Russian communications watchdog has accused Google and Facebook of allowing political advertising during regional elections on Sunday despite being asked to ban it. It said this could be seen as an "interference" in Russia's sovereign affairs. Google said it supports "responsible political advertising" while Facebook said it was the advertisers' responsibility to comply with local election laws.

Google has removed 24 Android apps from its Play Store after a new malware infiltrated them a few weeks ago. Dubbed the 'Joker', the malware had been installed over 4,72,000 times by Android handset owners across wide geography of the globe. The Joker-laced apps perform illegal actions including authorising premium subscription, read SMSs, steal contact information without the owner's permission.

Google on Friday announced a new 'Healthcare and medicines' policy to prohibit ads for unproven or experimental medical techniques. This includes treatments that lack biomedical or scientific bases, including most stem cell therapies and gene therapy, Google said. The changes were reportedly made in response to heavy criticism against online marketing by stem cell clinics over unapproved treatments.