What if Mark Zuckerberg had not bought Instagram and WhatsApp?
The big ticket deals were derided at the time, but the apps are now two of the most important parts of Meta’s business
Meta’s Zuckerberg says TikTok is a major competitive threat
US Federal Trade Commission looking to unwind Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014
Meta’s Zuckerberg admits he bought Instagram because its camera was ‘better’
Admission appears to bolster allegations by US antitrust enforcers that Meta used a ‘buy or bury’ strategy to snap up potential rivals
Zuckerberg says Meta has more competitors than FTC claims
US government is arguing that Instagram acquisition should be unwound
Meta warned Government of ‘unsustainable’ operating environment for tech companies in EU
Senior executive Joel Kaplan called for ‘urgent action’ by Ireland to ‘address the challenges we face collectively’
What is Meta AI and why is it in my WhatsApp?
It’s been in the US since 2023 but what Irish users are getting is not quite the same
How many Ciara O’Briens does it take to start taking personal data seriously?
For years, at least three people who share my name have been merrily handing out my email address to everyone from online shopping sites to their doctors. They’re lucky identity theft isn’t my business
Irish victims of WhatsApp fraud lost an average of €1,200 last year
We ranked as the second worst affected country for fraudsters targeting people through the messaging app, Revolut says
The State agency that could become the country’s biggest builder of new homes by 2027
The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk
The WhatsAppification of work has ruined my work-life balance
A dividing line between work and social life has been breached
WhatsApp group of 200 young men created to target woman in her student accommodation, Dáil hears
University of Limerick student alleges shouting and bullying behaviour with no remedial action taken by accommodation provider when first contacted
Meta AI to launch in Europe
Users will have access to intelligent chat features in WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger
The man lobbying for data centres in Ireland: ‘Disparaging them means you’re effectively demonising the big tax takes’
Ireland risks being left behind in the digital age by our negative view of data centres, says Garry Connolly, director of industry lobby group Digital Infrastructure Ireland
A surreal Sunday on my Stoneybatter doorstep: ‘People have been stabbed, go inside and lock the door’
On a frightening afternoon last weekend, our diverse community came together in shared confusion and concern
Meta to end third-party fact-checking programme: ‘It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression’
Company to rely on ‘community notes’ in free speech pitch
‘Like a creeping coup’: In Pakistan, lack of internet access is costing livelihoods
Country has a track record of curbing online accessibility by banning social media sites or shutting the internet off entirely
Daniel O’Donnell says friend was scammed by a fake social media account posing as him
Friend had already sent money via Apple Pay when ruse was discovered
How to organise all the photos that clog up your phone
Storing thousands of images and videos, most of which you will never look at again, is slowing down your phone and costing you money
Meta staff fired for misusing free food vouchers
Staff given daily meal allowances for breakfast, lunch and dinner as a perk common in Big Tech companies
The online scams to avoid in Ireland: A new WhatsApp trick, MyGov texts and what to look out for
And how can we avoid falling victim to them?
‘After a year of horrendous bullying I avoid almost all social media’
As more people question their smartphone use, some are consciously turning their backs on the virtual world in favour of real life
Roblox and YouTube main sources of online content which ‘bothered or upset’ primary school children - report
Online safety charity says there is ‘vital need’ for online safety education in schools
Here’s a €15m question: Your firm is being investigated. Should you delete your WhatsApps?
Most employees are untrained in competition law and need guidance from regulators and employers
WhatsApp accounts of Biden and Trump staffers targeted by Iranian hackers, Meta says
Investigators linked activity to same network blamed for hacking incident reported by Trump campaign
WhatsApp Ireland swings to loss as company sets aside more money to deal with fines
Irish entity lost €8.2m after tax last year, down from profits of more than €41m in 2022
Children’s mental health under attack by the smartphone
Diversity, equity and inclusion programmes are implemented in a spirit of political correctness and woke
High Court delays Meta €265m fine challenge until EU court decision
Length of adjournment in Data Protection Commission case likely to be short, court says
Supreme Court to hear Garda Commissioner’s appeal over ban on using WhatsApp video in disciplinary inquiry
Appeal court had ruled that materials seized under search warrant could not be used in disciplinary process absent legislation
I bought into the idea that wellness guru Andrew Huberman could fix my life. Then I read about him
Does it matter if the paragon of the scientifically-optimised existence is actually kind of a jerk in real life?
Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from China store under pressure from Beijing
Internet regulator orders delisting of two Meta-owned apps over ‘national security concerns’
Keeping children safe in the online world of social media platforms
Control options that apps and platforms have already put in place allow us to shield children, and, ourselves from the worst the online world has to offer
Governments need to take record-keeping seriously in the digital age
Disappearing WhatsApp messages will be a problem for future historians
Email continues to grow as top reason people use internet
Researching goods and services surpassed online banking as the second most popular internet use this year
Are young people becoming addicted to social media and the internet? Here’s what the research has found
‘The internet is a giant hypodermic, and the content, including social media like Meta, are the psychoactive drugs’
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At what age should I give my child a mobile phone?
Ask the Expert: Having a rule of ‘no phone until secondary school’ is a very reasonable goal, though frequently this decision is not just an individual family one
WhatsApp Ireland’s profits soar as it cuts provision for regulatory breaches
Meta-owned firm’s after-tax profit totalled €41.1m last year, up from €1.8m a year earlier
Big banks to pay millions in fines for using WhatsApp
US regulators hit Wells Fargo and BNP Paribas for staff unofficially using of the service
Meta forecasts third-quarter revenue above expectations
Facebook-owner expecting quarterly income of up to $34.5bn, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $31.3bn
Sierra Leone fact-checking group stresses need for more resources after election hit by fake news
Journalist says biggest platform where fake news spreads is WhatsApp followed by Facebook
Digital rights group wants court to order regulator to fully investigate claims against Meta
Group complains about social media platforms’ handling of personal data under certain article of the GDPR
End-to-end encryption under fire: how to keep your phone messaging as secure as possible
With a war being waged on end-to-end encryption, here are ways to keep your communications under wraps
Meta to cut almost 500 jobs in move linked to global rather than ‘Irish’ factors
Taoiseach says State will offer job search and training support to impacted workers ‘if they need it’
WhatsApp to allow users to edit messages … but only for 15 minutes
Function is being rolled out by Meta-owned messaging service and should become available in coming weeks
Meta challenges €395m fines from Ireland’s data protection regulator
DPC had imposed fines for GDPR breaches by Facebook and WhatsApp, and over Meta’s operation of Instagram services
Why has Meta been hit with a record fine by the Data Protection Commission?
Social media giant’s attempts to work around previous court rulings on data transfers and privacy are seen to have fallen short
Social Capital: Life Online in the Shadow of Ireland’s Tech Boom - caught in the web
Some excellent insights and details, but work let down by limp editing
Meta prepares more lay-offs across Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram
Facebook parent company notified managers to prepare to announce job cuts on Wednesday
The dark side of the internet: Q&A with Justin E H Smith
Author of The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is says aspects of it are damaging us, as individuals and societies
Jen Hogan: I have a love/hate relationship with WhatsApp groups
In ways we never quite credit, amid the relentless beeping, perhaps there is a virtual village in the making
What are the top seven current online scams and how should you deal with them?
Take your time and be sceptical of anything that comes as a surprise or from a site you do not recognise
Meta challenges DPC’s €265m fine over third-party data ‘scrape’
Meta alleges the decision was reached in breach of various articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU
Is WhatsApp making work life more nasty and brutish?
A workplace divided by dozens of febrile WhatsApp group discussions is not necessarily a happy one
Meta might yet come to love WhatsApp as much as Matt Hancock and friends do
Laura Slattery: The messaging app plays a valuable role in many people’s lives, but what is it worth to its owner?
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