Metaverse

Meta to acquire Moltbook, the viral social media network for AI agents

Meta said on Wednesday it is acquiring Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents to make posts and interact with each other. A takeover of the AI experiment by the parent company of Facebook and Instagram comes weeks after Moltbook attracted viral attention as an unusual Reddit-like hub for AI systems trading gossip. Meta's move reflects the tech industry's ongoing fascination with the promise of AI agents that go beyond a chatbot's capabilities in being able to act and perform tasks on a person's behalf. Meta said in a statement that Moltbook introduced novel ideas in a "rapidly developing space" and will open "new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses". Meta said it was hiring Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr. The deal's financial terms were not disclosed. In a similar move, OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, last month hired the creator of AI agent OpenClaw, formerly called Moltbot and the technology upon which Moltbook

Contractors used to review smart glasses data and content, says Meta

Meta has confirmed that contractors review data shared with Meta AI by Ray-Ban Meta glasses users, saying privacy filters are applied after reports claimed reviewers saw sensitive details

Meta CEO Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms

Jurors in a bellwether trial about the impacts of social media on teenagers and children on Wednesday watched a deposition of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that explores what the architects of Facebook and Instagram knew from internal research about the negative experiences by young users and how the company responded since its early years. Prosecutors are alleging that Meta violated state consumer protection laws in failing to disclose what it knew about the dangers of addiction to social media as well as child sexual exploitation on the company's platforms, while attorneys for Meta say the company discloses risks, makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, and acknowledges that some bad material still gets through its safety net. In pretrial depositions recorded last year, prosecutors confronted Zuckerberg with internal company communications and emails from platform users spanning back to the infancy of Facebook in 2008 that discuss "problematic" and addictive use of ..

Trump summons Amazon, Google, Meta executives to sign power-cost pledge

Representatives of firms including Amazon.com Inc, Meta Platforms Inc, Microsoft Corp and Google parent Alphabet Inc. are expected to attend a March 4 event

Reliance Enterprise Intelligence ceases to be wholly owned arm of RIL

Reliance Enterprise Intelligence is no longer a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of RIL after issuing shares to a Meta unit, which now holds 30% of its equity

Proposed DPDP timelines a challenge: Meta's Chief of Global Policy

Martin, who was in India to attend the AI Impact Summit, also said the AI talent base in India was unparalleled

SC to hear Meta-WhatsApp privacy policy case against CCI order on Monday

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday pleas of Meta and WhatsApp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over their privacy policy. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is likely to hear the matter. On February 3, the bench had made strong observations against Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp, saying they could not "play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing" and alleged that they were creating a monopoly in the market and committing theft of private information of customers. Decrying WhatsApp's privacy policy, the bench referred to "silent customers" who were unorganised, digitally dependent and unaware of the implications of data-sharing policies, and asserted, "We will not allow the rights of any citizen of this country to be damaged." WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms Inc. The top court was hearing the appeals of the t

Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in landmark social media addiction trial

In 2024, the US Surgeon General called for adding warning labels to social media explaining the platforms were associated with mental health harms for ado- lescents

Meta warns India's three-hour takedown rule may trigger wrongful removals

Meta's Rob Sherman says India's new rule requiring takedowns within three hours may lead to inadvertent removal of genuine content as companies struggle to verify requests

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg set to testify in watershed social media trial

Mark Zuckerberg will testify in an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta's platforms deliberately addict and harm children. Meta's CEO is expected to answer tough questions on Wednesday from attorneys representing a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, who claims her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. Zuckerberg has testified in other trials and answered questions from Congress about youth safety on Meta's platforms, and he apologised to families at that hearing whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were because of social media. This trial, though, marks the first time Zuckerberg will answer similar questions in front of a jury and, again, bereaved parents are expected to be in the limited courtroom seats available to the public. The cas

SC defers Meta-WhatsApp privacy policy case hearing to February 23

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred to February 23 pleas of Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over privacy policy. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria was told that senior advocate Kapil Sibal was unwell and hence the hearing should be adjourned. The bench said it would take up the pleas for passing an interim order on February 23. It permitted a litigant represented by senior advocate Arvind Datar to be made a party to the case. On February 3, the bench made strong observations against Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp, saying they could not "play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing" and alleged that they were creating a monopoly in the market and committing theft of private information of customers. Decrying WhatsApp's privacy policy, the bench referred to "silent customers" who were unorganised

Opt out of India, you are creating monopoly, SC tells Meta, WhatsApp

Supreme Court warns Meta and WhatsApp that they cannot operate in India without complying with Indian law, flags risks to users' data and market competition

SC to pass interim order on Feb 9 in WhatsApp, Meta privacy policy case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp while hearing their appeals against a Competition Commission of India order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over the privacy policy, saying tech giants cannot "play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing". A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said that it will pass an interim order on February 9. The top court ordered that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology be made a party to the petitions. It was hearing appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp against a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) judgment that upheld the CCI's findings of abuse of dominance, while granting limited relief on advertising-related data sharing. "You can't play with the right of privacy of this country in the name of data sharing. We will not allow you to share a single word of the data, either you give an ...

Meta, TikTok and YouTube to go on trial as parents allege harm to children

The trial against the social media tech giants is expected to include testimony from senior executives, including Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg

Meta inks $6 bn deal with Corning for AI data center fiber cables: Report

Corning's optical connectivity products are among key components required to support the massive computing and data transmission demands at data centers

Flipkart taps former Tyson Foods executive Jane Duke for ethics role

Veteran compliance leader joins e-commerce giant amid efforts to strengthen oversight and institutional leadership ahead of an IPO

Meta seeks to ramp up Ray-Ban smart glasses output to meet demand

The partners have also discussed going further to establish the capability of producing more than 30 million units, should demand justify such a move

Meta, WhatsApp move Supreme Court against NCLAT's ₹213 crore penalty order

The regulator had concluded that this "take-it-or-leave-it" approach related to WhatsApp's privacy policy of 2021 amounted to an abuse of dominance in the market for over-the-top messaging services

Meta names former Trump adviser Dina Powell McCormick as president

Facebook owner Meta has named Dina Powell McCormick, a former Trump administration adviser and longtime finance executive, as president and vice chairman of the tech giant. Powell McCormick previously served on Meta's board of directors where, the company notes, she was deeply engaged in accelerating its artificial intelligence push across platforms. In her new management role, Meta says Powell McCormick will help guide its overall strategy, including the execution of multi-billion-dollar investments. The news, announced Monday, quickly gained the applause of US President Donald Trump. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the Republican president said the move was a great choice by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and noted that Powell McCormick had served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction. Zuckerberg said in a statement that Powell McCormick's experience in global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, made her uniquely suited

China to probe Meta's acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus

China said on Thursday it would assess and investigate Meta's acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus, in a move highlighting its technology rivalry with the US. Meta announced last week it was buying Manus, which is Singapore-based with Chinese roots, as the California tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram expands its AI offerings across its platforms. It is a rare acquisition by a US tech group of an AI company with Chinese roots, at a time of heightened frictions between Washington and Beijing. On Thursday, China's Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong told reporters that it would work with relevant departments to assess and investigate whether Meta's acquisition of Manus is consistent with Chinese laws and regulations. Any enterprises engaging in outward investment, technology export, data transfer and cross-border mergers and acquisitions must comply with Chinese laws, He said. Meta and Manus did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Security has