Global users are experiencing outages on Facebook, including all social networks the company owns, which include Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. When navigating to these websites, a server error will appear — Instagram shows a “5xx server error,” which indicates that this is an issue with Facebook’s servers. Users are also unable to send messages or load new content on the mobile apps for these platforms. Even Oculus, Facebook’s virtual reality platform, and Workplace, its business communication tool, are down
It appears that the outage is caused by a DNS (domain name server) fail — this is the naming structure that forms the web’s infrastructure. So, if you try to navigate to facebook.com right now, the internet won’t know where to find facebook.com..
Read more at:
Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are all down | TechCrunch
Showing posts with label WhatsApp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WhatsApp. Show all posts
5/14/19
WhatsApp; discovers targeted attacks against the system
WhatsApp discovers 'targeted' surveillance attack against the system.
Read more at :
1/25/19
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook to integrate Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp
Facebook to integrate Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp
Read more at:
10/1/18
EU versus Facebook: Will Weber take a hammer to Facebook’s social media monopoly? – by Samuel Stolton
Manfred Weber, the head of the EPP group in the European Parliament and lead candidate for Jean-Claude Juncker’s job as the next European Commission president, threw down the gauntlet on Friday (28 September), suggesting that he may support a breakup of Facebook and Whatsapp.
“I consider it necessary to ask the monopoly question,” Weber told the German newspaper Spiegel. Weber announced his candidacy for the top EU job in early September and has also received backing from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“The European Commission should consider whether, for example, after the acquisition of Whatsapp and Instagram, Facebook has a dominant position. In extreme cases, a breakup should also be conceivable,” he said.
Weber also noted that Facebook will continue to be under close scrutiny from the European Parliament, and called on the internet giant to be more transparent in its advertising activities.
The EU’s Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has put pressure on Facebook to disclose further details of the massive security breach that impacted around fifty million users last week.
In a statement on Sunday (30 September), Jourová urged Facebook to comply fully with the body in charge of investigating the breach, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, and disclose whether EU users were affected by the breach and how their personal data was impacted.
At least 50mln #Facebook users were compromised in the huge security breach. I urge Facebook to fully cooperate with @DPCIreland. We need to know if EU users were affected and what had happened to their data. Here a reminder about the obligations of biz https://t.co/1bZ6IJdJ4B
Facebook said on Friday (28 September) that hackers had discovered a security flaw allowing them to capture data belonging to up to 50 million Facebook users.
According to the New York Times, Facebook’s VP for product management, Guy Rosen, has refused to rule out the possibility that the attack may have been coordinated by a nation-state.
Rosen has stated that the hackers were targeting people’s private information, including name, gender and location.
Due to the lack of disclosure given on the specifics of the hack thus far by Facebook, it currently remains unclear as to whether more sensitive information has been accessed.
10/25/17
EU Citizens Privacy Rights: EU privacy regulators increase pressure on WhatsApp over data sharing
European Union privacy regulators rapped WhatsApp on the knuckles for not resolving their concerns over the messaging service's sharing of user data with parent company Facebook, a year after they first issued a warning.
The popular messaging service changed its privacy policy last year to start sharing users' phone numbers and other information with Facebook. That drew widespread regulatory scrutiny across Europe, and WhatsApp subsequently suspended the data sharing for EU users.
In a letter sent to WhatsApp on Tuesday and published on Wednesday, the group of EU data protection authorities - known as the Article 29 Working Party - said the company had still not resolved its concerns about getting user consent for the data sharing.
They noted that the information given users about the privacy policy update was "seriously deficient as a means to inform their consent."
"Whilst the WP29 (Article 29 Working Party) notes there is a balance to be struck between presenting the user with too much information and not enough, the initial screen made no mention at all of the key information users needed to make an informed choice, namely that clicking the agree button would result in their personal data being shared with the Facebook family of companies," the letter said.
The Irish data protection authority - which has jurisdiction over Facebook in the EU because the company's European headquarters are in Dublin - said in April that it hoped to reach a deal in the coming months on the data sharing with WhatsApp.
"Over the last year we have engaged with data protection authorities to explain how our 2016 terms and privacy policy update apply to people who use WhatsApp in Europe. We remain committed to respecting applicable law and will continue to work collaboratively with officials in Europe to address their questions," a WhatsApp spokesman said.
The WP29 also said users' consent was not freely given as WhatsApp effectively adopted a "take it or leave it approach in which users either signal their 'consent' to the sharing of data or they are unable to avail themselves of WhatsApp's messaging service."
A new EU data protection law will come into force in May which will give regulators the power to fine companies up to 4 percent of their global turnover, a huge increase compared with the present levels.
Read more: EU privacy regulators increase pressure on WhatsApp over data sharing
The popular messaging service changed its privacy policy last year to start sharing users' phone numbers and other information with Facebook. That drew widespread regulatory scrutiny across Europe, and WhatsApp subsequently suspended the data sharing for EU users.
In a letter sent to WhatsApp on Tuesday and published on Wednesday, the group of EU data protection authorities - known as the Article 29 Working Party - said the company had still not resolved its concerns about getting user consent for the data sharing.
They noted that the information given users about the privacy policy update was "seriously deficient as a means to inform their consent."
"Whilst the WP29 (Article 29 Working Party) notes there is a balance to be struck between presenting the user with too much information and not enough, the initial screen made no mention at all of the key information users needed to make an informed choice, namely that clicking the agree button would result in their personal data being shared with the Facebook family of companies," the letter said.
The Irish data protection authority - which has jurisdiction over Facebook in the EU because the company's European headquarters are in Dublin - said in April that it hoped to reach a deal in the coming months on the data sharing with WhatsApp.
"Over the last year we have engaged with data protection authorities to explain how our 2016 terms and privacy policy update apply to people who use WhatsApp in Europe. We remain committed to respecting applicable law and will continue to work collaboratively with officials in Europe to address their questions," a WhatsApp spokesman said.
The WP29 also said users' consent was not freely given as WhatsApp effectively adopted a "take it or leave it approach in which users either signal their 'consent' to the sharing of data or they are unable to avail themselves of WhatsApp's messaging service."
A new EU data protection law will come into force in May which will give regulators the power to fine companies up to 4 percent of their global turnover, a huge increase compared with the present levels.
Read more: EU privacy regulators increase pressure on WhatsApp over data sharing
5/21/17
Facebook: The EU is right to take on Facebook, but mere fines don’t protect us from tech giants - by Julia Powles
In August 2014, Facebook said it was unable to reliably match Facebook and WhatsApp user accounts. But in August 2016, it started doing just that. This fine recognises that Facebook lied about its technical capacities in 2014, a point the company seems to have accepted. The acquisition also allowed it to get a further identifier on its users: their phone number. Extremely valuable as today your phone number is your primary key.
Politicians such as Theresa May seem incapable of seeing the irony of Facebook being fined for lying, just as she accelerates demands to deputise Facebook as an arbiter of truth by enlisting it in the fight against child abuse, terrorism, hate speech, copyright infringement and other ills.
Nowhere in these proposals is there any plan for how effectively to oversee and monitor Facebook in this function or to pull it back if it goes too far.
The maddening reality is that lies, whether by or facilitated by Facebook, have proved to have no impact on the company’s bottom line.
The commission should have seen the permeability of Facebook and WhatsApp accounts coming and adopted a more proactive stance, at the very least by insisting on the firewalling of WhatsApp user data from Facebook. Instead, a spate of privacy and consumer protection cases is now running across Europe, trying to retrofit solutions at the national level.
Read more: The EU is right to take on Facebook, but mere fines don’t protect us from tech giants | Julia Powles | Opinion | The Guardian
1/6/17
Privacy Infringement: European privacy regulators to scrutinize WhatsApp privacy switch - by E.Auchard and A.Wendlandt
 |
| Is your personal Data Safe? |
WhatsApp, which counts more than a billion users globally, said on Thursday it would start sharing users' phone numbers with Facebook, helping it to target advertisements and friend recommendations across the social media network.
It said WhatsApp users could choose not to share their account information with Facebook.
"Each European authority will be following the changes made to WhatApp's privacy policy with great vigilance," CNIL, the French data protection commission, and the current chair of the G29 or Article 29 Working Party of European privacy regulators, said in a statement on behalf of the region-wide group.
"What is at stake is the control of individual users over their own data when they are combined by major Internet players."
The G29 is made up of representatives of the data protection authorities of each of Europe's 28-member states, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European Commission.
Facebook paid more than $19 billion to acquire WhatsApp, an advertising-free service for sharing texts, pictures and videos with friends and acquaintances. At the time of the deal in 2014, WhatsApp founder Jan Koum vowed to protect data of its users and said the deal would not affect its privacy policy.
In response, Britain's data privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said it was monitoring the changes to ensure that the new policy stays within data protection laws
The French data protection authority is studying Facebook's response earlier this month to issues the regulator has raised over the company's handling of customer data for targeting advertising to the social network's members.
By Monday several European media including France Info and Switzerland's Le Temps warned readers about the policy change and gave them tips on how to avoid letting WhatsApp handing over their phone number to Facebook.
A CNIL spokeswoman said WhatsApp's privacy policy was likely to be discussed at a planned G29 meeting at the end of the month attended by representatives of each European national privacy regulator. - Reuters Report
EU-Digest
1/2/17
Communications Industry: WhatsApp might no longer work for older Android, iPhones and Windows smartphones - by Sarmistha Acharya
WhatsApp might stop working for many users as the company made it public that it would end support for the popular chat app on older handsets by the end of 2016.
The company said dropping support on older devices would give it the opportunity to focus more on mobile platforms used by the vast majority of the people.
WhatsApp might no longer work for older Android, iPhones and Windows smartphones
The company said dropping support on older devices would give it the opportunity to focus more on mobile platforms used by the vast majority of the people.
WhatsApp might no longer work for older Android, iPhones and Windows smartphones
8/20/15
Middle East: Migrant Exodus: Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber light way to Europe for Syrian refugees - by Serene Assir
“Our phones and power banks are more important for our journey than
anything, even more important than food,” said Wael, a 32-year-old from
the devastated Syrian city Homs who reached the Greek resort island of
Kos on Thursday morning.
Read more: Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber light way to Europe for Syrian refugees | The Times of Israel
Refugees are using Facebook groups with tens
of thousands of members to share photographs and experiences, find
smugglers’ phone numbers, map their route from Turkey to Greece and
onward to northern Europe, and to calculate expenses.
They use WhatsApp to help the coast guard
pinpoint their location once their boats have reached Greek waters, and
Viber to let their families know they have landed safely.
“We couldn’t take anything with us on the
boat, we were all so crammed. But these phones are our most precious
belongings,” said Wael, who fled Syria with his bright green-eyed wife
and 12 relatives, including three children.
They are among more than 135,000 refugees and
migrants who have arrived in Greece this year, amid Europe’s biggest
migration crisis since World War II.
“I wrapped my phone up in a resealable plastic bag to protect it from the water,” said the olive-skinned man.
In Kos, Syrians can be seen taking photographs
of each other on the beach using their smartphones, and ordering coffee
at local cafes where they can connect to Internet.
Note EU-Digest: As millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Libya and Sudan are swarming into Turkey and the EU it is amazing to see that our "good friends" on the other side of the Atlantic. who's Middle East policies created all this mess, remain deadly silent when it comes to also offering some of these refugees some assistance or a new future in the US.
Note EU-Digest: As millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Libya and Sudan are swarming into Turkey and the EU it is amazing to see that our "good friends" on the other side of the Atlantic. who's Middle East policies created all this mess, remain deadly silent when it comes to also offering some of these refugees some assistance or a new future in the US.
Read more: Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber light way to Europe for Syrian refugees | The Times of Israel
4/26/15
EU telecoms reform to address competition from WhatsApp, Skype - by Julia Fioretti
The European
Commission will take into account increased competition from cable
operators and alternative services such as WhatsApp (FB.O) when it overhauls Europe's telecoms rules next year, a move that will be cheered by the telecoms industry.
A draft seen by Reuters of the Commission's strategy for creating a digital single market says telecom operators compete with "over-the-top" services "without being subject to the same regulatory regime".
"It is necessary to design a fair and future-proof regulatory environment for all services," the document says.
The bloc's telecom firms such as Orange (ORAN.PA) and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) have long called for lighter-touch regulation, after years of declining revenues and competition from new entrants, to enable them to invest in network upgrades.
Telecom companies point to increased competition from services such as Skype (owned by Microsoft (MSFT.O)) and online messaging as a reason for easing the regulatory burden.
Considering Skype, or any other "voice-over-IP" application, as a substitute for traditional phone services could lead to those companies being subject to the same obligations as traditional operators, such as offering emergency calls.
The new European executive, which took office in November, has made investment in superfast broadband a priority. But incumbent telecom operators say the current set of rules does not provide incentives to invest in their networks. The Commission will unveil its proposals for an overhaul of the telecoms framework in 2016, the document states. Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip is expected to unveil his digital single market strategy on May 6.
Read more: EU telecoms reform to address competition from WhatsApp, Skype | Reuters
A draft seen by Reuters of the Commission's strategy for creating a digital single market says telecom operators compete with "over-the-top" services "without being subject to the same regulatory regime".
"It is necessary to design a fair and future-proof regulatory environment for all services," the document says.
The bloc's telecom firms such as Orange (ORAN.PA) and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) have long called for lighter-touch regulation, after years of declining revenues and competition from new entrants, to enable them to invest in network upgrades.
Telecom companies point to increased competition from services such as Skype (owned by Microsoft (MSFT.O)) and online messaging as a reason for easing the regulatory burden.
Considering Skype, or any other "voice-over-IP" application, as a substitute for traditional phone services could lead to those companies being subject to the same obligations as traditional operators, such as offering emergency calls.
The new European executive, which took office in November, has made investment in superfast broadband a priority. But incumbent telecom operators say the current set of rules does not provide incentives to invest in their networks. The Commission will unveil its proposals for an overhaul of the telecoms framework in 2016, the document states. Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip is expected to unveil his digital single market strategy on May 6.
Read more: EU telecoms reform to address competition from WhatsApp, Skype | Reuters
2/19/14
Social Media: Facebook to buy messaging app WhatsApp for euro 14 bn ($19bn)
WhatsApp has over 450 million monthly users and is popular with people looking to avoid text messaging charges.
In a statement announcing the deal, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg described WhatsApp's services as "incredibly valuable".
WhatsApp allows users to send messages over internet connections, avoiding text messaging fees. The company claims it is currently registering one million new users a day.
WhatsApp has over 190 million monthly active users, 400 million photos are shared each day, and the messaging system handles more than 10 billion messages each day WhatsApp has 400 million active users use the service each month
It makes money by charging users a subscription fee of $1 per year, although it offers a free model as well.
Read more: BBC News - Facebook to buy messaging app WhatsApp for $19bn
9/11/13
Internet: Skype still calling the shots – but competitors are gaining
On August 29, 2003, a small Estonian start-up called Skype was born. Ten years later, the internet phone service has become one of the most downloaded software programs ever released.
Fans laud it as the only truly successful European tech start-up of the last decade.
The company, founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, has thrived because it brings the world closer together in an age when globalisation and intercontinental travel is pulling more families apart than at perhaps any other time in history.
In a blog post released last week to commemorate its 10th birthday, Skype said that a cumulative 1.4 trillion minutes of voice and video calls had been made using its service.
The company also highlighted some of the most incredible moments captured by people using Skype, including the story of a soldier witnessing the birth of his child from Iraq and a call from the top of Mount Everest. Famous Skype users include Britain's royal family, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga.
Owner Microsoft claims that one-third of all international telephone calls now go through Skype. And in the surest sign of success, its brand name has become a verb – a rare distinction shared by the likes of Xerox and Google.
But though the service is incredibly popular, there are plenty of others snapping at its heels. Skype's most prominent competitor is Apple's FaceTime, available on iPhone and iPads.
Viber, an app popular with smartphone users, is also a direct competitor, as is messaging service WhatsApp. But Skype is still by far the market leader when it comes to calls rather than messaging. Its speed, simplicity and flexibility on multiple platforms have managed to keep users coming back.
It was sold to eBay in 2005 for about $2.5bn, and then to a group of venture capital firms in 2009.
In 2011, Microsoft bought the company for an impressive $8.5bn. Since then it has been busy integrating the service into several of its products, including Outlook.com.
So what's next? Technology companies live and die by their ability to innovate, and Skype is no different.
The company is currently developing a way to make and receive 3D video calls.
In an interview with the BBC, Skype's corporate vice-president Mark Gillett said the process was possible but difficult to replicate outside of a lab.
Read more: Skype still calling the shots – but competitors are gaining - Independent.ie
Fans laud it as the only truly successful European tech start-up of the last decade.
The company, founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, has thrived because it brings the world closer together in an age when globalisation and intercontinental travel is pulling more families apart than at perhaps any other time in history.
In a blog post released last week to commemorate its 10th birthday, Skype said that a cumulative 1.4 trillion minutes of voice and video calls had been made using its service.
The company also highlighted some of the most incredible moments captured by people using Skype, including the story of a soldier witnessing the birth of his child from Iraq and a call from the top of Mount Everest. Famous Skype users include Britain's royal family, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga.
Owner Microsoft claims that one-third of all international telephone calls now go through Skype. And in the surest sign of success, its brand name has become a verb – a rare distinction shared by the likes of Xerox and Google.
But though the service is incredibly popular, there are plenty of others snapping at its heels. Skype's most prominent competitor is Apple's FaceTime, available on iPhone and iPads.
Viber, an app popular with smartphone users, is also a direct competitor, as is messaging service WhatsApp. But Skype is still by far the market leader when it comes to calls rather than messaging. Its speed, simplicity and flexibility on multiple platforms have managed to keep users coming back.
It was sold to eBay in 2005 for about $2.5bn, and then to a group of venture capital firms in 2009.
In 2011, Microsoft bought the company for an impressive $8.5bn. Since then it has been busy integrating the service into several of its products, including Outlook.com.
So what's next? Technology companies live and die by their ability to innovate, and Skype is no different.
The company is currently developing a way to make and receive 3D video calls.
In an interview with the BBC, Skype's corporate vice-president Mark Gillett said the process was possible but difficult to replicate outside of a lab.
Read more: Skype still calling the shots – but competitors are gaining - Independent.ie
2/11/13
Privacy Laws - WhatsApp: How much data privacy can you expect to have?
 |
| Is WhatsApp using your personal information? |
Last week, the mobile phone messaging client WhatsApp came under fire from Canadian and Dutch privacy czars for forcing those who download the app to upload their entire address book.
In a statement, the office of the Canadian privacy commissioner said it had "reasonable grounds" to believe the California-based developer was "collecting, using, disclosing and retaining personal information" of those who had never used the app, but may have given their phone numbers to a friend or contact who does use the app.
Although yesterday was Safer Internet Day, which promotes the responsible use of the web and mobile phones, given that we rely on technology to navigate almost every facet of our lives, how much privacy can we now realistically expect?
Very little, experts say.
Read more: How much data privacy can you expect to have? - Technology & Science - CBC News
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