When disaster strikes, the world opens WhatsApp

Meta's messaging app has transformed communication in conflict and crisis areas. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 hours ago

Movie stars, matchmakers, and aunties: How WhatsApp became an unstoppable cultural force

The world’s most popular messaging platform is synonymous with the internet for millions of people. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 day ago

How WhatsApp ate the world

WhatsApp is already the world’s most widely used messaging app. Meta wants it to be a lot more. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 days ago

The most surprising tech champions of 2024

From Threads to Bluesky and Zello to Black Myth: Wukong, a handful of small and large tech champions stood out for their impressive growth this year. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 days ago

Small-scale investors are building Vietnam’s EV charging network

Anyone with spare land in a good location can become a franchisee for a charging company, but with no government support it can take years to break even. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 days ago

What we learned from reporting on global tech this year

Rest of World contributors from Dhaka to Buenos Aires share their highlights, low points, and key takeaways from covering technology in 2024. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

Companies in Mexico embrace AI to resurrect the dead

Use of AI on images of the dead is unregulated in the country, leaving cybersecurity experts worried about the potential for deepfakes and identity theft. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

Uber’s big plan for India: buses

Uber Shuttle, a shared bus ride service, is available in two Indian cities. The company plans to launch in three more cities soon. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 8 days ago

How 2024’s tech trends changed our lives

From AI-powered classrooms in Mali to EV taxis in Vietnam, people worldwide are seeing opportunities from this year’s biggest tech shifts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 9 days ago

Breaking down the world’s tariffs against China’s tech industry

President-elect Donald Trump pledges to escalate the trade war, but non-Western nations have targeted China with tariffs, too. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 14 days ago

India banned a Chinese app four years ago. Government agencies are still using it

CamScanner was one of 59 Chinese apps the Indian government banned in 2020, amid a border conflict with China. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 15 days ago

AI is making Philippine call center work more efficient, for better and worse

BPO workers say AI tools are monitoring their calls, assisting them with customers, and scoring their performance. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 15 days ago

How Singapore became the ideal testing ground for self-driving cars

The tiny country has embraced autonomous vehicles as a way to overcome labor shortages and use its scarce land more efficiently. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 16 days ago

Courts in Buenos Aires are using ChatGPT to draft rulings

Generative AI is replacing a successful AI project that drafted legal rulings. Experts worry about data privacy, ethical quandaries, and the need for specialized training. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 19 days ago

The Philippine army is recruiting young tech civilians to fight cyber attacks

The country is among the most vulnerable to online threats, many of them from China. To fight back, the army is recruiting IT professionals. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 20 days ago

New data shows the number of new mobile internet users is stalling

What happened to the “next billion” internet users? They’re already online. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 days ago

Mexico’s women gig workers are making a dangerous job safer

Women delivery workers are pushing for protection from gender-based violence, creating safe meeting spots and WhatsApp support groups, and fighting for legal protections. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 22 days ago

Chinese startups supported by Microsoft and Google incubator programs worked with police

Documents reviewed by Rest of World show several companies backed by U.S. tech giants provided policing or censorship tools to Chinese law enforcement. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 22 days ago

Nigeria’s Ogun State wants to lead the country’s EV revolution

But experts fear long-term success may not follow as Nigeria lags other African countries when it comes to EV adoption. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 23 days ago

Chinese immigrants in the U.S. are running Temu shipping centers out of their homes

To speed up delivery and dodge a crackdown on shipments from China, e-commerce companies are turning to so-called “family warehouses.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 26 days ago

Door-to-door saleswomen are fueling Shein’s rise in Mexico

A large community of catalog saleswomen are selling items from the Chinese platform. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 27 days ago

Grab built its own map in Southeast Asia, and is now going after Google  

The super-app uses its own drivers and cameras to create hyperlocal maps in eight countries. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 28 days ago

Amazon and Walmart didn’t defeat India’s mom-and-pop stores. But rapid delivery might

Services like Blinkit and Zepto are estimated to put more than 25% of India’s neighborhood kirana stores out of business by 2030. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 29 days ago

Phony X accounts are meddling in Ghana’s election

A network of 171 bot accounts is using AI to write political posts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 29 days ago

The legal showdown that could reshape online shopping in Argentina

Argentina’s banks have accused the largest publicly traded company in Latin America of monopolizing the market. The rivalry has turned into a heated legal showdown. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Malaysia’s new data centers create thousands of jobs — and worries about power and water shortages

Data centers for companies like Google, Amazon, and Nvidia are transforming Johor state, with locals bracing for higher real estate costs and resource shortages. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

India’s ambitious lithium dreams have stalled

Last year, India touted the discovery of a huge reserve of valuable lithium in Kashmir. Experts say optimism around the discovery was overblown. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

This Indian state wants to be a tech hub. But the government keeps shutting down the internet

Manipur’s startup community is struggling to survive, with tech professionals moving to Bengaluru or Hyderabad. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

No Tesla dealership? No problem. Uruguayans import the EVs from China

Uruguay, with its compact size, robust public charging network, and tax cuts for EVs, is becoming an unsanctioned Tesla hot spot. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Traditional sellers in Vietnam still aren’t sold on e-commerce

As online shopping booms, local merchants are struggling to adapt, despite government help. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Amazon launched a program for Indian handicrafts. Local artisans say it’s not working

Makers say Amazon Karigar has failed to distinguish their crafts from mass-produced items. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Mexican TikTokers have code words to report on narco-violence without getting banned

Creators use euphemisms and emojis to get around what they say are arbitrary moderation restrictions. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Myanmar residents struggle to overcome severe internet blackouts with Starlink

With messaging apps, social media, and VPNs banned, people look to satellite services, mesh networks, even walkie-talkies to communicate and work. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

India’s electric cab companies can’t find enough cars to put on the road

There are only a handful of electric taxi manufacturers in India today, slowing the country’s EV revolution. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

A local ride-hailing service can’t beat Uber and Bolt, so its drivers are beating up their rivals

Shesha was launched as a fair-minded local competitor to Western companies in South Africa. It has acquired an ugly reputation for intimidating drivers and passengers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Meet the mothers in small-town Hungary leading a fight against Chinese EV battery plants

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s goal to turn Hungary into a global EV battery hub is facing environmental backlash and legal challenges. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The Catholic Church condemned Santa Muerte. TikTokers gave her a makeover

A growing number of Santa Muerte devotees are using social media to rebrand the controversial Mexican deity of death | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

What are you wearing? Rest of World’s fashion quiz

Test your knowledge of e-commerce startups, 17th-century markets, and everything in between. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The most popular payment app in the Philippines has a side bet: online gambling

The GCash app is ubiquitous in the Philippines, and is being blamed for rising gambling addiction in the country, particularly among women. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

WhatsApp vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force

How far-right Hindu nationalists use WhatsApp to target Christian families when they’re most vulnerable — by preventing them from burying their dead. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

South Africa’s migrant delivery workers find safety in numbers

From sharing vital information to fundraising for medical bills, informal unions have become a lifeline for South Africa’s delivery workers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

TikTok wants to turn millions of Americans into paid shopping influencers

You only need around 1,000 followers to earn money eating noodles and selling toys on TikTok Shop. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Philippine chipmakers are embracing automation — and leaving low-skilled workers behind

Hundreds of workers at the Philippine unit of Nexperia threatened to go on strike over layoff fears, a sign of growing discontent over automation in the industry. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Instagram helps Brazilians dodge a national sales ban on vapes

As Brazilian law clashes with Meta’s policies, illegal vapes flood social media and the streets. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Dozens of police influencers are running for office in Brazil

A history of policemen using violent content to build their online personalities has policymakers on edge. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Quiz: Can you guess where these tiny cars, EVs, and mopeds were made?

The weird, wild, wired world of new vehicles. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Xiaohongshu has revolutionized Chinese tourism in Southeast Asia

The lifestyle and social media platform, often compared to Instagram, is turning obscure sites into must-see attractions. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

How Presto became Libya’s most successful tech startup

The delivery app now plans to expand to neighboring countries. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago