CNN – Social Media/Technology

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business LinkedIn will shut down the local version of its service in China, marking a significant retreat for one of the few large US tech firms still operating in the country. The career networking platform, owned by Microsoft, made the decision because of a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater

By Walé Azeez, CNN Business Should UK government officials be allowed to send each other “disappearing messages” on WhatsApp? A High Court judge has ruled that two campaign groups can pursue their case to end the practice. Nonprofit groups Foxglove and the Citizens were given the go ahead on Tuesday to challenge the use of

By Matt McFarland, CNN Business Waymo says its self-driving vans have given tens of thousands of rides since the company launched a public robotaxi service in Chandler, Arizona a year ago. CNN Business tested Waymo’s service this month and spoke with eight Waymo customers who have used the service over the past year. They say

By Donie O’Sullivan, CNN Business Sophie Zhang, who said she felt like she had “blood on her hands” after working at Facebook, is willing to testify before Congress about her former employer, she told CNN Sunday. She said she had also passed on documentation about the company to a US law enforcement agency. Zhang, who

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business Amazon is shifting its approach to remote work again, giving its workers more control over how much time they spend in the office and opening the door for more corporate workers to continue working from home. The company will now allow individual teams to decide which policy works for them,

By Rachel Metz, CNN Business For billions of people around the world, Facebook can be a source for cute baby pictures, vaccine misinformation and everything in between — and all of it surfaces in our feeds with the help of algorithms. Now, hours of testimony and thousands of pages of documents from Facebook whistleblower Frances

By Sara Ashley O’Brien, CNN Business The fifth week of the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes brought another big name witness to the stand, as well as the conclusion of a crucial witness’s testimony that had lasted nearly half the length of the trial so far. Holmes, once hailed as the next Steve Jobs,

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business Facebook is cracking down on the ability of people to use its e-commerce platforms to sell large parcels of land in the protected Amazon rainforest. “Today, we are announcing measures to curb attempts to sell land in ecological conservation areas within the Amazon rainforest on Facebook Marketplace,” the company said

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business A Facebook whistleblower has helped renew concerns that some parents have likely had for years: what impact social media is having on their kids. Frances Haugen, a 37-year-old former Facebook product manager, testified this week that the company’s algorithms can push young Instagram users toward harmful content, such as

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business Google is cracking down on the ability of climate change deniers to make money off its platforms and to spread climate misinformation through advertisements. The company said Thursday it will no longer allow advertising to appear alongside “content that contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate

By Walé Azeez, CNN Business Uber is facing legal action over its use of facial recognition software that allegedly discriminates against people of color. Three former workers have launched employment tribunal claims in the United Kingdom against Uber, accusing the company of unfair dismissal after its facial recognition system failed to identify them. The legal

By Pamela Brown, Zachary Cohen, Ryan Nobles, Annie Grayer and Donie O’Sullivan, CNN Business The Facebook whistleblower who released thousands of documents that she says shows the company knows its platforms are used to spread hate, violence and misinformation is expected to meet with the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the

By Sara Ashley O’Brien, CNN Business Former Safeway CEO Steven Burd testified Wednesday during the criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes about his company’s decision to invest heavily in a partnership with her blood testing startup Theranos that ultimately failed to get off the ground. Burd, who served as CEO of the grocery chain from 1993

By Sara Ashley O’Brien, CNN Business In the criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes, one witness has hogged the spotlight so far: former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff. Rosendorff, who ran Theranos’ clinical lab during a crucial period for the startup as it launched blood testing to consumers with Walgreens, has occupied the witness stand for

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business Twitch has experienced a major data breach, the game streaming service confirmed on Wednesday. “We can confirm a breach has taken place,” Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, said on Twitter. “Our teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this.” The company’s statement came after an anonymous

By Alexis Benveniste, CNN Business Driving and flying are huge contributors to carbon emissions and climate change. So Google is helping users make more informed decisions about how they travel. The company is releasing features on Google Maps and Google Flights to show how travel plans may contribute to climate change. Eco-friendly routes In addition

By Tara Subramaniam, CNN Business Facebook’s week is off to a tumultuous start. On Monday, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram went down for about six hours. On Tuesday, Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, testified before a Senate subcommittee, following the release of thousands of pages of internal research and documents. Haugen, the 37-year-old former Facebook (FB)

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business Microsoft is rolling out its first major Windows update in six years. But not everyone will be able to get it right away. Starting Tuesday, Windows 11 will be available as a free download to existing Windows users depending on the hardware and age of their PC device. Microsoft

By Samantha Murphy Kelly and Clare Duffy, CNN Business The Facebook whistleblower who released tens of thousands of pages of internal research and documents indicating the company was aware of various problems caused by its apps, including Instagram’s potential “toxic” effect on teen girls, called on Congress to take action against the social media platform

By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business The former Facebook employee whose leaks triggered some of the most intense scrutiny in the company’s history revealed her identity Sunday night. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager with stints at several other big tech companies, went public with an appearance on “60 Minutes.” Haugen is set to testify