Page 6 - Metaverse

EU reassesses its probes into tech giants such as Apple, Google and Meta

The review could lead to Brussels reducing or changing the range of the probes, and will cover all cases launched since March 2024

Inside Mark Zuckerberg's sprint to remake Meta for Donald Trump's era

The entire process was highly unusual. Meta typically alters policies that govern its apps by inviting employees, civic leaders and others to weigh in

Meta shuts down DEI programme as it prepares for Trump's second term

Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta Platforms Inc is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion programme that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday. The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant's decision to end its third-party fact-checking programme and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse. Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the US Supreme Court "has recently made decisions signalling a shift in how courts will approach DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion programmes) The term DEI' has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others. In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will .

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg says most companies need more 'masculine energy'

Zuckerberg, who launched his career by rating the attractiveness of women at Harvard University, added that he grew up with three sisters and has three daughters, and wants women to succeed

Removing fact-checks on social media risks losing a vital harm filter

Free speech shouldn't be curtailed merely for conveying misinformation or expressing unpalatable or hateful opinions. It should be limited only when it has the potential to cause harm

Meta's pivot on fact-checks in US sparks misinformation fears in India

Although Meta has clarified that the program is being discontinued only in the US, the implications are being closely watched in India

Amplifying misinformation: Meta's decision will harm public interest

Fact checking was initiated after the 2016 US elections and the Brexit referendum, which were both influenced by rampant disinformation on Facebook

Meta allows Facebook Marketplace users to browse eBay amid trial in EU

Meta said Wednesday that it will allow some Facebook users to view eBay listings on its Marketplace service, as it tries out a possible way to resolve European Union charges of anticompetitive behaviour that the bloc levelled last year. The social media company said it's launching a test that will let Facebook users in Germany, France and the US browse eBay listings directly on its Marketplace online classifieds service but complete the transaction on eBay. Meta is carrying out the trial after Brussels slapped the company in November with a penalty of nearly 800 million euros ($824 million) for what it called abusive practices involving Marketplace. European Union antitrust enforcers accused Meta of illegally shutting out competition by tying Marketplace to its social network and automatically exposing Facebook users to Marketplace whether or not they wanted it. They also accused Meta of gaining an unfair advantage through ad-related data. While we disagree with and continue to app

Meta to let some FB users view eBay listings as way to resolve EU charges

Meta said Wednesday that it will allow some Facebook users to view eBay listings on its Marketplace service, as it tries out a possible way to resolve European Union charges of anticompetitive behaviour that the bloc levelled last year. The social media company said it's launching a test that will let Facebook users in Germany, France and the US browse eBay listings directly on its Marketplace online classifieds service but complete the transaction on eBay. Meta is carrying out the trial after Brussels slapped the company in November with a penalty of nearly 800 million euros ($824 million) for what it called abusive practices involving Marketplace. European Union antitrust enforcers accused Meta of illegally shutting out competition by tying Marketplace to its social network and automatically exposing Facebook users to Marketplace whether or not they wanted it. They also accused Meta of gaining an unfair advantage through ad-related data. While we disagree with and continue to app

Meta's fact-checking reversal lets Mark Zuckerberg drop the charade

Zuckerberg said he would now work on issues of free speech with Trump, who, just four years ago, was considered too dangerous even to be a Meta user

WhatsApp to end support for old android and iPhones from 2025 - Check list

Older phones cannot support the app's evolving features, which is why WhatsApp will discontinue support for certain systems at specific points in their lifecycle

Apple hits out at Meta platforms' numerous interoperability requests

Under the European Union's landmark Digital Markets Act that took effect last year, Apple must allow rivals and app developers to inter-operate with its own services

EU intensifies demand for Apple to open up iPhone features to rivals

The commission instructed Apple on Wednesday to rework the iOS operating system so that it's more compatible with smartwatches, earbuds, headsets and other devices from competitors

Cambridge Analytica lawsuit: Meta settles with Australia's privacy watchdog

The breaches were first reported by the Guardian in early 2018, and Facebook received fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019

ChatGPT outage reignites debate on risks of large AI system failures

The outage also raised broader concerns about the dependency on a few large tech companies controlling critical platforms

Meta's Instagram says services back up after hours of technical outage

The platforms faced another outage in October, when services were largely restored within an hour

Artificial intelligence democratising discovery ecosystem: Meta's Srinivas

Srinivas also added that this visibility and reach has meant several brands being first launched on Meta platforms - Instagram, Facebook, and Thread

US Supreme Court allows multibillion-dollar class action against Meta

The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place. The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward. Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say. Meta already has paid a USD 5.1 billion fine and reached

No inherent conflict between competition, data protection laws, says CCI

The Competition Act supplements data protection regulations by placing heightened responsibilities on dominant firms and there is no inherent conflict or repugnancy between the two laws, according to fair trade watchdog CCI. Besides, the regulator has said a broader view of the concept of user data is crucial in analysing data-related competition concerns in digital markets. The observations are part of the Competition Commission of India's 156-page order imposing a Rs 213.14 crore penalty on social media major Meta for unfair business ways with respect to WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021. Elucidating about user data in digital markets, CCI said data-related practices might violate data protection laws but they can also be seen as the imposition of unfair terms under competition law. "This overlap creates a point of intersection between data protection and competition law, with each addressing different aspects of harm. Further, while data protection laws primarily focus

Meta to appeal US court orders allowing suits over social media addiction

In the states' case, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers sided with 34 attorneys general who filed claims over allegedly harmful effects of the Facebook and Instagram platforms