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Sunday, 13 September 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Sunday, 13 September 2026
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Ghanaian press · Organization

WhatsApp

WhatsApp — messaging platform owned by Meta with over three billion users, subject to regulatory scrutiny over username feature security and AI access.

2026-05-082026-09-13
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In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. May 2026

  2. The Ghanaian Times

    … WhatsApp groups coordinate multiplayer sessions. Friends compare progress. …

    How Technology Is Changing Leisure and Entertainment in Urban Ghana

  3. Joy Online

    WhatsApp has introduced private chats with its AI chatbot, which not even the tech company will be able to read in a new “incognito” mode. …

    WhatsApp launches totally private ‘incognito’ conversations with its AI chatbot

  4. Joy Online

    … E2EE is the default on Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages Telegram offers it as an option, but not by default X, formerly Twitter, offers an similar system for direct messages, though critics say it does not meet industry standards Snapchat …

    Instagram privacy tech is turned off today- what does this mean for your DMs?
Society

UNICEF: 20 million children faced online sexual abuse yearly

The News

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.

3 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 3 September

  1. UNICEF: 20 million children faced online sexual abuse yearly

    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.

    3 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 2 September

  1. Social media has become the most powerful force in modern life

    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.

    2 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 31 August

  1. TrustGH identifies 6,000 scam numbers; TikTok tops fraud platform

    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.

    31 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 7 August

  1. US judge orders Meta to pay $567m for child safety failures

    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.

    7 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 30 July

  1. Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism

    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.

    30 July 2026 · The Chronicle →

Tuesday 28 July

  1. Tennessee sues Meta over Instagram's impact on teen mental health

    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.

    28 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 23 July

  1. Somalia warns WhatsApp username feature risks security

    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.

    23 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 21 July

  1. Meta faces Tennessee trial over Instagram addiction allegations

    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.

    21 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Sunday 19 July

  1. FTC warns of growing task scams on messaging platforms

    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.

    19 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 8 July

  1. Meta's AI image tool draws backlash over consent

    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.

    8 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 7 July

  1. Meta faces $1.4 trillion penalty claim in US youth safety trial

    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.

    7 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 3 July

  1. India issues notices to Telegram and Signal messaging apps

    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.

    3 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 2 July

  1. India urges WhatsApp to pause username feature rollout

    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.

    2 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 29 June

  1. WhatsApp introduces usernames to protect user privacy

    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.

    29 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 24 June

  1. Ghanaian startup launches WhatsApp AI sales automation platform

    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.

    24 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 23 June

  1. Indian entrepreneur Kunal Shah appointed to lead WhatsApp

    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.

    23 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 22 June

  1. WhatsApp's Will Cathcart to step back; Kunal Shah takes lead

    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.

    22 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 16 June

  1. Ghana's free speech and media freedoms: progress and emerging challenges

    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.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 12 June

  1. SpaceX raises $75bn ahead of Friday stock market debut

    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 →

Wednesday 10 June

  1. EU orders Meta to restore WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots

    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 →

Tuesday 9 June

  1. Italy regulator closes Meta WhatsApp AI investigation

    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 →

Saturday 6 June

  1. Ghana's proposed porn age verification faces technical skepticism

    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 →

Friday 5 June

  1. SSNIT's challenge is adoption of digital services, not technology

    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 →

Tuesday 2 June

  1. London mayor backs social media ban for under-16s

    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 →

Monday 25 May

  1. Texas sues Meta and WhatsApp over encryption privacy claims

    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 →

Friday 22 May

  1. Meta tests new WhatsApp Status placement in Ghana

    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 →

Wednesday 20 May

  1. Meta plans job cuts, with 350 roles threatened in Ireland

    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 →

Saturday 16 May

  1. Czech Republic donates digital forensic tools to Ghana Police

    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 →

Friday 15 May

  1. Ghana election campaigns need new strategies for younger voters

    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 →

  2. Ghana's marketing landscape shifts toward price-conscious digital consumers

    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 →

WhatsApp — Ghanaian press coverage · Ghana Minute