Instant messaging clients

Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan has claimed that the government’s new “domestic” messaging app, reportedly introduced to rival WhatsApp, will protect all users’ privacy and conversations on it will be untraceable.

People in Kosovo reacted enthusiastically as instant messaging and internet call service Viber became the first telecommunications application to use Kosovo’s own international dialling code.

The Russian Federal Security Service compiled a protocol against Telegram because of the refusal of the messenger to give access to user messages. This writes in its electronic edition, "Dojd" television, quoting a message from the founder of Telegram.

The Saudi government lifted the ban on calls made through online applications but will continue to monitor and censor them, a government spokesman said on Thursday.

All online voice and video calls - such as Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger on Facebook and Viber  - that meet the regulatory requirements, are available today.

Due to the fact that social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are inaccessible in China, there exists a whole ecosystem of social networking and messaging platforms that are immensely popular in and around China but hardly known anywhere else in the world.

The Bulgarian general directorate "Fight with organized crime" can now extract information from some of the most popular mobile applications like Viber, Facebook messenger, Whatsup, Skype and others.

It is quite challenging to deliver truly glocal experience to millions of customers in Central and Eastern Europe when it comes to communication, Atanas Raykov, Viber's General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, has told Novinite. 

Mr Raykov is among the nominees in our annual Personality in the News poll where voting will continue until February 20.

Indonesia's government has demanded that instant messaging apps remove stickers featuring same-sex couples, in the latest high-profile attempt to discourage visible homosexuality in the socially conservative country.
     

Messaging company Viber announced on Monday it has appointed Daniela Ivanova as business development manager for Central and Eastern Europe.

The company said in a statement Ivanova's initial focus would be on Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, and Hungary - the biggest Viber markets in terms of statistics and development potential.

Facebook is billed as the place to share and connect, and would-be refugees are using it as a tool to flee war in the Middle East. They utilize social media to help them find people smugglers through a whole host of information services available online to allow users to research prices, fees, bribing costs as well as dangers of various routes.