Facebook was where Pakistan could debate religion. Now it’s a tool to punish ‘blasphemers’

Laws that criminalize insulting Islam have led to a death sentence for posts, as activists worry Facebook’s commitment to Pakistanis’ ‘voice’ is mostly lip service

Global network of ‘hunters’ aim to take down terrorists on the internet

Group of volunteers obsessively tracks and reports Isis’s most prominent recruiters and propagandists, and tries to block the spread of their propaganda

Facebook users vexed by sound on autoplaying videos – here’s how to stop it

Social media company widens rollout of new feature that automatically plays videos with sound in the News Feed after ‘positive feedback’

Facebook hires former Uber PR chief Rachel Whetstone

Whetstone, who left Uber following corporate scandals and has worked for leading Conservative politicians in the UK, will become communications VP

‘It’s all sextortion and revenge porn’: the woman fighting cyber abuse in Pakistan

With women in Pakistan suffering increasingly lurid and dangerous forms of online harassment, Nighat Dad is leading the battle to make cyberspace safer

Genius or hubris? Why turning down Facebook may be Snapchat’s big mistake

Turning down a $3bn offer made Snapchat famous for its bold vision. But now Facebook is catching up, leading some to predict a ‘long and painful death’

New law would force Facebook and Google to give police access to encrypted messages

Under government plan, internet companies would be obliged to give law enforcement agencies warranted access

Your Facebook Messenger app is about to be filled with ads

After forcing users to switch to separate Messenger app to continue chatting, Facebook will now push adverts on them in expanded trial

Trump’s ‘war on the open internet’: tech firms join day of action for net neutrality

Amazon, Facebook and Netflix among companies demonstrating on behalf of net neutrality, in what supporters say will be biggest online protest in history

Facebook among tech firms battling gag orders over government surveillance

US government prevents companies from revealing many user data requests – a practice which firms and civil liberties activists call unconstitutional

Facebook village? Social media giant to build ‘social housing’

The tech giant aims to build 1,500 apartments at Menlo Park after being criticised for helping to deepen the Silicon Valley housing crisis

Facebook can track your browsing even after you’ve logged out, judge says

Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Facebook of tracking users’ activity, saying responsibility was on plaintiffs to keep browsing history private

Internet regulation: is it time to rein in the tech giants?

Fake news and Isis propaganda have raised concern about the internet’s power. But with cyberspace controlled by a handful of giant, monopolistic firms, can governments ever hope to curb them?

Twitter may introduce feature to let users flag ‘fake news’

The move would see Twitter follow Facebook, which last year introduced a way for users to report stories they deemed false or inaccurate

As Facebook blocks the names of trans users and drag queens, this burlesque performer is fighting back

Dottie Lux has been called ‘the real names crusader’ for helping fight back against a Facebook policy that queer users say is discriminatory