News
‘No longer feasible’: MTN pulls plug on free Twitter
MTN South Africa is pulling the plug on its popular zero-rated Twitter offering, saying it is no longer feasible to offer the service without charging for data use.
Browsing: Twitter
In-depth
Trump’s bogus claims stir up tech risk
It’s tempting to ignore the early morning tweets of a technology-challenged US president. Donald Trump is wrong on the facts, but his complaints underscore the business threats to tech companies from growing and largely disingenuous complaints.
World
Trump accuses Google of rigging search results against him
US President Donald Trump has accused Google of rigging its search results to give preference to negative stories about him, adding his voice to conservatives who accuse social media companies of favouring liberal viewpoints.
World
Twitter reluctant to censor political views
While lamenting abusive conduct on Twitter, CEO Jack Dorsey said any move to block content based on political or social views would stoke already rising concern about the power of social media companies.
In-depth
Alex Jones and social media’s neutrality delusion
Social media platforms now shape public discourse as powerfully as newspapers and magazines did a generation ago, perhaps more so.
World
Twitter plunges 17% on growth worries
Twitter said monthly users dropped by a million in the second quarter, and predicted that number will decline further as the company continues to fight against spam, fake accounts and malicious rhetoric.
In-depth
Politicised trolling is worse than fake news
Online disinformation and the spread of deceptive political messages are pernicious, but they aren’t necessarily the worst abuse of social networks by governments and political actors.
News
MTN hikes WhatsApp bundle price by 200%
Just three months after introducing a low-cost, 1GB WhatsApp data bundle costing only R10, MTN South Africa has hiked the price – for many users, at least – by 200%. Introduced in April, MTN said the price increase had
World
Uganda defends controversial social media tax
Ugandan authorities have defended the introduction of a tax on users of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, saying the revenue is necessary to fund public services. The daily levy equivalent to about
World
Uganda tightens its grip on the Internet
If Ugandan authorities have their way, checking Facebook or Twitter will cost you a few cents a day while a state-procured device scans your computer for pornography. They’re just some of the measures the