The Chinese content farms behind Factory TikTok

How workers manufacturing products like aloe jelly and gardening gloves also became the influencers selling them. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Koo is selling itself as a Twitter substitute in Nigeria

The Indian microblogging app has built a partisan audience in India by supporting government restrictions on social platforms. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

In Argentina, cheap government-issued netbooks sparked a musical Renaissance

Working-class teens turned junked machines into musical instruments. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Three Iraqi women explain how and why they stay anonymous online

Iraqi women are joining the country’s male-dominated public discourse online— but anonymously. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

For Latin American politicians, Bitcoin is a PR goldmine

El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele set off a movement for political opportunists and crypto-enthusiasts alike. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Facebook Discover replicated many of Free Basics’ mistakes

Researchers found the new connectivity app favored Facebook’s own products. The company said it fixed the issue after Rest of World asked about it. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Sophie Zhang: I saw millions compromise their FB accounts for fake engagement

When I worked at the social network, I saw how users in the Global South shared their accounts with shady middlemen. The practice erodes public trust and is corrupting civil discourse around the world. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

English tutors became Brazil's newest TikTok influencers

A social media star built an army of influencers to teach Brazil English. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Delicious biryani, compliments to the robo-chef

Automated ghost kitchens are coming for traditional Indian cuisine. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The failed promise of Kenya’s smart city

African governments keep burning money planning smart cities by following a McKinsey blueprint. But for what? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

India fell in, then out of love with Twitter

Last week, a familiar image appeared on the local news in India: a police raid, with a reporter standing in front of a group of Delhi’s Special Cell police, a unit typically responsible for busting… | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

YouTube said it took action on ads featuring Belarus hostage videos

The advertisements promoted confession tapes released by government authorities of activist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who have both been detained. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The downfall of Malaysia’s biggest sugar daddy platform

Sugarbook claimed to ‘empower’ young women, but its fall exposes uncomfortable truths about power and hypocrisy in Malaysia. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Tech for disabled people is booming. So where’s the funding? – Rest of World

Assistive tech startups remain at the fringes, despite their proven impact. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Venmo is halting some payments referring to Palestine

The app stalled a transaction from a Rest of World reporter for “Emergency palestinian relief fund.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Fact-checking Modi’s post-truth India / AltNews origin story

As the pandemic rages in India, these fact-checkers say the prime minister’s brand of misinformation is to blame. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Brazil’s DIY, eco-friendly NFT art marketplace

A rapidly growing Brazilian NFT market is offering creators a sustainable way to make a living. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why more countries want Twitter and Facebook to hire local staff

Governments around the world are considering new social media laws designed to give them greater control over the internet. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Coders in India are hacking vaccine websites to get appointments

While some are building code to hack the country’s online vaccine portal, many in the country struggle to get online. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Azar, the Korean Chatroulette-style dating app quietly taking over the world

In February, Match Group agreed to buy Azar’s parent company for $1.7 billion. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Fact-Checking Modi’s India

As the pandemic rages in India, these fact-checkers say the prime minister’s brand of misinformation is to blame. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Law in Mauritius want be able to decrypt and archive all social media traffic

This new social media law in Mauritius could land users in prison for “annoyance.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Migrant caravans are organized–and scammed–via Facebook and WhatsApp

Every year, thousands of people try to emigrate to the U.S. Not only do they have to deal with border guards and bad weather, they must also decide who to trust. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

A fringe Japanese religion built a pro-Trump social media empire

Like Falun Gong, Happy Science has adopted American far-right ideology for its own gain. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Funding the Future at a Snail’s Pace

A startup bets on “move slow and break nothing.” If only funding would move a little faster. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

With the Kremlin’s blessing, Russian companies embrace biometric ambitions

As Kremlin-backed biometric programs roll out in Moscow, retailers are looking to make use of the technology. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

In MBS’s Saudi Arabia, tech, not oil, is the hot new thing

“My father is pushing my brothers — and even my sisters as well —to join startups.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Bitcoin’s most recent adopters are working-class migrants

If Latin American currencies can be just as volatile, why not jump on the crypto bandwagon? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Bitcoin bro registered Argentina's Google domain and (literally) broke the net

Poor domain governance results in Argentina’s greatest digital heist of 2021. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Global South startups can do better than Silicon Valley

After years of chasing high-tech solutions, Grab found its greatest success copying the very systems it set out to replace. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why people around the world are flocking to OnlyFans

During the pandemic, the subscription site known for explicit content exploded in popularity around the world. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Don't Pick Up: Missed calls in India

In the age of expensive data, missed calls became more than just a cheap way to communicate. But in India, technology moves faster than you’d think. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Young, Deported, and Learning to Code

The United States is deporting highly educated migrants, and offshoring companies have pounced at the opportunity. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The mysterious user editing a global open-source map in China’s favor

Open-source tools underpin technology used by millions of people, but they’re also vulnerable to manipulation. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

A Hong Kong journalist is on trial for using a public database

The arrest of investigative reporter Bao Choy has implications for journalists, activists, lawyers, and investors. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Independent Russian journalists are thriving on YouTube - for now

With television networks full of government propaganda, YouTube is a vital platform for debate. But will the freedom last? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

A coordinated online attack has forced some organizers behind Pakistan's Women's March into hiding

The country’s feminist movement, Aurat March, is used to backlash. This year was different. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

India’s cryptocurrency community braces for a sweeping ban

India wants to ban the ownership of cryptocurrency. Here’s how traders are reacting. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

TikTok is repeating all of Facebook’s mistakes in Myanmar

The social media platform is scrambling to take down threatening videos and misinformation posted by the Burmese military, but activists want to know why it wasn’t prepared. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Loans that hijack your phone – among the growing concern of digital lending

Lenders are turning to coercive “phones on loan” that shut down smartphones if customers fall behind on payments. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

The pandemic is giving tech leaders a shot at replacing teachers with technology

Latin America’s education sector has long been under economic threat. Founders see an opportunity. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Welcome to the Global WFH Diaspora

Remote working has freed tech workers to leave high-priced cities — and, in some cases, to move out of the U.S. altogether. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Why it’s so hard for a hospital in Tanzania to fix broken incubator

Medical device companies have used a range of tactics that have made independent repairs harder, with devastating consequences. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Israel’s lucrative–and secretive–cybersurveillance industry

A small but vocal group of Israelis say the country’s reputation for hacking products is a bad thing. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

How Line is fighting disinformation without sacrificing privacy

The company is proving private messaging platforms can do more to moderate harmful content. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Betting big with Zimbabwe's growing legion of foreign currency traders

Young Zimbabweans who have never known anything but hyperinflation are turning to forex currency trading to earn a living. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

Young Koreans are echoing r/WallStreetBets in their war against short sellers

A generation fueled by pessimism is shunning conventional long-term investments in favor of high-risk bets. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago

HaitiPay did everything right. It still got crushed

HaitiPay did everything by the book: It was innovative. It disrupted a market in dire need of its services. None of that mattered. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 years ago