Abortion-rights groups denounce censorship on Meta-owned apps in Latin America and beyond

MEXICO CITY — All of a sudden, women contacting one of the biggest sources of information about abortion in Mexico through the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp were met with silence. The nongovernmental organization’s business account had been blocked. Weeks later, a similar digital blackout struck a collective in Colombia. Across the Americas, organizations that guide…

Read More

NATO’s procurement agency under investigation for alleged corruption linked to military contracts

BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that the organization’s procurement agency is cooperating with police investigating corruption and fraud allegations involving the purchase of military equipment. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) helps the 32 members of the world’s biggest security alliance and their partners to buy defense equipment and other security…

Read More

Coinbase says cyber crooks stole customer information, demanded $20M ransom payment

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., said Thursday that criminals had improperly obtained personal data on the exchange’s customers for use in crypto-stealing scams and were demanding a $20 million payment not to publicly re… Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., said Thursday that criminals had improperly obtained personal…

Read More

European Union accuses TikTok of breaching digital rules because its ad database falls short

LONDON — European Union regulators accused TikTok on Thursday of breaching digital safety rules because of shortcomings in the video sharing app’s online ad database. TikTok’s ad repository isn’t up to the standards required by the bloc’s Digital Services Act, known as the DSA, the 27-nation EU’s executive Commission said in preliminary findings from its…

Read More

Food grown with fewer chemicals? A Brazilian scientist wins $500,000 for showing the way

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Brazilian scientist who pushed back against chemical fertilizers and researched biologically based approaches to more robust food production has been honored with this year’s World Food Prize, the organization announced Tuesday. Microbiologist Mariangela Hungria’s research helped her country become an agricultural powerhouse, an accomplishment that has now won her $500,000…

Read More