ITanong will be a local version of ChatGPT, its developers say, built with considerably fewer resources. | Continue reading
A slew of content creators built small social media empires off Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose term ended in October. | Continue reading
More influencers are joining political parties and contesting elections, raising concerns about the spread of misinformation and the lack of leadership. | Continue reading
The West may lose out in the talent race amid U.S. national security and immigration hurdles | Continue reading
After the failure of Airlift and Swvl, this startup is stepping in to provide an alternative to Pakistan’s unreliable public transport system. | Continue reading
Traditional internet in Zimbabwe is slow, unreliable, and expensive. Elon Musk’s satellite service sold out within weeks of launching in the country. | Continue reading
Authorities say new regulations are needed to limit hate speech and scams, but internet users say they are self-censoring to avoid a crackdown. | Continue reading
MeMind has connected 10,000 at-risk people with mental health treatment, contributing to a 9% drop in suicides. | Continue reading
Meta's messaging app has transformed communication in conflict and crisis areas. | Continue reading
The world’s most popular messaging platform is synonymous with the internet for millions of people. | Continue reading
WhatsApp is already the world’s most widely used messaging app. Meta wants it to be a lot more. | Continue reading
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
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
Rest of World contributors from Dhaka to Buenos Aires share their highlights, low points, and key takeaways from covering technology in 2024. | Continue reading
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
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
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
President-elect Donald Trump pledges to escalate the trade war, but non-Western nations have targeted China with tariffs, too. | Continue reading
CamScanner was one of 59 Chinese apps the Indian government banned in 2020, amid a border conflict with China. | Continue reading
BPO workers say AI tools are monitoring their calls, assisting them with customers, and scoring their performance. | Continue reading
The tiny country has embraced autonomous vehicles as a way to overcome labor shortages and use its scarce land more efficiently. | Continue reading
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
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
What happened to the “next billion” internet users? They’re already online. | Continue reading
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
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
But experts fear long-term success may not follow as Nigeria lags other African countries when it comes to EV adoption. | Continue reading
To speed up delivery and dodge a crackdown on shipments from China, e-commerce companies are turning to so-called “family warehouses.” | Continue reading
A large community of catalog saleswomen are selling items from the Chinese platform. | Continue reading
The super-app uses its own drivers and cameras to create hyperlocal maps in eight countries. | Continue reading
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
A network of 171 bot accounts is using AI to write political posts. | Continue reading
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
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
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
Manipur’s startup community is struggling to survive, with tech professionals moving to Bengaluru or Hyderabad. | Continue reading
Uruguay, with its compact size, robust public charging network, and tax cuts for EVs, is becoming an unsanctioned Tesla hot spot. | Continue reading
As online shopping booms, local merchants are struggling to adapt, despite government help. | Continue reading
Makers say Amazon Karigar has failed to distinguish their crafts from mass-produced items. | Continue reading
Creators use euphemisms and emojis to get around what they say are arbitrary moderation restrictions. | Continue reading
With messaging apps, social media, and VPNs banned, people look to satellite services, mesh networks, even walkie-talkies to communicate and work. | Continue reading
There are only a handful of electric taxi manufacturers in India today, slowing the country’s EV revolution. | Continue reading
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
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s goal to turn Hungary into a global EV battery hub is facing environmental backlash and legal challenges. | Continue reading
A growing number of Santa Muerte devotees are using social media to rebrand the controversial Mexican deity of death | Continue reading
Test your knowledge of e-commerce startups, 17th-century markets, and everything in between. | Continue reading
The GCash app is ubiquitous in the Philippines, and is being blamed for rising gambling addiction in the country, particularly among women. | Continue reading
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