Tag: WhatsApp

BlackBerry sues Facebook over messaging apps

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) – Canadian telecommunications firm BlackBerry sued Facebook on Tuesday, accusing the American social media company of infringing on its patents for messaging apps. BlackBerry is claiming infringement on patents it holds for message encryption and notifications, and is seeking an injunction as well as damages for lost profits, although no figure was given. Facebook and its wholly-owned services Instagram and WhatsApp are named as defendants in the lawsuit. The company said it intends to fight the […]

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European Commission fines Facebook 110 million euros over WhatsApp takeover

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CCTV) — The European Commission (EC) imposed a fine of 110 million euros (122 million U.S. dollars) on Facebook on Thursday for providing misleading information about the WhatsApp takeover. The decision was announced during a press briefing in Brussels, which came six months after the European Union’s (EU) executive arm opened a case against Facebook in December. After investigation, the Commission now concluded that Facebook has denied its capability of matching user accounts […]

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UK targets WhatsApp encryption after London attack

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government said Sunday that its security services must have access to encrypted messaging applications such as WhatsApp, as it revealed that the service was used by the man behind the parliament attack. Khalid Masood, the 52-year-old Briton who killed four people in a rampage in Westminster on Wednesday before being shot dead, reportedly used the Facebook-owned service moments before the assault. Home Secretary Amber Rudd told Sky News […]

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WhatsApp suspends giving Facebook European user data

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — WhatsApp has temporarily suspended giving parent company Facebook information about users in Europe for ad targeting, responding to concerns there over privacy, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. Conversations with officials in Europe over the past few months resulted in the social network deciding to only tapping into WhatsApp user data there for purposes such as fighting spam, according to the source. The break was described as […]

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WhatsApp briefly blocked yet again in Brazil

by Sebastian Smith RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — The hugely popular WhatsApp smartphone messaging service was briefly blocked by a Brazilian court Tuesday for the third time in less than a year after failing to surrender user data to police. The latest drama ended after the Supreme Court president, Ricardo Lewandowski, accepted an appeal against a lower court order that shut down the service nearly four hours earlier. “The suspension of service apparently violates […]

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Facebook CEO urges Brazilians to decry WhatsApp block

(REUTERS) Facebook Inc’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called on Brazilians to demand his company’s WhatsApp messaging service never be blocked again after an appeals court on Tuesday overturned the application’s second suspension in five months. In a post in English on his Facebook page, the U.S. billionaire and Facebook founder urged Brazilians to gather outside Congress in the capital Brasilia at 6 p.m. (1700 EDT) on Wednesday to rally in favor of legislation that would […]

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Facebook shares soar as mobile drives big jump in ad sales

Facebook Inc smashed investors’ expectations with a 52-percent jump in quarterly revenue as it sold more ads targeted at a fast-growing number of mobile users, sending its shares sharply higher after hours. The world’s biggest online social network bucked the trend of underwhelming tech results from Apple Inc and eBay Inc, in the face of economic uncertainty around the world and a strong U.S. dollar depressing the value of overseas sales. Facebook’s dominance in mobile […]

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Facebook says SEC’s IPO probe ends, extending WhatsApp closing date

Fri Jul 25, 2014 3:55pm EDT (Reuters) – Facebook Inc said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its probe into the social networking company over events surrounding its controversial initial public offering. In its quarterly report filed on Thursday, Facebook said the regulator in May “notified us that it had terminated its inquiry and that no enforcement action had been recommended by the SEC.” Facebook shares began trading on May 18, 2012, but soon […]

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Privacy groups ask regulators to halt Facebook’s $19 billion WhatsApp deal

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO Thu Mar 6, 2014 3:47pm EST (Reuters) – Privacy advocates have asked U.S. regulators to halt Facebook Inc’s $19 billion acquisition of messaging service WhatsApp until there is a clearer understanding of how the company intends to use the personal data of WhatsApp’s 450 million users. WhatsApp, a service that allows mobile phone users to send each other messages, has had a longstanding commitment to not collect user data for […]

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Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion

By Gerry Shih and Sarah McBride Wed Feb 19, 2014 6:54pm EST (Reuters) – Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world’s largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd. The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag. But it […]

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