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Meta

Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get
Payments Start In $725M Facebook Settlement: How Much You Could Get If you had a Facebook account from 2007 to 2022, you may soon see money from a massive class action settlement. Payments have begun in Facebook's $725 million privacy settlement. Every Facebook user in the US between Thursday, May 24, 2007, and Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, was eligible for payouts. The case stems from Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm tied to far-right strategist Steve Bannon, the Associated Press reported. Cambridge Analytica harvested data from millions of Facebook users to support President Donald Trump’s 2016 election win. In December 2022, Me…
Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off
Instagram Can Share Your Location With New Map: How To Turn It On Or Off The latest Instagram update lets friends see your real-time location, but only if you choose to share it. Instagram officially rolled out the new location-sharing feature across the US on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The popular photo and video app now allows users to privately share their last active location with certain friends. The update resembles the Snap Map on Snapchat or the iPhone's "Find My" app. Both are popular ways friends use to track each other in real time. Instagram's location feature is off by default and only works if you choose to turn it on. You can pick whi…
635K Instagram, Facebook Accounts Removed For Targeting Children As Meta Adds Safety Tools 635K Instagram, Facebook Accounts Removed For Targeting Children As Meta Adds Safety Tools
635K Instagram, Facebook Accounts Removed For Targeting Children As Meta Adds Safety Tools Meta says it has removed about 635,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts for trying to exploit children as it updates its teen safety features. The tech giant announced changes to its measures aimed at protecting young users in a blog post on Wednesday, July 23. The purge comes as Meta adds new restrictions to accounts run by adults that feature children. In the first half of 2025, Meta said its enforcement teams took down nearly 135,000 Instagram accounts for leaving sexualized comments or requesting sexual images on accounts that primarily feature children under 13.…
'Tool For Bribery': Sens. Blumenthal, Warren Want Rules For Trump’s Presidential Library Fund 'Tool For Bribery': Sens. Blumenthal, Warren Want Rules For Trump’s Presidential Library Fund
'Tool For Bribery': Sens. Blumenthal, Warren Want Rules For Trump’s Presidential Library Fund Two high-ranking Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to tighten the rules for how sitting presidents raise and use donations for their presidential libraries, citing practices linked to President Donald Trump. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren are backing the bill alongside Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), according to CBS News. “Donald Trump is using his presidential library as a tool for bribery while he is still in office,” Warren told CBS. She added, “Many of the donations to Trump's …
CEO Leaves X/Twitter As Controversies, Fleeing Users Plague Elon Musk's Website CEO Leaves X/Twitter As Controversies, Fleeing Users Plague Elon Musk's Website
CEO Leaves X/Twitter As Controversies, Fleeing Users Plague Elon Musk's Website The CEO of the website called Twitter by most people is leaving her role after a tumultuous tenure that saw the social media platform's popularity plummet under billionaire Elon Musk's ownership. Linda Yaccarino announced she's "stepping down" as CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, in a post on Wednesday, July 9. The Deer Park, New York, native left her position as global advertising chair at NBCUniversal in May 2023 to lead Twitter two months before Musk rebranded the site as X. Yaccarino's resignation came one day after X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok was accused of promoting an…
WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded
WhatsApp Reportedly Banned From House Staffers' Devices: How Meta Responded Meta is pushing back after WhatsApp has been reportedly banned from all US House staffers' government-issued devices due to security concerns about how the app handles user data. Axios first reported on the ban after obtaining an internal email on Monday, June 23. The House's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) told staffers on Monday that WhatsApp is banned due to a lack of transparency about its data privacy and security practices. The ban applies to all versions of the messaging platform, including mobile, desktop, and web apps. "The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed What…
Oakley, Meta Drop AI Sunglasses With 3K Camera, Speakers: Here's How Much They'll Cost You Oakley, Meta Drop AI Sunglasses With 3K Camera, Speakers: Here's How Much They'll Cost You
Oakley, Meta Drop AI Sunglasses With 3K Camera, Speakers: Here's How Much They'll Cost You Ready to level up your content, your fitness, and your feed? Oakley and Meta just dropped a new line of AI-powered smart glasses, and they’re built for athletes, creators, and anyone chasing performance. The shades pack a 3K Ultra HD camera, open-ear speakers, voice-activated Meta AI, and water resistance into hands-free headset that looks like it belongs on a Super Bowl MVP. The limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN glasses were announced Friday, June 20. You can order the Oakley Meta HSTN Limited Edition on July 11 at $499. The full lineup arrives this summer, starting at $399. "Oakley …
Meta Puts Ads On WhatsApp: Here's What's Changing Meta Puts Ads On WhatsApp: Here's What's Changing
Meta Puts Ads On WhatsApp: Here's What's Changing Meta is bringing advertisements to WhatsApp, marking a major shift for the globally popular messaging app. WhatsApp will now have ads on its Updates tab, Meta announced in a blog post on Monday, June 16. Meta purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, adding to its portfolio that includes Facebook and Instagram. The tech giant said ads won't appear in private conversations on the app. "Subscriptions, promotions and ads will appear only on the Updates tab, away from your personal chats," Meta said. "This means if you only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and loved ones, there will be no c…
NY Rep Urges Capitol Police To Probe Anti-Israel Activist After 'If You're Still Alive' Warning NY Rep Urges Capitol Police To Probe Anti-Israel Activist After 'If You're Still Alive' Warning
NY Rep Urges Capitol Police To Probe Anti-Israel Activist After 'If You're Still Alive' Warning Congressman Ritchie Torres says a chilling social media post from a pro-intifada activist has left him fearing for his safety—and his family's. The Bronx Democrat on Tuesday, May 27, called on the U.S. Capitol Police to investigate Guy Christensen, as reported by the NY Post. Torres spoke out on X after Christensen, a 19-year-old anti-Israel activist believed to be from Cranberry Township, PA, said that his support for Israel “will haunt [his] family for eternity,” adding, “if you’re alive..." How does an elected official become a millionaire off of AIPAC?Ritchie Torres NY-15 did it.All…
PayPal Launches AI Chat Shopping: Here's How The New Feature Works PayPal Launches AI Chat Shopping: Here's How The New Feature Works
PayPal Launches AI Chat Shopping: Here's How The New Feature Works An artificial intelligence search engine will soon help Americans buy products, book trips, and check out with PayPal or Venmo in online chats. Perplexity is teaming up with the financial technology giant for the new chat-based shopping experience, PayPal announced on Wednesday, May 14. The service is expected to be available in the US in the summer. Shoppers can make purchases within chat prompts on Perplexity Pro. "This partnership unlocks new possibilities, where conversations now drive commerce," said PayPal president and CEO Alex Chriss. "We're making it easy and secure…
Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns
Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns Scammers are once again turning hot-button headlines into bait — this time with bogus offers of “tariff relief” payments showing up in Facebook and Instagram ads. The fraudulent posts have promised $750 in “tariff relief credit” or as much as $5,600 in “tariff relief benefits.”  But the promised payouts don’t exist. Instead, these ads are believed to be attempts to gather personal information or steer unsuspecting users into marketing calls where they could be targeted by spammers. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, confirmed that it removed the ads after being alerte…
Meta Launches AI App To Compete With ChatGPT: Here's What It Does Meta Launches AI App To Compete With ChatGPT: Here's What It Does
Meta Launches AI App To Compete With ChatGPT: Here's What It Does Meta released its first standalone artificial intelligence app that aims to compete with ChatGPT. The Meta AI app officially launched in the US and other countries on Tuesday, April 29. The app was built off the company's new Llama 4 model, giving it the ability to respond to voice or text, generate images, and remember personal details. Meta AI connects across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It also serves as the companion app for Meta's smart glasses. Inspired by social media, the app features a Discover feed where users can share how they're using AI and try popu…
Big Tech Cracks Into White House Easter Egg Roll With Pricy Sponsorships: Reports Big Tech Cracks Into White House Easter Egg Roll With Pricy Sponsorships: Reports
Big Tech Cracks Into White House Easter Egg Roll With Pricy Sponsorships: Reports The annual White House Easter Egg Roll may have a different feel this year after several tech companies have reportedly paid a pretty penny to sponsor the event. According to multiple reports, Elon Musk's X, YouTube, Amazon, and other tech companies entered high-dollar partnerships for possible branding opportunities. Traditionally, the event is privately funded. This year, CNN reported that some sponsors were ponying up between $75,000 and $200,000. "In addition to the classic Egg Roll and Egg Hunt—both featuring real, small- and medium-sized eggs donated by American egg farmers—guests wi…
Google Gained 'Monopoly Power' With Online Ad Technology, Judge Rules Google Gained 'Monopoly Power' With Online Ad Technology, Judge Rules
Google Gained 'Monopoly Power' With Online Ad Technology, Judge Rules A federal judge ruled that Google illegally cornered the online advertising market by linking its tools together to block out competition, a major win in a broader antitrust crackdown on Big Tech. The ruling found Google liable for willfully using a series of "anticompetitive acts" to dominate how digital ads are placed across the internet. The decision was handed down in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday, April 17. In her decision, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema said Google's ad technology blocked out competitors and hurt consumers. "For over …
Meta To Limit Instagram Livestreaming For Some Teens: Here's How Meta To Limit Instagram Livestreaming For Some Teens: Here's How
Meta To Limit Instagram Livestreaming For Some Teens: Here's How Younger teens won't be able to go live on Instagram anytime soon unless they have a parent's permission. Meta has banned users under 16 from livestreaming unless approved by a parent, the tech giant said in a blog post on Tuesday, April 9. The change is part of a broader push to expand protections for teen users across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. There are at least 54 million active "Teen Accounts" worldwide, according to Meta. "With these changes, teens under 16 will be prohibited from going Live unless their parents give them permission to do so," Meta said "We'll …
Trump's Tariffs Hit Nintendo: Switch 2 Preorders Delayed, Video Game Giant's Stock Tumbles Trump's Tariffs Hit Nintendo: Switch 2 Preorders Delayed, Video Game Giant's Stock Tumbles
Trump's Tariffs Hit Nintendo: Switch 2 Preorders Delayed, Video Game Giant's Stock Tumbles The Nintendo Switch 2 was hit with a Mario Kart "red shell" as preorders for the highly anticipated video game console have been delayed due to President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs. Preorders for the Nintendo Switch 2 won't start on their scheduled date of Wednesday, April 9. A Nintendo spokesperson confirmed the delay to the Daily Voice on Friday, April 4. Nintendo said the pause won't affect when the portable console will be released. "Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and e…
Market Freefall Deepens After Trump's Sweeping Tariffs Despite Moderate Job Gains In March Market Freefall Deepens After Trump's Sweeping Tariffs Despite Moderate Job Gains In March
Market Freefall Deepens After Trump's Sweeping Tariffs Despite Moderate Job Gains In March Unemployment inched up in March – slightly higher than economists expected – as stock markets crashed and Big Tech companies saw their worst single-day loss on record in response to President Donald Trump's aggressive new tariffs. March's unemployment rate was 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday, April 4. That was slightly higher than the 4.1% forecast as the labor force participation rate also rose, CNBC reported. The US added 228,000 nonfarm payrolls in March, significantly higher than the Dow Jones estimate of around 140,000. The BLS also reduced …
'OG Facebook' Returns With Revamped Friends Tab In Meta's Latest Change 'OG Facebook' Returns With Revamped Friends Tab In Meta's Latest Change
'OG Facebook' Returns With Revamped Friends Tab In Meta's Latest Change Meta is hoping to bring back the original Facebook experience with a new Friends tab that shows only content from friends, removing recommended posts and ads.  The feature launched in the US and Canada on Thursday, Mar. 27. The addition is part of a broader effort to restore Facebook's original focus on connecting friends, according to Meta. The revamped feed only highlights content from friends, eliminating recommended posts and ads. "The new Friends tab is a throwback to OG Facebook when you only saw friends' status updates," CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted. "More OG Facebook coming soon…
Meta's Community Notes To Use Tech From Elon Musk's Social Media Platform Meta's Community Notes To Use Tech From Elon Musk's Social Media Platform
Meta's Community Notes To Use Tech From Elon Musk's Social Media Platform Meta's new Community Notes system will be based on algorithms developed by billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform, the company said. Meta will begin testing the crowdsourced program that aims to prevent misinformation on Tuesday, Mar. 18, the tech giant said in a blog post on Thursday, Mar. 13. The move comes as Meta replaces its third-party fact-checking program in the US for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Community Notes are part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader shift toward what he calls "free expression" on the company’s platforms. "We’re going to take time to …
Facebook Users Reporting Outage Facebook Users Reporting Outage
Facebook Users Reporting Outage Multiple Facebook users were reporting an outage Wednesday night, Feb. 26. Down Detector showed a spike sometime after 9 p.m. As of 9:25 p.m. a message on the Facebook website, owned by Meta, reads "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on getting this fixed as soon as we can." Meanwhile, multiple users ran to X to report, and ask about, the outage. Facebook is down. — Samantha Lee (@AsianOptionGirl) February 27, 2025 Is Facebook down? — Rodjhun B. Navarro (@Rodjhun) February 27, 2025
Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports
Meta To Cut 5% Of Lowest-Performing Workers, Zuckerberg Braces For 'Intense Year': Reports Meta will cut thousands of employees in the latest move for the controversial company that owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, according to reports. An internal memo sent to Meta workers said five percent of low-performing employees will be terminated, Bloomberg News reported. The company that also owns WhatsApp and Threads has more than 72,000 employees, according to Meta's most recent quarterly report. A five-percent reduction would mean about 3,600 people could lose their jobs. "I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,…
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta is dismantling its third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. and aims to bring back political content as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the company said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the changes in a video statement on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, will replace its fact-checking program with a Community Notes system similar to the one implemented on X (formerly Twitter). Zuckerberg said the new system's goal is to reduce bias and restore free expression. "Fact-checkers have be…
ChatGPT Goes Down, X Users Coming In Hot With Memes ChatGPT Goes Down, X Users Coming In Hot With Memes
ChatGPT Goes Down, X Users Coming In Hot With Memes Hours after a Meta outage left Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users in the dark, ChatGPT seems to be following suit. Users of the AI website began experiencing technical difficulties sometime around 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11. A message on the website as of 9:20 p.m. reads: "ChatGPT is currently unavailable. Status: Identified - We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix." Naturally, X users had a field day. #ChatGPT is down. Looks like everyone will have to finish their assignments the old fashioned way. pic.twitter.com/68xVq9DNf8 — Xon Kurama (@XonKurama) Decemb…
Meta Outages: Thousands Experiencing Issues With Facebook, Instagram, Other Platforms Meta Outages: Thousands Experiencing Issues With Facebook, Instagram, Other Platforms
Meta Outages: Thousands Experiencing Issues With Facebook, Instagram, Other Platforms Tens of thousands of Meta users are experiencing outages across its platforms. Just before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, there were numerous reports of outages on Downdetector.com, including 69,000 on Instagram, over 1,000 on Facebook, and 10,000 on WhatsApp. Meta issued a statement on the outages on X at around 1:45 p.m. "We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps," the statement said. "We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience." We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some use…
Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down
Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down Meta is admitting that harmless content gets taken down amid criticism for its handling of moderation. “Too often, harmless content gets taken down, or restricted, and too many people get penalized unfairly,” the company's president of global affairs, Nick Glegg, told reporters on Monday, Dec. 2, according to a report in The Verge. Meta's platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. Despite advancements in AI moderation, Clegg acknowledged there is still “work to do” in ensuring fair and accurate enforcement, the report said. Meta has promised to refine its…