Enterpreneurship

WhatsApp on Friday postponed a data-sharing change as users concerned about privacy fled the Facebook-owned messaging service and flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal.

The smartphone app, a huge hit across the world, canceled its February 8 deadline for accepting an update to its terms concerning sharing data with Facebook, saying it would use the pause to clear up misinformation around privacy and security.

“We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

“This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook.”

It said it would instead “go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15.”

WhatsApp’s new terms were unpopular among users outside Europe

Delta Air Lines reported a massive loss Thursday for 2020 following the devastating impact of the coronavirus on air travel, but said it expects to return to profitability later this year.

With traffic depressed in the wake of lockdowns and myriad restrictions to counter the pandemic, Delta suffered a $12.4 billion loss for all of 2020, its first year in the red since 2009 and a big come-down from record profits in 2019.

Delta also reported a quarterly loss for the period ending December 31, capping what Chief Executive Ed Bastian called “the toughest year in Delta’s history.”

But shares of the US carrier rose solidly Thursday as Bastian projected a return to profitability later this year once vaccines become widespread.

“While our challenges continue in 2021, I am optimistic

This week, Microsoft had a big test on its hands—how to help transform the world’s biggest gadget show into an online-only event.

The choice of Microsoft to power this year’s CES and create a virtual showcase for its 1,800 exhibitors gave the tech giant a big promotional boost over its best-known cloud computing rivals, Amazon

Boeing on Tuesday reported a plunge in annual plane deliveries and a diminished order backlog as it contended with dual crises caused by the 737 MAX grounding and the travel industry downturn brought about by COVID-19.

The figures offer the final tally of a bruising year that forced Boeing in March to seek a bailout from Washington as it faced existential questions during the apex of both crises. Boeing was successful in obtaining the aid, but turned to private support instead.

Boeing, which has cut tens of thousands of jobs amid its struggles, delivered just 157 planes last year, down 59 percent from 2019.

The company’s backlog at the end of 2020 stood at 4,223, down from nearly 5,900 planes at the end of 2018, when

Amazon vendors doubled prices last year on 136 products considered essential for consumers, health providers and small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund report released Thursday analyzed prices of 750 “essential supplies” such as toilet paper, pulse oximeters and hand sanitizers sold over the online retail site from Dec. 1, 2019 through Dec. 1, 2020.

Sellers of 409 products raised prices more than 20% over the past year. Another 136 items doubled in price, according to the report.

U.S. PIRG officials acknowledge price increases can be inevitable when demand spikes but said states should enact or enforce price-gouging laws and the online retailer should take aggressive steps to protect consumers.

“Amazon has done a lot to combat price gouging on their site,” said Grace Brombach, a U.S. PIRG Education Fund consumer watchdog associate who

The Consumer Electronics Show known for crowds, sensory-overload, and deal-making is relying on technology it has long hawked to put pizzazz into its first virtual event, kicking off Monday.

The deadly pandemic that has derailed in-person conferences around the world during the past year forced the Consumer Technology Association to follow suit with an online version of the annual gathering in Las Vegas.

“CES is one of the most experiential events in the world, where attendees can actually see and touch and experience the latest innovations,” CTA spokeswoman Jean Foster said during a briefing ahead of the show.

“And while we can’t recreate that magic that happens in Las Vegas, we can bring our audiences a new and unique