US political leadership including the President, White House, and others creates accounts on Meta's Threads platform
News Mobile Apps
Global Smartphone Market Grows After Two Year Slump – Counterpoint
Global smartphone market returned to growth in October after a slump of more than two years, new research from Counterpoint finds
IBM Pulls Advertising From X/Twitter, Amid Nazi Content Row
Another big name suspends advertising on X (aka Twitter), after its ads appeared next to posts praising Adolf Hitler and Nazis
GM’s Cruise To Withdraw All Vehicles From Public Roads
Confirmation from Cruise that all its autonomous cars have now been withdrawn from all public roads in the United States
Meta Says App Stores Should Get Parental Approval For Under-16 App Installs
As the US Senate examines Meta's protection children, firm calls for federal law for App Stores to approve app downloads for under-16s
Apple To Allow European Side Loading Of iPhone Apps – Report
EU legislation could mean Apple will allow European iPhone users to 'side load' apps from outside of Apple's official app store
Wikileaks Founder Says X (Twitter) ‘Overrun By Trolls, Lunatics’
Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales says “a lot of thoughtful and serious people are fleeing Twitter” since Elon Musk takeover of platform
Alphabet Pays Apple 36 Percent Of Safari Search Revenue
CEO Sundar Pichai confirms Google pays Apple 36 percent of Safari search revenue, as part of its default search agreement
Government Tells Delivery Apps To Tighten Account Controls
Government calls delivery apps Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eat to round table discussion over issue of illegal account sharing
Google, Microsoft Will Not Challenge EU DMA Gatekeeper Designation
Google, Microsoft say they will not challenge EU's designation of their services as 'gatekeepers', but other appeals likely on the way
Omegle Shuts Down After Misuse Complaints
Founder announces Omegle shutdown after years of complaints by child campaigners about risks of random chats with strangers
ChatGPT Back Online After “Major Outage”
OpenAI's ChatGPT service is back online after “major outage” on Wednesday afternoon that lasted just short of two hours
Amazon Includes Medical Discount With Prime Membership
Amazon Prime membership is being enhanced for customers in the US, with discount for Medical One healthcare service
Meta Restricts AI Tools For Political Ads In Deepfake Clampdown
Next year Meta says advertisers will have to disclose when AI tools are used for political, social or election related advertisements
Bumble Chief Whitney Wolfe Herd To Step Down
Whitney Wolfe Herd, chief executive and founder of women-first dating app Bumble, to step down after nearly 10 years
Epic And Google Go To Court Over App Store Fees
Epic Games takes Google to court with antitrust claims over Play Store fees, arguing company faces 'no meaningful competition'
Apple Disappoints As FY23 Results Decline
Declines for Mac, iPads and wearables, home and accessories, plus gloomy holiday season outlook, dents Apple's Q4 and full year results
Europe Expands Ban On Meta’s ‘Behavioural Ad’ Practices
Ban on Meta's 'behavioural advertising' practices has been expanded by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
Apple Watch To Include Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnoea Detection – Report
Forthcoming Apple Watch to include two notable healthcare functions, with coaching and health services also reportedly in the mix
Netherlands Challenges Apple Over App Store Commissions
Dutch competition regulator challenging Apple App Store commission fees in court, in move that could have broad implications
Meta Offers Paid Ad-Free Subscription For Facebook, Instagram
Facebook and Instagram to offer a paid subscription in Europe in return for no adverts, costing from 9.99 euros (£8.73) per month
Google Maps Utilises AI For Immersive View Tool
The use of AI by Google Maps utilised for launch of Immersive View tool, so users can preview their travel routes
Online Safety Act Becomes Law In Blow To Campaigners
Online Safety Act receives Royal Assent, and government claims it will make the UK safest place in the world to be online
Elon Musk’s X Deploys Audio, Video Calling Option
WhatsApp worried? Elon Musk's 'everything app' ambition continues with video, voice calling addition to X (Twitter)
Meta Profit Soars From Ongoing Strong Ad Spending
Meta Platforms beats expectations in its Q3 financials, helped by an ongoing uptick in digital ad spend and cost cutting measures
Alphabet Profits But Cloud Sales Disappoints
Share price drops after Google Cloud miss, overshadows better-than-expected results for Alphabet's third quarter
Microsoft Q1 Benefits From Cloud Strength
Microsoft beats Wall Street expectations in all categories for its first quarter financial results, helped by strong cloud performance
Meta Sued By US States Over Harm To Children
Dozens of US states sue Meta Platforms, alleging Instagram and Facebook are harming children's mental health
Japan Opens Probe Into Google Search Domination
More bad news for Alphabet as Japanese competition watchdog begins investigation into Google's search domination