WhatsApp — messaging platform owned by Meta with over three billion users, subject to regulatory scrutiny over username feature security and AI access.
… SOCIAL MEDIA FOCUS Almost 60% of reported abuse occurred on social media platforms, led by Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, while 14% took place in online gaming, the report found. …
… SMS and WhatsApp also account for a significant proportion of reported cases, while other indicators have been traced to Facebook, Google Business Profiles, telephone calls and fake websites. …
… The Russian charge comes as Moscow tries to restrict the use of Telegram and other popular messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, while promoting its own state-backed MAX messenger service. …
… A judge is weighing additional financial penalties as well as an order directing the company to change Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in the state.
Somalia’s government has told the BBC it is concerned about WhatsApp’s plan to launch a new feature that would let people chat using usernames rather than phone numbers, saying it could pose a security risk. …
… New Mexico’s lawsuit against the company went to trial earlier this year, and a jury found the company had misled consumers about the safety of its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms. …
… According to the FTC, these scams begin with an unexpected message on WhatsApp, Telegram, text message, or social media, offering quick money through simple online tasks such as “optimisation” or “product boosting.” Victims are directed to complete tasks through an app or online …
About 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in a single year, with most cases occurring on social media, according to a UNICEF report. More than one in five children aged 12 to 17 across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe experienced at least one form of sexual abuse or exploitation online in the year before being surveyed.
About 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in a single year, with most cases occurring on social media, according to a UNICEF report. More than one in five children aged 12 to 17 across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe experienced at least one form of sexual abuse or exploitation online in the year before being surveyed.
Social media has evolved from a tool for connecting with friends into the dominant force shaping how people live, think, buy, learn, and protest. It has democratized access to audiences, shifted power from institutions to individuals, made news instant, and shaped culture and behavior through trends and viral content, though it has also accelerated the spread of misinformation.
TrustGH, a scam verification platform, has identified more than 6,000 telephone numbers linked to suspected fraudulent activity in Ghana, with approximately 50 per cent of reported scam numbers associated with TikTok. Threat actors exploit social media, messaging apps, and telecommunications channels using social engineering techniques to target individuals and businesses.
A US judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567m for failing to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, calling the company a "public nuisance" and requiring the funds be placed in a pool aimed at reducing future harms. This marks the largest ruling against the social media giant over child safety and comes in addition to an earlier $375m fine in the same case.
Russian authorities have charged Pavel Durov, cofounder of the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, with "aiding terrorism" and issued an international arrest warrant, alleging his company failed to remove channels and bots used by Ukrainian special services and terrorist organisations to coordinate attacks in Russia.
Tennessee's attorneys told a jury that Meta disregarded internal research showing Instagram's features like autoplay and infinite scroll caused eating disorders, depression and self-harm among teenagers, prioritizing profit over safety. Meta's defense maintains the company has been transparent about risks and works to find and fix problems.
Somalia's government told the BBC it is concerned about WhatsApp's planned username feature, saying it could make it harder to trace criminals and counter al-Shabab militants, and could enable financial fraud in a country reliant on mobile money. WhatsApp responded that the feature is not yet live, users still need a phone number to use the app, and it includes safeguards against scams.
Meta faces trial in Tennessee over claims that Instagram was designed to be addictive and contributed to a youth mental-health crisis. Tennessee's Attorney General alleges the company violated consumer protection law by knowingly designing the product to drive compulsive teen use, failing to disclose internal research on harms, and misleading the public about platform safety.
The US Federal Trade Commission has issued a consumer alert about task scams, also known as gamified job scams, which use messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram to offer quick money through simple online tasks. Scammers display fake earnings and may pay small amounts initially to build trust, then demand cryptocurrency deposits to unlock further tasks and withdrawals—after which victims lose access to their money.
Meta is facing criticism over its new Muse Image AI tool, which can generate images using other people's public Instagram profile pictures without explicit consent. Advocates and privacy groups warn the feature risks facilitating non-consensual AI-altered images, though Meta says users can opt out through a dedicated setting.
Meta disclosed in a court filing that four US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over allegations the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and misled the public about their safety, ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California.
India has issued notices to Telegram and Signal over concerns that their username features could facilitate impersonation and other forms of misuse, asking the platforms to explain their user-protection safeguards. The move follows a government directive to Meta's WhatsApp to halt its username feature rollout in India.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked WhatsApp to pause its new username feature, which would let users chat using unique usernames instead of phone numbers, citing concerns it could increase online fraud and phishing scams. WhatsApp says the feature is not yet live and has built in safeguards including detection of impersonation and scams.
WhatsApp has announced a new feature allowing users to connect via usernames instead of sharing phone numbers, with reservations opening this week ahead of the official launch later this year. The move aims to give users control over personal information in new or casual connections and addresses concerns about sharing digits in group chats.
A Ghanaian technology startup called Relay has launched an AI-powered platform that helps businesses automate sales and customer service through WhatsApp, allowing them to manage enquiries, process orders, and receive payments without a website or app. The platform targets small businesses across Africa and emerging markets where WhatsApp is widely used for commerce.
Meta has appointed Kunal Shah, founder of fintech company Cred, to lead WhatsApp, elevating him from a prominent figure in India's startup ecosystem to leadership of a global platform with over three billion users. The appointment follows Meta's $900 million investment in Cred and occurs as WhatsApp seeks to expand into payments, business services, and AI-powered products.
WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart is leaving his role after nearly seven years, during which he scaled the platform to more than three billion users. Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah, who built Cred, will take over as head of WhatsApp.
Ghana has developed one of Africa's most open communication environments since the 1992 Constitution, with citizens and journalists engaging freely on governance and public issues. However, new challenges including political polarization, misinformation, online harassment, digital surveillance, hate speech, economic pressures on journalism, and legal contestation of public expression have emerged in the digital age.
SpaceX has raised $75bn from financial firms ahead of its initial public offering on Friday, with shares priced at $135 each and an expected initial stock market value of nearly $1.8tn. If shares trade at or above that price, SpaceX will immediately become one of the most valuable public companies in the world.
The European Commission has ordered Meta to allow AI chatbots from rival firms to use WhatsApp for free while it investigates whether Meta's ban on third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API breaches EU competition rules. Meta has reacted angrily and says it will appeal.
Italy's competition authority (AGCM) has dropped its investigation into Meta over allegations of abusing its dominant position by installing an AI tool on WhatsApp, citing the European Commission's extension of its own probe to cover Italian territory.
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George announced Ghana is moving toward mandatory identity verification for pornographic websites using National Identity Cards or driver's licenses, citing the UK's regime as a model. Experts question whether the proposal, which the minister says is heading to Cabinet, has any realistic chance of working, citing concerns about VPNs, data security, and social media workarounds.
SSNIT Director-General Kwasi Afresh Biney says the pension scheme's main challenge is encouraging Ghanaians to use its digital platforms, not technology itself. With automation improvements, pension claims can now be processed in an average of seven days, but the full benefits depend on customers actively adopting available digital channels.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is backing a ban on under-16s from social media as the only realistic way to address harms children face online, and warned that the manosphere's growing influence risks creating a "lost generation of young men." The position puts him ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has promised action on children's online safety but has not committed to an outright ban.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued WhatsApp and parent company Meta, alleging they misled consumers about WhatsApp's encryption security despite having access to "virtually all" private communications. Meta denies the allegations and says WhatsApp cannot access encrypted messages; the lawsuit seeks a court order preventing them from accessing Texans' messages without consent and monetary penalties.
WhatsApp is testing a new placement for Status updates at the top of the chats tab to help users catch updates before they disappear in 24 hours. Meta chose Ghana for the limited test because of the strong WhatsApp community in the country and the quality of feedback expected from users.
Meta has notified employees that it plans to cut 10% of its workforce, roughly 8,000 staff, with up to 350 jobs at risk in Ireland. The company has submitted a collective redundancy notification to Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and cited increased spending on artificial intelligence as a reason for the cuts.
The Czech Republic has donated specialised digital forensic equipment and software to Ghana's Police Cybercrime Unit to strengthen cybercrime investigation capacity. The handover, which took place in Accra on May 13, 2026, included MOBILedit Forensic software designed to extract and analyse data from mobile phones and smart devices, including deleted messages from messaging applications.
As Ghana approaches the 2028 election, political parties must rethink campaign approaches to reach a younger, more connected electorate through constituency-level targeting and digital platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, and Facebook rather than relying on traditional media and rallies alone.
A marketing strategist argues that Ghanaian brands must compete on "precision relevance" rather than visibility, as high inflation, youth-dominated demographics, and 70 percent mobile internet penetration have created a "hyper-rational" consumer who compares prices online before shopping and exhibits declining brand loyalty.