Meta-owned messaging platform subject to EU competition scrutiny over AI access restrictions and encryption practices under legal challenge.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of Meta, the company that owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, has a similar holding of different classes of shares in his firm. …
Elon Musk’s SpaceX raises $75bn ahead of record stock market debutJoy Online
The EU has told Meta that it must allow AI chatbots operated by rival firms to use WhatsApp for free. …
EU orders Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbotsJoy Online
Italy’s competition authority said on Monday it had dropped an investigation into Meta Platforms over allegations that the company abused its dominant position by installing its artificial intelligence tool on the messaging service WhatsApp. …
Italy regulator drops investigation into Meta’s WhatsApp AI botJoy Online
… WhatsApp groups among school students have been documented sharing explicit material with no algorithmic filter in sight. …
VPNs, Social media and data risks: why experts say Ghana’s porn age verification won’t workJoy Online
… You probably will go on WhatsApp. Let’s make it. …
SSNIT’s biggest challenge isn’t technology, it’s getting Ghanaians to use it – Kwasi Afresh BineyJoy Online
… Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, argues the app stores should verify users’ ages, so parents approve which apps a child downloads, rather than each app doing its own checks. …
London mayor backs social media ban for under-16sJoy Online
The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Thursday sued WhatsApp and its parent company Meta Platforms Inc alleging they misled consumers about the strength and scope of WhatsApp’s encryption measures, which a Meta spokesman denied. …
Texas sues Meta, WhatsApp over encryption privacy claimsBusiness & Financial Times
WhatsApp is trying out a new placement for Status updates, showing them at the top of the chats tab. …
Meta announces feature Testing Status in the WhatsApp Chat tabJoy Online
… Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has submitted a collective redundancy notification to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in the Republic of Ireland. …
Up to 350 jobs under threat at Meta in IrelandJoy Online
… The software is also capable of analysing data from applications such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, recovering certain deleted files, generating forensic reports and processing backups from Android and iPhone devices. …
Czech-donated tool enables Ghana Police to recover deleted messages, trace digital evidenceSpaceX 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.
12 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
12 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
10 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
9 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
6 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
5 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
2 June 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
22 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
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.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
16 May 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →
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.
15 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
Technology has fundamentally changed how urban Ghanaians spend their leisure time, shifting from communal television watching and veranda gatherings to smartphone use and on-demand streaming. Streaming platforms have gained traction in Ghana's cities, with YouTube dominant across income levels and subscription services gaining ground among younger professionals, while local content creators produce Ghanaian-targeted short-form video and podcasts.
14 May 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
WhatsApp has introduced private "incognito" chats with its AI chatbot where neither user nor company responses are monitored and past conversations disappear. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said users wanted private conversations on sensitive topics like health and finances, though a cybersecurity expert warned this could reduce accountability if issues occur.
14 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Instagram has switched off end-to-end encryption on direct messages worldwide, a reversal of Meta's previous commitment to the technology. The shift means Meta can now access message content, and while child protection groups welcome the decision, privacy advocates have condemned it.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →