Meta and TikTok explain response to Dublin riots and misinformation
Social media companies have explained their reaction to the Dublin riots that resulted in millions of euro worth of damage to public infrastructure. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said in the aftermath of the riots that he was concerned at the “rapid mobilisation of so many people via social media platforms”. Dublin-headquartered companies Meta, TikTok and Google […]
Meta begins end-to-end encryption rollout
Meta has begun its rollout of automatic encryption of all Facebook and Messenger chats, the company has announced. Messages and calls protected by end-to-end-encryption (E2EE), which has been an option since 2016, can be read only by the sender and recipient. Under the changes, Meta will no longer have access to the contents of what […]
Spotify to axe 1,500 jobs to cut costs
Spotify is to cut almost a fifth of jobs at the music streaming business in a move affecting about 1,500 posts. Bosses at the technology firm said in a note to staff that it will axe 17% of the workforce in a bid to be more efficient in the face of a growth slowdown. The […]
Apple names its App Store apps of the year
Outdoor exploration app AllTrails has been named the iPhone app of the year in Apple’s annual App Store awards. Make-up sketchpad app Pret-a-Makeup was named the iPad app of the year, with image editor Photomator awarded the Mac app of the year, indie film streaming app Mubi picked up the Apple TV app award, and […]
Fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were ‘primed to polarise voters’
Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarising political content in an apparent effort to divide the US before next year’s elections, Meta has said. The network of nearly 4,800 fake accounts was trying to build an audience when it […]
Meta ‘knowingly designed its platforms to hook children’, court document claims
Facebook parent Meta Platforms deliberately engineered its social platforms to hook minors and knew – but never disclosed – it had received millions of complaints about under-age users on Instagram but only disabled a fraction of those accounts, according to reports. The complaint emerged in a newly unsealed legal document, described in reports by The […]
Founder of Binance crypto exchange admits failing to prevent money laundering
The founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has admitted he failed to take steps to prevent money laundering as the company agreed to pay more than 4 billion dollars (£3.2 billion) after an investigation by the US government. Chief executive Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to one count of failure to maintain an effective […]
OpenAI announces return of Sam Altman as chief executive
Sam Altman will return to OpenAI as chief executive just days after being removed from the role by the firm’s board, the company has confirmed. The ChatGPT-maker said it had reached an “agreement in principle” for Mr Altman to return to the company and a new board would be formed to work alongside him. Mr […]
X (aka Twitter) sues media watchdog over report on ads next to posts from hate groups
Elon Musk’s social media company X has filed a lawsuit against liberal advocacy group Media Matters for America, saying it manufactured a report to show advertisers’ posts alongside neo-Nazi and white nationalist posts in order to “drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.” Media Matters, a Washington DC-based non-profit media watchdog, called the […]
Businesses embracing generative AI but fear cyberattacks, survey finds
Three-fifths of businesses view generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a good opportunity but many fear they are exposed to cyberattacks, research has revealed. Businesses will “not progress” if they do not take risks, as the race to adopt new and emerging technologies heats up, according to accounting giant PwC. Around 37% of firms believe they […]