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Meta's Llama license is still not Open Source
a year ago
- Meta's LLaMa license does not meet the Open Source Definition despite being labeled as 'Open Source'.
- The Llama 3.x Community Licence fails to grant basic freedoms, including usage for any purpose, non-discrimination, and unrestricted fields of endeavor.
- Newer versions of Meta’s Llama license impose additional restrictions, such as excluding users in the European Union without explanation.
- Critics of the Open Source AI Definition are accused of supporting Meta’s misleading use of the term 'Open Source'.
- The Open Source Initiative (OSI) calls for community unity to oppose Meta’s 'open washing' and continues efforts to educate and advocate for true open-source principles.
Meta is making users who opted out of AI training opt out again, watchdog says
a year ago
- Noyb sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta over AI training concerns in the EU.
- Meta requires users to opt out again by May 27, even if they previously opted out in 2024.
- Noyb alleges Meta's actions violate GDPR by undermining user trust and rights.
- Meta's unclear opt-out process raises doubts about its ability to differentiate between users who opted out and those who didn't.
- Noyb warns that messages from users who objected to AI training could still end up in Meta's AI systems.
Noyb sends Meta 'cease and desist' letter over AI training
a year ago
- Meta will use EU personal data from Instagram and Facebook users to train its AI systems starting May 27, without opt-in consent, relying on 'legitimate interest'.
- noyb has sent a formal Cease and Desist letter to Meta, and other consumer groups are taking action, potentially leading to injunctions and class actions.
- Meta's approach may violate GDPR, which requires opt-in consent or a valid legal basis like legitimate interest, which Meta claims but may not legitimately have.
- Meta's open-source AI models like Llama complicate GDPR compliance, as once published, data cannot be easily recalled or updated.
- Max Schrems criticizes Meta's stance, arguing that asking for consent is a simple solution and that Meta's claims of necessity are unfounded.
- Potential damages from class actions could reach billions, with estimates around €200 billion for 400 million users at €500 each.
- German consumer organizations and others in the EU are considering litigation, indicating widespread legal challenges for Meta.
- Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) have not effectively enforced GDPR against Meta, leaving NGOs like noyb to take legal action.
Urgent decision: Meta may use user data for AI training
a year ago
- The Cologne Higher Regional Court rejected a consumer advocate's application to stop Meta from using Facebook data for AI training.
- Meta plans to use data from European Facebook and Instagram users aged 18+ for AI training starting May 27, including past and future data unless users opt out.
- The court ruled Meta did not violate GDPR or DMA, stating AI training is a legitimate purpose and users were informed and can object.
- Consumer advocates argue sensitive data could be used without explicit consent, but the court found no immediate legal violation.
- The decision is final, but parties can pursue further legal action. Consumer groups and data protection officials remain critical.
Meta whistleblower alleges company worked with China on censorship
a year ago
- Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams alleges the company worked with China on censorship and compromised user data.
- Wynn-Williams claims Meta built censorship tools for China and deleted the account of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui.
- Meta disputes the allegations, stating Wynn-Williams' testimony is false and they do not operate services in China.
- Wynn-Williams released a memoir critical of Meta, which the company tried to block, calling it defamatory.
- Senator Josh Hawley led the hearing, accusing Meta of trying to silence whistleblowers and threatening Wynn-Williams with financial penalties.
- Meta claims the $50,000 penalty is for violating her 2017 separation agreement, not for testifying.
- Wynn-Williams says the ordeal has taken a personal toll on her, making it difficult to speak out.
Meta refuses to crack down on rampant scams from bogus ads: avoid losing revenue
a year ago
- Meta reportedly allowed thousands of bogus ads to run on its platforms to avoid losing ad revenue.
- Nearly half of scam complaints tied to Zelle transactions were linked to Meta, per JPMorgan Chase.
- Scams include fake ads for bulk merchandise, free spice racks, and nonexistent puppies.
- Victims lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with some scams tied to human trafficking operations.
- Meta staffers are instructed to tolerate multiple fraud 'strikes' before banning accounts.
- Meta denies prioritizing profits over safety but faces criticism for lax enforcement.
- The company has taken down over two million scam-linked accounts in 2024.
- Meta claims no legal responsibility for fraudulent content, citing Section 230 protections.
Why Meta is in trouble in Nigeria
a year ago
- Meta fined over $290 million in Nigeria for data violations.
- Violations include unauthorized data sharing, discriminatory practices, and abuse of market dominance.
- WhatsApp's mandatory data-sharing policy triggered investigations.
- Meta failed to comply with Nigerian data protection laws, including not appointing a Data Protection Compliance Organisation.
- Nigeria has about 107 million active internet users, with WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram being the most used platforms.
- Meta ordered to stop exploitative practices and comply with local laws.
- Fines and regulatory measures may force Meta to reassess its operations in Nigeria.
- Nigerian businesses heavily rely on Meta platforms for marketing and customer engagement.
- Nigeria's digital economy is growing, contributing significantly to GDP.
Meta: Shut Down Your Invasive AI Discover Feed. Now
a year ago
- Meta is converting private AI chats into public content without clear user awareness.
- Mozilla demands Meta shut down the Discover feed until proper privacy protections are implemented.
- AI interactions should be private by default, with public sharing only via informed consent.
- Meta must provide transparency on how many users unknowingly shared private information.
- A universal opt-out system should prevent user data from being used for AI training.
- Meta should notify affected users and allow permanent deletion of publicized content.
- Users deserve clarity on when their private conversations are made public.
"Localhost tracking" explained. It could cost Meta 32B
a year ago
- Meta developed 'localhost tracking' to bypass Android's sandbox protections, tracking users even with VPN, incognito mode, and deleted cookies.
- Meta faces potential fines under GDPR, DSA, and DMA, with a combined theoretical maximum risk of €32 billion.
- The tracking links browser activity to real identities via Facebook/Instagram apps and Meta Pixel scripts, even without user consent.
- 22% of the world's most visited websites are affected, tracking billions of users over years without their knowledge.
- Meta violated GDPR (consent, data minimization), DSA (prohibited personalized ads), and DMA (combining data without consent).
- The technique works by using WebRTC and hidden app services to transmit data between browsers and Meta's servers.
- Users are only unaffected if they use iOS, desktop browsers, or privacy-focused tools like Brave or DuckDuckGo.
Meta to pay $15B to acquire 49% stake in Scale AI/hire Scale CEO
a year ago
- Meta is finalizing a nearly $15 billion investment in Scale AI, acquiring a 49% stake.
- Mark Zuckerberg is assembling a 50-person team to advance Meta's AGI goals, with Scale AI's CEO joining post-deal.
- AGI refers to AI that matches or exceeds human cognitive abilities, a major industry focus.
- Scale AI, which provides training data to tech giants, expects 2025 revenue to double to $2 billion.
- Meta's investment reflects its urgency to compete with rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.
- Other tech giants have also invested heavily in AI startups (e.g., Amazon in Anthropic, Microsoft in OpenAI).
- Scale AI has secured government contracts, including a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense.
WhatsApp adds ads to the status screen
a year ago
- WhatsApp will start showing ads on the Status screen, similar to Instagram Stories.
- Ads will be targeted based on user country, city, language, and followed channels, but not personal data like messages or calls.
- Meta allows businesses and users to promote their Channels in the discovery section.
- Select creators and businesses can charge subscriptions for exclusive Channel updates, facilitated by app stores.
- WhatsApp currently generates revenue via WhatsApp Business and click-to-WhatsApp ads.
- Over 1.5 billion people use Status and Channels daily.
- New ad features will roll out globally in the coming months.
WhatsApp is getting ads using personal data from Instagram and Facebook
a year ago
- Meta plans to introduce ads on WhatsApp based on personal data from Facebook and Instagram, further integrating WhatsApp into Meta's ecosystem.
- This move consolidates Meta's social networking monopoly, despite EU laws like the DMA and GDPR designed to prevent such dominance.
- The Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires freely given user consent for cross-service data linking, a requirement Meta currently bypasses with its 'Pay or Okay' model on Instagram and Facebook.
- Meta's 'Pay or Okay' approach, deemed illegal by the EU, forces users to pay to avoid ads, effectively coercing consent and yielding high compliance rates.
- Meta's strategy mirrors past actions, ignoring EU regulations and treating them as trade barriers, similar to the Trump administration's stance.
- Max Schrems of noyb criticizes Meta for violating EU law by linking data across platforms without genuine user consent and calls for stronger regulatory enforcement.
- Meta's disregard for EU law includes using EU user data for AI training without consent and now extending this to WhatsApp ads.
- The lack of enforcement and minimal penalties have emboldened Meta to continue its practices, prompting potential legal action from noyb.
- Signal, a non-profit alternative to WhatsApp, may benefit from user migration due to Meta's ad push on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is officially getting ads
a year ago
- WhatsApp is introducing ads through its Stories-like status feature.
- Ads will appear in the 'Updates' tab alongside content from friends and family.
- Meta had previously considered ads for WhatsApp but delayed implementation until now.
- Ad revenue for Meta exceeded $160 billion last year.
- Ads will be tailored based on limited user data like location, language, and interaction with ads.
- Users can adjust ad preferences via Meta’s Accounts Center.
- Meta assures that personal chats, messages, calls, and groups will not be used for ads.
- Promoted channels will be shown when users click the Explore button.
- New feature allows subscribing to channels for exclusive updates.
Meta ignores RFC 2920; ZuckMail can't send mail to servers running OpenSMTPD
a year ago
- Mikolaj Kucharski reports that verification emails from WhatsApp (Meta) are not arriving to his OpenSMTPd server on OpenBSD 7.7/amd64.
- The logs show an error: '500 5.5.1 Invalid command: Pipelining not supported', indicating that Meta's email server is attempting to use SMTP pipelining, which OpenSMTPd does not support.
- Omar Polo confirms that OpenSMTPd does not advertise pipelining support and suggests this is a bug on Meta's side.
Ads are "rolling out gradually" to WhatsApp
a year ago
- WhatsApp will now show ads for the first time since its 2009 launch.
- Ads will appear in the Updates tab, avoiding interruption of personal chats.
- 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab daily, making it a prime ad location.
- Three types of ads: Status section ads, Promoted Channels, and exclusive updates for a fee.
- Ads will target users based on country code, age, language settings, and general location.
Ads in Threads
a year ago
- Threads is Meta's fast-growing social app with over 350 million monthly active users.
- Ads in Threads will be supported via the Marketing API starting May 19, 2025.
- Advertisers need a Threads profile and specific permissions (threads_business_basic, instagram_basic, pages_read_engagement).
- Threads feed is a new placement under 'Feeds' but requires Instagram feed to be selected as well.
- Supported ad objectives include Reach, Traffic, and Website Conversions.
- Threads feed supports single image ads with aspect ratios from 16:9 to 9:16 (tall ratios cropped to 1:1).
- Insights API can be used for ad stats, with breakdowns for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads placements.
- Third-party comment moderation is not supported; advertisers can manually reply or hide replies in Threads.
Threads is adding Fediverse content to social feeds
a year ago
- Threads is launching new fediverse integrations, including a dedicated feed for fediverse posts and improved search for fediverse users.
- The dedicated fediverse feed is separate from the main Threads feed, showing a reverse-chronological list of posts from connected platforms like Mastodon and Flipboard.
- Meta is considering whether Threads should be a fully open social network or just a repository for external fediverse content.
- Threads now allows users to search for and follow Mastodon users directly from the Threads search bar, improving discovery.
- Fediverse content in Threads remains opt-in, with separate accounts and feeds required for interaction.
- Meta is working on educating users about the fediverse and plans to continue integrating Threads with fediverse platforms.
Beat Saber Is Ending Playstation VR and PS VR2 Support
a year ago
- Beat Saber will no longer release new content for PlayStation VR and PS VR2.
- Multiplayer support for both headsets will end on January 21, 2026.
- Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' is the final DLC update for PSVR and PS VR2.
- The game will remain available for purchase with continued customer support.
- Steam releases will continue unaffected.
- PS VR2's support drop is surprising given its strong performance.
- Beat Saber is one of VR's biggest hits with 10 million players on Quest.
- Meta's cost-cutting measures may be influencing this decision.
- Existing DLC packs will remain on sale for PlayStation headsets.
Meta announces Oakley smart glasses
10 months ago
- Meta announces new Oakley smart glasses with a starting price of $399.
- Limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN model costs $499, available for preorder from July 11th.
- Features include a front-facing camera, open-ear speakers, microphones, and Meta AI integration.
- Designed for athletes with IPX4 water resistance and 8-hour battery life (48 hours with case).
- Camera upgrades to 3K video from previous 1080p.
- Available in five frame and lens combos, compatible with prescriptions for extra cost.
- Meta's partnership with EssilorLuxottica aims to sell 10 million smart glasses annually by 2026.
Judge rejects Meta's claim that torrenting is "irrelevant" in AI copyright case
10 months ago
- Meta has largely beaten an AI training copyright lawsuit raised by 13 book authors, including Sarah Silverman and Junot Diaz.
- The remaining issue is whether Meta violated copyright laws by torrenting books to train Llama models.
- Judge Vince Chhabria confirmed a meeting on July 11 to discuss the torrenting claim.
- Authors may struggle to win due to lack of evidence, but Meta's torrenting isn't irrelevant to fair use.
- Torrenting over 80.6TB from LibGen is 'at least potentially relevant' to fair use analysis.
- Meta's decision to pirate books from shadow libraries is relevant to 'bad faith' in fair use.
- Authors argued Meta abandoned licensing talks and used BitTorrent to acquire books instead.
- Judge noted uncertainty in law about whether bad faith affects fair use.

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#meta

Meta's Llama license is still not Open Source

Meta is making users who opted out of AI training opt out again, watchdog says

Noyb sends Meta 'cease and desist' letter over AI training

Urgent decision: Meta may use user data for AI training

Meta whistleblower alleges company worked with China on censorship

Meta refuses to crack down on rampant scams from bogus ads: avoid losing revenue

Why Meta is in trouble in Nigeria

Meta: Shut Down Your Invasive AI Discover Feed. Now

"Localhost tracking" explained. It could cost Meta 32B

Meta to pay $15B to acquire 49% stake in Scale AI/hire Scale CEO

WhatsApp adds ads to the status screen

WhatsApp is getting ads using personal data from Instagram and Facebook

WhatsApp is officially getting ads

Meta ignores RFC 2920; ZuckMail can't send mail to servers running OpenSMTPD

Ads are "rolling out gradually" to WhatsApp

Ads in Threads

Threads is adding Fediverse content to social feeds

Beat Saber Is Ending Playstation VR and PS VR2 Support

Meta announces Oakley smart glasses

Judge rejects Meta's claim that torrenting is "irrelevant" in AI copyright case