News Desk:
Facebook’s profits have jumped in the first three months of the year, as the social network closes in on two billion users, according to its latest results.
The number of people using Facebook each month increased to 1.94 billion, of which nearly 1.3 billion use it daily, the company said.
The US tech giant reported profits of just over $3bn (£2.4bn) in the first quarter, a 76% rise year-on-year.
However, it warned that growth in ad revenues would slow down.
The company has also come under sustained pressure in recent weeks over its handling of hate speech, child abuse and self-harm on the social network.
On Wednesday, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced it was hiring 3,000 extra people to moderate content on the site.
A quarter of the world’s population now uses Facebook every month, with most of the new users coming from outside of Europe and North America.
Speaking after the results, Mr Zuckerberg said the size of its user base gave Facebook an opportunity to expand the site’s role, moving into TV, health care and politics.
“With that foundation our next focus will be building community,” he said. “There’s a lot to do there.”