World powers are vying to develop so-called "hypersonic" weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China.

Facebook has said that it is trying to get its messaging apps to be friends, allowing encrypted missives be exchanged no matter which of its services are used.

Facebook unveiled Monday new tools to counter online political meddling in the European elections, part of a campaign to answer growing pressure to rein in disinformation. 

Pope Francis on Thursday warned against the "disinformation" and "targeted distortion of facts" to be found on the Internet and social networks' "manipulation of personal data".

Microsoft's Bing search engine was inaccessible in China on Thursday, with social media users fearing it could be the latest foreign website to be blocked by censors.

The British government launched a phone app Monday to allow some 3.5 million EU nationals to apply to stay after Brexit -- immediately receiving a mixed reception from immigrants increasingly concerned about their fate.

France's data watchdog on Monday announced a fine of 50 million euros ($57 million) for U.S. search giant Google, using the EU's strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the first time.

Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor launched "administrative proceedings" Monday against U.S. social media giants Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of not complying with Russian law, news agencies reported. 

In the 1980s, the "Back to the Future" film franchise suggested we would all eventually wear self-lacing sneakers.

Facebook announced Tuesday that it will invest $300 million over three years in various projects related to journalism, especially to promote local news, which has been hit hard in the digital age.