Tag: Meta
Disinformation most active on X, iPhone 15 Pro is overheating claim users
X, formerly Twitter, has the biggest proportion of disinformation of six big social networks, a European Commission study has suggested. It examined over 6,000 unique social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube. The study analysed content in three countries deemed particularly at risk to disinformation - Spain, Poland and Slovakia. The…
Data concern over period trackers, scanning WhatsApp messages not practical
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is reviewing period and fertility trackers over data security concerns. The apps work by plotting menstrual cycles, based on user information. They purport to help with a range of period-related health issues, including calculating the best time to attempt to conceive. But the ICO says survey evidence indicates many users…
Virgin space flight set to take off, UK government defends access to private messages
The VSS Unity craft flies during a supersonic test flight. Image: Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight is set to take off this afternoon. Among the three passengers about the VSS Unity is 80-year-old British former Olympian Jon Goodwin. The flight is scheduled to take off at around 4pm…
Facebook tops 3 billion users, Threads drops from 49 to 12 million users daily
Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire has reported a jump in advertising revenues and said that 3 billion people are now regularly checking Facebook. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and newly launched app Threads, reported an 11pc increase to revenues in the three months ending in June. The company said the number of monthly users…
Twitter-killer Threads hits 10 million sign ups after 7 hours
Threads, the long-awaited Twitter rival from Meta, has launched - with 10 million people signing up in the first few hours. Built by the firm's Instagram team, it's billed as a home for "sharing text updates and joining public conversations". Its release couldn't be more aggressively timed, coming days after another controversial move by Twitter's incendiary…
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: Apple Books launches AI-narrated audiobooks
Apple has launched a raft of audiobooks narrated by artificial intelligence to its Apple Books platform, but maintains it “remains committed to celebrating and showcasing the magic of human narration”. According to The Guardian, which said the tech giant had “quietly” uploaded the text-to-speech content in “an attempt to upend the lucrative and fast-growing audiobook…
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: 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…
