Social networking giant delivers strong financial results, but investors took fright at big increase in expenses and costs
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WhatsApp Reaches 5 Billion Downloads On Play Store
Facebook's messaging service has hit 5 billion downloads, amid reports that it has backed off plans to insert adverts into WhatsApp
Twitter Apologises For Adverts For Neo-Nazis
Twitter says sorry after it is found that it's ad tool allowed for discriminatory terms to be used for targetted adverts
Most Website Consent Mechanisms ‘Illegal’ Under GDPR
Study finds websites' consent platforms largely fail to comply with data protection rules, and may even incentivise 'illegal configurations'
Facebook Refuses To Ban Misleading Political Adverts
Platform makes limited changes to its stance on political adverts, but still refuses to ban ads that are misleading or spread lies
France Fines Google 150m Euros For Anti-Competitive Behaviour
Anti-competitive behaviour and advertising rule breaches. France hits Google with hefty 150m euros penalty over its online advertising domination
UK Regulator Turns Attention To Tech Giant Competition Regulation
The UK Competition and Markets Authority says it may consider implementing tougher rules on tech giants over competition concerns
EU Queries News Publishers On Google Data Practices
European Commission asks news publishers for details on how Google collects user data from their sites as it launches online ad competition probe
Facebook Sues Firm For ‘Celeb Bait’ Adverts That Installed Malware
Social networking giant takes action against advertising fraud with a lawsuit against Hong Kong firm
Google To Restrict Political Adverts Worldwide
Political adverts that target sections of people will no longer be allowed on Google's platforms worldwide
Lawmakers Call For Pause On Targeted Political Adverts
Pause online political adverts that are targeted and contain false information, international lawmakers have urged tech firms
Civil Rights Activists Meet Zuckerberg, As Facebook Rebrands
Meeting with Facebook boss over political adverts, as social network rebrands itself as FACEBOOK
Twitter Bans All Political Advertising Worldwide
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says that from next month, his platform will ban all political advertising
Microsoft Buys PromoteIQ As It Expands Advertising Division
Move comes after Microsoft split advertising operations from Bing search engine earlier this year, forming Microsoft Advertising
Alphabet Results Ease Advertising Slowdown Worries
Advertising sales drive profit and sales growth at Google parent, beating Wall Street expectations
25 Million Android Phones Infected With Fake Apps
'Agent Smith' malware replaces legitimate installed apps (such as WhatsApp) with malicious versions
Ad Industry Unites With Social Media Giants To Safeguard ‘Digital Safety’
Google, Facebook and Twitter work with major consumer brands and ad buying agencies on coordinated self-policing amidst calls for stricter regulation
Google Targeted By Fresh Round Of GDPR Complaints
Google faces more data protection scrutiny in Europe following series of actions filed in the UK, Germany, France and other EU countries
WhatsApp Adverts To Appear In 2020, Facebook Confirms
Time to switch to Signal, Telegram? Facebook confirms WhatsApp will carry adverts from 2020
Safari Proposal Takes Aim At Google, Facebook Advertising
Apple WebKit proposes privacy-focused compromise for ad-tracking in Safari web browser
Google Faces Irish Advertising Probe For GDPR Compliance
Irish data protection watchdog begins investigation to see if Google is obeying GDPR with its advertising services
Google ‘Set To Roll Out’ Ad Tracker Blocking In Chrome
The move could help Google improve its privacy image – while at the same time giving it an advantage over rivals in the online ad market
Google Stung By 1.49bn Euro Fine Over Advertising Practices
Third EU fine in two years for Google as European Commission rules its advertising service broke antitrust rules
Facebook Restores Services After Global Outage
Refund for advertisers? Outage spread across two days, but social network remains silient about the cause
Facebook Scam Lawsuit Dropped By Martin Lewis
Legal action halted after Facebook agrees to introduce scam ads reporting button, and makes financial donation
Google Slapped With 50m Euro GDPR Penalty
Ouch! GDPR begins to bite as French regulator issues £44m GDPR fine to Google for data transparency breach
Android Clickfraud Apps Pose As iPhones To Make Extra Cash
Sophos identifies 22 malware-riddled Android apps that pose as Apple devices to earn extra money
France, Germany Abandon Plans For Broad EU Digital Tax
The latest proposal would see the likes of Google and Facebook pay a 3 percent tax on advertising revenues, while leaving the likes of Apple, Amazon and Airbnb in the clear
Facebook May Use Data From Portal Video Device To Target Adverts
Facebook says Portal was designed with privacy in mind — but that's not necessarily so for the Facebook Messenger infrastructure it's built on
Mozilla To Block Firefox Ad-Tracking By Default
Firefox tightens its ad-tracking block credentials, for better privacy and to improve page loading speeds