Technology

DUBAI, May 30 – Iran has given foreign messaging apps a year to move data they hold about Iranian users onto servers inside the country, prompting privacy and security concerns on social media. Iran has some of the strictest controls on internet access in the world and blocks access to social media platforms such as

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO, May 27 – Billionaire media owner Pierre Omidyar is backing news and entertainment web site Gawker Media in its lawsuit against wrestler Hulk Hogan, adding a new twist to a case pitting technology money against press freedom. Omidyar, owner of The Intercept publisher First Look Media, is asking other media

By Jussi Rosendahl and Tuomas Forsell HELSINKI/SAN FRANCISCO, May 25 – Microsoft Corp announced more big cuts to its smartphone business on Wednesday, just two years after it bought handset maker Nokia in an ill-fated attempt to take on market leaders Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. In a move that clearly puts the

By Huw Jones and Tom Bergin LONDON, May 24 – The SWIFT secure messaging service that underpins international banking said it plans to launch a new security programme as it fights to rebuild its reputation in the wake of the Bangladesh Bank heist. The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)’s chief executive, Gottfried Leibbrandt

By Yasmeen Abutaleb SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 – Facebook Inc said on Monday that it had changed some of the procedures for its “Trending Topics” section after a news report alleging it suppressed conservative news prompted a U.S. Congressional demand for more transparency. The company said an internal probe showed no evidence of political bias

By Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON, May 18 – U.S. presidential campaigns face threats from hackers bent on espionage and other activity more nefarious than mere political mischief, the office of U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said on Wednesday, but did not provide details on specific intrusions. “We’re aware that campaigns and related

By Anuradha Nagaraj CHENNAI, India, May 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Efforts to combat discrimination against India’s lower castes, religious minorities and women must begin in the classroom, with children holding the key to ending deep-rooted prejudices, a human rights campaigner said. According to the Amnesty International’s annual report for 2015-16, gender and caste based

By Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio FATEH JHANG, Pakistan, May 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – For farmer Mujahid Abbasi, switching the power source for his irrigation pump from diesel to biogas has brought economic and health gains. The 43-year-old from Fateh Jhang village, some 26 miles (42 km) from Pakistan‘s capital city Islamabad, has benefited

May 15 – Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will meet this week with prominent conservatives in the media, a spokesman said on Sunday, to address allegations of political bias at the popular social networking site. Some 12 “conservative thought leaders” will join the meeting with Zuckerberg on Wednesday, a Facebook spokesman said. Among the invitees

By Joseph Menn SANTA CLARA, May 11 – Cyber attack techniques used by the U.S.-led coalition against Daesh could also be used by other countries, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Wednesday. Speaking in California, Carter told reporters that the U.S.-led coalition used electronic techniques to disrupt and degrade the jihadist force’s ability to