Facebook

There are lots of people telling us how concerned we should be about giving up our data - but almost no one can tell us exactly why. And even fewer people are reminding us that privacy is a small price to pay for what tech platforms have created for our lives, economies and societies.

Required storage of data in a certain location might seem like the anti-internet openness pipe dream of an authoritarian government. But, that could not be further from the truth, with governments from New Delhi to Washington also implementing or considering rules that mandate local storage of data.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg wants Europe to regulate social media on political advertising and privacy — or risk losing ground to “authoritarian” rules from China.

Good news for spin doctors?

We are living in times of global terrorism, unlike any we have known before. This is a terror that thrives through its enduring online presence. The time has come and gone for relying on the goodwill of the tech industry and their unfulfilled promises of self-regulation.

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen took aim at social media companies accusing them of pushing "absurdities to billions of people".

Far from being a safe haven where diverse voices can be heard and respected, new media platforms are often reflecting the worst prejudices of the older media when it comes to minorities - including women.

The company announced that they had removed three networks of accounts, pages, and groups linked to Russian businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who was indicted in connection with US election meddling.

Google announced it reached “quantum supremacy," a technological achievement that has huge repercussions, not only for the company and its role in the world but for all of us individuals who want to maintain a semblance of the right to privacy.

The government can step in and force social media companies to set up some basic protocols to guard against the posting of campaign lies. This would be a whole new frontier for the government, and regulation of online speech is tricky to say the least.

Mark Zuckerberg's statement provides the clearest indication yet that the Libra digital currency project announced earlier this year faces an uphill battle.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg testifies before US Congress

On 3 October 2019, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and US Attorney General William Barr signed a bilateral agreement paving the way for UK and US law enforcement agencies to obtain data more quickly from electronic service providers operating in each jurisdiction.

Facebook acknowledges the needs of law enforcement but wants to protect its users from unwanted snooping.

Since the U.S. tech company unveiled its plans in June, its proposed cryptocurrency has met with regulatory and political scepticism, with France and Germany pledging to block Libra from operating in Europe.