Some cheap Android phones in South Africa have preinstalled malware that steals WhatsApp accounts
Trend Micro security researchers have presented their investigation into a cybercriminal gang they’ve named “Lemon Group” at Black Hat Asia 2023.
Among their findings was that South Africa is in...
Meta Platforms facing record EU privacy-infringement fine
Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. is set to be handed a record European Union privacy fine eclipsing a €746-million (R15.6-billion) penalty doled out to Amazon.com Inc..
Ireland’s data protection commission will punish the social...
WhatsApp launches Chat Lock for secret messages
WhatsApp has launched a new privacy-enhancing feature to help users protect their most intimate conversations from overly-curious eyes.
Dubbed Chat Lock, the feature lets users take selected one-on-one or group conversations out of their main...
Facebook bug automatically sent friend requests
Facebook has fixed a bug that led to some user accounts on the popular social media site automatically sending friend requests to profiles they viewed.
Several Twitter users reported the issue after a Facebook mobile app update last week.
WhatsApp testing edit button
WhatsApp is testing the ability to edit sent messages within chats and groups in its latest Android beta, WABetaInfo reports.
The feature is available to some users in the latest version of the beta, enabling testers to edit messages after they've been sent...
Zuckerberg and former Facebook directors must face lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica scandal
A judge ruled Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former directors of the social-media company must face claims they turned a blind eye to rampant privacy violations, including allowing a firm hired by...
Meta testing views-based payouts for Reels content creators
Meta Platforms Inc. is giving Facebook and Instagram creators a way to make money based on how many people view their videos, in a bid to boost the appeal of its content and lure users from rival TikTok.
The company said Tuesday in a...
WhatsApp denies quietly accessing user microphones after Elon Musk tweet
A bug in either Android or WhatsApp has caused an uproar online as the popular chat app appeared to be accessing smartphone microphones while not in use.
The issue drew widespread attention after Elon Musk replied to a...
Truecaller coming to WhatsApp
Truecaller will soon integrate its caller identification service into WhatsApp and other messaging apps to help users spot spam calls on such platforms, Reuters reports.
While the feature is still in a beta testing phase, Truecaller CEO Alan Mamedi said it would...
WhatsApp expands in-app payments
WhatsApp is rolling out the ability for users to pay businesses within a chat, with the platform's parent company Meta Platforms partnering with Stripe to launch the feature in its latest region — Singapore.
The company initially rolled out the feature in India...
Social media apps are getting paid plans — South African prices and features compared
An increasing number of social media apps are reducing their reliance on advertising as their primary source of revenue and offering paid-for memberships.
These subscription plans add features to the main...
Meta Platforms up against tough privacy review
Meta Platforms Inc. was accused by the Federal Trade Commission of repeatedly violating privacy promises it made to US regulators and now faces a possible government ban on launching new social-media products without an independent review.
Meta...
Facebook Reels adds feature to control what you want to see
Facebook owner Meta Platforms announced a new feature for Reels that will allow users to vote for what content they would like to see more of and what content they do not want to see on their feed.
The feature will allow users to...
WhatsApp launches multi-phone support
WhatsApp has started rolling out support for using one account across multiple phones.
WABetaInfo previously reported that the popular chat app had begun testing the feature on the WhatsApp beta for Android in November 2022.
Children are being sold online in South Africa
South Africa's police minister and the minister of social development say that children in the country are being sold online through social media platforms such as Facebook.
In its latest transparency report, Meta revealed that it took action on...
Meta Platforms cutting jobs at Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram
Meta Platforms Inc. is set to commence companywide layoffs on Wednesday as it restructures teams and works toward founder Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of greater efficiency.
The Facebook parent company notified managers to prepare to...
WhatsApp faces prosecution in South Africa
The Competition Tribunal says it will hear an application on Tuesday, 18 April, involving the Competition Commission prosecuting Meta Platforms for the alleged abuse of its market dominance in South Africa.
Meta Platforms was previously known as...
WhatsApp launching three security features
Popular mobile instant messaging service WhatsApp is rolling out three new features in the coming months that promise to enhance user privacy and security.
The first is called Account Protect, a new measure for double-checking whether a user wants to...
Meta adds multiplayer games to Facebook Messenger video calls
Meta Platforms has taken a page out of Discord's book and is adding a feature to let video call participants play multiplayer games within Facebook Messenger.
There are currently 14 free-to-play games available in Messenger video...
WhatsApp working on big security change
WhatsApp is working on a feature that will let users lock specific conversations on the platform using their fingerprint or passcode, WABetaInfo reports.
The new feature adds another layer of privacy to the messaging app. Currently, users can lock the...