Wall Street Journal

complying with the European Commission’s demand to loosen up requirements for handset makers to pre-install Google’s apps on their phones has the potential to raise the costs that have already been acting as a counterweight to the profit margins for Google’s lucrative search business. For example, the company pays Apple an undisclosed-yet-sizable sum to direct search traffic from its mobile Safari browser.

Facebook will start removing misinformation that could spark violence, a response to mounting criticism that the flow of rumors on its platform has led to physical harm to people in countries around the world. Facebook will rely on local organizations of its choosing to decide whether specific posts contain false information and could lead to physical violence, company officials said. If both hold true, the posts will be taken down.

The smartphones at the center of consumers’ lives generate vast streams of data on where they live, work and travel, and how wireless carriers use that personal data and share it with other companies has come under increased scrutiny. The four major U.S.

Cellphone carriers usually ask for their customers’ blessing before listing their phone numbers, sharing their addresses or exposing them to promotional emails. But seeking permission to share one particularly sensitive piece of information—a cellphone’s current location—often falls to one of several dozen third-party companies like Securus Inc. and 3Cinteractive Corp. Carriers rely on those firms to vouch that they obtained users’ consent before handing over the data.