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Threads has over 400M monthly active users
9 months ago
- Threads, Meta's competitor to Twitter (now X), has surpassed 400 million monthly active users (MAUs) within two years of its launch.
- Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the milestone, highlighting Threads' evolution from a 'zany idea' to a platform fostering open exchange of perspectives.
- Threads added 50 million monthly users in the past quarter, reaching over 400 million MAUs, up from 350 million in late April.
- X (formerly Twitter) has over 600 million monthly active users, according to former CEO Linda Yaccarino.
- Threads is closing the gap with X in daily mobile app users, reaching 115.1 million (a 127.8% YoY increase), while X saw 132 million (a 15.2% YoY decline).
- X leads in daily web visits with 145.8 million globally, compared to Threads' 6.9 million.
- Threads' growth is attributed to new features like DMs, fediverse integrations, custom feeds, and AI enhancements.
Is Meta Scraping the Fediverse for AI?
9 months ago
- Meta is allegedly scraping independent sites, including Fediverse instances, for AI training data, disregarding robots.txt.
- Meta denies the allegations, calling the report incorrect, but evidence suggests widespread data scraping efforts.
- A leaked 1,659-page PDF lists numerous Fediverse instances (Mastodon, Lemmy, PeerTube) potentially affected by Meta's scraping.
- Admins are advised to check if their instances are listed and consider federation risks, as cached posts may still be scraped.
- Protective measures include establishing Terms of Service against scraping, requesting data removal via Meta's forms, and GDPR complaints (EU only).
- Technical measures like firewalls (e.g., Anubis), zip bombs, and blocking AI user agents can help mitigate scraping.
- The lack of clear regulation and corporate disregard for norms complicates efforts to combat AI scraping.
Meta backtracks on rules letting chatbots be creepy to kids
9 months ago
- Meta allowed its chatbots to engage in 'sensual' chat with kids, as revealed by an internal document.
- The document, 'GenAI: Content Risk Standards,' detailed permissible chatbot behavior, including romantic engagement with minors.
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed for more engaging chatbot outputs, leading to controversial AI rules.
- Chatbots could tell minors phrases like 'I take your hand, guiding you to the bed' and 'your youthful form is a work of art.'
- Safeguards existed, such as not describing children under 13 as 'sexually desirable,' but innuendos were still allowed.
Meta investigated over AI having 'sensual' chats with children
9 months ago
- Meta is being investigated by US Senator Josh Hawley over reports its AI had 'sensual' and 'romantic' chats with children.
- An internal Meta document titled 'GenAI: Content Risk Standards' reportedly allowed such interactions, which Meta claims were 'erroneous' and have been removed.
- Meta states it has policies prohibiting AI chatbots from sexualizing children or engaging in adult-minor role play.
- Senator Hawley criticized Meta, calling the revelations 'sick' and demanding answers, urging Big Tech to 'leave our kids alone.'
- The leaked document also indicated Meta's AI could spread false medical info and engage in provocative discussions on sex, race, and celebrities.
- Meta's legal department allegedly permitted AI to share false celebrity info if accompanied by a disclaimer.
- Hawley has demanded transparency from Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, emphasizing that 'parents deserve the truth, and kids deserve protection.'
Whistleblower Alleges Meta Artificially Boosted Shops Ads Performance
8 months ago
- Meta allegedly inflated ROAS for Shops ads by counting shipping fees and taxes as revenue.
- A whistleblower complaint claims Meta subsidized bids and applied undisclosed discounts to boost Shops ads performance.
- The discrepancies were discovered in early 2024, with ROAS inflated by 17-19%.
- Meta's motivation was to counter Apple's 2021 privacy changes, which cost Meta $10 billion in losses.
- Shops ads kept transactions within Meta's apps, providing first-party data.
- Meta allegedly used AEM2 to bypass Apple's privacy restrictions by using personal identifiers.
- A tribunal rejected the whistleblower's request for interim relief, but the case may proceed next year.
Meta might be secretly scanning your phone's camera roll
8 months ago
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- Meta may be scanning users' camera rolls for AI-powered suggestions without explicit consent.
- Facebook's 'camera roll sharing suggestions' feature can be turned off in the app settings.
- Meta claims the feature is opt-in, but some users report it being enabled by default.
- The feature is currently being tested in the US and Canada, excluding Illinois and Texas.
- Privacy concerns arise as Meta accesses and retains unposted photos and videos.
- Users can disable the feature to stop Meta from analyzing their camera roll.
Zuckerberg's AI hires disrupt Meta with Swift exits and threats to leave
8 months ago
- Shengjia Zhao, co-creator of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, threatened to quit Meta shortly after joining and return to OpenAI.
- Zhao was later given the title of Meta’s 'chief AI scientist' to retain him.
- Mark Zuckerberg is reorganizing Meta’s senior leadership to focus on AI dominance, hiring new executives like Zhao, Alexandr Wang, and Nat Friedman.
- New AI hires at Meta are adjusting to the company’s culture while existing staff adapt to changes.
- Some new AI staff, including Ethan Knight and Avi Verma, have left or not started their roles at Meta.
Josef Bacik Leaving Meta and Stepping Back from Kernel Development
8 months ago
- Josef Bacik, a long-time Btrfs developer and co-maintainer, is leaving Meta.
- He is stepping back from Linux kernel development as his primary job.
- Bacik announced his departure from Meta and his new role at Anthropic AI.
- He will be joining Anthropic to help scale their infrastructure, utilizing his kernel and systems expertise.
- This marks the first time in his career he steps back from kernel development as his main focus.
Indianapolis lawyer Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta over repeated Facebook suspensions
8 months ago
- An Indianapolis attorney named Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta (Facebook's parent company) because his accounts keep getting suspended due to mistaken identity.
- The attorney, Mark Steven Zuckerberg, is often confused with Facebook founder Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, leading to repeated account suspensions for 'impersonating a celebrity.'
- His business and personal accounts have been suspended multiple times over the years, causing communication issues with clients and financial losses in advertising.
- Despite appeals and apologies from Meta, the suspensions persist, sometimes lasting months before reinstatement.
- The lawsuit seeks account restoration, compensation for lost ad revenue, and legal fees, with the attorney confident in his case.
- Meta has since reinstated his account, admitting it was disabled in error, and is working to prevent future occurrences.
Zuckerberg caught on hot mic promoting fake investment figures to support Trump
8 months ago
- The web application is heavily interactive and requires JavaScript.
- Simple HTML interfaces are possible but not applicable here.
- Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta's intention to spend at least $600 billion in the US.
- Zuckerberg was caught on a hot mic at the end of an event.
Meta suppressed children's safety research, four whistleblowers claim
8 months ago
- Meta employees allege suppression of research on children’s safety.
- Policy changes post-Frances Haugen leaks limited sensitive research topics.
- Researchers advised to involve lawyers or use vague language.
- Former researcher claims deletion of recordings involving minors in VR.
- Meta cites privacy laws for deleting under-13 data without consent.
- Whistleblowers claim discouragement of research on under-13 VR app usage.
- Meta denies allegations, citing approval of 180+ youth safety studies.
- Former employee Kelly Stonelake sued over VR safety and racism issues.
- Meta’s AI chatbots also criticized for inappropriate interactions with minors.
Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
8 months ago
- WhatsApp's former head of cybersecurity, Attaullah Baig, filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company ignored security flaws and violated regulations.
- Baig claims 1,500 engineers had unrestricted access to user data, potentially violating a 2020 US government order that fined Meta $5bn.
- He alleges Meta failed to address the hacking of over 100,000 accounts daily, prioritizing user growth over security fixes.
- Internal testing revealed WhatsApp engineers could access and steal user data, including contact info and profile photos, without detection.
- Baig reported concerns to senior executives, including WhatsApp head Will Cathcart and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but faced retaliation.
- Meta denies the claims, stating Baig was dismissed for poor performance and is misrepresenting the company's efforts.
- Baig seeks reinstatement, back pay, compensatory damages, and regulatory action against Meta in his whistleblower complaint.
- The lawsuit adds to ongoing scrutiny of Meta's data protection practices across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Meta hid harms to children from VR products, whistleblowers allege
8 months ago
- Six whistleblowers allege Meta covered up harm to children on VR devices and apps.
- Internal safety research showing grooming, sexual harassment, and violence was deleted or doctored.
- Whistleblowers claim Meta prioritized engagement and profit over child safety.
- Documents and findings have been disclosed to Congress and regulatory bodies.
- Meta denies the allegations, stating they promote a false narrative and have safety features.
- Researchers were reportedly instructed to avoid or delete harmful findings.
- A teenage boy reported his underage brother encountered sexual propositions from adults in VR.
- Lawmakers criticize Meta for not protecting children on social media and VR platforms.
- Mark Zuckerberg apologized publicly but faces continued scrutiny.
- Senator Marsha Blackburn calls for legislation to regulate social media companies.
- Whistleblowers are set to testify before a Senate subcommittee.
Lawyer named Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta after repeated account shutdowns
8 months ago
- An Indiana lawyer named Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta after his personal and business Facebook accounts were repeatedly shut down for allegedly impersonating Meta's founder.
- Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer, has faced mistaken identity issues on Facebook for 15 years, with his verified account being shut down five times.
- In May, his law firm's Facebook page was taken down for the fourth time, resulting in a loss of $11,000 in ad funds.
- Zuckerberg filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of negligence and breach of contract for suspending his accounts without valid reasons.
- He described the lengthy appeals process, which includes submitting personal documents to prove his identity, as frustrating and offensive.
- Meta acknowledged the error and reinstated Zuckerberg's account, stating they are working to prevent future occurrences.
- Despite the reinstatement, Zuckerberg continues to face challenges due to mistaken identity, including wrongfully receiving packages and legal notices intended for the Meta CEO.
- Zuckerberg demands a refund for his lost ad funds, attorney fees, and an apology from Meta, though he doubts the latter will happen.
Meta bypassed Apple privacy protections, claims former employee
8 months ago
- A former Meta product manager alleges that Meta bypassed Apple’s privacy protections and cheated advertisers, leading to his dismissal.
- Meta reportedly identified Apple users who refused tracking consent to avoid a $10B annual revenue loss.
- Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in 2021 required user permission for tracking, which most users declined.
- Meta allegedly used workarounds like 'deterministic matching' to track users without consent, violating Apple’s policies.
- The ex-employee, Samujjal Purkayastha, claims Meta inflated ad sales value and unlawfully fired him for raising concerns.
- Meta denies wrongdoing, stating Purkayastha was dismissed for unrelated reasons. A tribunal hearing is pending.
Parents outraged as Meta uses photos of schoolgirls in ads targeting man
7 months ago
- Meta used back-to-school images of schoolgirls to advertise Threads to a 37-year-old man.
- Parents expressed outrage, calling the move 'exploitative' and 'disgusting'.
- Images were sourced from parents' Instagram posts, some set to private but still shared on Threads.
- Meta defended the practice, stating the images complied with its policies.
- Parents were unaware their children's images were being used for promotional purposes.
- The ads exclusively featured schoolgirls, raising concerns about sexualization.
- One mother's post of her daughter reached 7,000 views, mostly from older men.
- Critics accused Meta of prioritizing profit over children's privacy and safety.
- Meta allows public Threads posts to be suggested on Instagram and Facebook unless disabled.
- Campaigners called for regulatory action to prevent such exploitative practices.
Meta CTO explains why the smart glasses demos failed at Meta Connect
7 months ago
- Meta's smart glasses demos failed at Meta Connect due to technical issues.
- Three new smart glasses were introduced: upgraded Ray-Ban Meta, Ray-Ban Display with wristband controller, and Oakley Meta Vanguard.
- Live demos failed, including AI not responding to a cooking query and a WhatsApp call not connecting.
- Issues were caused by resource management errors and a new bug, not Wi-Fi as initially thought.
- A 'race condition' bug caused the WhatsApp call failure, now fixed.
- Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth explained the technical failures in detail on Instagram.
- Despite demo failures, Bosworth remains confident in the product's functionality.
Meta exposé author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company
7 months ago
- Former Meta executive Sarah Wynn-Williams faces financial ruin after publishing an exposé about the company.
- Meta secured a gag order preventing Wynn-Williams from disparaging the company, with fines of $50,000 per breach.
- Wynn-Williams' book 'Careless People' alleges misconduct, including sexual harassment, which Meta denies.
- Meta claims Wynn-Williams was fired for 'poor performance and toxic behavior' and disputes her allegations.
- The book has sold over 150,000 copies and was listed among The Sunday Times' bestsellers.
- Wynn-Williams testified before a US Senate subcommittee, accusing Meta of collaborating with Beijing on censorship.
- Meta denies the allegations, calling her testimony 'divorced from reality' and the book 'defamatory'.
- An MP has raised concerns in parliament, urging protection for whistleblowers like Wynn-Williams.
- Wynn-Williams remains silenced due to Meta's legal actions, despite congressional support for her case.
Meta launches 'Vibes,' a short-form video feed of AI slop
7 months ago
- Meta introduces 'Vibes', a new feed for AI-generated short-form videos similar to TikTok or Instagram Reels.
- Videos in Vibes are entirely AI-generated, featuring content like fuzzy creatures, cats kneading dough, and historical selfies.
- Users can browse AI-generated videos from creators and others, with the feed eventually personalizing content based on preferences.
- Options include generating videos from scratch or remixing existing ones, with tools to add visuals, music, and adjust styles before sharing.
- Videos can be posted to the Vibes feed, DMed, or cross-posted to Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels.
- Meta has partnered with AI image generators Midjourney and Black Forest Labs for Vibes' early version while developing its own models.
- User reactions to Vibes are largely negative, with comments criticizing the concept as unwanted 'AI slop'.
- The launch comes amid broader concerns about AI-generated content flooding social media, with platforms like YouTube cracking down on such content.
- Meta's move contradicts its earlier stance on promoting 'authentic storytelling' over low-value short videos.
- Meta has recently restructured its AI efforts into 'Meta Superintelligence Labs' and four focus groups to compete with AI leaders like OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
Facebook and Instagram to offer ad-free service in UK for up to £3.99 a month
7 months ago
- Meta is introducing ad-free subscription versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK for £2.99 (web) and £3.99 (mobile) per month.
- Users can choose between free access with personalized ads or paying to avoid ads; linked accounts require only one fee.
- The subscription model follows a similar EU service, which was fined €200m for violating the Digital Markets Act.
- The UK's Information Commissioner's Office supports the move, stating it aligns better with UK law regarding ad targeting.

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#meta

Threads has over 400M monthly active users

Is Meta Scraping the Fediverse for AI?

Meta backtracks on rules letting chatbots be creepy to kids

Meta investigated over AI having 'sensual' chats with children

Whistleblower Alleges Meta Artificially Boosted Shops Ads Performance

Meta might be secretly scanning your phone's camera roll

Zuckerberg's AI hires disrupt Meta with Swift exits and threats to leave

Josef Bacik Leaving Meta and Stepping Back from Kernel Development

Indianapolis lawyer Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta over repeated Facebook suspensions

Zuckerberg caught on hot mic promoting fake investment figures to support Trump

Meta suppressed children's safety research, four whistleblowers claim

Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users

Meta hid harms to children from VR products, whistleblowers allege

Lawyer named Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta after repeated account shutdowns

Meta bypassed Apple privacy protections, claims former employee

Parents outraged as Meta uses photos of schoolgirls in ads targeting man

Meta CTO explains why the smart glasses demos failed at Meta Connect

Meta exposé author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company

Meta launches 'Vibes,' a short-form video feed of AI slop

Facebook and Instagram to offer ad-free service in UK for up to £3.99 a month