror attack, Khan responded to India's allegations on Pakistan's involvement in the suicide strike carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

The post with Khan's image and a Pakistani flag in the background included some quotes from his address.

"If India thinks it will attack Pakistan then we will not just think but retaliate," said the quote written in Urdu.

"We all know that it is easy to start a war, but very difficult to end".

"I hope better sense will prevail".

"The issue of Kashmir can only be resolved through talks".

Soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the nation on the Pulwama terror attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir, an image on his official Facebook page was posted with the caption: "Don't mess with my country.

Soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the nation on the Pulwama terror attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir, an image on his official Facebook page was posted with the caption: "Don't mess with my country." In a video message, five days after the Pulwama terror attack, Khan responded to India's allegations on Pakistan's involvement in the suicide strike carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group that left 40 CRPF personnel dead. The post with Khan's image and a Pakistani flag in the background included some quotes from his address. "If India thinks it will attack Pakistan then we will not just think but retaliate," said the quote written in Urdu. "We all know that it is easy to start a war, but very difficult to end". "I hope better sense will prevail". "The issue of Kashmir can only be resolved through talks".

'Don't mess with my country', says Pak PM Imran Khan on Facebook

New Zealand said on Monday that it plans to update its laws so it can tax revenue earned by multinational digital firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, extending a global effort to bring global tech giants into the tax net.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the cabinet had agreed to issue a discussion document about how to update the country's tax framework to ensure multinational companies pay their fair share.

"Our current tax system is not fair in the way it treats individual taxpayers, and how it treats multinationals," Ardern told reporters at her weekly post-cabinet news conference.

Highly digitalised companies, such as those offering social media networks, trading platforms, and online advertising, currently earn a significant income from New Zealand consumers without being liable for income tax, the government said in a statement released after the announcement.

The value of cross-border digital services in New Zealand is estimated to be around $1.86 billion.

The revenue estimate for a digital services tax is between NZ$30 million and NZ$80 million, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in the statement.

Digital services taxes (DST) are generally charged at a flat rate of two to three per cent on the gross revenue earned by a multinational company in that country.

A number of countries including the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Austria and India have enacted or announced plans for a DST. The EU and Australia are also consulting on a DST.

Officials will now finalise the New Zealand discussion document on the matter, which is likely to be publicly released by May 2019.

New Zealand said on Monday that it plans to update its laws so it can tax revenue earned by multinational digital firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, extending a global effort to bring global tech giants into the tax net.

New Zealand said on Monday that it plans to update its laws so it can tax revenue earned by multinational digital firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, extending a global effort to bring global tech giants into the tax net. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the cabinet had agreed to issue a discussion document about how to update the country's tax framework to ensure multinational companies pay their fair share. "Our current tax system is not fair in the way it treats individual taxpayers, and how it treats multinationals," Ardern told reporters at her weekly post-cabinet news conference. Highly digitalised companies, such as those offering social media networks, trading platforms, and online advertising, currently earn a significant income from New Zealand consumers without being liable for income tax, the government said in a statement released after the announcement. The value of cross-border digital services in New Zealand is estimated to be around $1.86 billion. The revenue estimate for a digital services tax is between NZ$30 million and NZ$80 million, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in the statement. Digital services taxes (DST) are generally charged at a flat rate of two to three per cent on the gross revenue earned by a multinational company in that country. A number of countries including the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Austria and India have enacted or announced plans for a DST. The EU and Australia are also consulting on a DST. Officials will now finalise the New Zealand discussion document on the matter, which is likely to be publicly released by May 2019.

New Zealand to target online giants with digital tax

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/after-twitter-chief-parliamentary-panel-urged-to-summon-global-heads-of-facebook-other-tech-giants-197004">Facebook gathers intelligence</a> from its platform to identify people who threaten the firm or its workers, the social network said Thursday in response to media reports of the security tactic.

CNBC reported that it interviewed more than a dozen former Facebook security employees, some of whom questioned the ethics of what was portrayed as an unclearly defined practice at the leading social network.

Facebook spokesman Anthony Harrison told AFP that the company's physical security team exists to keep workers safe and that strict processes are in place to protect people's privacy.

"Any suggestion our on-site physical security team has overstepped is absolutely false," Harrison said.

"They use industry-standard measures to assess and address credible threats of violence against our employees and our company, and refer these threats to law enforcement when necessary."

Facebook keeps a routinely updated list of people that members of its security team should "be on lookout" for due to threatening statements, according to CNBC.

The so-called "BOLO" list purportedly includes former employees whose actions at the social network came under scrutiny.

Facebook mines the social network for threats against the company or its workers, and its watch list can even feature photos of people, CNBC reported.

For cases in which threats against Facebook or its workers seem credible, the security team was said to be capable of tracking those behind them using location data from the social network's apps or websites.

Facebook is adamant that its security processes are designed to protect people's privacy and adhere to data privacy laws, as well as the social network's terms of service.

In cases of credible threats of violence against an employee, Facebook uses publicly available data and industry practices to determine how close someone behind a threat is to the worker or company offices, according to the social network.

Facebook gathers intelligence from its platform to identify people who threaten the firm or its workers, the social network said Thursday in response to media reports of the security tactic.

Facebook gathers intelligence from its platform to identify people who threaten the firm or its workers, the social network said Thursday in response to media reports of the security tactic. CNBC reported that it interviewed more than a dozen former Facebook security employees, some of whom questioned the ethics of what was portrayed as an unclearly defined practice at the leading social network. Facebook spokesman Anthony Harrison told AFP that the company's physical security team exists to keep workers safe and that strict processes are in place to protect people's privacy. "Any suggestion our on-site physical security team has overstepped is absolutely false," Harrison said. "They use industry-standard measures to assess and address credible threats of violence against our employees and our company, and refer these threats to law enforcement when necessary." Facebook keeps a routinely updated list of people that members of its security team should "be on lookout" for due to threatening statements, according to CNBC. The so-called "BOLO" list purportedly includes former employees whose actions at the social network came under scrutiny. Facebook mines the social network for threats against the company or its workers, and its watch list can even feature photos of people, CNBC reported. For cases in which threats against Facebook or its workers seem credible, the security team was said to be capable of tracking those behind them using location data from the social network's apps or websites. Facebook is adamant that its security processes are designed to protect people's privacy and adhere to data privacy laws, as well as the social network's terms of service. In cases of credible threats of violence against an employee, Facebook uses publicly available data and industry practices to determine how close someone behind a threat is to the worker or company offices, according to the social network.

Facebook taps user data to defend workers from threat

Activists have petitioned a parliamentary panel to summon the heads of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-twitter-must-do-more-against-fake-news-eu-193737">US tech firms</a> including Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google and question them on issues ranging from tax compliance to data privacy.

The petition, sent by a group that previously dragged WhatsApp to court and a right-wing political activist, comes a day after the panel summoned Twitter chief Jack Dorsey to discuss ways to safeguard citizens` rights on social media and online platforms.

Social media companies are coming under increased scrutiny in India ahead of elections due before May in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking another term. Some firms are overhauling policies to curb misinformation ahead of the vote.

In a letter to Anurag Thakur, the chair of the parliamentary panel on information technology (IT), the New Delhi-based Centre For Accountability And Systemic Change (CASC) and right-wing activist KN&nbsp;Govindacharya say the global heads of Facebook, its messenger WhatsApp, its photo-sharing platform Instagram, along with the chiefs of Twitter and Google, should all be summoned to answer queries on tax and other issues.

"We're calling everyone. But we have to start with someone," said Thakur, when asked about whether the panel he leads would also summon the heads of other online giants.

"In the past we called everyone on net neutrality... On this subject also of safeguarding citizens` rights and privacy we`ll call everyone concerned. Of course, we have to call those people who are authorised to take decisions and who head organisations."

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Twitter declined to comment.

CASC describes itself as a think-tank that takes up public interest issues. Govindacharya is a former member of a Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of Modi`s Bharatiya Janata Party.

They have asked the IT panel to seek from social media firms a status report on the "transfer of sensitive personal data of millions of Indians", according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

CASC has previously taken WhatsApp to court, accusing the messaging platform of not complying with India's IT laws and not having a local grievance officer.

The Indian IT Act mandates that intermediaries or carriers of content such as WhatsApp, appoint a Grievance Officer to handle any queries, concerns or issues that users of the platform may have that do not come under the purview of other authorities.

WhatsApp has previously said it has both an Indian corporate entity and a grievance officer for Indian users.

Activists have petitioned a parliamentary panel to summon the heads of US tech firms including Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google and question them on issues ranging from tax compliance to data privacy.

Activists have petitioned a parliamentary panel to summon the heads of US tech firms including Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google and question them on issues ranging from tax compliance to data privacy. The petition, sent by a group that previously dragged WhatsApp to court and a right-wing political activist, comes a day after the panel summoned Twitter chief Jack Dorsey to discuss ways to safeguard citizens` rights on social media and online platforms. Social media companies are coming under increased scrutiny in India ahead of elections due before May in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking another term. Some firms are overhauling policies to curb misinformation ahead of the vote. In a letter to Anurag Thakur, the chair of the parliamentary panel on information technology (IT), the New Delhi-based Centre For Accountability And Systemic Change (CASC) and right-wing activist KN Govindacharya say the global heads of Facebook, its messenger WhatsApp, its photo-sharing platform Instagram, along with the chiefs of Twitter and Google, should all be summoned to answer queries on tax and other issues. "We're calling everyone. But we have to start with someone," said Thakur, when asked about whether the panel he leads would also summon the heads of other online giants. "In the past we called everyone on net neutrality... On this subject also of safeguarding citizens` rights and privacy we`ll call everyone concerned. Of course, we have to call those people who are authorised to take decisions and who head organisations." Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Twitter declined to comment. CASC describes itself as a think-tank that takes up public interest issues. Govindacharya is a former member of a Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of Modi`s Bharatiya Janata Party. They have asked the IT panel to seek from social media firms a status report on the "transfer of sensitive personal data of millions of Indians", according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. CASC has previously taken WhatsApp to court, accusing the messaging platform of not complying with India's IT laws and not having a local grievance officer. The Indian IT Act mandates that intermediaries or carriers of content such as WhatsApp, appoint a Grievance Officer to handle any queries, concerns or issues that users of the platform may have that do not come under the purview of other authorities. WhatsApp has previously said it has both an Indian corporate entity and a grievance officer for Indian users.

After Twitter chief, Parliamentary panel urged to summon global heads of Facebook, other tech giants

Facebook Inc is expanding its <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/germany-to-restrict-facebooks-data-gathering-activities-195917">fact-checking network</a> in India to curb the spread of misinformation as the world's largest democracy prepares for a general election that must be held by May, the US-based social media giant said on Monday.

"We are committed to fighting the spread of false news on Facebook, especially ahead of the 2019 General Election campaign season," Manish Khanduri, Facebook India's news partnership head, said in the statement.

The coming election is expected to be a close fought battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress Party and its regional allies.

Last week, Facebook said it was introducing stricter rules for political advertisements in India.

The latest move to strengthen the fact-checking programme is aimed at verifying the accuracy of stories and preventing the spread of hoaxes.

Five new partners have been added to Facebook's fact-checker network, taking the total number to seven, the statement said.

And the programme has been broadened to cover services in more Indian languages so that it will now cover English and five local languages, the statement added.

India is Facebook's largest market by users, and its WhatsApp messaging service has more than 200 million users in the country thanks to the advent of cheap mobile data and increasing penetration of smartphones.

Aside from concerns over misuse of social media for political purposes, there has also been criticism over the spread of false, incendiary messages that have fanned communal tensions and sparked mob violence.

Last year, after a series of lynchings, were incited by messages sent on its service, WhatsApp reduced the number of people or groups that a message could be forwarded to at one time, cutting it to five from 20 previously. WhatsApp has since moved to make that its norm worldwide.

Facebook's main rival in India, Alphabet Inc's Google, has also conducted scores of workshops across the country to train journalists to verify the news.

Facebook Inc is expanding its fact-checking network in India to curb the spread of misinformation as the world's largest democracy prepares for a general election that must be held by May, the US-based social media giant said on Monday.

Facebook Inc is expanding its fact-checking network in India to curb the spread of misinformation as the world's largest democracy prepares for a general election that must be held by May, the US-based social media giant said on Monday. "We are committed to fighting the spread of false news on Facebook, especially ahead of the 2019 General Election campaign season," Manish Khanduri, Facebook India's news partnership head, said in the statement. The coming election is expected to be a close fought battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress Party and its regional allies. Last week, Facebook said it was introducing stricter rules for political advertisements in India. The latest move to strengthen the fact-checking programme is aimed at verifying the accuracy of stories and preventing the spread of hoaxes. Five new partners have been added to Facebook's fact-checker network, taking the total number to seven, the statement said. And the programme has been broadened to cover services in more Indian languages so that it will now cover English and five local languages, the statement added. India is Facebook's largest market by users, and its WhatsApp messaging service has more than 200 million users in the country thanks to the advent of cheap mobile data and increasing penetration of smartphones. Aside from concerns over misuse of social media for political purposes, there has also been criticism over the spread of false, incendiary messages that have fanned communal tensions and sparked mob violence. Last year, after a series of lynchings, were incited by messages sent on its service, WhatsApp reduced the number of people or groups that a message could be forwarded to at one time, cutting it to five from 20 previously. WhatsApp has since moved to make that its norm worldwide. Facebook's main rival in India, Alphabet Inc's Google, has also conducted scores of workshops across the country to train journalists to verify the news.

With Lok Sabha elections coming, Facebook says it is expanding its fact-checking network

Facebook has been ordered to curb its data collection practices in Germany after a landmark ruling on Thursday that the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/washington-sues-facebook-over-cambridge-analytica-row-185389">gather information about users without their consent</a>.

Germany, where privacy concerns run deep, is in the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fuelled by last year's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-calls-for-online-regulation-175918">Cambridge Analytica scandal </a>in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.

The country's antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-targets-dangerous-armed-groups-in-latest-myanmar-bans-195310">Facebook</a> pools data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't even members through <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/duplicate-facebook-accounts-tripled-in-three-years-at-250-million-195042">Facebook </a>'like' or 'share' buttons.

"In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook accounts," Federal Cartel Office chief Andreas Mundt said.

Facebook said it would appeal the decision, the culmination of a three-year probe, saying the regulator underestimated the competition it faced and undermined Europe-wide privacy rules that took effect last year.

"We disagree with their conclusions and intend to appeal so that people in Germany continue to benefit fully from all our services," Facebook said in a blog post.

In its order, the cartel office said Facebook would only be allowed to assign data from WhatsApp or Instagram to its main Facebook app accounts if users consented voluntarily. Collecting data from third-party websites and assigning it to Facebook would similarly require consent.

If consent is withheld, Facebook would have to substantially restrict its collection and combining of data. It should develop proposals to do this within 12 months, subject to the outcome of appeal proceedings at the Duesseldorf Higher Regional Court that should be filed within a month.

If Facebook fails to comply, the cartel office said it could impose fines of up to 10 per cent of the company's annual global revenues, which grew by 37 per cent to $55.8 billion last year.

Antitrust lawyer Thomas Vinje, a partner at Clifford Chance in Brussels, said the Cartel Office ruling had potentially far-reaching implications.

"This is a landmark decision," he told Reuters. "It’s limited to Germany but strikes me as exportable and might have a significant impact on Facebook's business model."

Vinje said it would be tough for Facebook to persuade the court that the Cartel Office's definition of the market for social media, and its dominance, were misguided. This is a battle that many firms have fought in court and lost, he added.

Implications

German Justice Minister Katarina Barley welcomed the ruling. "Users are often unaware of this flow of data and cannot prevent it if they want to use the services," she told Reuters. "We need to be rigorous in tackling the abuse of power that comes with data."

The German antitrust regulator's powers were expanded in 2017 to include consumer protection in public-interest cases where it could argue that a company - such as Facebook - had so little competition that consumers lack any effective choice.

Facebook has an estimated 23 million daily active users in Germany, giving it a market share of 95 per cent, according to the Cartel Office which considers Google+ - a rival social network that is being closed down – to be its only competitor.

Facebook said the cartel office failed to recognise the extent of competition it faced from Google's YouTube or Twitter for users' attention, and also said the regulator was encroaching into areas that should be handled by data protection watchdogs.

Facebook is considering appealing on the data protection issues to the European Court of Justice, but here the Cartel Office may also have the upper hand, said Vinje, the lawyer.

"It seems to me that the Federal Cartel Office is informed by data protection, but not dependent on them and that it has based its decision squarely on competition law," he said.

The European Commission said: "We are closely following the work of the Bundeskartellamt both in the framework of the European Competition Network and through direct contacts."

"The European legislator has made sure that there is now a regulation in place that addresses this type of conduct, namely the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)," it added.

As part of complying with the GDPR, Facebook said it had rebuilt the information its provides people about their privacy and the controls they have over their information and improved the privacy 'choices' that they are offered. It would also soon launch a 'clear history' feature, it said.

Mundt also expressed concern over reports that Facebook, which counts 2.7 billion users worldwide, plans to merge the infrastructure of its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram services.

"If I understand things correctly, this move would intensify the pooling of data," said Mundt. "It's not very hard to conclude that, putting it carefully, this could be relevant in antitrust terms. We would have to look at this very closely."

Facebook has said that discussions on such a move are at a very early stage.

Facebook has been ordered to curb its data collection practices in Germany after a landmark ruling on Thursday that the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent.

Facebook has been ordered to curb its data collection practices in Germany after a landmark ruling on Thursday that the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent. Germany, where privacy concerns run deep, is in the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fuelled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent. The country's antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't even members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons. "In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook accounts," Federal Cartel Office chief Andreas Mundt said. Facebook said it would appeal the decision, the culmination of a three-year probe, saying the regulator underestimated the competition it faced and undermined Europe-wide privacy rules that took effect last year. "We disagree with their conclusions and intend to appeal so that people in Germany continue to benefit fully from all our services," Facebook said in a blog post. In its order, the cartel office said Facebook would only be allowed to assign data from WhatsApp or Instagram to its main Facebook app accounts if users consented voluntarily. Collecting data from third-party websites and assigning it to Facebook would similarly require consent. If consent is withheld, Facebook would have to substantially restrict its collection and combining of data. It should develop proposals to do this within 12 months, subject to the outcome of appeal proceedings at the Duesseldorf Higher Regional Court that should be filed within a month. If Facebook fails to comply, the cartel office said it could impose fines of up to 10 per cent of the company's annual global revenues, which grew by 37 per cent to $55.8 billion last year. Antitrust lawyer Thomas Vinje, a partner at Clifford Chance in Brussels, said the Cartel Office ruling had potentially far-reaching implications. "This is a landmark decision," he told Reuters. "It’s limited to Germany but strikes me as exportable and might have a significant impact on Facebook's business model." Vinje said it would be tough for Facebook to persuade the court that the Cartel Office's definition of the market for social media, and its dominance, were misguided. This is a battle that many firms have fought in court and lost, he added. Implications German Justice Minister Katarina Barley welcomed the ruling. "Users are often unaware of this flow of data and cannot prevent it if they want to use the services," she told Reuters. "We need to be rigorous in tackling the abuse of power that comes with data." The German antitrust regulator's powers were expanded in 2017 to include consumer protection in public-interest cases where it could argue that a company - such as Facebook - had so little competition that consumers lack any effective choice. Facebook has an estimated 23 million daily active users in Germany, giving it a market share of 95 per cent, according to the Cartel Office which considers Google+ - a rival social network that is being closed down – to be its only competitor. Facebook said the cartel office failed to recognise the extent of competition it faced from Google's YouTube or Twitter for users' attention, and also said the regulator was encroaching into areas that should be handled by data protection watchdogs. Facebook is considering appealing on the data protection issues to the European Court of Justice, but here the Cartel Office may also have the upper hand, said Vinje, the lawyer. "It seems to me that the Federal Cartel Office is informed by data protection, but not dependent on them and that it has based its decision squarely on competition law," he said. The European Commission said: "We are closely following the work of the Bundeskartellamt both in the framework of the European Competition Network and through direct contacts." "The European legislator has made sure that there is now a regulation in place that addresses this type of conduct, namely the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)," it added. As part of complying with the GDPR, Facebook said it had rebuilt the information its provides people about their privacy and the controls they have over their information and improved the privacy 'choices' that they are offered. It would also soon launch a 'clear history' feature, it said. Mundt also expressed concern over reports that Facebook, which counts 2.7 billion users worldwide, plans to merge the infrastructure of its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram services. "If I understand things correctly, this move would intensify the pooling of data," said Mundt. "It's not very hard to conclude that, putting it carefully, this could be relevant in antitrust terms. We would have to look at this very closely." Facebook has said that discussions on such a move are at a very early stage.

Germany to restrict Facebook's data gathering activities

The United States social media company Twitter reported a record quarterly revenue and its first full year of profitability Thursday, signs the company's efforts to promote healthy discourse on the platform appear to be paying off, according to a report from the Dow Jones Newswires made available to EFE.&nbsp;

The company also for the first time disclosed its number of daily users: 126 million, a figure Twitter said was up 1.6 per cent from the previous quarter.&nbsp;

The figure makes it easier to compare Twitter with its social-media peers Facebook and Snap, which have 1.52 billion and 186 million daily users, respectively.&nbsp;

Twitter said it measures its number of daily users differently than other companies because it counts only users who can view ads.&nbsp;

Revenue rose 24 per cent to $908.8 million in the fourth quarter, typically the heaviest spending period for advertisers, up from $731.6 million a year earlier. Those results topped analysts' projections of $867 million, according to FactSet.&nbsp;

Even so, Twitter's stock slid nearly 11 per cent in morning trading as investors homed in on the company's declining numbers of monthly users and its revenue forecast for the current quarter.&nbsp;

Twitter said its number of monthly users, the metric it has released for years, fell 1.5 per cent to 321 million from three months ago. Twitter has struggled for years with little to no momentum in building up its user base. It plans to stop disclosing monthly users after the current quarter.&nbsp;

Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said last year the company's priority was to reduce the amount of abuse that occurs on the platform. Although those efforts sometimes result in closing the accounts of bad actors, other users tend to spend more time on Twitter when there is less harassment. Marketers also say they are in favour of the changes because they don't like advertising alongside negative content.&nbsp;

Dorsey told analysts Thursday that the company needs to keep up efforts to minimize bad behaviour, something he sees as a growth initiative.&nbsp;

"We have to make Twitter more conversational," he said.&nbsp;

Twitter projected a sequential decline in revenue in the first quarter to between $715 million and $775 million. While that would be up from $665 million a year earlier, the range's midpoint of $745 million sits below the $764.93 million analysts had pencilled, according to Refinitiv.&nbsp;

Doing away with the monthly user number could suggest Twitter doesn't like the trends it is seeing in that area, raising questions about how it will grow daily users from a shrinking pool, said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R.W. Baird.&nbsp;

He also pointed to higher expenses Twitter is facing in 2019 as it combats abuse, adds new features and digests its growing headcount. Twitter, which grew its employee number about 16 per cent last year, said it expects operating expenses up about 20 per cent in 2019.&nbsp;

Those costs could weigh on margins, Sebastian said.&nbsp;

Twitter's profit in the fourth quarter increased to $255.3 million, or 33 cents a share, from $91.1 million, or 12 cents a share, a year earlier, added the Dow Jones report supplied to EFE.&nbsp;

Robust spending in the online advertising industry also drove both Facebook's record quarterly profit and Snap's record quarterly revenue.

The United States social media company Twitter reported a record quarterly revenue and its first full year of profitability Thursday, signs the company's efforts to promote healthy discourse on the platform appear to be paying off, according to a report from the Dow Jones Newswires made available to EFE.

The United States social media company Twitter reported a record quarterly revenue and its first full year of profitability Thursday, signs the company's efforts to promote healthy discourse on the platform appear to be paying off, according to a report from the Dow Jones Newswires made available to EFE. The company also for the first time disclosed its number of daily users: 126 million, a figure Twitter said was up 1.6 per cent from the previous quarter. The figure makes it easier to compare Twitter with its social-media peers Facebook and Snap, which have 1.52 billion and 186 million daily users, respectively. Twitter said it measures its number of daily users differently than other companies because it counts only users who can view ads. Revenue rose 24 per cent to $908.8 million in the fourth quarter, typically the heaviest spending period for advertisers, up from $731.6 million a year earlier. Those results topped analysts' projections of $867 million, according to FactSet. Even so, Twitter's stock slid nearly 11 per cent in morning trading as investors homed in on the company's declining numbers of monthly users and its revenue forecast for the current quarter. Twitter said its number of monthly users, the metric it has released for years, fell 1.5 per cent to 321 million from three months ago. Twitter has struggled for years with little to no momentum in building up its user base. It plans to stop disclosing monthly users after the current quarter. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said last year the company's priority was to reduce the amount of abuse that occurs on the platform. Although those efforts sometimes result in closing the accounts of bad actors, other users tend to spend more time on Twitter when there is less harassment. Marketers also say they are in favour of the changes because they don't like advertising alongside negative content. Dorsey told analysts Thursday that the company needs to keep up efforts to minimize bad behaviour, something he sees as a growth initiative. "We have to make Twitter more conversational," he said. Twitter projected a sequential decline in revenue in the first quarter to between $715 million and $775 million. While that would be up from $665 million a year earlier, the range's midpoint of $745 million sits below the $764.93 million analysts had pencilled, according to Refinitiv. Doing away with the monthly user number could suggest Twitter doesn't like the trends it is seeing in that area, raising questions about how it will grow daily users from a shrinking pool, said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R.W. Baird. He also pointed to higher expenses Twitter is facing in 2019 as it combats abuse, adds new features and digests its growing headcount. Twitter, which grew its employee number about 16 per cent last year, said it expects operating expenses up about 20 per cent in 2019. Those costs could weigh on margins, Sebastian said. Twitter's profit in the fourth quarter increased to $255.3 million, or 33 cents a share, from $91.1 million, or 12 cents a share, a year earlier, added the Dow Jones report supplied to EFE. Robust spending in the online advertising industry also drove both Facebook's record quarterly profit and Snap's record quarterly revenue.

Twitter's push to reduce abuse pays off with revenue jump

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants.

French news weekly L'Express reported that Apple had paid nearly 500 million euros ($570 million) to resolve the case in a confidential settlement reached in December.

Apple declined to disclose the amount paid, but a source familiar with the case confirmed the figure to AFP.

"The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the company's French accounts and an adjustment will be published in our public accounts," Apple said in a statement.&nbsp;

"We know the important role taxes play in society and we pay our taxes in all the countries where we operate, in complete conformity with laws and practices in force at the local level," added the company.

French authorities declined to comment further, citing the confidentiality of tax matters.

French tech tax looms&nbsp;

Apple is one of several American technology giants in the line of fire in Europe over their tax strategies, which see them route their income through low-tax nations such as Ireland or Luxembourg.

In 2016, it was ordered by the European Commission to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland.

The European Commission said Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million.

The deal in France comes as the government prepares to push ahead with its own unilateral "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- faced with the failure of EU members to agree on how to get technology companies to pay more tax on their European operations.

The tax, to be put to parliament in a bill later this month, would affect companies with global sales of more than 750 million euros and 25 million euros in France, according to the government.

It would be retroactive to January 1 and is expected to raise 500 million euros this year.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has called the question of how and where global companies pay their taxes "a major issue in the 21st century".

But an agreement among EU members has proved elusive.

Ireland, Denmark and Sweden have all blocked plans for a levy for fear of dissuading investment and Germany has proved lukewarm on the issue, fearing US retaliation against its car industry.

The issue has been referred to the OECD, which aims to come up with an international tax by 2020.

Scramble to settle&nbsp;

Apple is the second major technology company to reach a tax deal with French authorities within the past year, reflecting the growing pressure from voters on governments to bring foreign companies to book.

In February 2018, Amazon said it had settled a French claim for nearly 200 million euros and would start declaring all its earnings in the country, ending a dispute that had dragged on for years.

In 2017, however, France's tax collection drive suffered a setback with a local court ruling that Google was not liable to pay 1.1 billion euros in taxes claimed on revenues transferred from France to Ireland.

According to L'Express, the deal between France and Apple was clinched after several months of talks, and concerned the small amount of revenue the firm booked in France while the sales it reported in Europe ballooned.

The report said Apple's European revenues exploded seven-fold, from 6.6 billion euros in 2008 to 47.7 billion in 2017, most of which was booked in Ireland where it has its European headquarters.

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants.

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants. French news weekly L'Express reported that Apple had paid nearly 500 million euros ($570 million) to resolve the case in a confidential settlement reached in December. Apple declined to disclose the amount paid, but a source familiar with the case confirmed the figure to AFP. "The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the company's French accounts and an adjustment will be published in our public accounts," Apple said in a statement. "We know the important role taxes play in society and we pay our taxes in all the countries where we operate, in complete conformity with laws and practices in force at the local level," added the company. French authorities declined to comment further, citing the confidentiality of tax matters. French tech tax looms Apple is one of several American technology giants in the line of fire in Europe over their tax strategies, which see them route their income through low-tax nations such as Ireland or Luxembourg. In 2016, it was ordered by the European Commission to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland. The European Commission said Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million. The deal in France comes as the government prepares to push ahead with its own unilateral "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- faced with the failure of EU members to agree on how to get technology companies to pay more tax on their European operations. The tax, to be put to parliament in a bill later this month, would affect companies with global sales of more than 750 million euros and 25 million euros in France, according to the government. It would be retroactive to January 1 and is expected to raise 500 million euros this year. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has called the question of how and where global companies pay their taxes "a major issue in the 21st century". But an agreement among EU members has proved elusive. Ireland, Denmark and Sweden have all blocked plans for a levy for fear of dissuading investment and Germany has proved lukewarm on the issue, fearing US retaliation against its car industry. The issue has been referred to the OECD, which aims to come up with an international tax by 2020. Scramble to settle Apple is the second major technology company to reach a tax deal with French authorities within the past year, reflecting the growing pressure from voters on governments to bring foreign companies to book. In February 2018, Amazon said it had settled a French claim for nearly 200 million euros and would start declaring all its earnings in the country, ending a dispute that had dragged on for years. In 2017, however, France's tax collection drive suffered a setback with a local court ruling that Google was not liable to pay 1.1 billion euros in taxes claimed on revenues transferred from France to Ireland. According to L'Express, the deal between France and Apple was clinched after several months of talks, and concerned the small amount of revenue the firm booked in France while the sales it reported in Europe ballooned. The report said Apple's European revenues exploded seven-fold, from 6.6 billion euros in 2008 to 47.7 billion in 2017, most of which was booked in Ireland where it has its European headquarters.

Apple agrees 500-million-euro tax settlement with France

Facebook has banned four insurgent groups fighting against Myanmar's military from its social network, the company said on Tuesday, saying it wanted to prevent offline harm by removing groups it branded "dangerous organisations".

The US-based social media giant says it has removed hundreds of accounts, pages and groups for links to Myanmar's military, or misrepresentation, since last August.

The action came after Facebook was criticized for not doing enough to prevent violent and hate-filled content spreading on its platform, which grew hugely popular in Myanmar just as conflicts in the country escalated.

The Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Kachin Independence Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army were banned, Facebook said in a statement on Tuesday, adding it would remove "praise, support and representation" of the groups.

"In an effort to prevent and disrupt offline harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or engage in violence to have a presence on Facebook," the company said.

The bans targeted only some of the ethnic minority insurgent groups in Myanmar that have battled for autonomy in conflicts that have raged on and off since shortly after Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948.

The four groups named by Facebook have not signed a government-led ceasefire agreement and have frequently clashed with the armed forces in recent years.

One group, the Kachin Independence Army, is one the strongest of the country's insurgent groups and occupies territory in the north.

Another, the Arakan Army, has been engaged in fighting in the west since December that has displaced more than 5,000. It launched attacks last month that killed 13 Myanmar border police.

ATTACKING CIVILIANS?

Facebook said there was "clear evidence that these organizations have been responsible for attacks against civilians and have engaged in violence in Myanmar, and we want to prevent them from using our services to further inflame tensions on the ground".

Khine Thu Kha, an Arakan Army spokesman based outside Myanmar, said his group "never attacked civilians".

Speaking via a messaging service, he questioned whether Facebook was siding with Myanmar's government rather than "standing on the side of minorities".

Mong Aik Kyaw, a spokesman for the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, confirmed the group's page was down, but declined to comment on Facebook's reasoning.

The removal would restrict the group's ability to "inform the public" about its activities, he said.

The other two groups were not immediately available for comment.

Some accounts related to Myanmar's armed forces were first removed last August after a UN fact-finding mission called for top Myanmar generals to be prosecuted for what it said was a campaign of mass killings and gang rape against the Rohingya Muslim minority carried out with "genocidal intent".

In 2017, the military led a crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents, pushing more than 730,000 Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies.

A Reuters special report in August found that Facebook failed to promptly heed numerous warnings from organizations in Myanmar about social media posts fuelling attacks on minority groups such as the Rohingya.

Facebook has banned four insurgent groups fighting against Myanmar's military from its social network, the company said on Tuesday, saying it wanted to prevent offline harm by removing groups it branded "dangerous organisations".

Facebook has banned four insurgent groups fighting against Myanmar's military from its social network, the company said on Tuesday, saying it wanted to prevent offline harm by removing groups it branded "dangerous organisations". The US-based social media giant says it has removed hundreds of accounts, pages and groups for links to Myanmar's military, or misrepresentation, since last August. The action came after Facebook was criticized for not doing enough to prevent violent and hate-filled content spreading on its platform, which grew hugely popular in Myanmar just as conflicts in the country escalated. The Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Kachin Independence Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army were banned, Facebook said in a statement on Tuesday, adding it would remove "praise, support and representation" of the groups. "In an effort to prevent and disrupt offline harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or engage in violence to have a presence on Facebook," the company said. The bans targeted only some of the ethnic minority insurgent groups in Myanmar that have battled for autonomy in conflicts that have raged on and off since shortly after Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948. The four groups named by Facebook have not signed a government-led ceasefire agreement and have frequently clashed with the armed forces in recent years. One group, the Kachin Independence Army, is one the strongest of the country's insurgent groups and occupies territory in the north. Another, the Arakan Army, has been engaged in fighting in the west since December that has displaced more than 5,000. It launched attacks last month that killed 13 Myanmar border police. ATTACKING CIVILIANS? Facebook said there was "clear evidence that these organizations have been responsible for attacks against civilians and have engaged in violence in Myanmar, and we want to prevent them from using our services to further inflame tensions on the ground". Khine Thu Kha, an Arakan Army spokesman based outside Myanmar, said his group "never attacked civilians". Speaking via a messaging service, he questioned whether Facebook was siding with Myanmar's government rather than "standing on the side of minorities". Mong Aik Kyaw, a spokesman for the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, confirmed the group's page was down, but declined to comment on Facebook's reasoning. The removal would restrict the group's ability to "inform the public" about its activities, he said. The other two groups were not immediately available for comment. Some accounts related to Myanmar's armed forces were first removed last August after a UN fact-finding mission called for top Myanmar generals to be prosecuted for what it said was a campaign of mass killings and gang rape against the Rohingya Muslim minority carried out with "genocidal intent". In 2017, the military led a crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents, pushing more than 730,000 Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies. A Reuters special report in August found that Facebook failed to promptly heed numerous warnings from organizations in Myanmar about social media posts fuelling attacks on minority groups such as the Rohingya.

Facebook targets 'dangerous' armed groups in latest Myanmar bans

Fifteen years after its founding, Facebook has made strides toward Mark Zuckerberg's goal of connecting the world. But it has also made some huge missteps that have turned some of its cheerleaders into vocal detractors.

The online social network founded on February 4, 2004, in Zuckerberg's Harvard University dorm heads into adolescence with the grown-up burdens of being held accountable for its behaviour and playing in a world where people may not always have the purest intentions.

Facebook has seen unprecedented success by amassing more than 2.3 billion people worldwide who actively use the platform to share updates, obtain information and connect with new people.

But it has also been battered by criticism that it was more focused on growth than protecting users or thwarting deception, bullying and harassment.

"This is a very powerful company that has created an addictive product that many people are dependent on," said author and analyst Josh Bernoff.

"Because of that, there is tremendous responsibility."

Facebook was hammered last year by a series of scandals over data protection and privacy and concerns that the leading social network had been manipulated by foreign interests for political purposes.

It has faced increasing scrutiny on how it collects vast amounts of personal data from users, and how it shares that information with partners to deliver targeted advertising.&nbsp;

'Confronting maturity'

"After the challenges of 2018, it is no longer lauded for its innovation. It is scrutinized and criticized for its every move," eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson said.

"Facebook at age 15 is confronting maturity. It's no longer just an upstart company."

Facebook is second only to colossus Google in worldwide digital ad revenue and is the owner of some of the most widely used smartphone apps.

The platform is behind free, stand-alone smartphone apps Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, each of which has more than a billion users.

Zuckerberg, 34, recently renewed his defense of the social network's business model, adamant that Facebook did not sell user data.

He maintained that the social network makes money from targeting ads based on what it learns about users, keeping the service free.

Bernoff saw Zuckerberg's latest defense as contending that Facebook is here to help people, and thus can be trusted.

"We have learned in capitalism that when companies get a lot of power and say they are doing what is best for you, we need to scrutinize them more," Bernoff said.

If history is an indicator, then Facebook's true threat could be a lifestyle shift to a different way of interacting with computers.

Bernoff questioned whether Facebook was positioning itself for the rise of smart speakers using the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

"The future is going to be increasingly related to voice, and to companies and individuals interacting through artificially intelligent agents," Bernoff said.

"As people change the way they interact with the world, there is no guarantee Facebook will have a place there."

He doubted whether people would turn away from Facebook due to trust issues, arguing that consumers are willing to trade a huge amount of data for a modicum of convenience.

Despite the wave of scandals, Facebook took in a record $22 billion profit for 2018 as revenues surged to $55 billion.&nbsp;

Motivated trolls

Facebook has acknowledged it needs to do more to restore trust, and ferret out misinformation and abuse.

It now has more than 30,000 people "working on safety" and invests billions of dollars in security, according to Zuckerberg.

"The trolls have a financial incentive to pervert the way Facebook works, and it is costly for Facebook to prevent that," Bernoff said.

And while Zuckerberg has connected the developed world, there is a lot of the planet he has yet to get onto the social network.

According to eMarketer, 46.7 percent of internet users, or slightly more than 23 percent of the world's total population, use the core Facebook app any given month.

"Facebook will need to make international growth a bigger priority this year and in the coming years," Williamson said.

Facebook also needs to be a leader in undermining manipulation and fake news, protecting user data and keeping up with consumers' changing communications preferences, according to the analyst.

Zuckerberg's personal goal for 2019 is to convene a series of public forums on how technology can better serve society.

"I'm going to put myself out there more than I've been comfortable with and engage more in some of these debates about the future, the tradeoffs we face, and where we want to go," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post outlining his goals.

Fifteen years after its founding, Facebook has made strides toward Mark Zuckerberg's goal of connecting the world. But it has also made some huge missteps that have turned some of its cheerleaders into vocal detractors.

Fifteen years after its founding, Facebook has made strides toward Mark Zuckerberg's goal of connecting the world. But it has also made some huge missteps that have turned some of its cheerleaders into vocal detractors. The online social network founded on February 4, 2004, in Zuckerberg's Harvard University dorm heads into adolescence with the grown-up burdens of being held accountable for its behaviour and playing in a world where people may not always have the purest intentions. Facebook has seen unprecedented success by amassing more than 2.3 billion people worldwide who actively use the platform to share updates, obtain information and connect with new people. But it has also been battered by criticism that it was more focused on growth than protecting users or thwarting deception, bullying and harassment. "This is a very powerful company that has created an addictive product that many people are dependent on," said author and analyst Josh Bernoff. "Because of that, there is tremendous responsibility." Facebook was hammered last year by a series of scandals over data protection and privacy and concerns that the leading social network had been manipulated by foreign interests for political purposes. It has faced increasing scrutiny on how it collects vast amounts of personal data from users, and how it shares that information with partners to deliver targeted advertising. 'Confronting maturity' "After the challenges of 2018, it is no longer lauded for its innovation. It is scrutinized and criticized for its every move," eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson said. "Facebook at age 15 is confronting maturity. It's no longer just an upstart company." Facebook is second only to colossus Google in worldwide digital ad revenue and is the owner of some of the most widely used smartphone apps. The platform is behind free, stand-alone smartphone apps Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, each of which has more than a billion users. Zuckerberg, 34, recently renewed his defense of the social network's business model, adamant that Facebook did not sell user data. He maintained that the social network makes money from targeting ads based on what it learns about users, keeping the service free. Bernoff saw Zuckerberg's latest defense as contending that Facebook is here to help people, and thus can be trusted. "We have learned in capitalism that when companies get a lot of power and say they are doing what is best for you, we need to scrutinize them more," Bernoff said. If history is an indicator, then Facebook's true threat could be a lifestyle shift to a different way of interacting with computers. Bernoff questioned whether Facebook was positioning itself for the rise of smart speakers using the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. "The future is going to be increasingly related to voice, and to companies and individuals interacting through artificially intelligent agents," Bernoff said. "As people change the way they interact with the world, there is no guarantee Facebook will have a place there." He doubted whether people would turn away from Facebook due to trust issues, arguing that consumers are willing to trade a huge amount of data for a modicum of convenience. Despite the wave of scandals, Facebook took in a record $22 billion profit for 2018 as revenues surged to $55 billion. Motivated trolls Facebook has acknowledged it needs to do more to restore trust, and ferret out misinformation and abuse. It now has more than 30,000 people "working on safety" and invests billions of dollars in security, according to Zuckerberg. "The trolls have a financial incentive to pervert the way Facebook works, and it is costly for Facebook to prevent that," Bernoff said. And while Zuckerberg has connected the developed world, there is a lot of the planet he has yet to get onto the social network. According to eMarketer, 46.7 percent of internet users, or slightly more than 23 percent of the world's total population, use the core Facebook app any given month. "Facebook will need to make international growth a bigger priority this year and in the coming years," Williamson said. Facebook also needs to be a leader in undermining manipulation and fake news, protecting user data and keeping up with consumers' changing communications preferences, according to the analyst. Zuckerberg's personal goal for 2019 is to convene a series of public forums on how technology can better serve society. "I'm going to put myself out there more than I've been comfortable with and engage more in some of these debates about the future, the tradeoffs we face, and where we want to go," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post outlining his goals.

Facebook at 15: A titan with grown-up woes

2004 to 2019: Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook turns 15

Facebook said Thursday it took down hundreds of accounts from Iran that were part of a vast manipulation campaign operating in more than 20 countries.

The world's biggest social network said it removed 783 pages, groups and accounts "for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour tied to Iran."

The pages were part of a campaign to promote Iranian interests in various countries by creating fake Facebook or Instagram identities as residents of those nations, according to a statement by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-removes-more-pages-accounts-with-russia-links-191006">Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook.</a>

"We can prove that this is content emanating from Iran; controlled by actors in Iran, and most of the content is reposted from Iran state media," Gleicher said during a press briefing.

"But, we are not in a position to directly assert who the actor is in this case."

The announcement was the latest by Facebook as it seeks to stamp out efforts by state actors and others to manipulate the social network using fraudulent accounts.

"We are constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don't want our services to be used to manipulate people," Gleicher said.

"In this case, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves, and that was the basis for our action."

The operators "typically represented themselves as locals, often using fake accounts, and posted news stories on current events," including "commentary that repurposed Iranian state media's reporting on topics like Israel-Palestine relations and the conflicts in Syria and Yemen," Gleicher said.

Twitter in the wings

Facebook's team looked for additional activity related to a large taken-down of Iran-linked content in August of last year and collaborated with Twitter which provided insights from the one-to-many messaging platform, according to Gleicher.

"This is an encouraging example of the kind of collaboration we are working to build across the industry," Gleicher said.

The operation dating back to as early as 2010 had 262 pages, 356 accounts, and three groups on Facebook, as well as 162 accounts on Instagram and were followed by about two million users.

About two million users followed at least one of these pages, about 1,600 accounts joined at least one of these groups.

More than 254,000 accounts followed at least one of these Instagram accounts.

Less than $30,000 was spent in total by the accounts on Facebook or Instagram ads, paid for mostly in US dollars, British pounds, and euros, according to the social network.

Facebook said the fake accounts were part of an influence campaign that operated in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US, and Yemen.

Facebook began looking into these kinds of activities after revelations of Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 US election, aimed at sowing discord.

Twitter meanwhile released a report on its efforts to curb manipulation during the 2018 US elections, noting that it blocked accounts originating in Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

Facebook said Thursday it took down hundreds of accounts from Iran that were part of a vast manipulation campaign operating in more than 20 countries. The world's biggest social network said it removed 783 pages, groups and accounts "for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour tied to Iran.

Facebook said Thursday it took down hundreds of accounts from Iran that were part of a vast manipulation campaign operating in more than 20 countries. The world's biggest social network said it removed 783 pages, groups and accounts "for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour tied to Iran." The pages were part of a campaign to promote Iranian interests in various countries by creating fake Facebook or Instagram identities as residents of those nations, according to a statement by Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook. "We can prove that this is content emanating from Iran; controlled by actors in Iran, and most of the content is reposted from Iran state media," Gleicher said during a press briefing. "But, we are not in a position to directly assert who the actor is in this case." The announcement was the latest by Facebook as it seeks to stamp out efforts by state actors and others to manipulate the social network using fraudulent accounts. "We are constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don't want our services to be used to manipulate people," Gleicher said. "In this case, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves, and that was the basis for our action." The operators "typically represented themselves as locals, often using fake accounts, and posted news stories on current events," including "commentary that repurposed Iranian state media's reporting on topics like Israel-Palestine relations and the conflicts in Syria and Yemen," Gleicher said. Twitter in the wings Facebook's team looked for additional activity related to a large taken-down of Iran-linked content in August of last year and collaborated with Twitter which provided insights from the one-to-many messaging platform, according to Gleicher. "This is an encouraging example of the kind of collaboration we are working to build across the industry," Gleicher said. The operation dating back to as early as 2010 had 262 pages, 356 accounts, and three groups on Facebook, as well as 162 accounts on Instagram and were followed by about two million users. About two million users followed at least one of these pages, about 1,600 accounts joined at least one of these groups. More than 254,000 accounts followed at least one of these Instagram accounts. Less than $30,000 was spent in total by the accounts on Facebook or Instagram ads, paid for mostly in US dollars, British pounds, and euros, according to the social network. Facebook said the fake accounts were part of an influence campaign that operated in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US, and Yemen. Facebook began looking into these kinds of activities after revelations of Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 US election, aimed at sowing discord. Twitter meanwhile released a report on its efforts to curb manipulation during the 2018 US elections, noting that it blocked accounts originating in Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

Facebook takes down over 700 pages for engaging in Iran-led manipulation campaign

Facebook Inc's photo-sharing social network Instagram is down for some users, according to DownDetector.com, a website which monitors outages.

DownDetector.com showed that there were over 32,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Instagram.

The photo-sharing social network started having issues at 7:21 p.m. ET on Monday (0021 GMT Tuesday), according to the DownDetector.com.

Instagram and Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Facebook Inc's photo-sharing social network Instagram is down for some users, according to DownDetector.com, a website which monitors outages. DownDetector.com showed that there were over 32,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Instagram.

Facebook Inc's photo-sharing social network Instagram is down for some users, according to DownDetector.com, a website which monitors outages. DownDetector.com showed that there were over 32,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Instagram. The photo-sharing social network started having issues at 7:21 p.m. ET on Monday (0021 GMT Tuesday), according to the DownDetector.com. Instagram and Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Facebook's Instagram down for some users

Google, Facebook, Twitter and Mozilla must do more to combat fake news as Europeans head towards an election or the companies will face the threat of regulatory action, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

Companies and trade bodies representing the advertising industry signed up to a voluntary code of conduct in October to ward off more heavy-handed legislation. Critics say not enough has been done since they signed up.

The European Union's executive said signatories to the code of practice had taken steps to remove fake accounts and limit sites promoting fake news but said more was needed.

"Now they should make sure these tools are available to everyone across the EU, monitor their efficiency, and continuously adapt to new means used by those spreading disinformation. There is no time to waste," EU Commissioner for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said.

European Parliament will hold elections in May while Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine all go to the polls in coming months.

Russia has faced allegations - which it denies - of spreading false information to influence the US&nbsp;presidential election and Britain's referendum on European Union membership in 2016, as well as Germany's national election in 2017.

The Commission called on Facebook to provide more clarity on how it uses its tools to fight fake news and told Google to expand its actions to more EU countries.

It said Twitter should provide more details on its measures while it said Mozilla's online browser should have more information on how it would limit details about users' browsing activities.

The Commission also lamented the absence of advertisers signing up to the pact.

Google said it had announced several measures such as disclosing whether political organisations or political issue advocacy groups were paying for European parliamentary election advertisements, and setting up a library with these details.

Google's Project Shield would help protect campaign groups and journalists from cyber-attacks, it said.

Facebook said: "The battle against false news is an ongoing one, and we need to work together with others in the technology industry, public authorities and governments to make continued progress."

Twitter said in a statement it had made several changes "including enhanced safety policies, better tools and resources for detecting and stopping malicious activity, tighter advertising standards, and increased transparency to promote better public understanding of all of these areas."

Mozilla had no immediate comment.

Google, Facebook, Twitter and Mozilla must do more to combat fake news as Europeans head towards an election or the companies will face the threat of regulatory action, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

Google, Facebook, Twitter and Mozilla must do more to combat fake news as Europeans head towards an election or the companies will face the threat of regulatory action, the European Commission said on Tuesday. Companies and trade bodies representing the advertising industry signed up to a voluntary code of conduct in October to ward off more heavy-handed legislation. Critics say not enough has been done since they signed up. The European Union's executive said signatories to the code of practice had taken steps to remove fake accounts and limit sites promoting fake news but said more was needed. "Now they should make sure these tools are available to everyone across the EU, monitor their efficiency, and continuously adapt to new means used by those spreading disinformation. There is no time to waste," EU Commissioner for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said. European Parliament will hold elections in May while Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine all go to the polls in coming months. Russia has faced allegations - which it denies - of spreading false information to influence the US presidential election and Britain's referendum on European Union membership in 2016, as well as Germany's national election in 2017. The Commission called on Facebook to provide more clarity on how it uses its tools to fight fake news and told Google to expand its actions to more EU countries. It said Twitter should provide more details on its measures while it said Mozilla's online browser should have more information on how it would limit details about users' browsing activities. The Commission also lamented the absence of advertisers signing up to the pact. Google said it had announced several measures such as disclosing whether political organisations or political issue advocacy groups were paying for European parliamentary election advertisements, and setting up a library with these details. Google's Project Shield would help protect campaign groups and journalists from cyber-attacks, it said. Facebook said: "The battle against false news is an ongoing one, and we need to work together with others in the technology industry, public authorities and governments to make continued progress." Twitter said in a statement it had made several changes "including enhanced safety policies, better tools and resources for detecting and stopping malicious activity, tighter advertising standards, and increased transparency to promote better public understanding of all of these areas." Mozilla had no immediate comment.

Google, Facebook, Twitter must do more against fake news: EU

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year.

The world's largest social network has faced pressure from regulators and the public after last year's revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of US users to target election advertising.

"We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorised, and we will display a 'paid for by' disclaimer on those ads," Facebook's recently-appointed head of global affairs Nick Clegg told a news conference.

Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October last year, said the new tools to be launched in late March aim to help protect the integrity of European Union elections due to be held this spring.

Facebook said that the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June, while the tools would be in launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both.

The tools are similar to those adopted for the US mid-term elections, Clegg said, adding that all political ads will be stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years.

This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location.

The new tools, which will be launched in March, will also cover 'issue ads' which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicised topics like immigration.

Facebook said it will also set up two new regional operations centres focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices.

Clegg denied that Facebook sells users' data.

"Selling people's information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, it would undermine the way we do business, because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers," he said.

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year.

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year. The world's largest social network has faced pressure from regulators and the public after last year's revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of US users to target election advertising. "We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorised, and we will display a 'paid for by' disclaimer on those ads," Facebook's recently-appointed head of global affairs Nick Clegg told a news conference. Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October last year, said the new tools to be launched in late March aim to help protect the integrity of European Union elections due to be held this spring. Facebook said that the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June, while the tools would be in launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both. The tools are similar to those adopted for the US mid-term elections, Clegg said, adding that all political ads will be stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years. This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location. The new tools, which will be launched in March, will also cover 'issue ads' which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicised topics like immigration. Facebook said it will also set up two new regional operations centres focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices. Clegg denied that Facebook sells users' data. "Selling people's information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, it would undermine the way we do business, because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers," he said.

Facebook tightens paid ads rules ahead of EU elections

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