In April-May 2019, a series of cyber attacks took place on around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts using a malware built by an Israeli company NSO. The spyware can be injected into phones simply by ringing the number of a target device.

WhatsApp reached out to people impacted by the cyber attack. Citizen Lab, a research group based at Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, volunteered to work with WhatsApp to understand the cyber attack and reached out to civil society targets. Among those who were targeted was our principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal.

He spoke to John Scott Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab on what comes next and how to be sure that there is no repetition of the attack.

 
WION: How big was the attack. How many people were impacted? The scale of the attack?

John Scott Railton: In this case, according to WhatsApp's announcement, around 1,400 were targetted and based on Citizen Lab's work, we can say, about 100 of them were members of the civil society. The company that WhatsApp publically names goes by the name NSO group. They sell power technology and carry out surveillance of people. Part of the problem of this technology is monitoring of people through there telephone, monitoring their encrypted telephone calls, snooping on their text messages, pulling away their private photographs and remotely turning on their microphones and listening to what is happening in the room. Part of the problem is that the sale and use of it is secret and very unaccountable. The case shows us when the government gets the ability to conduct unaccountable surveillance, they often go after very familiar targets like journalist, human rights activists and others.

WION: 1,400 people were impacted. How can we secure ourselves? What would you like to suggest?

John Scott Railton: There are steps everyone can take to be more secure and privately online. One of them is using an encrypted messaging service, it is clear after WhatsApp's lawsuit that they are not only working behind the scenes but have put their litigators where their mouth is and are going directly after the company which is targetting users. This is very unprecedented and a big win for human rights, that said, the existence of companies likes NSO creates this continued monitored cyber risk, around the globe. One of the most important things is that there are investigations and transparency on how these technologies are used and in some case, accountability is the best protection we have given how this powerful technology is.

 
WION: So can we say WhatsApp is hackable and is not secure? And will WhatsApp be able to make sure there are no repetition?

John Scott Railton: Anytime when there is a targeted, anytime there is a hack, inevitably people ask if this telephone, this service is secure... the honest answer is that there will always be groups trying to target you and your phone and depending on who you are and what you do. These groups may be very sophisticated or not which impacts how likely they are to be successful. At the end of the day, as an individual you chose what technology to use, based on if it will keep you safe and we have to understand looking at how companies behave, not only on day-to-day basis but on how they behave when things go wrong. In this case, WhatsApp users were targeted and WhatsApp not only worked behind the scenes to close vulnerability but took an unprecedented step, they went to the courts and put the litigators where their mouths are and went after the company which is contributing to the hacking. It is a very strong signal to the users and the general population that WhatsApp is working very hard to protect the privacy of the users. At the end of the day, no one can tell you, use this, it will be perfect; what is true is the fact that you have to use your own judgement and look at what happens not only when the day is good but also when there is a problem, and in this case, what WhatsApp has done is not only a win for their users but a win for human rights.

In April-May 2019, a series of cyber attacks took place on around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts using a malware built by an Israeli company NSO. The spyware can be injected into phones simply by ringing the number of a target device.

In April-May 2019, a series of cyber attacks took place on around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts using a malware built by an Israeli company NSO. The spyware can be injected into phones simply by ringing the number of a target device. WhatsApp reached out to people impacted by the cyber attack. Citizen Lab, a research group based at Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, volunteered to work with WhatsApp to understand the cyber attack and reached out to civil society targets. Among those who were targeted was our principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal. He spoke to John Scott Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab on what comes next and how to be sure that there is no repetition of the attack. WION: How big was the attack. How many people were impacted? The scale of the attack? John Scott Railton: In this case, according to WhatsApp's announcement, around 1,400 were targetted and based on Citizen Lab's work, we can say, about 100 of them were members of the civil society. The company that WhatsApp publically names goes by the name NSO group. They sell power technology and carry out surveillance of people. Part of the problem of this technology is monitoring of people through there telephone, monitoring their encrypted telephone calls, snooping on their text messages, pulling away their private photographs and remotely turning on their microphones and listening to what is happening in the room. Part of the problem is that the sale and use of it is secret and very unaccountable. The case shows us when the government gets the ability to conduct unaccountable surveillance, they often go after very familiar targets like journalist, human rights activists and others. WION: 1,400 people were impacted. How can we secure ourselves? What would you like to suggest? John Scott Railton: There are steps everyone can take to be more secure and privately online. One of them is using an encrypted messaging service, it is clear after WhatsApp's lawsuit that they are not only working behind the scenes but have put their litigators where their mouth is and are going directly after the company which is targetting users. This is very unprecedented and a big win for human rights, that said, the existence of companies likes NSO creates this continued monitored cyber risk, around the globe. One of the most important things is that there are investigations and transparency on how these technologies are used and in some case, accountability is the best protection we have given how this powerful technology is. WION: So can we say WhatsApp is hackable and is not secure? And will WhatsApp be able to make sure there are no repetition? John Scott Railton: Anytime when there is a targeted, anytime there is a hack, inevitably people ask if this telephone, this service is secure... the honest answer is that there will always be groups trying to target you and your phone and depending on who you are and what you do. These groups may be very sophisticated or not which impacts how likely they are to be successful. At the end of the day, as an individual you chose what technology to use, based on if it will keep you safe and we have to understand looking at how companies behave, not only on day-to-day basis but on how they behave when things go wrong. In this case, WhatsApp users were targeted and WhatsApp not only worked behind the scenes to close vulnerability but took an unprecedented step, they went to the courts and put the litigators where their mouths are and went after the company which is contributing to the hacking. It is a very strong signal to the users and the general population that WhatsApp is working very hard to protect the privacy of the users. At the end of the day, no one can tell you, use this, it will be perfect; what is true is the fact that you have to use your own judgement and look at what happens not only when the day is good but also when there is a problem, and in this case, what WhatsApp has done is not only a win for their users but a win for human rights.

'Cyber threat continues across the globe,' says group that helped WhatsApp reach out to people impacted by cyber attack 

Gravitas: Are there alternatives to apps like WhatsApp?

Who's To Blame For The Data Theft & Hacking In Online Platforms & Apps.

WION Edit: Date theft & hacking: What are the solutions?

Summarising The Details Of The NSO Group Which Is At The Centre Of The WhatsApp Hacking Scandal.

Gravitas: NSO Group - A tech firm running a surveillance operation?

WhatsApp Has Sued An Israeli Company - The NSO Group Which Has Been Accused Of Cyber Espionage.

Gravitas: WhatsApp used to hack smartphones: Israeli firm faces the heat

How NSO secretly transmitted malicious code to infect phones with spyware

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sources-of-whatsapp-other-online-messages-must-be-traced-supreme-court-251922">WhatsApp on Tuesday</a> sued Israeli technology firm NSO group for allegedly targeting "human rights defenders and journalists" as part of a concentrated cyber espionage campaign.

WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said a complaint has been <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whatsapp-threatens-legal-action-against-public-claims-of-messaging-abuses-226344">filed in a US federal court</a> "attributed to technology company called NSO Group."&nbsp;

"As we gathered the information that we lay out in our complaint, we learned that the attackers used servers and Internet-hosting services that were previously associated with NSO," Cathcart said in his blog, adding, "in addition, as our complaint notes, we have tied certain WhatsApp accounts used during the attacks back to NSO."

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Today <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatsApp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhatsApp</a> is taking a stand against the dangerous use of spyware. NSO Group claims they responsibly serve governments, but we found more than 100 human rights defenders and journalists targeted in an attack last May. This abuse must be stopped. <a href="https://t.co/iSMuwLa9yb">https://t.co/iSMuwLa9yb</a>
— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) <a href="https://twitter.com/wcathcart/status/1189250601525399552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful," Cathcart informed.

"It targeted at least 100 human-rights defenders, journalists and other members of civil society across the world. This should serve as a wake-up call for technology companies, governments and all Internet users," Cathcart warned.

Explaining how NSO reportedly targeted users, Cathcart said: "A user would receive what appeared to be a video call, but this was not a normal call. After the phone rang, the attacker secretly transmitted malicious code in an effort to infect the victim’s phone with spyware. The person did not even have to answer the call."

"Tools that enable surveillance into our private lives are being abused, and the proliferation of this technology into the hands of irresponsible companies and governments puts us all at risk," he said in his blog.

WhatsApp is used by some 1.5 billion people monthly and it uses a highly sophisticated end-to-end encrypted messages that cannot be deciphered by WhatsApp or other third parties.

"NSO has previously denied any involvement in the attack, stating that “under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating … of its technology.” But our investigation found otherwise. Now, we are seeking to hold NSO accountable under US state and federal laws, including the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act," Cathcart said.

The lawsuit seeks to have NSO barred from accessing or attempting to access WhatsApp and Facebook's services and seeks unspecified damages.

WhatsApp on Tuesday sued Israeli technology firm NSO group for allegedly targeting "human rights defenders and journalists" as part of a concentrated cyber espionage campaign.

WhatsApp on Tuesday sued Israeli technology firm NSO group for allegedly targeting "human rights defenders and journalists" as part of a concentrated cyber espionage campaign. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said a complaint has been filed in a US federal court "attributed to technology company called NSO Group." "As we gathered the information that we lay out in our complaint, we learned that the attackers used servers and Internet-hosting services that were previously associated with NSO," Cathcart said in his blog, adding, "in addition, as our complaint notes, we have tied certain WhatsApp accounts used during the attacks back to NSO." Today @WhatsApp is taking a stand against the dangerous use of spyware. NSO Group claims they responsibly serve governments, but we found more than 100 human rights defenders and journalists targeted in an attack last May. This abuse must be stopped. https://t.co/iSMuwLa9yb — Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) October 29, 2019 × "While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful," Cathcart informed. "It targeted at least 100 human-rights defenders, journalists and other members of civil society across the world. This should serve as a wake-up call for technology companies, governments and all Internet users," Cathcart warned. Explaining how NSO reportedly targeted users, Cathcart said: "A user would receive what appeared to be a video call, but this was not a normal call. After the phone rang, the attacker secretly transmitted malicious code in an effort to infect the victim’s phone with spyware. The person did not even have to answer the call." "Tools that enable surveillance into our private lives are being abused, and the proliferation of this technology into the hands of irresponsible companies and governments puts us all at risk," he said in his blog. WhatsApp is used by some 1.5 billion people monthly and it uses a highly sophisticated end-to-end encrypted messages that cannot be deciphered by WhatsApp or other third parties. "NSO has previously denied any involvement in the attack, stating that “under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating … of its technology.” But our investigation found otherwise. Now, we are seeking to hold NSO accountable under US state and federal laws, including the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act," Cathcart said. The lawsuit seeks to have NSO barred from accessing or attempting to access WhatsApp and Facebook's services and seeks unspecified damages.

WhatsApp sues Israel's NSO for alleged cyber espionage, targeting civil society worldwide

WhatsApp has sued the Israeli cyber surveillance firm NSO Group over claims that it hacked WhatsApp users earlier this year.

WION Dispatch: WhatsApp sues Israeli cyber surveillance firm NSO Group

Facebook is suing an Israeli cybersecurity company over claims it hacked WhatsApp users earlier this year.

FB's Whatsapp sues shadowy Israeli data firm

Protesters formed a human chain across&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;on Sunday, pressing a historic <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanese-protesters-gather-early-to-keep-pressure-on-government-257093">wave of demonstrations</a> against political leaders blamed for corruption and steering the country towards economic collapse.

With the crisis in its second week, there was no sign of moves by the government towards a compromise with protesters whose<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanese-government-faces-calls-to-resign-as-austerity-protests-spread-256599"> demands include</a> its resignation.

Reflecting financial strains unseen since the 1975-90 civil war, the millers association said wheat stocks were enough for just 20 days due to problems making foreign currency payments over the past two months.

Lebanon's banks will remain closed on Monday. They have been shut for eight working days out of safety concerns. Bankers and analysts also cited wide fears depositors will try to take out their savings when banks reopen.

Schools and many businesses have also shut their doors. Protesters have blocked roads across the country for days.

People from all sects and walks of life have flooded the streets for 11 days, furious at a sectarian ruling elite they accuse of plundering state resources for personal gain.

The protests, ignited in part by a government plan to tax WhatsApp calls, have swept&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;at a time of deep economic crisis. Efforts by the army to persuade protesters to unblock the roads have failed.

Amid a sea of Lebanese <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-lebanon-protestors-ditch-rioting-and-turn-revolution-into-rave-257684">flags and music </a>blaring from loudspeakers, people joined hands along coastal roads on Sunday, aiming to span 171 kilometres from the south to the north.

"What's happening is proof of how peacefully we are protesting, when you see people all holding hands and having one heart," said Nadine Labaki, an Oscar-nominated Lebanese filmmaker taking part in the chain in Beirut. "Today is a fateful day."

At the Vatican, Pope Francis offered his prayers on Sunday for young protesters in&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;and asked for the international community's support to keep the country a place of "peaceful coexistence".

The size and geographic reach of the protests have been extraordinary in a country where political movements have long been divided along sectarian lines and struggle to draw nationwide appeal.

"We're here to show the whole world that we are united," said Rasha Hijazi, joining hands with others in the southern city of Sidon. "Everyone is coming to stay united against the corruption we are living with in this country."

The millers association said the shortage of foreign currency has so far left three vessels unwilling to discharge the grain until payments are settled.

Asked in a WhatsApp message what was expected at the political level, one senior politician replied "deadlock". A second said "there are no new developments regarding the deadlock".

Lebanon's government is grappling with one of the world's heaviest public debt burdens at 150 per cent&nbsp;of GDP. It has declared an economic emergency to try to get its finances under control.

Ratings agency S&amp;P on Thursday placed&nbsp;Lebanon's country ratings on "creditwatch negative" on concerns about declining currency inflows.

It said deposit outflows totalled $2.1 billion for the first eight months of the year. The central bank's usable foreign exchange reserves are estimated to stand at $19 billion at the end of 2019, it said.

Lebanese authorities' inability to meet people's urgent demands could "further test depositor confidence," it added.

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's government announced an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facing-protests-lebanon-approves-emergency-economic-reforms-257484">emergency reform package</a> this week that has failed to defuse the protests. It has also yet to convince foreign donors to unlock billions in badly needed aid which they pledged last year.

Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said the government could not ignore the people's "cry" for a small, politically neutral cabinet and should comply with their demands before it is too late, the National News Agency reported.

He also urged protesters to allow freedom of movement and not to act "as if you are masters of the roads".

Protesters formed a human chain across Lebanon on Sunday, pressing a historic wave of demonstrations against political leaders blamed for corruption and steering the country towards economic collapse.

Protesters formed a human chain across Lebanon on Sunday, pressing a historic wave of demonstrations against political leaders blamed for corruption and steering the country towards economic collapse. With the crisis in its second week, there was no sign of moves by the government towards a compromise with protesters whose demands include its resignation. Reflecting financial strains unseen since the 1975-90 civil war, the millers association said wheat stocks were enough for just 20 days due to problems making foreign currency payments over the past two months. Lebanon's banks will remain closed on Monday. They have been shut for eight working days out of safety concerns. Bankers and analysts also cited wide fears depositors will try to take out their savings when banks reopen. Schools and many businesses have also shut their doors. Protesters have blocked roads across the country for days. People from all sects and walks of life have flooded the streets for 11 days, furious at a sectarian ruling elite they accuse of plundering state resources for personal gain. The protests, ignited in part by a government plan to tax WhatsApp calls, have swept Lebanon at a time of deep economic crisis. Efforts by the army to persuade protesters to unblock the roads have failed. Amid a sea of Lebanese flags and music blaring from loudspeakers, people joined hands along coastal roads on Sunday, aiming to span 171 kilometres from the south to the north. "What's happening is proof of how peacefully we are protesting, when you see people all holding hands and having one heart," said Nadine Labaki, an Oscar-nominated Lebanese filmmaker taking part in the chain in Beirut. "Today is a fateful day." At the Vatican, Pope Francis offered his prayers on Sunday for young protesters in Lebanon and asked for the international community's support to keep the country a place of "peaceful coexistence". The size and geographic reach of the protests have been extraordinary in a country where political movements have long been divided along sectarian lines and struggle to draw nationwide appeal. "We're here to show the whole world that we are united," said Rasha Hijazi, joining hands with others in the southern city of Sidon. "Everyone is coming to stay united against the corruption we are living with in this country." The millers association said the shortage of foreign currency has so far left three vessels unwilling to discharge the grain until payments are settled. Asked in a WhatsApp message what was expected at the political level, one senior politician replied "deadlock". A second said "there are no new developments regarding the deadlock". Lebanon's government is grappling with one of the world's heaviest public debt burdens at 150 per cent of GDP. It has declared an economic emergency to try to get its finances under control. Ratings agency S&P on Thursday placed Lebanon's country ratings on "creditwatch negative" on concerns about declining currency inflows. It said deposit outflows totalled $2.1 billion for the first eight months of the year. The central bank's usable foreign exchange reserves are estimated to stand at $19 billion at the end of 2019, it said. Lebanese authorities' inability to meet people's urgent demands could "further test depositor confidence," it added. Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's government announced an emergency reform package this week that has failed to defuse the protests. It has also yet to convince foreign donors to unlock billions in badly needed aid which they pledged last year. Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said the government could not ignore the people's "cry" for a small, politically neutral cabinet and should comply with their demands before it is too late, the National News Agency reported. He also urged protesters to allow freedom of movement and not to act "as if you are masters of the roads".

With Lebanon in deadlock, protesters form human chain

Lebanese government agrees to put reforms in action after protests

Tens of thousands of angry Lebanese took to the streets on October 18 blocking roads and burning tyres in a second day of nationwide protest to demand the removal of a political elite they accuse of looting the economy to the point of collapse.

Lebanon up in arms: Tyres Burnt, roads blocked

The Lebanese government faced calls to resign Thursday after thousands of furious demonstrators took to the streets across the country to protest dire economic conditions.

Public anger has simmered since parliament passed an austerity budget in July to help trim a ballooning deficit and flared on Thursday over plans to tax calls on messaging applications, forcing the government to axe the unpopular measure.

Across the country, demonstrators chanted the popular refrain of the 2011 Arab Spring protests: "The people demand the fall of the regime."

Protesters in the capital blocked the road to the airport with burning tyres, prompting a heavy deployment by security forces.

Near government headquarters in central Beirut, violent confrontations broke out between protesters and security forces as demonstrators tried to storm the building.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters after the Internal Security Forces (ISF) said clashes wounded 40 of its members.

Protesters also sparked a large blaze near the Mohammad al-Amin mosque in Downtown Beirut.

"We elected them and we will remove them from power," one protester told a local TV station.

"What unites us is the standard of living -- we are all destroyed," said another.

Besides the capital Beirut, protests erupted in the southern city of Sidon, the northern city of Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley, before spreading to other areas, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Choucair said that the government had reversed its decision to tax calls on messaging apps following the unrest.

The government is weighing a series of further belt-tightening measures it hopes will rescue the ailing economy and secure $11 billion in aid pledged by international donors last year.

It is expected to announce a series of tax hikes in the coming months as part of next year's budget.

Thursday's far-reaching protests prompted calls by senior officials for the government to resign, with influential Druze politician Walid Jumblatt saying he had urged the prime minister to step down.

Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan said the prime minister will deliver a speech on Friday.

"If this government falls, the government that will come after will not have better options," she said in a statement carried by NNA.

The education ministry said schools and universities would be closed on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Information Minister Jamal Jarrah had announced a 20-cent daily fee for messaging app users who made calls on platforms such as WhatsApp and Viber, sparking public outrage.

He told reporters after a cabinet session the move would bring $200 million annually into government coffers.

Lebanese digital rights group SMEX said the country's main mobile operators were already planning to introduce new technology that will allow them to detect whether users are trying to make internet calls using their networks.

"Lebanon already has some of the highest mobile prices in the region," SMEX said on Twitter.

The latest policy "will force users to pay for internet services twice", it added.

Growth in Lebanon has plummeted in the wake of repeated political deadlocks in recent years, compounded by the impact of eight years of war in neighbouring Syria.

"Most high-frequency indicators point towards a continuation of weak growth in 2019," the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.

Lebanon's public debt stands at around $86 billion, higher than 150 per cent of gross domestic product, according to the finance ministry.

Eighty per cent of that figure is owed to Lebanon's central bank and local banks.

Last month, banks and money exchange houses rationed dollar sales, sparking fears of a currency devaluation.

The Lebanese government faced calls to resign Thursday after thousands of furious demonstrators took to the streets across the country to protest dire economic conditions.

The Lebanese government faced calls to resign Thursday after thousands of furious demonstrators took to the streets across the country to protest dire economic conditions. Public anger has simmered since parliament passed an austerity budget in July to help trim a ballooning deficit and flared on Thursday over plans to tax calls on messaging applications, forcing the government to axe the unpopular measure. Across the country, demonstrators chanted the popular refrain of the 2011 Arab Spring protests: "The people demand the fall of the regime." Protesters in the capital blocked the road to the airport with burning tyres, prompting a heavy deployment by security forces. Near government headquarters in central Beirut, violent confrontations broke out between protesters and security forces as demonstrators tried to storm the building. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters after the Internal Security Forces (ISF) said clashes wounded 40 of its members. Protesters also sparked a large blaze near the Mohammad al-Amin mosque in Downtown Beirut. "We elected them and we will remove them from power," one protester told a local TV station. "What unites us is the standard of living -- we are all destroyed," said another. Besides the capital Beirut, protests erupted in the southern city of Sidon, the northern city of Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley, before spreading to other areas, the state-run National News Agency reported. Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Choucair said that the government had reversed its decision to tax calls on messaging apps following the unrest. The government is weighing a series of further belt-tightening measures it hopes will rescue the ailing economy and secure $11 billion in aid pledged by international donors last year. It is expected to announce a series of tax hikes in the coming months as part of next year's budget. Thursday's far-reaching protests prompted calls by senior officials for the government to resign, with influential Druze politician Walid Jumblatt saying he had urged the prime minister to step down. Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan said the prime minister will deliver a speech on Friday. "If this government falls, the government that will come after will not have better options," she said in a statement carried by NNA. The education ministry said schools and universities would be closed on Friday. Earlier on Thursday, Information Minister Jamal Jarrah had announced a 20-cent daily fee for messaging app users who made calls on platforms such as WhatsApp and Viber, sparking public outrage. He told reporters after a cabinet session the move would bring $200 million annually into government coffers. Lebanese digital rights group SMEX said the country's main mobile operators were already planning to introduce new technology that will allow them to detect whether users are trying to make internet calls using their networks. "Lebanon already has some of the highest mobile prices in the region," SMEX said on Twitter. The latest policy "will force users to pay for internet services twice", it added. Growth in Lebanon has plummeted in the wake of repeated political deadlocks in recent years, compounded by the impact of eight years of war in neighbouring Syria. "Most high-frequency indicators point towards a continuation of weak growth in 2019," the International Monetary Fund said Thursday. Lebanon's public debt stands at around $86 billion, higher than 150 per cent of gross domestic product, according to the finance ministry. Eighty per cent of that figure is owed to Lebanon's central bank and local banks. Last month, banks and money exchange houses rationed dollar sales, sparking fears of a currency devaluation.

Lebanese government faces calls to resign as austerity protests spread

Thousands of people demonstrated across Lebanon against the government's management of an economic crisis in one of the biggest protests in years, leading the Cabinet to pull a proposed new levy on WhatsApp calls.

Lebanon up in arms: Protests against Austerity measures

Anti government protests sweep Lebanon amid economic emergency

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-tightens-political-advert-rules-for-singapore-252233">Mark Zuckerberg</a> defended on Thursday his decision to encrypt the company's messaging services, despite concerns about its impact on child exploitation and other criminal activity.

The United States, Britain and Australia signed an open letter earlier in the day calling for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-justice-department-to-open-antitrust-investigation-against-facebook-252174">Facebook</a> to suspend its encryption plan, saying it would hinder the fight against child abuse and terrorism.

Zuckerberg, speaking in a livestream of the company's weekly internal Q&amp;A session, said he had been aware of child exploitation risks before announcing his encryption plan and acknowledged that it would reduce tools to fight the problem.

"When we were deciding whether to go to end-to-end encryption across the different apps, this was one of the things that just weighed the most heavily on me," he said.

Addressing an employee question about online child abuse, Zuckerberg acknowledged that losing access to the content of messages would mean "you're fighting that battle with at least a hand tied behind your back."

But he said he was "optimistic" that Facebook would be able to identify predators even in encrypted systems using the same tools it used to fight election interference, like patterns of activity and links between accounts on different platforms.

Watch: Facebook suspends thousands of Apps

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He also suggested the company might further limit the ways adults can interact with minors on Facebook's platforms.

Zuckerberg announced his plan to pivot the company toward more private forms of communication in March, capping months of internal debate over the merits of encryption, three sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

Inside the company, privacy engineers and others eager to shed the legacy of the Cambridge Analytica scandal saw the move as a win, as did product managers watching the steady uptick of growth at Facebook's encrypted messaging service WhatsApp.

But members of Facebook's safety team familiar with the child exploitation risks argued against the plan, raising deep concerns through the group's leaders and in large company meetings with senior executives, the sources said.

The United States, Britain and Australia said in their joint letter that they had engaged with Facebook on the issue, but that the company had not committed to addressing their "serious concerns" about the impact of its proposals.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also met with Zuckerberg and other senior leaders of Facebook, who offered assurances that child safety was important to them.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg defended on Thursday his decision to encrypt the company's messaging services, despite concerns about its impact on child exploitation and other criminal activity.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg defended on Thursday his decision to encrypt the company's messaging services, despite concerns about its impact on child exploitation and other criminal activity. The United States, Britain and Australia signed an open letter earlier in the day calling for Facebook to suspend its encryption plan, saying it would hinder the fight against child abuse and terrorism. Zuckerberg, speaking in a livestream of the company's weekly internal Q&A session, said he had been aware of child exploitation risks before announcing his encryption plan and acknowledged that it would reduce tools to fight the problem. "When we were deciding whether to go to end-to-end encryption across the different apps, this was one of the things that just weighed the most heavily on me," he said. Addressing an employee question about online child abuse, Zuckerberg acknowledged that losing access to the content of messages would mean "you're fighting that battle with at least a hand tied behind your back." But he said he was "optimistic" that Facebook would be able to identify predators even in encrypted systems using the same tools it used to fight election interference, like patterns of activity and links between accounts on different platforms. Watch: Facebook suspends thousands of Apps × He also suggested the company might further limit the ways adults can interact with minors on Facebook's platforms. Zuckerberg announced his plan to pivot the company toward more private forms of communication in March, capping months of internal debate over the merits of encryption, three sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. Inside the company, privacy engineers and others eager to shed the legacy of the Cambridge Analytica scandal saw the move as a win, as did product managers watching the steady uptick of growth at Facebook's encrypted messaging service WhatsApp. But members of Facebook's safety team familiar with the child exploitation risks argued against the plan, raising deep concerns through the group's leaders and in large company meetings with senior executives, the sources said. The United States, Britain and Australia said in their joint letter that they had engaged with Facebook on the issue, but that the company had not committed to addressing their "serious concerns" about the impact of its proposals. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also met with Zuckerberg and other senior leaders of Facebook, who offered assurances that child safety was important to them.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg defends encryption, despite child safety concerns

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped all the social media platforms for not being able to establish the original sender of messages.&nbsp; 
A bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta expressed concern over WhatsApp's inability in tracing message sources, adding that unregulated online media was a major concern.&nbsp;

During the course of hearing, justice Deepak Gupta remarked, "It is dangerous the way the technology is going. After the last hearing, I researched and found I could buy an Ak-47 on the dark web and in 30 minutes".&nbsp;

There has been massive concern over the spread of fake news, the government has been attempting to enable tractability of such messages but online messaging services like WhatsApp have maintained that they cannot do much as the messages are end-to-end encrypted which disallows privacy invasion. Visibly angered justice Deepak Gupta said he has denounced the use of smartphones, "I was thinking of giving up my smartphone and going back to the old way".

Expressing concern over the spread of fake news, the apex court asked the Centre to file an affidavit within three weeks to come up with social media guidelines without compromising individuals' privacy and protecting the sovereignty of the State.

“The originator (of fake messages) must be traced. At the same time, the sovereignty of the nation and the privacy of individuals should be maintained," said the bench.

The court was hearing a petition filed by social media giant Facebook Inc. for the transfer of the cases from High Courts of Madras, Bombay and Madhya Pradesh to the Supreme Court which sought to link Aadhaar with social media accounts.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped all the social media platforms for not being able to establish the original sender of messages. A bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta expressed concern over WhatsApp's inability in tracing message sources, adding that unregulated online media was a major concern.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped all the social media platforms for not being able to establish the original sender of messages. A bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta expressed concern over WhatsApp's inability in tracing message sources, adding that unregulated online media was a major concern. During the course of hearing, justice Deepak Gupta remarked, "It is dangerous the way the technology is going. After the last hearing, I researched and found I could buy an Ak-47 on the dark web and in 30 minutes". There has been massive concern over the spread of fake news, the government has been attempting to enable tractability of such messages but online messaging services like WhatsApp have maintained that they cannot do much as the messages are end-to-end encrypted which disallows privacy invasion. Visibly angered justice Deepak Gupta said he has denounced the use of smartphones, "I was thinking of giving up my smartphone and going back to the old way". Expressing concern over the spread of fake news, the apex court asked the Centre to file an affidavit within three weeks to come up with social media guidelines without compromising individuals' privacy and protecting the sovereignty of the State. “The originator (of fake messages) must be traced. At the same time, the sovereignty of the nation and the privacy of individuals should be maintained," said the bench. The court was hearing a petition filed by social media giant Facebook Inc. for the transfer of the cases from High Courts of Madras, Bombay and Madhya Pradesh to the Supreme Court which sought to link Aadhaar with social media accounts.

Sources of WhatsApp, other online messages must be traced: Supreme Court 

Social media giant Facebook has suspended 10 'anti-violence'&nbsp;Whatsapp hotlines of Hong Kong police, used by the force to obtain intelligence on the pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous region.

The hotlines were intended to serve as platforms for obtaining intelligence on the protesters'&nbsp;activities by observing the photos and videos shared by its members.&nbsp;

Less than 72 hours after their launch, Facebook stepped in and suspended these hotlines on grounds that the messenger app was intended for private messaging only, reported South China Morning Post.

A statement issued by a Facebook spokesperson on Friday stated that the terms of use of the app states that any non-personal use of the services was not allowed unless otherwise authorised by the company.

"WhatsApp is primarily designed for private messaging and we take action to prevent bulk and automated messaging," the statement read.

While the police have said that it 'decided'&nbsp;to suspend hotline on Friday because it received mixed reviews, South China Morning Post learnt that some of the hotlines were down as early as Tuesday and the police found them inoperable by Friday morning.

"Since the hotline started to operate, a large amount of information was received and at the same time, there were different opinions on the hotline," a statement by the police read.&nbsp;

"As a result, the police decided to suspend the hotline."

Notably, the statement added that the police will "continue to explore various channels to collect information for the prevention and detection of crime".

The report further cited a police source as saying that the plan to launch these hotlines had not been well-prepared by the police.&nbsp;

The view was echoed by another police source, who blamed the large volume of incoming messages, "as many as 10,000 at once," for alerting the social media company.&nbsp;

Social media giant Facebook has suspended 10 'anti-violence' Whatsapp hotlines of Hong Kong police, used by the force to obtain intelligence on the pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous region.

Social media giant Facebook has suspended 10 'anti-violence' Whatsapp hotlines of Hong Kong police, used by the force to obtain intelligence on the pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous region. The hotlines were intended to serve as platforms for obtaining intelligence on the protesters' activities by observing the photos and videos shared by its members. Less than 72 hours after their launch, Facebook stepped in and suspended these hotlines on grounds that the messenger app was intended for private messaging only, reported South China Morning Post. A statement issued by a Facebook spokesperson on Friday stated that the terms of use of the app states that any non-personal use of the services was not allowed unless otherwise authorised by the company. "WhatsApp is primarily designed for private messaging and we take action to prevent bulk and automated messaging," the statement read. While the police have said that it 'decided' to suspend hotline on Friday because it received mixed reviews, South China Morning Post learnt that some of the hotlines were down as early as Tuesday and the police found them inoperable by Friday morning. "Since the hotline started to operate, a large amount of information was received and at the same time, there were different opinions on the hotline," a statement by the police read. "As a result, the police decided to suspend the hotline." Notably, the statement added that the police will "continue to explore various channels to collect information for the prevention and detection of crime". The report further cited a police source as saying that the plan to launch these hotlines had not been well-prepared by the police. The view was echoed by another police source, who blamed the large volume of incoming messages, "as many as 10,000 at once," for alerting the social media company.

Facebook suspends 'anti-violence' Whatsapp hotlines of Hong Kong police

Christmas may still be a long way off, but Frankeiber Hernandez can barely wait for his parents to return from Peru in December.&nbsp;

They are among 3.6 million migrants who have fled Venezuela's economic meltdown since 2016, according to the UN. And he is one of the thousands of kids left behind -- growing up back home without parents.

Frankeiber was 16 when his mother left for Peru to earn money for the family. His father joined her the following year.

Since they've been gone, birthdays and other family occasions often end in tears.

"It's always very bad," says Frankeiber, now 18.

"Sometimes, I get depressed, but I keep hoping that they come back."

One in four Venezuelan migrants leaves at least one child behind, amid acute shortages of basic foods and medicines, according to NGO Cecodap.

"About 846,000 children could be in this situation," Cecodap director Abel Saraiba told AFP.

Raised on remittances

Grandmother Estelita is raising the teenager and his brother Fraiber, eight, with her husband in the rundown western Caracas suburb of Catia.&nbsp;

They survive on the dollars that the couple send back from Peru, where they work in a restaurant.

The dollar acts as a shield against crippling hyperinflation. Remittances from Venezuelans living abroad were worth around $3 billion over the past year, according to analysts Econanalitica.

Estelita, 58, says she is thankful to her daughter for the money, "but I'd rather have her here because she keeps telling me 'I'm losing my son's love.'"&nbsp;

Over time, Fraiber's conversations with his mother have diminished, and he's spending more and more time with his video games.

Children growing up without parents in the home experience irritability, depression and anger, says Saraiba.

'Miss you Mama'

There's Xavier, an 11-year-old who cries every night since his mother left a year ago, says his grandmother, Carmen Lugo.&nbsp;

"Mama I miss you," he writes in letters that he never sends.

Lugo has taken care of Xavier -- along with his two brothers and a cousin -- since her two daughters left for Madrid.

Lugo cooks and cleans for her grandchildren, and takes them to school every morning. At night, they sleep in the same bed because there's no other space.

The brutal force of Venezuela's meltdown is creating "transnational families" whose only links are WhatsApp conversations and remittances, says sociologist Claudia Vargas.

Child psychologists warn parents to avoid traumatising their children by promising them a hypothetical return that may never materialize.

Andreina, 15, has come to accept that she is not about to see her father come back from Costa Rica anytime soon.

She lives hoping to join her mother on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, just north of Venezuela.

"I would really like her to leave, not because she's a burden, but for her own wellbeing," says her grandmother Minu, her guardian for the past three years.

But it's not clear whether Andreina would be able to leave. Venezuelan law prohibits minors from travelling without at least one parent.

"I would be happy if I was with my mom. But I would be so sad because it would mean leaving my grandmother," says Andreina, who adds that her 64-year-old grandmother has become her "best friend."

Christmas may still be a long way off, but Frankeiber Hernandez can barely wait for his parents to return from Peru in December. They are among 3.6 million migrants who have fled Venezuela's economic meltdown since 2016, according to the UN.

Christmas may still be a long way off, but Frankeiber Hernandez can barely wait for his parents to return from Peru in December. They are among 3.6 million migrants who have fled Venezuela's economic meltdown since 2016, according to the UN. And he is one of the thousands of kids left behind -- growing up back home without parents. Frankeiber was 16 when his mother left for Peru to earn money for the family. His father joined her the following year. Since they've been gone, birthdays and other family occasions often end in tears. "It's always very bad," says Frankeiber, now 18. "Sometimes, I get depressed, but I keep hoping that they come back." One in four Venezuelan migrants leaves at least one child behind, amid acute shortages of basic foods and medicines, according to NGO Cecodap. "About 846,000 children could be in this situation," Cecodap director Abel Saraiba told AFP. Raised on remittances Grandmother Estelita is raising the teenager and his brother Fraiber, eight, with her husband in the rundown western Caracas suburb of Catia. They survive on the dollars that the couple send back from Peru, where they work in a restaurant. The dollar acts as a shield against crippling hyperinflation. Remittances from Venezuelans living abroad were worth around $3 billion over the past year, according to analysts Econanalitica. Estelita, 58, says she is thankful to her daughter for the money, "but I'd rather have her here because she keeps telling me 'I'm losing my son's love.'" Over time, Fraiber's conversations with his mother have diminished, and he's spending more and more time with his video games. Children growing up without parents in the home experience irritability, depression and anger, says Saraiba. 'Miss you Mama' There's Xavier, an 11-year-old who cries every night since his mother left a year ago, says his grandmother, Carmen Lugo. "Mama I miss you," he writes in letters that he never sends. Lugo has taken care of Xavier -- along with his two brothers and a cousin -- since her two daughters left for Madrid. Lugo cooks and cleans for her grandchildren, and takes them to school every morning. At night, they sleep in the same bed because there's no other space. The brutal force of Venezuela's meltdown is creating "transnational families" whose only links are WhatsApp conversations and remittances, says sociologist Claudia Vargas. Child psychologists warn parents to avoid traumatising their children by promising them a hypothetical return that may never materialize. Andreina, 15, has come to accept that she is not about to see her father come back from Costa Rica anytime soon. She lives hoping to join her mother on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, just north of Venezuela. "I would really like her to leave, not because she's a burden, but for her own wellbeing," says her grandmother Minu, her guardian for the past three years. But it's not clear whether Andreina would be able to leave. Venezuelan law prohibits minors from travelling without at least one parent. "I would be happy if I was with my mom. But I would be so sad because it would mean leaving my grandmother," says Andreina, who adds that her 64-year-old grandmother has become her "best friend."

Left behind: Venezuela's kids growing up without parents

Newly released US&nbsp;court documents show the United States issued a warrant for the seizure of an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-denies-giving-gibraltar-assurances-for-release-of-tanker-243388">Iranian tanker that British Royal Marines had seized</a> last month in Gibraltar, citing evidence that it was transporting oil to Syria in violation of US sanctions.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-says-tanker-freed-by-gibraltar-poised-to-set-sail-243333">oil tanker Grace 1</a>, the more than 2 million barrels of oil it carries and $995,000 are subject to forfeiture based on a complaint by the US government, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said in a news release on Friday.

The tanker was seized by British Royal Marines at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran.

In a court document obtained by Reuters, it said there was evidence that showed that the tanker was scheduled to arrive in Syria in early July.

"Charts and electronic equipment recovered from onboard the Grace 1, WhatsApp messages recovered from crewmembers' mobile devices, and crewmembers' statements revealed that the Grace 1 was destined for Port Banias, Syria in violation of US sanctions," the document said.

Watch: Gibraltar court releases Iranian oil tanker Grace 1

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Iran has repeatedly denied that tanker's destination was Syria.

"As we said earlier ... Syria was not its destination and we have upheld the same ... and reiterated that it was nobody's business even if it was Syria," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency on Friday.

Gibraltar authorities said on Thursday the US Department of Justice had applied to seize the tanker.

Washington had attempted to detain the Grace 1 on the grounds that it had links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it has designated a terrorist organization.

"The scheme involves multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC and furthered by the deceptive voyages of the Grace 1," Liu said. "A network of front companies allegedly laundered millions of dollars in support of such shipments."

"A seizure warrant and a forfeiture complaint are merely allegations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government," the news release said.

Gibraltar, which said it first received a US&nbsp;Department of Justice request to seize the Grace 1 tanker on Thursday, lifted the tanker's detention order later in the same day.,

But the vessel's fate was further complicated by a last-ditch US&nbsp;legal appeal to hold it.

The tanker shifted its position on Friday, but its anchor was still down off Gibraltar and it was unclear if it was ready to set sail soon.

The warrant for the seizure of the tanker, which carries 2.1 million barrels of oil, was issued by the US&nbsp;District Court for the District of Columbia and addressed to "the United States Marshal's Service and/or any other duly authorized law enforcement officer."

Newly released US court documents show the United States issued a warrant for the seizure of an Iranian tanker that British Royal Marines had seized last month in Gibraltar, citing evidence that it was transporting oil to Syria in violation of US sanctions.

Newly released US court documents show the United States issued a warrant for the seizure of an Iranian tanker that British Royal Marines had seized last month in Gibraltar, citing evidence that it was transporting oil to Syria in violation of US sanctions. The oil tanker Grace 1, the more than 2 million barrels of oil it carries and $995,000 are subject to forfeiture based on a complaint by the US government, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said in a news release on Friday. The tanker was seized by British Royal Marines at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran. In a court document obtained by Reuters, it said there was evidence that showed that the tanker was scheduled to arrive in Syria in early July. "Charts and electronic equipment recovered from onboard the Grace 1, WhatsApp messages recovered from crewmembers' mobile devices, and crewmembers' statements revealed that the Grace 1 was destined for Port Banias, Syria in violation of US sanctions," the document said. Watch: Gibraltar court releases Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 × Iran has repeatedly denied that tanker's destination was Syria. "As we said earlier ... Syria was not its destination and we have upheld the same ... and reiterated that it was nobody's business even if it was Syria," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency on Friday. Gibraltar authorities said on Thursday the US Department of Justice had applied to seize the tanker. Washington had attempted to detain the Grace 1 on the grounds that it had links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it has designated a terrorist organization. "The scheme involves multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC and furthered by the deceptive voyages of the Grace 1," Liu said. "A network of front companies allegedly laundered millions of dollars in support of such shipments." "A seizure warrant and a forfeiture complaint are merely allegations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government," the news release said. Gibraltar, which said it first received a US Department of Justice request to seize the Grace 1 tanker on Thursday, lifted the tanker's detention order later in the same day., But the vessel's fate was further complicated by a last-ditch US legal appeal to hold it. The tanker shifted its position on Friday, but its anchor was still down off Gibraltar and it was unclear if it was ready to set sail soon. The warrant for the seizure of the tanker, which carries 2.1 million barrels of oil, was issued by the US District Court for the District of Columbia and addressed to "the United States Marshal's Service and/or any other duly authorized law enforcement officer."

Court documents show US seeks seizure of Iranian tanker violating sanctions

The US Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/companies-using-facebook-like-button-liable-for-data-european-union-court-239226">Facebook acquisitions</a> were aimed at buying up potential rivals before they could become a threat to the social media company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company's acquisition practices are the main focus of the probe, as the FTC looks into Facebook buying technology-based startups to keep them from challenging it, the report said.

The world's largest social network has purchased nearly 90 companies since 2003, according to data provided by S&amp;P Global. Those include messaging service WhatsApp and image sharing app Instagram, both of which have since grown into social behemoths in their own right.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-to-lift-veil-on-facebook-google-algorithms-to-protect-privacy-238610">Also read:&nbsp;Now, Australia to 'lift veil' on Facebook, Google algorithms to protect privacy</a>

Facebook last week said the FTC had opened an antitrust investigation in June looking into the areas of "social networking or social media services, digital advertising, and/or mobile or online applications."

Both FTC and Facebook, whose shares Facebook shares fell 0.77 per cent declined to comment on the report.

The US Justice Department said on July 23 it was opening a broad review of major digital technology firms, looking into whether they engage in anti-competitive practices, a clear signal that President Donald Trump's administration is stepping up its scrutiny of the industry.

In June, Reuters reported that the FTC and the Justice Department, which enforce US antitrust laws, have divided oversight over the big four tech companies, with Amazon and Facebook under the watch of the FTC, and Apple and Alphabet Inc's Google under the Justice Department.

Last month, Facebook settled an FTC probe into allegations of inappropriately sharing data of 87 million users with the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook will pay a record-breaking $5 billion fine.

The company has increasingly relied on its acquisitions to power growth in recent years, as the number of new users signing up for its core "blue app" has tapered off in lucrative markets. According to its most recent figures, more than 2.7 billion people use one of Facebook's family of apps each month.

While Facebook does not release user or revenue figures for each service, executives presenting the company's earnings last week cited Instagram as a key driver of ad impression growth, the company's main source of revenue.

George Hay, a professor of antitrust law at Cornell University and a former Justice Department lawyer, said the FTC's investigation of Facebook is likely to focus on section two of the Sherman Act, which makes it unlawful to acquire monopoly power through improper means.

Facebook will likely argue that there were valid, pro-consumer justifications for its acquisitions, and Hay said it may be difficult for the FTC to prove the transactions undermined competition.

"It is a possible theory, but it is not a compelling theory," Hay said. "I think the FTC will do a thorough job but it is not obvious to me they will build a case out of it."

In Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike have expressed growing concern about the size of the largest tech firms and their market power. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called for breaking up companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook and unwinding prior acquisitions.

In July, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel pressed executives from the four firms about their competitive practices and noted that Google, Facebook, Amazon had a rising share of key markets.

Members of Congress have also expressed concern about Facebook's control of vast amounts of user data, citing the Cambridge Analytica scandal and a string of other privacy breaches.

It is rare for the US government to seek to undo a consummated deal. The most famous case in recent memory is the government's effort to break up Microsoft Corp. The Justice Department won a preliminary victory in 2000 but was reversed on appeal. The case settled with Microsoft intact.

The US Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Facebook acquisitions were aimed at buying up potential rivals before they could become a threat to the social media company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The US Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Facebook acquisitions were aimed at buying up potential rivals before they could become a threat to the social media company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company's acquisition practices are the main focus of the probe, as the FTC looks into Facebook buying technology-based startups to keep them from challenging it, the report said. The world's largest social network has purchased nearly 90 companies since 2003, according to data provided by S&P Global. Those include messaging service WhatsApp and image sharing app Instagram, both of which have since grown into social behemoths in their own right. Also read: Now, Australia to 'lift veil' on Facebook, Google algorithms to protect privacy Facebook last week said the FTC had opened an antitrust investigation in June looking into the areas of "social networking or social media services, digital advertising, and/or mobile or online applications." Both FTC and Facebook, whose shares Facebook shares fell 0.77 per cent declined to comment on the report. The US Justice Department said on July 23 it was opening a broad review of major digital technology firms, looking into whether they engage in anti-competitive practices, a clear signal that President Donald Trump's administration is stepping up its scrutiny of the industry. In June, Reuters reported that the FTC and the Justice Department, which enforce US antitrust laws, have divided oversight over the big four tech companies, with Amazon and Facebook under the watch of the FTC, and Apple and Alphabet Inc's Google under the Justice Department. Last month, Facebook settled an FTC probe into allegations of inappropriately sharing data of 87 million users with the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook will pay a record-breaking $5 billion fine. The company has increasingly relied on its acquisitions to power growth in recent years, as the number of new users signing up for its core "blue app" has tapered off in lucrative markets. According to its most recent figures, more than 2.7 billion people use one of Facebook's family of apps each month. While Facebook does not release user or revenue figures for each service, executives presenting the company's earnings last week cited Instagram as a key driver of ad impression growth, the company's main source of revenue. George Hay, a professor of antitrust law at Cornell University and a former Justice Department lawyer, said the FTC's investigation of Facebook is likely to focus on section two of the Sherman Act, which makes it unlawful to acquire monopoly power through improper means. Facebook will likely argue that there were valid, pro-consumer justifications for its acquisitions, and Hay said it may be difficult for the FTC to prove the transactions undermined competition. "It is a possible theory, but it is not a compelling theory," Hay said. "I think the FTC will do a thorough job but it is not obvious to me they will build a case out of it." In Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike have expressed growing concern about the size of the largest tech firms and their market power. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called for breaking up companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook and unwinding prior acquisitions. In July, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel pressed executives from the four firms about their competitive practices and noted that Google, Facebook, Amazon had a rising share of key markets. Members of Congress have also expressed concern about Facebook's control of vast amounts of user data, citing the Cambridge Analytica scandal and a string of other privacy breaches. It is rare for the US government to seek to undo a consummated deal. The most famous case in recent memory is the government's effort to break up Microsoft Corp. The Justice Department won a preliminary victory in 2000 but was reversed on appeal. The case settled with Microsoft intact.

US Federal Trade Commission probing Facebook's acquisition practices: Report

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-case-mediation-failed-to-yield-results-daily-hearing-from-august-6-240161">Supreme Court</a> has given the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/reserve-bank-of-india-to-cut-rates-again-in-august-as-doves-prevail-report-238360">central bank</a> six weeks to report on whether <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/whatsapp-to-roll-out-payments-feature-in-india-this-year-238593">WhatsApp</a> had complied with data localisation norms as the Facebook-owned messenger gears up to launch a payments service in the country, a person involved in the matter said.

WhatsApp has been testing a peer-to-peer payments service for over a year in India, its biggest market by users, but local data storage norms have delayed an official launch.

Foreign payment companies were caught off guard last year by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-seen-set-for-fourth-interest-rate-cut-of-2019-240215">Reserve Bank of India</a>'s (RBI) directive that said all payments data should be stored "only in India" for "unfettered supervisory access".

This June it clarified the rules saying foreign payment firms can process transactions made in India outside of the country but the related data should be brought back for local storage within 24 hours.

WhatsApp faced an additional hurdle as a Delhi-based think-tank, the Centre For Accountability And Systemic Change, alleged in a petition to the Supreme Court last year that the firm was not compliant with payments data localisation rules.

It is in regard to this petition that the Supreme Court has now asked the RBI to file a response.

WhatsApp did not immediately respond to a request for comment while the Reserve Bank of India declined to comment.

Last week, WhatsApp's global head Will Cathcart said WhatsApp was all set to roll out its payments service in India this year and that it was now in full compliance with the data localisation norms.

On Friday, the Supreme Court also asked the federal government to make clear, within six weeks, its position on whether the company's grievance officer should be based in India, according to the person.

WhatsApp has a California-based grievance officer who handles India-related issues. Current Indian rules do not mandate a tech company to have such an executive stationed in the country - a rule the government wants to change.

The country's technology minister has said in parliament that New Delhi is seriously considering that social media firms "be required to locate their grievance officer in India".

WhatsApp has previously said it is working on having a grievance officer based in India.

The Supreme Court has given the central bank six weeks to report on whether WhatsApp had complied with data localisation norms as the Facebook-owned messenger gears up to launch a payments service in the country, a person involved in the matter said.

The Supreme Court has given the central bank six weeks to report on whether WhatsApp had complied with data localisation norms as the Facebook-owned messenger gears up to launch a payments service in the country, a person involved in the matter said. WhatsApp has been testing a peer-to-peer payments service for over a year in India, its biggest market by users, but local data storage norms have delayed an official launch. Foreign payment companies were caught off guard last year by the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) directive that said all payments data should be stored "only in India" for "unfettered supervisory access". This June it clarified the rules saying foreign payment firms can process transactions made in India outside of the country but the related data should be brought back for local storage within 24 hours. WhatsApp faced an additional hurdle as a Delhi-based think-tank, the Centre For Accountability And Systemic Change, alleged in a petition to the Supreme Court last year that the firm was not compliant with payments data localisation rules. It is in regard to this petition that the Supreme Court has now asked the RBI to file a response. WhatsApp did not immediately respond to a request for comment while the Reserve Bank of India declined to comment. Last week, WhatsApp's global head Will Cathcart said WhatsApp was all set to roll out its payments service in India this year and that it was now in full compliance with the data localisation norms. On Friday, the Supreme Court also asked the federal government to make clear, within six weeks, its position on whether the company's grievance officer should be based in India, according to the person. WhatsApp has a California-based grievance officer who handles India-related issues. Current Indian rules do not mandate a tech company to have such an executive stationed in the country - a rule the government wants to change. The country's technology minister has said in parliament that New Delhi is seriously considering that social media firms "be required to locate their grievance officer in India". WhatsApp has previously said it is working on having a grievance officer based in India.

Supreme Court asks RBI to confirm WhatsApp's compliance with local data rules

WhatsApp, which has over 400 million users of its messaging service in India, plans to roll out its much-awaited payments service in the country later this year, more than a year after it began testing the offering here. The Facebook-owned company has been testing its payments service in the country since last year with about a million users, but could not launch full-fledged services as it has been awaiting regulatory approvals. Speaking at an event here on Thursday, WhatsApp Global Head Will Cathcart said the company's vision is to make sending money as easy as sending messages on the platform.

WhatsApp to roll out payments service in India later this year

WhatsApp will roll out its payments service in India this year following a year-long pilot, its global chief Will Cathcart has said, as the Facebook-owned messaging giant taps an upsurge in digital payments in its dominant market.

WhatsApp is ubiquitous across India, where data consumption is surging thanks to cheap internet, but a full launch of its payments feature had been delayed amid some false messages circulating on the platform that have led to mob lynching and more government scrutiny, according to local media.

The Menlo Park, California-based firm has also been trying to comply with Indian regulations including data storage norms that require all payments-related data to be stored locally.

"It's a regulatory approval question in India at this point," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday on the company's earnings conference call in reference to WhatsApp Pay.

"We're also working beyond India in a number of other countries and hope to have this rolled out to a large per cent of the people who use WhatsApp within the next year," he added.

WhatsApp now has about 400 million users in India, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, encompassing almost a third of India's population of 1.3 billion. The person did not wish to be named because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the media.

WhatsApp's payments feature would compete with a crowded market in India that includes Alphabet Inc's Google Pay, Softbank- and Alibaba-backed Paytm and Walmart's PhonePe, all of which are used, especially in cities, to pay for everything from groceries to Uber rides.

Digital payments, lending and e-wallet services have been growing rapidly in India, led by a government push to bring more of the country's cash-loving merchants and consumers into the formal economy.

"Payments services are critical to ... bringing millions more people into India's fast-growing digital economy," Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's global head, said in New Delhi on Thursday.

Cathcart was speaking at an event held to announce a tie-up with India's top government think tank NITI Aayog to promote women's entrepreneurship.

"We can't wait to provide this service to our users across India this year," Cathcart said.

WhatsApp will use India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) standard used by many other digital payments services, which is growing rapidly — UPI processed over 750 million transactions last month, rising from about 246 million a year earlier.

WhatsApp will roll out its payments service in India this year following a year-long pilot, its global chief Will Cathcart has said, as the Facebook-owned messaging giant taps an upsurge in digital payments in its dominant market.

WhatsApp will roll out its payments service in India this year following a year-long pilot, its global chief Will Cathcart has said, as the Facebook-owned messaging giant taps an upsurge in digital payments in its dominant market. WhatsApp is ubiquitous across India, where data consumption is surging thanks to cheap internet, but a full launch of its payments feature had been delayed amid some false messages circulating on the platform that have led to mob lynching and more government scrutiny, according to local media. The Menlo Park, California-based firm has also been trying to comply with Indian regulations including data storage norms that require all payments-related data to be stored locally. "It's a regulatory approval question in India at this point," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday on the company's earnings conference call in reference to WhatsApp Pay. "We're also working beyond India in a number of other countries and hope to have this rolled out to a large per cent of the people who use WhatsApp within the next year," he added. WhatsApp now has about 400 million users in India, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, encompassing almost a third of India's population of 1.3 billion. The person did not wish to be named because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the media. WhatsApp's payments feature would compete with a crowded market in India that includes Alphabet Inc's Google Pay, Softbank- and Alibaba-backed Paytm and Walmart's PhonePe, all of which are used, especially in cities, to pay for everything from groceries to Uber rides. Digital payments, lending and e-wallet services have been growing rapidly in India, led by a government push to bring more of the country's cash-loving merchants and consumers into the formal economy. "Payments services are critical to ... bringing millions more people into India's fast-growing digital economy," Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's global head, said in New Delhi on Thursday. Cathcart was speaking at an event held to announce a tie-up with India's top government think tank NITI Aayog to promote women's entrepreneurship. "We can't wait to provide this service to our users across India this year," Cathcart said. WhatsApp will use India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) standard used by many other digital payments services, which is growing rapidly — UPI processed over 750 million transactions last month, rising from about 246 million a year earlier.

WhatsApp to roll out payments feature in India this year

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-says-some-users-facing-outage-on-its-platforms-232843">Facebook</a> said it was "back at 100 per cent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world.

Online monitoring service DownDetector reported earlier the outage began around 1200 GMT and affected Facebook as well as its Instagram and WhatsApp services.

"The issue has since been resolved and we should be back at 100% for everyone," the company tweeted at 0006 GMT Thursday, adding they were sorry for "any inconvenience."

A Facebook spokesperson, also speaking on behalf of Instagram and WhatsApp, explained that a "routine maintenance operation" accidentally triggered a bug that made it difficult for users to upload or send photos and videos, US media reported.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-inc-chief-executive-mark-zuckerberg-says-delay-in-flagging-fake-pelosi-video-was-execution-mistake-230784">#Facebookdown and #instagramdown</a> were trending on Twitter as users around the world reported these apps were not functioning.

According to DownDetector, thousands of users around the world were reporting outages, with Europe and North America most impacted. Both individual users, as well as businesses and organizations, were affected.

"Yes, we are affected by #instagramdown, too," the CIA tweeted during the outage.

"No, we didn't cause it. No, we can't fix yours. Did you try turning it off and back on again?"

Earlier this year, an outage lasting as long as 24 hours that hit Facebook services was blamed on a "server configuration change."

The March 13 outage was believed to be the worst ever for the internet giant, which reaches an estimated 2.7 billion people with its core social network, Instagram and messaging applications.

The company did not immediately respond to an AFP query on Wednesday's outage. 
&nbsp;

Facebook said it was "back at 100 per cent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world. Online monitoring service DownDetector reported earlier the outage began around 1200 GMT and affected Facebook as well as its Instagram and WhatsApp services.

Facebook said it was "back at 100 per cent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world. Online monitoring service DownDetector reported earlier the outage began around 1200 GMT and affected Facebook as well as its Instagram and WhatsApp services. "The issue has since been resolved and we should be back at 100% for everyone," the company tweeted at 0006 GMT Thursday, adding they were sorry for "any inconvenience." A Facebook spokesperson, also speaking on behalf of Instagram and WhatsApp, explained that a "routine maintenance operation" accidentally triggered a bug that made it difficult for users to upload or send photos and videos, US media reported. #Facebookdown and #instagramdown were trending on Twitter as users around the world reported these apps were not functioning. According to DownDetector, thousands of users around the world were reporting outages, with Europe and North America most impacted. Both individual users, as well as businesses and organizations, were affected. "Yes, we are affected by #instagramdown, too," the CIA tweeted during the outage. "No, we didn't cause it. No, we can't fix yours. Did you try turning it off and back on again?" Earlier this year, an outage lasting as long as 24 hours that hit Facebook services was blamed on a "server configuration change." The March 13 outage was believed to be the worst ever for the internet giant, which reaches an estimated 2.7 billion people with its core social network, Instagram and messaging applications. The company did not immediately respond to an AFP query on Wednesday's outage.

Facebook services back online after worldwide outage

Cryptocurrencies live in a volatile, roller-coaster world, which Facebook is seeking to change with its new Libra digital money.

The new digital currency will be overseen by a nonprofit association and backed with real assets to serve as a reliable, stable form of globally accepted money that lives essentially on smartphones.

How do cryptocurrencies work?

To use <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/libra-facebook-unveils-cryptocurrency-meant-to-be-new-global-currency-228282">currencies like Libra</a>, people will need to install software referred to as a digital wallet.

Several digital wallets are available, but one called Calibra is being built by a Facebook subsidiary for Apple- and Android-powered smartphones and integrated with the social network's Messenger and WhatsApp mobile services.

This system "lets everyone store their money securely in their phone," Calibra vice president of product Kevin Weil told AFP.

A digital wallet chosen by the user is linked to bank accounts or credit cards for transfers or online transactions.

"The same way you can pick any browser to go on the internet, you can pick any digital wallet," Weil said.

What are the advantages?

Libra was released as an open ecosystem, so any business or service may accept it for payments. Financial institutions could also offer credit or loans in Libra.

"Imagine storing your life savings in your house; it is safer to take it with you on the go on your phone," Weil said.

Calibra, for example, could be used to send money to friends or family members in another country, or shop at stores online or in the real world the same way they might use Apple Pay or Google Pay.

More than a billion people already use WhatsApp and Messenger to communicate, so providing a way to send money makes sense.

"Over time, as the Libra ecosystem grows and Libra is built into products and services, there will be more things you can just do with Libra," Weil said.

How is cash converted to crypto?&nbsp;

People without access to banks could go to currency exchange or merchant to convert cash into Libra.

Once on a smartphone, Libra could be sent text-message style, with recipients having the option to save it in their own wallets for future use or convert it to their local currency.

"We make it easy to go back and forth to local currency," Weil said.

"If you are unbanked, you will have locations like money exchanges that operate with Libra."

Currency exchange fees would be market-driven, but likely less than remittance fees charged by businesses that wire funds.

Calibra has built-in fraud and password recovery protections, and there is a "know-your-customer" process that requires people to initially provide some form of government identification.

"This is people's money; we feel a huge responsibility to keep it safe," Weil said.

Cryptocurrencies live in a volatile, roller-coaster world, which Facebook is seeking to change with its new Libra digital money. The new digital currency will be overseen by a nonprofit association and backed with real assets to serve as a reliable, stable form of globally accepted money that lives essentially on smartphones.

Cryptocurrencies live in a volatile, roller-coaster world, which Facebook is seeking to change with its new Libra digital money. The new digital currency will be overseen by a nonprofit association and backed with real assets to serve as a reliable, stable form of globally accepted money that lives essentially on smartphones. How do cryptocurrencies work? To use currencies like Libra, people will need to install software referred to as a digital wallet. Several digital wallets are available, but one called Calibra is being built by a Facebook subsidiary for Apple- and Android-powered smartphones and integrated with the social network's Messenger and WhatsApp mobile services. This system "lets everyone store their money securely in their phone," Calibra vice president of product Kevin Weil told AFP. A digital wallet chosen by the user is linked to bank accounts or credit cards for transfers or online transactions. "The same way you can pick any browser to go on the internet, you can pick any digital wallet," Weil said. What are the advantages? Libra was released as an open ecosystem, so any business or service may accept it for payments. Financial institutions could also offer credit or loans in Libra. "Imagine storing your life savings in your house; it is safer to take it with you on the go on your phone," Weil said. Calibra, for example, could be used to send money to friends or family members in another country, or shop at stores online or in the real world the same way they might use Apple Pay or Google Pay. More than a billion people already use WhatsApp and Messenger to communicate, so providing a way to send money makes sense. "Over time, as the Libra ecosystem grows and Libra is built into products and services, there will be more things you can just do with Libra," Weil said. How is cash converted to crypto? People without access to banks could go to currency exchange or merchant to convert cash into Libra. Once on a smartphone, Libra could be sent text-message style, with recipients having the option to save it in their own wallets for future use or convert it to their local currency. "We make it easy to go back and forth to local currency," Weil said. "If you are unbanked, you will have locations like money exchanges that operate with Libra." Currency exchange fees would be market-driven, but likely less than remittance fees charged by businesses that wire funds. Calibra has built-in fraud and password recovery protections, and there is a "know-your-customer" process that requires people to initially provide some form of government identification. "This is people's money; we feel a huge responsibility to keep it safe," Weil said.

How cryptocurrencies can replace other pay options

WhatsApp has threatened legal action against those who publicly claim the ability to abuse its messaging platform, after the emergence of a raft of companies advertising products to bypass usage restrictions.

An investigation found in May that WhatsApp clones and software tools were helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions in the run-up to India's general election.

Until now, WhatsApp has focused legal action on abuses for which it had found internal evidence.

However, the Facebook-owned company said in a post titled "Unauthorised usage of WhatsApp" that from December&nbsp;7 it would take action even if an entity merely made public claims of an ability to abuse its platform.

The company said this "serves as notice that we will take legal action against companies" for such abuses. A WhatsApp spokeswoman did not specify what sort of legal action it could take.

Reuters in May reported WhatsApp was being misused ahead of India's general election through the use of free clone apps and via a $14 software tool that allowed users to automate the delivery of bulk WhatsApp messages.

Tools purporting to bypass WhatsApp restrictions have also been advertised in videos and online forums aimed at users in Indonesia and Nigeria, both of which held elections this year.

Some firms in India also offered the chance to send bulk WhatsApp messages from anonymous numbers via a website, Reuters found.

Fighting spam has been a major issue for WhatsApp, especially in India, where it has more than 200 million users.

Last year, false messages circulating on WhatsApp sparked mob lynchings in India, following which the company restricted the forwarding of a message to only five users.

WhatsApp said it will also continue banning accounts based on machine learning. WhatsApp says it blocks more than 2 million accounts per month worldwide for bulk or automated behaviour.

WhatsApp has threatened legal action against those who publicly claim the ability to abuse its messaging platform, after the emergence of a raft of companies advertising products to bypass usage restrictions.

WhatsApp has threatened legal action against those who publicly claim the ability to abuse its messaging platform, after the emergence of a raft of companies advertising products to bypass usage restrictions. An investigation found in May that WhatsApp clones and software tools were helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions in the run-up to India's general election. Until now, WhatsApp has focused legal action on abuses for which it had found internal evidence. However, the Facebook-owned company said in a post titled "Unauthorised usage of WhatsApp" that from December 7 it would take action even if an entity merely made public claims of an ability to abuse its platform. The company said this "serves as notice that we will take legal action against companies" for such abuses. A WhatsApp spokeswoman did not specify what sort of legal action it could take. Reuters in May reported WhatsApp was being misused ahead of India's general election through the use of free clone apps and via a $14 software tool that allowed users to automate the delivery of bulk WhatsApp messages. Tools purporting to bypass WhatsApp restrictions have also been advertised in videos and online forums aimed at users in Indonesia and Nigeria, both of which held elections this year. Some firms in India also offered the chance to send bulk WhatsApp messages from anonymous numbers via a website, Reuters found. Fighting spam has been a major issue for WhatsApp, especially in India, where it has more than 200 million users. Last year, false messages circulating on WhatsApp sparked mob lynchings in India, following which the company restricted the forwarding of a message to only five users. WhatsApp said it will also continue banning accounts based on machine learning. WhatsApp says it blocks more than 2 million accounts per month worldwide for bulk or automated behaviour.

WhatsApp threatens legal action against public claims of messaging abuses

Brazilians for the first time late Wednesday heard from the woman who says that football superstar <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/brazil-football-star-neymar-denies-alleged-rape-in-paris-223567&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj714f7nNTiAhXTgeYKHVZpCQAQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0mTLmhgxofGmcQuTfwQLeY">Neymar</a> sexually assaulted her at a Paris hotel.

Extracts of a televised interview with Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza, the alleged victim, aired just one hour before Neymar was about to enter the pitch for a friendly game between Brazil's national team and Qatar in the capital Brasilia.

"It was aggression together with rape," said the woman in an interview broadcast on the SBT network. The full interview is scheduled to air on Monday.

Trindade, who says she works as a model, acknowledged that she initially liked Neymar - full name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior -&nbsp;and wanted to have sex with him.

The football megastar paid for a plane ticket to bring her from Brazil and put her up in a Paris hotel.

Watch her TV interview:

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Things changed dramatically at their first encounter, Trindade said. "He was aggressive, totally different than the boy that I got to know on the messages.''

"Since I really wanted to be with him I said, OK, I'm going to try to handle this," she said.

After some kissing and caressing, she said, "he started to hit me ... then he began to hurt me a lot, and I asked him to stop because it hurt."

According to Trindade, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/depression-injuries-rape-allegation-and-more-heres-a-look-back-at-neymars-difficult-season-224188&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj714f7nNTiAhXTgeYKHVZpCQAQFjACegQIDhAB&amp;usg=AOvVaw26UNcGooXYCWWS8FrZsj6Z">Neymar </a>apologized, but then continued hurting her while they had sex.

Separately, the G1 news website reported that police have a video that Trindade recorded of an alleged second encounter between the two.

The contents were not made public.

Neymar, who was transferred to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a world-record 222 million euros ($248.5 million) in 2017, wrote on Instagram that the evening's game would be the most difficult of his career "due to the circumstances."

In the end, he only lasted 20 minutes in the game and limped off the field aided by two members of the team's support staff with an ice pack wrapped around his ankle.

Brazil's talk of the town

Since the scandal exploded over the weekend the story has dominated the news in Brazil, as fans fear that Neymar's troubles will affect their team's performance in the upcoming Copa America -- South America's continental championship, which Brazil is hosting and last won in 2007.

Brazil's national coach Tite said he had no plans to drop the striker.

"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-defends-neymar-against-rape-accusation-224846">Neymar </a>is a different kind of player that I'll want in the team until the last moment because of his talent," Tite said.

When asked how the striker was feeling, Tite -- visibly moved -- said: "I just want the situation to resolve itself, I'm not taking sides. I want it to be resolved by hard work"

Neymar, who insists on his innocence, published a video stating that he was the victim of entrapment.

In the same video he also posted intimate WhatsApp messages he said he had received from his accuser and photographs of her topless in a bed.

One of the most colourful phrases of the exchange was "Good morning, an object of my libido" - which has quickly become an online catchphrase across Brazil.

'Forgive that girl'

Brazil's football chief said Wednesday that Neymar would play in the Copa America, which kicks off on June 14, despite the rape allegations, although the late Wednesday injury may change those plans.

The scandal caps a troubled season for the player, on and off the field. It has been marred by a recurring injury, two separate suspensions for insulting a referee and hitting a fan, and the loss of Brazil's captaincy in the Copa. &nbsp;

Neymar's father has claimed his son was the victim of a blackmail attempt, which the accuser's former lawyers have rejected.

Adding to Neymar's woes is a police investigation into the publication of intimate information in his Instagram video without the woman's permission. Such an offence carries a maximum five-year jail term.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/neymar-accused-of-raping-woman-in-paris-reports-223525&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj714f7nNTiAhXTgeYKHVZpCQAQFjADegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2lhN4Lf6PX7xcxw3--v4B8">Neymar's </a>mother Nadine Goncalves posted an emotional message on Instagram on Tuesday urging her son to "forgive that girl" and "return to Jesus".&nbsp;

Brazilians for the first time late Wednesday heard from the woman who says that football superstar Neymar sexually assaulted her at a Paris hotel. Extracts of a televised interview with Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza, the alleged victim, aired just one hour before Neymar was about to enter the pitch for a friendly game between Brazil's national team and Qatar in the capital Brasilia.

Brazilians for the first time late Wednesday heard from the woman who says that football superstar Neymar sexually assaulted her at a Paris hotel. Extracts of a televised interview with Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza, the alleged victim, aired just one hour before Neymar was about to enter the pitch for a friendly game between Brazil's national team and Qatar in the capital Brasilia. "It was aggression together with rape," said the woman in an interview broadcast on the SBT network. The full interview is scheduled to air on Monday. Trindade, who says she works as a model, acknowledged that she initially liked Neymar - full name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior - and wanted to have sex with him. The football megastar paid for a plane ticket to bring her from Brazil and put her up in a Paris hotel. Watch her TV interview: × Things changed dramatically at their first encounter, Trindade said. "He was aggressive, totally different than the boy that I got to know on the messages.'' "Since I really wanted to be with him I said, OK, I'm going to try to handle this," she said. After some kissing and caressing, she said, "he started to hit me ... then he began to hurt me a lot, and I asked him to stop because it hurt." According to Trindade, Neymar apologized, but then continued hurting her while they had sex. Separately, the G1 news website reported that police have a video that Trindade recorded of an alleged second encounter between the two. The contents were not made public. Neymar, who was transferred to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a world-record 222 million euros ($248.5 million) in 2017, wrote on Instagram that the evening's game would be the most difficult of his career "due to the circumstances." In the end, he only lasted 20 minutes in the game and limped off the field aided by two members of the team's support staff with an ice pack wrapped around his ankle. Brazil's talk of the town Since the scandal exploded over the weekend the story has dominated the news in Brazil, as fans fear that Neymar's troubles will affect their team's performance in the upcoming Copa America -- South America's continental championship, which Brazil is hosting and last won in 2007. Brazil's national coach Tite said he had no plans to drop the striker. "Neymar is a different kind of player that I'll want in the team until the last moment because of his talent," Tite said. When asked how the striker was feeling, Tite -- visibly moved -- said: "I just want the situation to resolve itself, I'm not taking sides. I want it to be resolved by hard work" Neymar, who insists on his innocence, published a video stating that he was the victim of entrapment. In the same video he also posted intimate WhatsApp messages he said he had received from his accuser and photographs of her topless in a bed. One of the most colourful phrases of the exchange was "Good morning, an object of my libido" - which has quickly become an online catchphrase across Brazil. 'Forgive that girl' Brazil's football chief said Wednesday that Neymar would play in the Copa America, which kicks off on June 14, despite the rape allegations, although the late Wednesday injury may change those plans. The scandal caps a troubled season for the player, on and off the field. It has been marred by a recurring injury, two separate suspensions for insulting a referee and hitting a fan, and the loss of Brazil's captaincy in the Copa. Neymar's father has claimed his son was the victim of a blackmail attempt, which the accuser's former lawyers have rejected. Adding to Neymar's woes is a police investigation into the publication of intimate information in his Instagram video without the woman's permission. Such an offence carries a maximum five-year jail term. Neymar's mother Nadine Goncalves posted an emotional message on Instagram on Tuesday urging her son to "forgive that girl" and "return to Jesus".

Woman who accused Brazil's Neymar of rape gives details in TV interview

WhatsApp clones and software tools that cost as little as $14 are helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions set up by the world's most popular messaging app.

The activities highlight the challenges WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook Inc, faces in preventing abuse in India, its biggest market with more than 200 million users.

With fervent campaigning in India's staggered general election, which concludes on May 19, the demand for such tools has surged, according to digital companies and sources in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its main rival, the Congress party.

After false messages on WhatsApp last year sparked mob lynchings in India, the company restricted forwarding of a message to only five users. The software tools appear to overcome those restrictions, allowing users to reach thousands of people at once.

Divya Spandana, the social media chief of the Congress, and the BJP's IT head, Amit Malviya, did not respond to requests for comment.

Rohitash Repswal, who owns a digital marketing business in a cramped, residential neighbourhood of New Delhi, said he ran a 1,000 rupee ($14) piece of software round-the-clock in recent months to send up to 100,000 WhatsApp messages a day for two BJP members.

"Whatever WhatsApp does, there's a workaround," Repswal said during an interview at his small, two-bedroom house.

Reuters found WhatsApp was misused in at least three ways in India for political campaigning: free clone apps available online were used by some BJP and Congress workers to manually forward messages on a mass basis; software tools which allow users to automate delivery of WhatsApp messages; and some firms offering political workers the chance to go onto a website and send bulk WhatsApp messages from anonymous numbers.

At least three software tools were available on Amazon.com's India website. When purchased, they arrived as compact discs tucked inside thin cardboard casings, with no company branding.

WhatsApp declined a request to allow testing such tools for reporting this story.

"We are continuing to step up our enforcement against imposter WhatsApp services and take legal action by sending cease and desist letters to hundreds of bulk messaging service providers to help curb abuse," a spokeswoman said. "We do not want them to operate on our platform and we work to ban them".&nbsp;

WhatsApp clones

Modified versions of popular apps have become common as technically-savvy hobbyists have long reverse-engineered them. Tools purporting to bypass WhatsApp restrictions are advertised in videos and online forums aimed at users in Indonesia and Nigeria, both of which held major elections this year.

For Indian politicians, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter are key campaigning tools to target the country's near 900 million voters.

Two Congress sources and one BJP source told their workers used clone apps such as "GBWhatsApp" and "JTWhatsApp", which allowed them to cut through WhatsApp's restrictions.

Both apps have a green-colour interface that closely resembles WhatsApp and can be downloaded for free from dozens of technology blogs. They are not available on Google's official app store but work on Android phones.

WhatsApp describes such apps as "unofficial" and says its users can face bans, which means the company can block the account associated with a particular mobile number if it detects unusual activity. Some Congress workers said they did not care.

"WhatsApp occasionally bans some of these numbers, but the volunteers would use new (mobile) sim cards to sign up," said a Congress member with direct knowledge of the activities.

In Mumbai, a person in the social media team of a senior BJP candidate said no restrictions on JTWhatsApp meant his team could easily send forwards to up to 6,000 people a day, as well as video files containing political content which would be far bigger in size than allowed on the official WhatsApp service.

Reuters was not able to ascertain the overall scale of such activities and found no evidence that BJP and Congress leaders officially ordered workers to campaign this way.

'Business sender'

In New Delhi, digital marketer Repswal said he would typically charge 150,000 rupees ($2,161) for a month's service for creating digital content, providing a database of mobile numbers and then sending 300,000 WhatsApp messages.

He uses a piece of software named "Business Sender" which he said he also sells for 1,000 rupees ($14).

A person can add many mobile numbers in a field and compose messages with pictures. Using a so-called "Group Contacts Grabber" feature, the user can also extract a list of mobile numbers from a particular WhatsApp group with a click of a button.

Repswal didn't name the two BJP members he worked for, but in a demonstration for Reuters, added dozens of mobile numbers in the software, typed a test message saying "your vote is your right" and hit "send". Then, his WhatsApp web version started delivering the messages almost robotically, one after the other.

Business Sender was "not supported or endorsed" by WhatsApp and was developed by "Tiger Vikram Mysore INDIA", its system properties said.

A member of the software support team at Business Sender, Rajesh K., declined to identify the developer by his real name, but said the tool was designed in Lebanon about four months ago and takes advantage of what he called a "loophole" in WhatsApp's system.

"This is not rocket science or fabricated software," said Rajesh. "There are hundreds of such software available."

In April, when a Reuters reporter responded to a text message with an "Election Special" offer of sending 100,000 "bulk WhatsApp" messages for 7,999 rupees ($115), he was invited to an office in a dusty industrial area of Noida in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

"How many messages you want to send, tell us: 10,000, 1 million, 2 million," a representative asked, while showing a black-coloured, password-protected website they use for sending bulk WhatsApp messages.

WhatsApp clones and software tools that cost as little as $14 are helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions set up by the world's most popular messaging app.

WhatsApp clones and software tools that cost as little as $14 are helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions set up by the world's most popular messaging app. The activities highlight the challenges WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook Inc, faces in preventing abuse in India, its biggest market with more than 200 million users. With fervent campaigning in India's staggered general election, which concludes on May 19, the demand for such tools has surged, according to digital companies and sources in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its main rival, the Congress party. After false messages on WhatsApp last year sparked mob lynchings in India, the company restricted forwarding of a message to only five users. The software tools appear to overcome those restrictions, allowing users to reach thousands of people at once. Divya Spandana, the social media chief of the Congress, and the BJP's IT head, Amit Malviya, did not respond to requests for comment. Rohitash Repswal, who owns a digital marketing business in a cramped, residential neighbourhood of New Delhi, said he ran a 1,000 rupee ($14) piece of software round-the-clock in recent months to send up to 100,000 WhatsApp messages a day for two BJP members. "Whatever WhatsApp does, there's a workaround," Repswal said during an interview at his small, two-bedroom house. Reuters found WhatsApp was misused in at least three ways in India for political campaigning: free clone apps available online were used by some BJP and Congress workers to manually forward messages on a mass basis; software tools which allow users to automate delivery of WhatsApp messages; and some firms offering political workers the chance to go onto a website and send bulk WhatsApp messages from anonymous numbers. At least three software tools were available on Amazon.com's India website. When purchased, they arrived as compact discs tucked inside thin cardboard casings, with no company branding. WhatsApp declined a request to allow testing such tools for reporting this story. "We are continuing to step up our enforcement against imposter WhatsApp services and take legal action by sending cease and desist letters to hundreds of bulk messaging service providers to help curb abuse," a spokeswoman said. "We do not want them to operate on our platform and we work to ban them". WhatsApp clones Modified versions of popular apps have become common as technically-savvy hobbyists have long reverse-engineered them. Tools purporting to bypass WhatsApp restrictions are advertised in videos and online forums aimed at users in Indonesia and Nigeria, both of which held major elections this year. For Indian politicians, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter are key campaigning tools to target the country's near 900 million voters. Two Congress sources and one BJP source told their workers used clone apps such as "GBWhatsApp" and "JTWhatsApp", which allowed them to cut through WhatsApp's restrictions. Both apps have a green-colour interface that closely resembles WhatsApp and can be downloaded for free from dozens of technology blogs. They are not available on Google's official app store but work on Android phones. WhatsApp describes such apps as "unofficial" and says its users can face bans, which means the company can block the account associated with a particular mobile number if it detects unusual activity. Some Congress workers said they did not care. "WhatsApp occasionally bans some of these numbers, but the volunteers would use new (mobile) sim cards to sign up," said a Congress member with direct knowledge of the activities. In Mumbai, a person in the social media team of a senior BJP candidate said no restrictions on JTWhatsApp meant his team could easily send forwards to up to 6,000 people a day, as well as video files containing political content which would be far bigger in size than allowed on the official WhatsApp service. Reuters was not able to ascertain the overall scale of such activities and found no evidence that BJP and Congress leaders officially ordered workers to campaign this way. 'Business sender' In New Delhi, digital marketer Repswal said he would typically charge 150,000 rupees ($2,161) for a month's service for creating digital content, providing a database of mobile numbers and then sending 300,000 WhatsApp messages. He uses a piece of software named "Business Sender" which he said he also sells for 1,000 rupees ($14). A person can add many mobile numbers in a field and compose messages with pictures. Using a so-called "Group Contacts Grabber" feature, the user can also extract a list of mobile numbers from a particular WhatsApp group with a click of a button. Repswal didn't name the two BJP members he worked for, but in a demonstration for Reuters, added dozens of mobile numbers in the software, typed a test message saying "your vote is your right" and hit "send". Then, his WhatsApp web version started delivering the messages almost robotically, one after the other. Business Sender was "not supported or endorsed" by WhatsApp and was developed by "Tiger Vikram Mysore INDIA", its system properties said. A member of the software support team at Business Sender, Rajesh K., declined to identify the developer by his real name, but said the tool was designed in Lebanon about four months ago and takes advantage of what he called a "loophole" in WhatsApp's system. "This is not rocket science or fabricated software," said Rajesh. "There are hundreds of such software available." In April, when a Reuters reporter responded to a text message with an "Election Special" offer of sending 100,000 "bulk WhatsApp" messages for 7,999 rupees ($115), he was invited to an office in a dusty industrial area of Noida in northern Uttar Pradesh state. "How many messages you want to send, tell us: 10,000, 1 million, 2 million," a representative asked, while showing a black-coloured, password-protected website they use for sending bulk WhatsApp messages.

Lok Sabha polls 2019:  How $14 software tool helps overcome WhatsApp controls

A security flaw in WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, allowed sophisticated attackers to install spyware on phones, the company said Tuesday, in the latest trouble for its parent Facebook.

The vulnerability -- first reported by the Financial Times, and fixed in the latest WhatsApp update -- allowed hackers to insert malicious software on phones by calling the target using the app, which is used by 1.5 billion people around the world.

The FT cited a spyware dealer as saying the tool was developed by a shadowy Israel-based firm called the NSO Group, which has been accused of helping governments from the Middle East to Mexico snoop on activists and journalists. Security researchers said the malicious code bore similarities to other tech developed by the firm, according to The New York Times.

The latest exploit -- which impacts Android devices and Apple's iPhones, among others -- was discovered earlier this month and WhatsApp scrambled to fix it, rolling out an update in less than 10 days.

"WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices," a spokesperson said in a statement to AFP.

The firm did not comment on the number of users affected or who targeted them and said it had reported the matter to US authorities.

The breach is the latest in a series of issues troubling WhatsApp's parent<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-rejects-co-founder-call-for-breakup-senator-urges-us-antitrust-probe-217697/amp"> Facebook</a>, which has faced intense criticism for allowing its users' data to be harvested by research companies and over its slow response to Russia using the platform as a means to spread disinformation during the 2016 US election campaign.

Highly invasive software&nbsp;

The WhatsApp spyware is sophisticated and "would be available to only advanced and highly motivated actors", the company said, adding that a "select number of users were targeted".

"This attack has all the hallmarks of a private company that works with a number of governments around the world" according to initial investigations, it added but did not name the firm.

WhatsApp has briefed human rights organizations on the matter but did not identify them.

The Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto, said in a tweet it believed an attacker tried to target a human rights lawyer as recently as Sunday using this flaw but was blocked by WhatsApp.

The NSO Group came to prominence in 2016 when researchers accused it of helping spy on an activist in the United Arab Emirates. Its best-known product is Pegasus, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target's phone camera and microphone, and access data on it.

The firm said Tuesday that it only licenses its software to governments for "fighting crime and terror".

The NSO Group "does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions", it said in a statement to AFP.

"We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system."

A security flaw in WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, allowed sophisticated attackers to install spyware on phones, the company said Tuesday, in the latest trouble for its parent Facebook.

A security flaw in WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, allowed sophisticated attackers to install spyware on phones, the company said Tuesday, in the latest trouble for its parent Facebook. The vulnerability -- first reported by the Financial Times, and fixed in the latest WhatsApp update -- allowed hackers to insert malicious software on phones by calling the target using the app, which is used by 1.5 billion people around the world. The FT cited a spyware dealer as saying the tool was developed by a shadowy Israel-based firm called the NSO Group, which has been accused of helping governments from the Middle East to Mexico snoop on activists and journalists. Security researchers said the malicious code bore similarities to other tech developed by the firm, according to The New York Times. The latest exploit -- which impacts Android devices and Apple's iPhones, among others -- was discovered earlier this month and WhatsApp scrambled to fix it, rolling out an update in less than 10 days. "WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices," a spokesperson said in a statement to AFP. The firm did not comment on the number of users affected or who targeted them and said it had reported the matter to US authorities. The breach is the latest in a series of issues troubling WhatsApp's parent Facebook, which has faced intense criticism for allowing its users' data to be harvested by research companies and over its slow response to Russia using the platform as a means to spread disinformation during the 2016 US election campaign. Highly invasive software The WhatsApp spyware is sophisticated and "would be available to only advanced and highly motivated actors", the company said, adding that a "select number of users were targeted". "This attack has all the hallmarks of a private company that works with a number of governments around the world" according to initial investigations, it added but did not name the firm. WhatsApp has briefed human rights organizations on the matter but did not identify them. The Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto, said in a tweet it believed an attacker tried to target a human rights lawyer as recently as Sunday using this flaw but was blocked by WhatsApp. The NSO Group came to prominence in 2016 when researchers accused it of helping spy on an activist in the United Arab Emirates. Its best-known product is Pegasus, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target's phone camera and microphone, and access data on it. The firm said Tuesday that it only licenses its software to governments for "fighting crime and terror". The NSO Group "does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions", it said in a statement to AFP. "We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system."

Hackers exploited WhatsApp flaw to install spyware

Facebook's WhatsApp said on Tuesday a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hackers-exploited-whatsapp-flaw-to-install-spyware-218655">security breach on its messaging app</a> had signs of coming from a private company working on surveillance and it had referred the incident to the US Department of Justice.

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging tools, is used by 1.5 billion people monthly and it has touted its high level of security and privacy, with messages on its platform being encrypted end to end so that WhatsApp and third parties cannot read or listen to them.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-israel-spyware-firm-nso-operates-in-shadowy-cyber-world-218782">Also Read:&nbsp;How Israeli spyware firm NSO operates in shadowy cyber world</a>

A WhatsApp spokesman said the attack was sophisticated and had all the hallmarks of a "private company working with governments on surveillance."

"WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices," a spokesman said.

"We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users," he said. WhatsApp did not elaborate further.

WhatsApp informed its lead regulator in the European Union, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), of a "serious security vulnerability" on its platform.

"The DPC understands that the vulnerability may have enabled a malicious actor to install unauthorised software and gain access to personal data on devices which have WhatsApp installed," the regulator said in a statement.

"WhatsApp are still investigating as to whether any WhatsApp EU user data has been affected as a result of this incident," the DPC said, adding that WhatsApp informed it of the incident late on Monday.

Cybersecurity experts said the vast majority of users were unlikely to have been affected.

Scott Storey, a senior lecturer in cybersecurity at Sheffield Hallam University, believes most WhatsApp users were not affected since this appears to be governments targeting specific people, mainly human rights campaigners.

"For the average end user, it's not something to really worry about," he said, adding that WhatsApp found the vulnerability and quickly fixed it. "This isn't someone trying to steal private messages or personal details."

Storey said that disclosing vulnerabilities is a good thing and likely would lead to other services looking at their security.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app's phone call function.

It said the spyware was developed by Israeli cyber surveillance company NSO Group -&nbsp;best known for its mobile surveillance tools -&nbsp;and affects both Android and iPhones. The FT said WhatsApp could not yet give an estimate of how many phones were targeted.

The FT reported that teams of engineers had worked around the clock in San Francisco and London to close the vulnerability and it began rolling out a fix to its servers on Friday last week and issued a patch for customers on Monday.

Asked about the report, NSO said its technology is licensed to authorised government agencies "for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror," and that it does not operate the system itself while having a rigorous licensing and vetting process.

"We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system. Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies," the company said.

Social media giant Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes last week wrote in The New York Times that fellow co-founder Mark Zuckerberg had far too much influence by controlling Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, three core communications platforms, and called for the company to be broken up.

Facebook's shares were up 0.8 per cent at $183.02 in pre-market trading.

Facebook's WhatsApp said on Tuesday a security breach on its messaging app had signs of coming from a private company working on surveillance and it had referred the incident to the US Department of Justice.

Facebook's WhatsApp said on Tuesday a security breach on its messaging app had signs of coming from a private company working on surveillance and it had referred the incident to the US Department of Justice. WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging tools, is used by 1.5 billion people monthly and it has touted its high level of security and privacy, with messages on its platform being encrypted end to end so that WhatsApp and third parties cannot read or listen to them. Also Read: How Israeli spyware firm NSO operates in shadowy cyber world A WhatsApp spokesman said the attack was sophisticated and had all the hallmarks of a "private company working with governments on surveillance." "WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices," a spokesman said. "We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users," he said. WhatsApp did not elaborate further. WhatsApp informed its lead regulator in the European Union, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), of a "serious security vulnerability" on its platform. "The DPC understands that the vulnerability may have enabled a malicious actor to install unauthorised software and gain access to personal data on devices which have WhatsApp installed," the regulator said in a statement. "WhatsApp are still investigating as to whether any WhatsApp EU user data has been affected as a result of this incident," the DPC said, adding that WhatsApp informed it of the incident late on Monday. Cybersecurity experts said the vast majority of users were unlikely to have been affected. Scott Storey, a senior lecturer in cybersecurity at Sheffield Hallam University, believes most WhatsApp users were not affected since this appears to be governments targeting specific people, mainly human rights campaigners. "For the average end user, it's not something to really worry about," he said, adding that WhatsApp found the vulnerability and quickly fixed it. "This isn't someone trying to steal private messages or personal details." Storey said that disclosing vulnerabilities is a good thing and likely would lead to other services looking at their security. Earlier, the Financial Times reported that a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app's phone call function. It said the spyware was developed by Israeli cyber surveillance company NSO Group - best known for its mobile surveillance tools - and affects both Android and iPhones. The FT said WhatsApp could not yet give an estimate of how many phones were targeted. The FT reported that teams of engineers had worked around the clock in San Francisco and London to close the vulnerability and it began rolling out a fix to its servers on Friday last week and issued a patch for customers on Monday. Asked about the report, NSO said its technology is licensed to authorised government agencies "for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror," and that it does not operate the system itself while having a rigorous licensing and vetting process. "We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system. Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies," the company said. Social media giant Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes last week wrote in The New York Times that fellow co-founder Mark Zuckerberg had far too much influence by controlling Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, three core communications platforms, and called for the company to be broken up. Facebook's shares were up 0.8 per cent at $183.02 in pre-market trading.

WhatsApp refers security breach to US justice department

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