More than 200 scientists and vpn proxy technologists are collaborating on PEPP-PT, conceived as the backbone for national apps that would comply with Europe's strict privacy rules and be able to "talk" to each other across borders. The service touts itself as being highly encrypted and allows users to set their messages to "self-destruct" after a certain period of time, making it a favorite among activists and others concerned about their privacy. Telegram allows users to send text messages, pictures and video over the internet.

In a letter earlier this month to Access Now, an open-internet advocacy group, Apple's senior privacy director, Jane Horvath, wrote: "Apple has and always will consider freedom of expression a fundamental human right." The company, she said, "will consider providing additional details on our commitment in the future." The proposal was one of six topics to be voted on at Wednesday's shareholder meeting. By wide margins, shareholders approved Apple's executive pay, existing board of directors and the retention of Ernst & Young as its accounting firm, results that were widely expected.

Apple has signaled it is considering action. Apart from the ATM withdrawals, the hackers transferred 139 million rupees to a Hong Kong-based company's account by issuing three unauthorised transactions over the SWIFT global payments network, the bank said in a police complaint, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. A 42-year-old office assistant, who asked not to be named, was desperate to renegotiate his loan after debt collectors for online lender Uang Express began calling his relatives and colleagues for repayment of his 2 million rupiah ($135) loan.

As investigators wait for log details to probe the hacking of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's and party's official Twitter handles, cyber experts claim that the anonymous hacker could leak the internal communications of senior party members. Since then, many government affiliated users of the app have emigrated to local alternatives. The report comes after the head of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi last month said Iran would block Telegram for reasons of national security.

Common Cause Georgia, one of a number of advocacy groups involved in that motion, say such exclusions are more likely to hit people from poorer communities and ethnic minorities - voters who may be more inclined to back Abrams. The electronic commerce company, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, offers cloud based services within the secretive state's economy (stock image) Amazon is the latest multinational firm to bow to state censorship to continue selling its products in China.

The White House steered away from speaking out against China's response to protesters on Monday, saying it supported anyone's right to peacefully protest - but falling far short of offering solidarity with demonstrators demanding the removal of President Xi Jinping. Privacy experts worry that could more easily expose users' private communications to government spying.