Australia unveils laws to make Google, Facebook pay for news

There's a thin line between political satire and stories that are simply fake news. A recent resurfacing of a story about Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, illustrates the problem. We take a closer look.

Facebook is facing a historic crisis. Revelations by former data scientist-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen have shed light inside the notoriously secretive tech giant. She says Facebook harms children, sparks division and undermines democracy in pursuit of astronomical profits. Her allegations are backed by the leak of tens of thousands of internal documents.

A photo showing an obscene-looking children's slide has been going viral on Twitter with the accusation it was erected at a playground in a Paris school and putting Mayor Anne Hidalgo once again in the line of fire. In reality, the tweet was a joke, but the more it was shared, the more confusion it caused.

Facebook has announced that it will expand in the European Union to build a new computing platform. It comes as the tech giant contends with concerns over its practices.

Experts question whether Google's planned $1 billion investment in Africa stands to benefit the continent in the long term. Instead, some see it as another avenue for big tech companies to acquire budding start-ups.

Londoners react to news of Britain's Queen Elizabeth being hospitalised

An investigation suggests that Facebook has selectively chosen what hate speech it wants to shut down in India. Whistleblower Frances Haugen's disclosures come as she is set to appear before British lawmakers.

Facebook reported an annual 17 per cent jump in third-quarter net profit, driven by an increase in daily active users and strong advertising sales despite the platform facing multiple controversies that have led to calls for tighter regulation.

Benefitting from soaring demand for online ads, Google's parent company Alphabet reported nearly $19 billion in profits between July and September, up 68 percent from the same period last year. Microsoft's earnings also beat expectations, while French consumers are gearing up for some price hikes at the bakery.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told DW in an interview that legal action against the tech giant could be endless, but regulation now could limit its damage.

Facebook began this week by announcing more than $9 billion in quarterly profits, an increase of about 17 percent. The social media giant also announced that it now has close to three billion users. But all is not well on the Facebook front as Mark Zuckerberg’s platform has been facing a deluge of scathing reports.

Facebook has changed its name to "Meta" in a shift away from social media and towards developing "the metaverse," a digital world that could be the next generation of the internet. Here's what they have planned.