Metaverse

What was Meta's Muse AI, the feature pulled days after its launch?

Meta's Muse AI let users generate images using public Instagram profiles. Days after launch, the company withdrew the feature following criticism over consent, privacy and impersonation risks

26 employees sue Meta over alleged use of AI to select workers for layoffs

A group of 26 Meta employees has sued the company, claiming it used artificial intelligence systems to select people for layoffs, disproportionately targeting those on medical, parental or family leave. They are among the 8,000 employees, or about 10 per cent of its workforce, Meta said it would lay off in May. The lawsuit filed late Monday in federal court in Oakland, California, claims the company used internal AI systems, keystroke and activity-monitoring data, AI token-usage dashboards and algorithmically assisted performance rankings, among other methods, to determine who would be laid off. Many of these scores and ratings "by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability," the lawsuit says. Meta, according to the lawsuit, did not account for protected leave when taking employees' scores into account and "did not pause the system for the individualised, leave- and accommodation-neutral review

Govt working on common standards for messaging platforms' username feature

The government is examining responses from WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram to develop a common framework for username-based identities and guard against fraud and impersonation

Govt examining Meta's reply over child abuse ads on Instagram: IT secy

Meta's reply to the government notice over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) ads on Instagram has been received by Meity and is being examined, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Monday, adding that appropriate action will be taken after examination. The government had issued a stern notice to Meta recently on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) had ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM, and demanded a detailed explanation bound to a deadline. Within a few days of the notice, Meta outlined its efforts to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across its apps, highlighting AI-powered detection and large-scale enforcement actions, and, in a blogpost, promised to continue investment in technology and resources to keep young people safe and strengthen its ad review processes. Krishnan said Monday that Meta's reply to the

WhatsApp submits reply on 'username' notice; govt examining response

Meta-owned WhatsApp has submitted its reply to the government's notice on the "username" feature and the response is being examined, sources said on Thursday. The Centre issued a notice to Meta last Wednesday, questioning the proposed username feature on WhatsApp, flagging concerns that it could materially increase incidents of online fraud, phishing, digital-arrest scams and impersonation attacks. The username feature essentially allows people on the messaging platform to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. The Centre had also directed the platform not to launch the feature until consultations on the issue were completed "to the satisfaction of the government". Subsequently, WhatsApp had sought some more time to submit its response on the "username" feature and assured the government that it would not roll it out in India until discussions were complete. The sources told PTI that WhatsApp's reply has indeed been received by the information technology ministry and the

All eyes: Are AI-powered smart glasses the next big wearable device?

From translation and navigation to photography and voice assistants, AI-powered eyewear is moving beyond vision correction into everyday life

Removed 160K India accounts in 2025 over child exploitative content: Meta

Meta said it removed 160,000 accounts linked to suspected child exploitation and over four million suspicious accounts across Facebook and Instagram

WhatsApp gets more time to reply to username notice; India rollout on hold

The Meta-owned messaging platform has received an additional three days to respond to a government notice seeking clarification on the feature

Govt issues notice to Meta on child sexual abuse material in Instagram ads

The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, sources said on Sunday. The government has issued the notice on Saturday evening. "MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the source said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also demanded a detailed explanation within 7 days.

IT Ministry summons Meta executives over ads promoting CSAM in India

Meta executives meet IT ministry officials over WhatsApp username issue

Govt's username feature scrutiny may help curb cyber fraud: 63SATS CEO

"So username is something that you decide. It's the fastest finger first. So anyone who blocks a high-profile person's name could have that username first," he said

Meta team meets IT Ministry over username feature, to reply within 3 days

The Centre directed WhatsApp to keep the rollout on hold until consultations are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government"

Vaishnaw asks Meity to summon Meta over Instagram child abuse content

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked MeitY officials to summon Meta over allegations that Instagram carried advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material

AI agent tech progressing slower than expected, says Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg added that a company reorganization ‌that included major job cuts was not as "clean" as it could ​have been and that executives had miscalculated on the ​timing of the changes

WhatsApp issues FAQs on username feature amid government scrutiny

Meta-owned WhatsApp has come out with a detailed set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the controversial username feature, outlining details on how it plans to address concerns around impersonation, scams and unwanted contact as users begin reserving usernames. The FAQs come amid the Centre's notice to Meta flagging concerns over potential fraud and impersonation risks, and warning against a roll out of the feature till consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the government". Put simply, the new feature will allow users to create unique usernames that can be used for connecting on WhatsApp without sharing phone numbers. The FAQs say usernames will be optional, cannot be searched by strangers, and that users can add an additional 'username key' requiring both the username and the key before someone can contact them. WhatsApp said well-known names, including those of public figures, celebrities, government entities and Meta-verified accounts, have been

Businesses not kicked about WhatsApp's username move despite user interest

Businesses say phone numbers will remain central to customer interactions despite WhatsApp's username feature, while cybersecurity experts expect improved privacy and lower spam

Govt reviews WhatsApp username feature amid fraud, impersonation fears

The government is reviewing WhatsApp's upcoming username feature over concerns it could enable impersonation, fraud and pose risks to public safety

Meta loses bid to dismiss US states' lawsuit over child addiction claims

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied ‌Meta's motion to dismiss claims based on deception, unfair practices ​and violations of the federal act

WhatsApp begins username reservations, feature to roll out later this year

The messaging platform will let users reserve unique usernames that can be shared instead of phone numbers, with the feature becoming available later this year

Zuckerberg eyeing prediction markets, Meta to create Polymarket-like app

Meta is developing a prediction-market app modelled on Polymarket and Kalshi as Zuckerberg seeks new avenues for growth beyond Facebook and Instagram