The Federal Trade Commission confirmed news reports from last week that it had opened an inquiry over the harvesting of data on tens of millions of Facebook users by the British consulting group Cambridge Analytica.

While the FTC normally refuses to comment on its probes, it took the unusual step of confirming a “non-public investigation” into Facebook over whether it mishandled private data or violated a 2011 agreement which settled an earlier probe.

Acting FTC consumer protection chief Tom Pahl said the agency will look into whether Facebook violated its privacy promises or failed to comply with the US-EU agreement on data protection known as the Privacy Shield.

The agency also will also determine if Facebook engaged “in unfair acts that cause substantial injury to consumers in violation of the FTC Act.”

The FTC suggested that Facebook could face new legal problems if it violated the consent decree with the consumer agency in 2011 settling charges that it deceived consumers on how it handled private data.

“Companies who have settled previous FTC actions must also comply with FTC order provisions imposing privacy and data security requirements,” Pahl said in the statement.

“Accordingly, the FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook.”

Facebook shares reversed early losses and closed up 0.42 percent on Monday, after having lost some 14 percent last week.

Separately, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley said he had asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear at a hearing on April 10 “to discuss Facebook’s past and future policies regarding the protection and monitoring of consumer data.”

Grassley said he also invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey “to discuss the future of data privacy in the social media industry.”

Germany to boost oversight 

Germany’s justice minister meanwhile said Monday that Facebook should face “stricter” oversight and be more transparent with its users.

Speaking after a meeting with European Facebook executives in Berlin, Justice Minister Katarina Barley said the firm’s assurances that it had already cracked down on the misuse of personal data were “not enough.”

“In future we will clearly have to monitor companies like Facebook more strictly and punish data protection violations severely and quickly,” she told reporters.

The world’s biggest social network is facing calls on both sides of the Atlantic for more information on how its user data was leaked. Several US states have opened investigations.

A public apology by Zuckerberg has failed to quell outrage over the hijacking of personal data.

Separately, Facebook disputed reports that it had been logging call and text data surreptitiously from its users.

A Facebook statement said call and text history logging “is part of an opt-in feature” for those using Messenger or Facebook Lite on Android.

“This helps you find and stay connected with the people you care about, and provides you with a better experience across Facebook,” the statement said, while pointing to ways users can turn off the feature.

In London, authorities said they were assessing data seized in a raid on the offices of Cambridge Analytica as part of their investigation.

About 18 enforcement agents from the Information Commissioner’s Office participated in the raid late Friday after getting a court order.

“This is one part of a larger investigation by the ICO into the use of personal data and analytics by political campaigns, parties, social media companies and other commercial actors,” the UK agency said.

Cambridge Analytica, which worked on US President Donald Trump’s election campaign, has been accused of illegally mining tens of millions of users’ Facebook data and using it to target potential voters.

Facebook took out full-page ads in nine major British and US newspapers on Sunday to apologize to users.

“We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can’t we don’t deserve it,” Zuckerberg said in the ads.

Twitter followed the lead of Google and Facebook, which earlier this year cracked down on digital currency ads to protect users from being duped.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of the Twitter community,” Twitter said in a statement.

“As such, we have added a new policy for Twitter Ads relating to cryptocurrency.”

Under the new policy, the advertisement of ICOs, or initial currency offerings, and token sales will be prohibited at the global one-to-many messaging platform.

Some startups have used ICOs to raise billions of dollars in a highly volatile, unregulated market.

Twitter said: “We know that this type of content is often associated with deception and fraud, both organic and paid, and are proactively implementing a number of signals to prevent these types of accounts from engaging with others in a deceptive manner.”

The value of bitcoin dropped eight percent to $7,929 after the Twitter ad ban was announced, according to market data from Bloomberg.

The new policy leaves open the door for ads for cryptocurrency exchanges or secure “wallet” services offered by public companies listed on some major exchanges.

Twitter plans to modify its ad policy as the digital currency market evolves and its ability to distinguish dubious marketing messages improves.

The British government early this year called for global regulation of controversial virtual currency bitcoin, adding that the G20 would address the topic this month.

Bitcoin is independent of governments and banks and uses blockchain technology, where encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers.

The virtual currency is not regulated by any central bank but is instead overseen by a community of users who try to guard against counterfeiting.

Virtual currency exchanges have seen tremendous volatility, and have sparked concerns they can be used to launder money for criminal networks.

The value of Litecoin also tanked on Monday, after the Singapore-based nonprofit Litecoin foundation put out word that payments processor LitePay ceased operations.

LitePay had asked the foundation for more funding, but was “unable to provide a satisfactory picture” of what it did with the money it had already been given, according to a release.

“We are greatly disheartened that this saga has ended in this way and we apologize for not doing enough due diligence that could have uncovered some of these issues earlier,” Litecoin foundation said in the release.

“We are currently working hard to tighten our due diligence practices and ensure that this does not happen again.”

Litecoin was down about 10 percent to $144.05 as of mid-day.

Singapore-based Grab is taking over the ride-sharing and food delivery operations of Uber in the region, with the California-headquartered company to receive a 27.5 percent stake in the business in return.

The sale is Uber’s latest withdrawal from a market where it had faced tough competition, as new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi seeks to stem huge losses and move past a series of scandals.

After a fierce battle, Uber sold its China operations to rival Didi Chuxing in 2016 in return for a stake, and last year the US firm merged in Russia with the taxi-hailing app of internet giant Yandex.

The deal with Grab — which operates in eight Southeast Asian countries — is similar to the one struck with Didi, and ends a fight for market share in a region that is home to some 650 million people and an increasingly affluent middle class.

“Today’s acquisition marks the beginning of a new era,” said Grab chief executive Anthony Tan. “The combined business is the leader in platform and cost efficiency in the region.”

Khosrowshahi, who is joining Grab’s board as part of the agreement, said: “This deal is a testament to Uber’s exceptional growth across Southeast Asia over the last five years. It will help us double down on our plans for growth.”

The value of the deal, which Grab said was the largest ever acquisition by a Southeast Asian internet company, was not disclosed.

Grab has long been the dominant force in ride-hailing in Southeast Asia and speculation mounted that a deal with Uber was on the cards after Japanese financial titan Softbank invested huge sums in the US firm.

Softbank is also a major investor in Grab, and is known for pushing for consolidation in the global ride-hailing industry, which has been losing billions of dollars a year due to turf wars.

‘Fewer choices for commuters’

As part of Monday’s deal, Grab is combining Uber’s food delivery service in the region with its own and plans to expand it to more countries.

While both sides said the move would benefit customers, analysts raised concerns a lack of competition could push up prices.

“Industry consolidation will mean fewer choices for commuters and fares are likely to trend higher over time as the remaining players seek to improve their profitability longer term,” Corrine Png, a transport analyst from Singapore-based research firm Crucial Perspective, told AFP.

Grab, launched in 2012, has poured money into expanding its regional fleet and now operates in 195 cities in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

As well as linking customers up with private cars, it has services offering motorbike taxis in some countries, regular taxis and carpooling, as well as food and package delivery.

Before the acquisition, Uber operated in 64 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries.

Competition between ride-hailing apps has been heating up in Southeast Asia, with the market forecast to grow more than five times to $13.1 billion by 2025, according to a 2016 report by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek.

Uber is the largest firm of its kind with a presence in more than 600 cities, but it has been rocked by scandals and is facing fierce competition from rivals in Asia and Europe.

Chief executive Travis Kalanick was ousted in June last year after missteps including allegations of executive misconduct, a toxic workplace atmosphere and potentially unethical competitive practices.

New boss Khosrowshahi has vowed to turn the company around as Uber gears up for a 2019 public share offering.

But he has a fight on his hands — Uber’s losses in 2017 grew to $4.5 billion from the $2.8 billion the company lost a year earlier.

“We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can’t we don’t deserve it,” he said.

The ads ran in prominent positions in six British nationals, including the best-selling Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The Observer — which helped break the story — as well as the New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Zuckerberg explained there was a quiz developed by a university researcher “that leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014”.

“This was a breach of trust, and I’m sorry we didn’t do more at the time. We’re now taking steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

The ad reflects public statements Zuckerberg made last week after the row prompted investigations in Europe and the United States, and sent Facebook’s share price plunging.

He repeated that the social media giant had changed the rules on apps so no such data breach could happen again.

“We’re also investigating every single app that had access to large amounts of data before we fixed this. We expect there are others,” he wrote.

“And when we find them, we will ban them and tell everyone affected.”

There was no mention of the British firm accused of using the data, Cambridge Analytica, which worked on US President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

It too has blamed the University of Cambridge researcher Alexsandr Kogan, for any potential breach of data rules

Kogan created a lifestyle quiz app for Facebook which was downloaded by 270,000 people, but allowed access to tens of millions of their contacts.

Facebook says he passed this to Cambridge Analytica without its knowledge. Kogan says he is being made a scapegoat.

Ainun Najib, the head of data at Malaysian ride-hailing company Grab, stated Thursday that the reason behind the talent shortage might be the education system, which was not designed to produce data scientists.

He said the phenomenon was not limited to Indonesia, as data science was relatively new and had only grown significantly in recent years.

“With no formal background in education, data scientist talents turned to other fields. Academics are now trying to fill that void,” he said.

Algoritma, a startup company, was founded at the end of 2017 as the first data science academy in Indonesia.

Read also: AI is here to stay and here’s what you need to know

Ainun said Grab tried to create an environment that would attract talent.

“Grab employees come from 45 countries,” he added.

Andreas Hadimulyono, a Grab warehouse engineer, pointed to mapping and traffic data that could be used to locate the best routes while using Grab’s transportation services.

“In this instance, we use data on locations, traffic and time. Even choosing a particular exit at one mall could make a difference in [deciding] which route to take. All of that is based on data,” he said.

Ainun said data scientists needed to master three different skill sets: business science and the understanding of marketing and consumers; analytical ability related to mathematics and statistics; and technical ability, particularly in coding and hacking.

At the first glance, it might seem they are playing with their iPad Pro tablets in class while the teacher is lecturing, but actually these elementary school students at the Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School are enjoying learning about sound frequency in a science class.

The example classroom at the demonstration school has adopted iPad Pro as tools for teaching and learning in a year-long experiment.

Tinnakorn Bourpul, principal of Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School, said the school is always open to new and innovation technologies to enhance learning and improve teaching. With the support parents of the students and Apple Thailand, the school has adopted the iPad Pro in learning and teaching activities for a year.

About 40 teachers have already been trained in the technology and can develop interactive books and otherwise create new ways of learning and teaching.

“We will share our stories with other schools, show them our passion and also help them to utilise technologies to enhance teaching and learning as well,” said Tinnakorn.

Pan-ngarm Chairaksak, vice principal for academic management, vocational courses and technology at Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School, said the school aims to train 110 teachers to create online courses and work with e-learning courseware over the next four years.

“Teachers need to be capable of using new technologies to enhance their teaching and improve students’ learning,” said Pan-ngarm. “Teachers have to be instructional designers to design learning process management effectively.”

Now, iPad Pro is used in 25 per cent of the school’s teaching and learning activities – mainly for project-based learning activities.

The 120 devices are shared between two classes of 40 students to use as a learning tool, while 40 pioneer teachers also have one each as a teaching tool, said Pan-ngarm. The teachers use iPad Pro in conjunction with other learning media.

The elementary demonstration school has seven rooms in each of six levels (Phathom 1 to 6), with each room hosting 35 to 37 students.

Teachers develop e-books while students use their iPad Pro as learning tool to access electronic courseware.

“We do not aim to turn over all learning to electronic platforms; we will use electronics as tools to enhance learning and teaching,” said Pan-ngarm. She added that after the devices were implemented for learning in class, there were improvements that included students who were more happy to be learning, and students enjoying their classes, including the more difficult math and science classes.

“We see our students more happy and more active in learning inside class and outside the class. They dare to learn difficult subjects. Their score results have improved, especially in the science class, since teachers have the ability to design and tailor their teaching format and model to personalise it to students,” said Pan-ngarm. Teachers can tailor the content to the needs of high achievers, average students or weak students “to keep all of them moving forward together without leaving anyone behind,” she said.

Natchana Maneephruek, a vocational and technology teacher at Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School said that teachers turn to a variety of applications to enhance their students’ learning experience, including Keynote, iMovie, iTunes U, Swift Playgrounds and Kahoot. “With devices and new technologies, we can design and develop an interesting classroom and get students to enjoy and see the fun in learning. In the digital disruption era, teachers need to be more proactive and keep their eyes on innovation,” said Natchana.

Thai people in general are heavy users of social media, including 47 million Facebook accounts, 41 million Line accounts, 11 million Instagram accounts and 9 million Twitter accounts.

The heavy use has implications for social-media use among teenagers, who may have lower levels of digital literacy and high potential to be victimised.

Pichet Durongkaveroj, the minister of Digital Economy and Society, said his ministry recognises the double-edged sword that comes with the use of digital technology, including inappropriate use by children that can result in a vast variety of online problems.

Recently, the ministry organised a seminar on anti-cyberbullying programmes, allowing stakeholders to offer their comments, which the ministry can then feed into developing and updating the national Internet policy. “This public-private partnership has marked the year of integration between the government and stakeholders to take action against cyberbullying and it’s a good start to jointly address social problems,” said Pichet.

Anti-cyberbullying is one government strategy to promote children’s right to safely use online media through building digital literacy.

The collaborative framework covers five areas. First, the ministry will coordinate with other government agencies to create an effective system of referral to the Technology Crime Suppression Division for cyberbullying victims in the event of cybercrime-related cases.

Second, the ministry will extend the use of the Stop Bullying Chat Line developed by DTAC through its digitally connected communities nationwide. Third, the ministry will educate about safe Internet use in school activities through young ambassadors.

Fourth, the ministry and DTAC will jointly develop digital citizenship curriculum and circulate it to all schools nationwide via cooperation with the education ministry.

Last, the ministry will provide funding for Internet-related research in order to better understand safe Internet use and cyberbullying in Thailand. Lars Norling, chief executive officer at DTAC, said the mobile service provider has positioned itself as a child-friendly business in line with its business responsibilities. He said the company recognised its responsibilities and initiated a Safe Internet Programme in 2014 in a bid to promote a safe online environment for children.

DTAC’s child-friendly business strategy can be divided into four pillars – raise awareness of safe Internet use, integrate strategy in products and services to ensure that its products are safe, seek a child-friendly Internet ecosystem and drive safe Internet related regulations and policies. Last year, DTAC promoted safe Internet use to more than 27,000 students via school outreach activities. Norling said the Stop Bullying Chat Line had a soft launch last June with more than 40,000 views and 278 victims, reflecting the large scope of cyberbullying in Thailand.

“To address the problem sustainably, the company, the government, civic society or even intergovernmental organisations cannot do it alone. We need to join forces and reinforce community and government efforts to protect and fulfil children’s rights, including [a space free from] cyberbullying,” said Norling.

Charnvit Pornnoppadol, head of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine, at Sirisaj hospital, Mahidol University, said Thai teenagers are highly addicted to the Internet, spending 4.8 hours daily online 4.8. The applications they use the most are YouTube, LINE and Facebook respectively.

One-third of Thai youth have experienced cyberbullying at least once, according to a report titled “The State of Cyberbullying in Thailand Among Youths at Mathayom 1-3”, produced in collaboration with 13 countries. Charnvit said people who become bullies often have a mental or emotional disorder. Online addiction behaviour is also associated with cyberbullying.

“Chatting with strangers both online and offline, letting people know personal data and posting their VDO clip online all referred to risky Internet behaviour [and] potentially lead to further cybercrimes including cyberbullying,” said Charnvit.

The solution requires stakeholders work together to promote a safe Internet culture, he said.

The SOS+ initiative was conceived to help participating businesses connect with world-class e-marketplaces around the globe.

Under the collaboration, Alibaba Group’s Tmall e-marketplace, China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers, supports the initiative to help Thai businesses tap opportunities outside their home market.

Through Tmall Global, an extension of Tmall that serves overseas brands and retailers without physical operations in China, Thai SMEs can gain access to the massive Chinese e-commerce market. Thai companies can join over 16,400 international brands from 68 countries and regions to offer products and services to more than 500 million annual active consumers (as of December 31, 2017) on Alibaba Group’s China retail marketplaces.

Rex Cheuk, business development director for Tmall Global, said that with an estimated 40 per cent of online consumers already purchasing foreign and imported goods, Tmall Global opens up new possibilities for Thai SMEs.

Moreover, Tmall Global offers merchants the ability to build their brand in China through a wide range of mechanics for consumer engagement, ranging from special deals on selected items and exclusive in-app promotions to participation in interactive games or even celebrity-led livestreaming sessions.

Tmall Global also operates 17 market-specific pavilions dedicated to showcasing the quality products of each partner country/region – including a Thailand pavilion at https://thailand.tmall.com/.

Activities under the SOS+ initiative are being held in 3 provinces across Thailand, starting with the launch of the programme in Bangkok followed by further sessions in Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen later in March.

Alibaba Group offers entrepreneurs in Thailand a range of activities and partnerships across the public and private sectors.

In 2016, the company signed a letter of intent with the Commerce Ministry to engage in SME training programmes designed to drive e-commerce and logistics capabilities.

The Chinese company has since brought its expertise in e-commerce to Thailand in the Alibaba Global Course programme, which seeks to equip local SMEs with a deeper understanding of global and local market trends as well as advice in business and human resource development.

Late last year, Tmall built upon its partnership with Thai businesses with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Asia Golden Rice, Thailand’s number-one rice exporter and owner of the Benjarong brand. The agreement will see jasmine rice production expand in Ubon Ratchathani for sale on Tmall as well as the Alibaba-owned Hema chain of smart supermarkets in China.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ cameras are built with a super-speed dual pixel sensor with dedicated processing power and memory to take shots with high photo quality.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+’s camera features include low light camera with dual aperture lens (F1.5 / F2.4) which work like a human’s eye by automatically letting in more light when it’s dark and less light when it’s too bright.

Samsung says the AR emoji shares users’ real-life emotions not only in video but also with a range of stickers, and uses a standard AGIF file format so users can share their emojis across most third-party messaging platforms. Galaxy S9 and S9+ come in Samsung’s latest colour, lilac purple.