Meta

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Russia Convicts Meta Spokesperson of Justifying Terrorism

Andy Stone, tried in absentia, receives 6 years

(Newser) - A court in Russia on Monday convicted the spokesperson of US technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison in a swift trial in absentia, Russia's independent news site Mediazona reported. According to the outlet, the charges against...

Musk's Bottom Line Takes a Hit From His Tesla Woes

Mark Zuckerberg displaces Tesla CEO from No. 3 spot on Bloomberg Billionaires Index

(Newser) - While much of social media was commenting Thursday on a fake "bearded Mark Zuckerberg" picture , the Facebook co-founder notched a more substantial achievement: displacing Elon Musk on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index . Zuckerberg, 39, is now third on that list, with a net worth of about $178 billion, while the...

Instagram Begins Blurring Nudity in Messages

It's part of a move to protect teens from sextortion

(Newser) - Instagram says it's deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it's testing the features as part of its campaign to fight sexual...

Canadian Schools Sue Social Media Giants

Lawsuits say apps are wreaking havoc with students' education

(Newser) - Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario launched lawsuits Thursday against TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat, alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits claim platforms like Facebook and Instagram are "designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave,...

Meta Hit by Widespread Outage
Meta Hit by Widespread Outage
Mar 5, 2024 11:12 AM CST

Meta Hit by Widespread Outage

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger all hit on Tuesday

(Newser) - Users of Meta's Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger platforms are experiencing login issues in what appears to be a widespread outage. Internet traffic observer Downdetector is reporting vast outages on several Meta platforms Tuesday. The problems are being reported across the world, reports the AP , suggesting that the outage...

Zuck Is 'Pretty Surprised' Quest Is Better Than Apple's Headset

Meta leader posts a Quest 3 vs. Vision Pro video breakdown

(Newser) - It's no shocker that Mark Zuckerberg is a bigger fan of his own company's VR headset than he is of Apple's Vision Pro. What might be more of a surprise is that he made a video explaining exactly why he thinks Meta's Quest 3 headset is...

Meta Board Backs Decision to Keep Up Altered Biden Video

But oversight panel criticizes company's existing guidelines on manipulated media as 'incoherent'

(Newser) - An oversight board is criticizing Facebook owner Meta's policies regarding manipulated media as "incoherent" and insufficient to address online disinformation in an election year. The quasi-independent board on Monday said its review of an altered video of President Biden that spread on Facebook exposed gaps in the policy,...

Mark Zuckerberg Just Made $27B in a Single Day

Meta's stock soars, even after his public apology

(Newser) - Mark Zuckerberg had to give a remarkable public apology this week over the abuses of social media. Friday's financial news might take some of the sting away: His net worth surged by about $27 billion, reports Bloomberg . The astonishing boost came because Meta's stock price soared after the...

'You Have Blood on Your Hands,' Senator Tells Zuckerberg

Meta CEO apologizes to parents at Senate committee hearing on child safety

(Newser) - The CEOs of five social media companies—Meta, X, Discord, TikTok, and Snap—testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on efforts to protect children Wednesday, and they did not have a friendly audience. Rolling Stone reports parents holding photos of children who died by suicide "audibly hissed" at Mark...

Sheryl Sandberg Takes Another Step Away From Meta

Board member won't stand for reelection, but will remain a company adviser

(Newser) - Sheryl Sandberg, who helped transform Facebook from a tech startup into a digital advertising empire, will step down from the board of Meta, Facebook's parent company, per the AP . "With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that...

UK Police Investigate Girl's Virtual Rape

Traumatic VR attack and others like it could spawn new laws prohibiting such behavior

(Newser) - Police in the UK have launched what's believed to be the first investigation of an alleged virtual rape. A girl younger than 16 was using a virtual reality (VR) headset when avatars controlled by adult men attacked her avatar, causing what a senior officer describes as "psychological trauma...

Shaun King: I've Been Booted From Instagram Over Palestine

Meta says activist's 'praise for designated entities' violated its policies, leading to ban

(Newser) - Social justice activist Shaun King says he was banned from Instagram, where he counted millions of followers, for expressing support for Palestinians. A Meta rep said King's account was disabled on Christmas Eve "due to multiple instances of praise for designated entities in violation of our policies,"...

Zuckerberg Just Got Hit With Massive Lawsuit

41 states and DC sue Facebook parent company Meta, accuse it of inflicting harm on kids

(Newser) - States are going after Facebook and Instagram in a big way, unleashing a legal assault that accuses the platforms of deliberately trying to makes kids addicted to the sites. In all, 41 states and the District of Columbia sued parent company Meta on Tuesday, in what amounts to "the...

2 Lawmakers to Meta, X: Crack Down on Fake AI Political Ads

As plethora of deepfakes spread, Klobuchar, NY rep ask execs to address 'serious concerns'

(Newser) - Deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence are having their moment this year, at least when it comes to making it look, or sound, like celebrities doing something uncanny. Tom Hanks hawking a dental plan. Pope Francis wearing a stylish puffer jacket. Sen. Rand Paul sitting on the Capitol steps in a...

Meta Slammed for 'Stupid, Dangerous' Canada News Ban

Move has made it harder for people to share information about wildfire evacuations

(Newser) - Meta has banned Canadians from sharing news content on Facebook and Instagram amid an ongoing dispute with the federal government—and experts say that with wildfire evacuations underway, the timing couldn't be worse. Residents of Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories, have been told to get out by noon...

Moderator of Facebook Content: I 'Stood Up and Screamed'

As employees sue, CEO of Sama laments harmful content, wishes she'd never signed a contract

(Newser) - Online content moderation is a stressful job, but someone's got to do it—though now an East African firm is saying it wishes its workers weren't those someones. Per the Guardian , employees are now bringing lawsuits against both outsourcing company Sama and Meta, Facebook's parent, after they...

Meta Results Beat Analysts' Expectations

Company reports strong results as advertising rebounds

(Newser) - Facebook parent company Meta Platforms posted stronger-than-expected results for the second quarter on Wednesday, buoyed by a rebound in online advertising after a post-pandemic slump. The Menlo Park, California-based company earned $7.79 billion, or $2.98 per share, in the April-June period, the AP reports. That's up 16%...

Twitter May Have a Problem With Its Shiny New Logo

Trademark infringement questions arise over news that Meta, Microsoft also have 'X' registered

(Newser) - "X" may not mark the spot after all for Elon Musk in his attempted rebrand of Twitter. Although Musk has officially unveiled the 24th letter of the alphabet as his social media site's new name and identity, Insider reports that rival Meta appears to own the trademark for...

It's a '5-Alarm Fire' for Tax-Prep Firms
It's a '5-Alarm Fire'
for Tax-Prep Firms
NEW REPORT
Jul 12, 2023 11:40 AM CDT

It's a '5-Alarm Fire' for Tax-Prep Firms

H&R Block, others allegedly shared millions of taxpayers' private info with tech firms

(Newser) - Members of Congress are calling for criminal charges against some of America's largest tax-prep companies for allegedly sharing tens of millions of taxpayers' legally protected data with Google and Meta. As far back as 2011, H&R Block, TaxSlayer, and TaxAct allegedly shared private information entered into its website...

Sarah Silverman Sues ChatGPT Over Copyright

Comedian and two other authors sue creator, as well as Zuckerberg's Meta

(Newser) - Entertainers and creators have already had it with AI. That's at least one takeaway from the news—reported by the Verge —that comedian Sarah Silverman and two authors have filed copyright infringement lawsuits against the creator of ChatGPT as well as Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. Silverman and writers...

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