Meta

EU commission requests algorithm data from YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat

The EU Commission has formally requested detailed information from YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat about the algorithms they use to recommend content to their users on October 2, according to a recent report by Reuters. 

Analysis / AI's next feat will be its descent from the cloud

Google owner Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram and Facebook, are forecast to spend a combined $160 billion in capital expenditures next year,

Meta to begin mixed-reality headset production in Vietnam

Meta has announced plans to begin production of its latest mixed-reality headsets in Vietnam in 2025. The tech giant made this announcement during a visit by Nick Clegg, Meta’s President for Global Affairs, to Vietnam, a week after he met with the country’s president, Tô Lâm, in New York.

EU hits Meta with $101.5 mln fine over unsecured password storage

The European Union's lead privacy regulator has recently imposed a 91 million euro ($101.5 million) fine on social media giant Meta for inadvertently storing user passwords without proper protection or encryption.

Meta Connect 2024: All the key announcements

At the annual Meta Connect 2024 event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed a series of product launches and updates, including a new mixed reality headset, its most advanced augmented reality (AR) glasses yet, and new AI-driven features. Here's a look at the key announcements from the event.

Meta secures voice deals with John Cena and other celebrities: report

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has reportedly secured voice deals with several high-profile celebrities, including John Cena, Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key, according to a recent report by Reuters. As per the report, a source familiar with the matter shared that the voices will be used in Meta’s AI-powered chatbot, providing users with the option to select from a list of five celebrity voices.

What to expect from Meta's upcoming event

Meta’s annual Connect developers conference is set to take place from September 25 to 26, 2024, and is expected to unveil the tech giant's developments in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI). This year, eyes are on Meta’s hardware releases, alongside potential updates to their AI capabilities. Here’s what to look out for at the event.

Meta and Spotify blast EU decisions on AI

The firms along with several researchers and industry bodies signed an open letter claiming that Europe was already becoming less competitive and risked falling further behind in the age of AI.

Public contents on Facebook, Instagram in UK to be used to train AI: Meta

Meta Platforms is set to resume training its artificial intelligence (AI) models using public content shared by adult users on Facebook and Instagram in the UK, according to a recent blog post by the company.

August 29, 2024
August 29, 2024

Meta fined $3.6 mln after losing lawsuit in Brazil

Meta is facing a fine of up to $3.62 million after losing a lawsuit filed by the Brazilian department store chain Havan. The retailer accused the social media giant of permitting paid advertisements that falsely used Havan's name to deceive consumers.

August 24, 2024
August 24, 2024

Meta drops premium mixed-reality headset project: report

Meta has dropped its plans for a premium mixed-reality device intended to compete directly with Apple's Vision Pro, according to a recent report by The Information.

August 12, 2024
August 12, 2024

Polish billionaire Rafal Brzoska wants to sue Meta

Rafal Brzoska, a Polish billionaire and CEO of the Polish logistics services company InPost, and his wife, Omenaa Mensah, want to sue Meta over fake advertisements and misinformation featuring Brzoska's face on Facebook and Instagram.

August 11, 2024
August 11, 2024

Turkey unbans Instagram after 9 days

After nine days, Turkey has restored nationwide access to the popular social media platform Instagram. In an official statement, the Turkish government has stated that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has agreed to cooperate with authorities regarding concerns surrounding the platform's role in filtering certain political and crime-related content.

August 8, 2024
August 8, 2024

Meta and Google’s secret ad campaign targeted teens on YouTube: report

A recent report by the Financial Times has revealed that Meta and Google covertly collaborated on a campaign that targeted Instagram ads at 13 to 17-year-olds on YouTube, breaking Google’s own rules against advertising to minors.

August 7, 2024
August 7, 2024

Mark Zuckerberg is now endorsing open-source AI tech

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms and the founder of Facebook, has recently released an open letter titled "Open source AI is the path forward". In it, he publicly endorsed the use of open-source AI tech, indicating how tech companies could flourish if restrictions regarding AI were lifted by competitors.

July 14, 2024
July 14, 2024

How the cyberspace is being manipulated

This is not the first time that government propaganda efforts have been exposed by Meta/Facebook.

July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024

Meta to lift ban on the word "shaheed"

Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, has recently announced that it will lift its blanket ban on the word "shaheed". The word, which stands for "martyr" in English, went through a year-long review by Meta's oversight board. It was recently decided that banning the word was an "overboard" approach.

July 1, 2024
July 1, 2024

Meta clashes with EU over 'pay or consent' advertising model

Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, was recently charged by EU antitrust regulators for the company's newly introduced 'pay or consent advertising model', which goes against EU tech rules' user privacy concerns.

June 24, 2024
June 24, 2024

Apple and Meta might form AI partnership: report

Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms has talked about incorporating its generative AI model into Apple's newly revealed AI system for iPhones, reveals a report from The Wall Street Journal on Sunday. These discussions are reportedly in preliminary stages and could still be abandoned.