Tag: facebook
Meta to launch ‘Twitter-Killer’ app, Threads, this Thursday
Facebook owner Meta is launching its new app to rival Twitter and says it will go live on Thursday. The app, which is called Threads and is available for pre-order on the Apple App Store, will be linked to Instagram. Screengrabs show a dashboard that looks similar to Twitter. Meta describes Threads as a "text-based…
ShinyShiny snippets: Meta fined €1.2bn for mishandling data
Facebook's owner, Meta, has been fined €1.2bn (£1bn) for mishandling people's data when transferring it between Europe and the United States. Issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, it is the largest fine imposed under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation privacy law. GDPR rules require companies to seek people's consent before using their personal data.…
ShinyShiny snippets: Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has announced that it will cut 10,000 jobs. It comes months after the tech giant laid off 11,000 employees in November 2022. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the cuts would be "tough", and formed part of a "year of restructuring".In addition to the 10,000 jobs being lost,…
ShinyShiny snippets: Donald Trump allowed back on Facebook and Instagram
Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated after a two-year suspension following the 6 January insurrection. Facebook parent Meta said in a blog post on Wednesday it would be adding "new guardrails" to ensure there are no "repeat offenders" who violate its rules....Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said Mr Trump is now…
ShinyShiny snippets: Twitter staff locked out of office until next week
Elon Musk has locked Twitter staff out of offices until next week as hundreds of employees reportedly resigned after being given an ultimatum by the billionaire. The closure until Monday was revealed in an email to staff and no reason was given. Hundreds of employees have quit the company after Mr Musk told staff they…
ShinyShiny snippets: Meta slashes 11,000 jobs to cut costs
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has become the latest big tech player to wield the axe in the tougher global economy, laying off 13% of its workforce. The firm announced on Wednesday it will cut its global headcount by more than 11,000 employees as part of a wider shake-up of the business that…
ShinyShiny snippets: Disney+ subscriber numbers overtake Netflix
Walt Disney edged past Netflix with a total of 221 million streaming subscribers at the end of the most recent quarter and announced it will launch a Disney+ option with advertising this December. In the just-ended quarter, Disney+ added 14.4 million Disney+ customers, beating the consensus of 10 million expected by analysts polled by FactSet, as it…
ShinyShiny snippets: WhatsApp to let you leave group chats silently
Meta has announced new privacy features for WhatsApp users. Users will be able to leave group chats silently, control who can see their online status and block screenshots on View Once messages. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said this would help keep WhatsApp messaging "as private and secure as face-to-face conversations". It will begin rolling…
ShinyShiny snippets: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg sued over Cambridge Analytica scandal
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being sued by the US District of Columbia which is seeking to hold him personally liable for the Cambridge Analytica scandal that breached millions of people's personal data. The political consultancy was accused in 2018 of illegally harvesting the personal data of as many as 87 million Facebook users. The data was…
ShinyShiny snippets: Zuckerberg reveals AI projects to power Metaverse
A basic virtual world created by Mark Zuckerberg in Builder Bot. Image: Meta Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled several ambitious artificial-intelligence projects, describing AI as "the key to unlocking the Metaverse". In a live-streamed demonstration, he created a basic virtual world - including an island, trees and a beach -…
