Facebook suspends Canadian firm AggregateIQ over data scandal

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Friday that it had suspended Canadian political consultancy AggregateIQ from its platform after reports that the data firm may have improperly had access to the personal data of Facebook users.

California proposes new rules for self-driving cars to pick up passengers

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's public utility regulator on Friday signaled it would allow self-driving car companies to transport passengers without a backup driver in the vehicle, a step forward for autonomous car developers just as the industry faces heightened scrutiny over safety concern...

Continue reading

Facebook backs political ad bill, sets limits on 'issue ads'

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc backed for the first time on Friday proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads, which have been used ...

Continue reading

Chinese Uber rival Didi launches in Mexico, recruits drivers

MEXICO CITY/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has publicly launched in Mexico with a website advertising its service to drivers and passengers, setting the stage for a potentially expensive showdown with rival Uber.

Facebook backs U.S. regulation of internet political ads

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Friday endorsed U.S. legislation to regulate political ads across the internet, a concession to lawmakers days before he is scheduled to testify in two U.S. congressional hearings.

Consumer groups to approach FTC over Facebook's facial recognition

(Reuters) - A civil rights group and some consumer groups said on Friday they would file a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that Facebook Inc's use of facial recognition techniques threaten users' privacy.

U.S. targets Longfin, CEO over alleged trading scheme: SEC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said it had targeted allegedly illegal stock sales involving Longfin Corp stock as well as the finance and technology company's chief executive and three other people.

Apple says repeal of EPA carbon plan would threaten investments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Friday it opposes any repeal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the Clean Power Plan, which is a priority of the agency's Administrator Scott Pruitt and would reverse an Obama-era program to curb greenhouse gases.

EU says Facebook confirmed data of 2.7 million Europeans 'improperly shared'

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Facebook has confirmed that the data of 2.7 million EU citizens were among those improperly used by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, the EU executive said on Friday.

Russia asks Facebook to explain curbs on some media accounts: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's communications watchdog said on Friday it had asked Facebook to explain why access had been restricted to the Facebook accounts of some Russian media organizations, RIA news agency said.

Activist fund says Toshiba chip unit worth as much as $40 billion

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Hong Kong-based activist investment fund said Toshiba Corp's chip unit was worth as much as $40 billion, double the sale price agreed with a Bain-led consortium, as it escalated its opposition to the deal.

Uber appoints two new non-executive board members in Britain

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber said on Friday it had appointed two new independent non-executives in Britain as it fights to keep its license in its most important European market, London.

Indonesia says examining whether Facebook breached laws on data

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's communication ministry said it has asked Facebook Inc to confirm whether personal data from any of its citizens was shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica and is coordinating with police in case any laws were breached.

Russia asked Facebook to explain curbs on some media accounts: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Friday it had asked Facebook to explain why access had been restricted to some Russian media organizations' Facebook accounts, the RIA news agency said.

Russia files lawsuit to block Telegram messaging app

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's state communications watchdog said on Friday it had filed a lawsuit to limit access to the Telegram messaging app after the company refused to give Russian state security services access to its users' secret messages.

Singapore regulator says Uber app to delay shutdown amid competition review

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's competition watchdog said Uber will delay the ride-hailing app's shutdown in the city-state by a week to April 15.

Uber rival Didi makes Mexico launch official, recruits drivers

MEXICO CITY/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has publicly launched in Mexico with a website advertising its service to drivers and passengers and setting the stage for a potentially expensive showdown with rival Uber.

Grab's Uber deal still has some obstacles to navigate

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Regulatory scrutiny could complicate ride-hailing company Grab's takeover of Uber Technologies' Southeast Asian business, but there is little the authorities can do to stop Uber from simply exiting the region, lawyers and analysts said.

LG Electronics tips highest first quarter profit since 2009

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said it expects first-quarter operating profit to rise 20 percent from a year ago to its highest in 9 years, beating market expectations.

Chinese Uber rival Didi launches recruitment drive in Mexico

MEXICO CITY/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has publicly launched in Mexico with a website advertising its service to drivers and passengers and setting the stage for a potentially expensive showdown with rival Uber.

Activist fund says Toshiba chip unit worth as much as double sale price

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Hong Kong-based activist investment fund opposed to Toshiba Corp's $18 billion sale of its chip unit to a Bain Capital-led group said the business was worth as much as double its agreed price and the deal should be renegotiated.

South Korean prosecutors raid Samsung Elec over alleged union sabotage

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors searched offices at a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unit on Friday as part of a probe into allegations the conglomerate had sabotaged workers' efforts to strengthen labor unions, the prosecutors' office said.

Hong Kong fund says Toshiba chip unit worth more than $30 billion

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Hong Kong-based activist investment fund opposed to Toshiba Corp's sale of its chip unit to a Bain Capital-led group said the deal should be renegotiated at a valuation of 3.3 trillion yen to 4.4 trillion yen ($30 billion-$41 billion).

Samsung Electronics tips record first-quarter profit as chip boom winds down

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd tipped a surprise record first-quarter profit on Friday but market reaction was muted due to growing concerns that the semiconductor boom that has driven the South Korean tech giant's earnings is about to end.

Japanese online brokerage Monex to buy Coincheck for 3.6 billion yen

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese online brokerage firm Monex Group Inc said on Friday it would buy hacked cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc, acquiring full ownership of the Tokyo-based firm for 3.6 billion yen ($33.59 million).

Samsung Elec tips record first quarter profit as chip boom winds down

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd tipped a surprise record first-quarter profit on Friday but market reaction was muted due to growing concerns that the semiconductor boom that has driven the South Korean tech giant's earnings is about to end.

Japan's cryptocurrency exchanges face shortage of engineers

TOKYO (Reuters) - When cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc explained how hackers made off with $530 million in digital money, it said part of the problem was beyond its control: Japan's lack of software engineers.

Prosecutors raid Samsung unit in probe into alleged union sabotage: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors searched offices at a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unit on Friday as part of a probe into allegations that the conglomerate sabotaged worker efforts to set up stronger labor unions, Yonhap News Agency said.

Samsung Electronics tips record first-quarter profit, beating expectations

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd tipped a surprise record first-quarter profit on Friday as analysts said strong chip margins and the early launch of its flagship Galaxy S9 smartphone likely masked broader weakness in the mobile market.

Canada, B.C. in joint investigations of Facebook, AggregateIQ

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - The Canadian federal agency charged with protecting privacy rights of individuals said on Thursday that it, along with its counterpart in British Columbia, will jointly investigate Facebook Inc and Canadian data firm AggregateIQ, over an ongoing data sharing scandal.