Pope Francis spoke out Friday over the increasingly aggressive nature of much political discourse and the use of social media as a forum for personal abuse.

In a message published on the same day that the Twitter-friendly pontiff met Apple boss Tim Cook, Francis said digital technology and the Internet could help bring people together but also had the potential to create deep wounds.

China's Internet users -- already by far the world's most numerous -- rose to nearly 700 million last year, authorities said Friday, more than twice the population of the United States.

Beijing imposes strict controls on online content, while e-commerce is a vital part of its efforts to transform the economy into one driven more by consumer demand.

A new Israeli app launched by a company with investors including Will.I.Am and Nicki Minaj has been accused of encouraging teen bullying and Internet trolls.

The Blindspot app allows users to send anonymous messages, photos and videos to their contacts without the receiver being able to trace it.

The French are known for being sticklers about the correct use of language, but they have discovered something is getting in the way of perfect prose: the AZERTY keyboard.

A recent report from the communications ministry said the layout of French keyboards makes it "nearly impossible to write in correct French."

Facebook announced a drive Thursday to be a place for sports with a new online hub for news and sharing on sporting events.

The "Facebook Sports Stadium" will offer live updates of scores, posts from friends and commentators as well as information on where to watch games live.

Apple said Wednesday it has asked the Indian government for permission to open its first stores in the country, paving the way for its feted brands to join the fast-growing smartphone market.

While it has 31 stores in China alone and others in Japan and Hong Kong, the world's biggest technology company by market value has held off from opening its own stores in India. 

Millions of Twitter users were blocked from their feeds on Tuesday as the social networking site went down for over an hour in at least several countries.

"Some users are currently experiencing problems accessing Twitter. We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution," the site said.

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, who was forced to spend years of solitude under house arrest, has hit out at young people "wasting time" on computer games and social networking.

The veteran opposition politician, whose party will soon take power after winning landmark elections last November, made the comments in a letter to organisers of a literary festival at the  weekend in Yangon.

Former U.S. president George W. Bush may no longer be able to change the course of history -- but it has not stopped others trying for him.

To mark its 15th anniversary Friday, online encyclopedia Wikipedia released a ranking of its pages based on how many edits have been made by volunteers -- edits can mount at Wikipedia pages when people or subjects incite passion or rival perspectives.

Britain's advertising watchdog ruled Wednesday that U.S. website Buzzfeed misled readers with an advertisement styled to look like a news story.

Such so-called "native" advertising, in which brands sponsor content designed by Buzzfeed to appeal to its young audience, is a specialty of the fast-growing digital media company, known for its viral news.