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  • Global disruption of Meta services hits Facebook, Instagram

    Global disruption of Meta services hits Facebook, Instagram

    Meta’s apps like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp experienced outages Thursday, leaving users worldwide unable to connect or facing intermittent disruptions.

    The Vinh of Ha Dong District in Hanoi said at around 1 a.m. on Thursday he received a message notification on Messenger but was unable to view it as the app failed to load.

    “Initially I thought it was due to an undersea fiber-optic cable issue or heavy nighttime gaming traffic slowing the internet.

    When he tried to access other Meta apps, he found Facebook was accessible, though slowly, but Instagram displayed login errors. Many users reported being unable to access Messenger or Facebook on both phones and computers.

    According to Downdetector, a tool that monitors the status of internet services, reports of issues began surfacing globally at around 12:30 a.m. Vietnam time and peaked at 1 a.m.. There were over 80,000 reports for Facebook, 66,000 for Instagram and more than 10,000 for Messenger and WhatsApp.

    Unlike in March this year the outage did not cause a complete service disruption. Users experienced sporadic connectivity issues; some could not use the platforms on computers but managed to chat on their phones. Many users took to X to express their frustrations, causing hashtags like #facebookdown and #metadown to trend widely.

    By 2 a.m. Meta’s official X account acknowledged the issue in a statement: “We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.”

    By 5:26 a.m. Meta announced that the recovery process was “99% of the way there – just doing some last checks.” By 6 a.m. Instagram’s X account confirmed that the issue had been resolved.

    In March Meta’s services were down for about an hour. A comparable event occurred in 2021 when its multiple platforms were inaccessible globally for six hours due to a “configuration error” in their system. In 2019 Facebook’s web version also experienced a 24-hour connectivity loss.

  • Google, Facebook, other foreign giants pay $159M taxes online

    Google, Facebook, other foreign giants pay $159M taxes online

    Companies that engage in e-commerce and other digital businesses without having an establishment in Vietnam have paid taxes of VND4.04 trillion (US$158.9 million) online in 2024, up 18.5% year-on-year.

    According to the Ministry of Finance, the number of foreign service providers, as they are called, who registered to pay taxes through the electronic portal increased by 26 from the end of 2023 to 102 in June.

    They include Google, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, Netflix, and Apple.

    So far, around 383 international and domestic e-commerce platforms are registered on the electronic portal, up 22 from the end of 2023.

    E-commerce activities are categorized into eight groups: e-commerce platforms, online trading websites or applications, social media platforms, transportation and delivery platforms, digital agency platforms, subscription services, advertisement services, and app store platforms.

    According to the General Department of Taxation, tax payments from e-commerce activities amounted to VND97 trillion last year, up 14% from 2022.

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  • Facebook and Instagram experiencing outages along the East and West Coasts of the U.S.

    Facebook and Instagram experiencing outages along the East and West Coasts of the U.S.

    Instagram and its stablemate Facebook are both experiencing outages on Tuesday evening. The number of Instagram users reporting a problem to DownDetector soared to 11,965 at 9:47 pm ET compared to 62 who had an issue at 7:01 pm ET. Facebook, at 9:48 pm, had 650 complaints submitted with DownDetector compared to the 49 complaints lodged with the site at 7:02 pm ET.

    71% of the complaints from Facebook users mentioned issues with the website, 20% had an issue with the app and 10% couldn’t log in to the social media site. Several complaints said that Facebook was not loading. As for Instagram, 55% of the complaints revolved around the app, 33% complained about a server connection, and 12% could nor log in. The comments posted on DownDetector noted how the app was not up and running this evening. As one user wrote, “Ughhh wtf?”

    Instagram’s Threads social media platform also saw a huge surge in complaints filed with DownDetector although the latter says that the platform is only showing a “possible problem.” From no complaints at all at 7:19 pm ET,  125 complaints were tallied at 9:49 pm ET. 72% of Threads users had issues with the app, 25% complained about the website, and 3% had a problem with a server connection. As one Threads user said on DownDetector, “Threads is down big time for me. Anyone else?”

    Other Meta-connected platforms showing a possible problem on DownDetector are Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

    Outages of these Meta services seem to be heavily concentrated in New York and California. So far we have not seen any comment from the company. On Meta’s Status and outages of Meta business products page, Ads Manager is showing major disruptions. The Messenger API for Instagram also shows major disruptions. Back on March 5th, millions of users on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger reported problems accessing the site before the issue was finally resolved.

    As we approached midnight on the East Coast, Facebook and Instagram saw a huge decline in new complaints on DownDetector although Google’s YouTube has now been flagged as a problem website. We will be monitoring the situation and will update this story if necessary.

  • Meta expands paid verification service for businesses

    Meta expands paid verification service for businesses

    Meta’s Verified for Business program is still in the testing phase, but many customers already benefit from its perks. The service was rolled out for the first time last year, but it was only available for businesses in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

    During the initial test, Meta noticed that small businesses are looking for more tools that can help build their credibility with new audiences, which usually drives more engagement and brand growth.

    Based on these findings, Meta announced that it’s expanding the test of Meta Verified for businesses on Facebook and Instagram. Starting last week, the program is available in Australia and New Zealand, and will soon be rolled out to Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, Mexico, and Peru.

    Additionally, Meta promised to bring Verified to businesses on WhatsApp, but didn’t provide an ETA. This will be the third social network to get access to Meta’s Verified for Business program after Facebook and Instagram.

    Last but not least, Meta announced the launch of additional subscription plans for the program. Verified for Business had just one subscription plan initially, but now it supports four in order to cover a wider range of business needs.

    Starting last week, businesses in countries where the program is available can choose from the following monthly plans: $14.99, $44.99, $119.99, and $349.99.

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  • TikTok, Facebook, and other foreign service providers pay $575M in taxes

    TikTok, Facebook, and other foreign service providers pay $575M in taxes

    According to the General Department of Taxation, foreign service providers, including Google, Facebook, and TikTok, have paid VND14.572 trillion (US$575 million) in taxes.

    Data from the General Department of Taxation indicates that currently, 94 foreign service providers are registered to pay taxes through the electronic portal, and the cumulative tax amount from March 2022—when the electronic portal for foreign providers became operational—totaled VND14.572 trillion, an increase of more than VND3.5 trillion compared to the end of last year.

    The list of foreign service providers who have declared and paid taxes includes Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, Netflix, and Apple.

    Authorities are implementing a variety of short- and long-term strategies to enhance tax management for domestic and cross-border e-commerce. Furthermore, tax agencies are continuing to review, audit, inspect, and address violations that fail to comply with regulations.

    The department said another approach is for tax agencies to work with various ministries and sectors to prevent tax revenue losses and ensure financial security.

    Data released last week indicates that the tax sector now has access to bank data for 121 million personal accounts, approximately two-thirds of the 183 million personal payment accounts registered by the end of 2023, and over 9 million corporate accounts across 96 commercial banks.

    Using this data, the tax authority will identify online businesses that have not declared and paid taxes for further action. Recently, many online sellers have been mandated to pay additional tax.

    The tax authority plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Public Security to hasten the adoption of citizen identification documents as tax identification numbers, in accordance with the Tax Administration Law.

    The agency is also exploring the use of electronic identification for organizations and individuals engaged in tax declaration and payment transactions, aimed at preventing tax evasion in e-commerce.

    In 2023, the e-commerce channel paid VND97 trillion in taxes, marking a 14% increase from 2022.

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  • Meta’s Facebook, Instagram down for hundreds of thousands of users across globe

    Meta’s Facebook, Instagram down for hundreds of thousands of users across globe

    Meta Platforms-owned Facebook and Instagram were down for hundreds of thousands of users across the globe on Tuesday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.

    The disruptions started around 10:00 am ET, with more than 300,000 reports of outages for Facebook and about 40,000 reports for Instagram, according to the website.

    “We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a post on X social media.

    Meta’s status dashboard showed the application programming interface for WhatsApp Business was also facing issues. There were around 200 reports of outages for WhatsApp on Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources, including users.

    The outage was among the top trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, with several users saying they had suddenly been logged out of the Meta-owned social media platforms.

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  • iOs Facebook, Instagram apps to charge Apple service fee for boosted posts

    iOs Facebook, Instagram apps to charge Apple service fee for boosted posts

    Meta is about to implement a 30% fee for those who wish to boost (enhance) the visibility of their posts on the Facebook and Instagram iOS apps, a response to Apple’s 2022 App Store update that mandates a 30% cut from such digital transactions.

    This charge targets ads or “boosted posts” designed to expand content reach, necessitating that boosts purchased on iOS be processed through Apple, thereby incurring the 30% service charge before taxes.

    “The change, which goes into effect later this month, stems from a 2022 App Store update where Apple extended its typical 30 percent cut of digital purchases to boosted posts, which are essentially ads. The change particularly targeted Meta and other social apps that let people pay in-app to increase the reach of their content”, and adds that Meta notes in a statement that small business owners and influencers who want to purchase a boost on iOS will now be billed through Apple, “which retains a 30% service charge on the total ad payment, before any applicable taxes.”

    Meta says purchasing boosts via Facebook and Instagram’s desktop or mobile websites is how to get around the Apple fee that is being passed on to iOS users. The alternative imposes significant constraints on iOS app users, who must now preload funds with an additional 30% fee to cover Apple’s transaction costs. This new payment method will debut in the US, with plans to expand to other markets later.

    “We are required to either comply with Apple’s guidelines or remove boosted posts from our apps,” Meta says. “We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business.”

    Meanwhile, Apple defends its policy, asserting that digital goods and services within apps must utilize In-App Purchase, including boosted posts.

  • Meta will begin to label AI-generated content across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

    Meta will begin to label AI-generated content across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

    In an effort to bolster transparency, Meta — the parent company for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads — is implementing new measures on its platforms. The company recently made an announcement about its plans to label content created using artificial intelligence (AI) and its goal is to provide users with clearer context about what they see and share on social media.

    The company will begin this initiative by labeling images, stating that “In the near future we will start adding labels to images created by AI tools across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.” It is currently working on an automated detection system that can identify markers commonly used for AI-generated content, including watermarks and metadata. Meta’s initial focus will be on images, but the long-term goal is to be able to identify AI-generated videos and audio as well.

    Meta already applies the “Imagined with AI” label on images created with Meta AI, and by working with other industry partners, the company hopes to have the new detection capabilities ready in the coming months for content created outside of Meta’s own tools. So far, the company has determined that it is capable of labeling images from Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and Shutterstock.

    However, a hurdle presents when it comes to video and audio. Because tools that generate this type of content have not yet widely embraced standardized markers, it is difficult for Meta to detect them.

    In order to address this issue, Meta has announced its intention to launch a new “disclosure and label tool,” which will enable the users to manually indicate when video and audio content has been generated using AI. Users will be required to make this disclosure for digitally created or altered “photorealistic videos or realistic-sounding audio,” and Meta has the authority to enforce penalties on those who do not comply.

    There is a growing concern about the potential misuse of AI-generated content, leading to a push for labeling. Deepfakes, for example, have the potential to be incredibly realistic, which can be concerning when it comes to spreading misinformation and manipulating content — specially when it comes to things like the upcoming U.S. elections.

    Although not a perfect solution, particularly when relying on the user to label video and audio, Meta hopes the detection system will be effective and not easily bypassed. It remains to be seen if Meta’s approach will successfully achieve its goals, but the initiative certainly ignites an important discussion about the responsible use of AI across social media.

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  • Meta launches much stricter message setting for teens on Facebook and Instagram

    Meta launches much stricter message setting for teens on Facebook and Instagram

    Following its recent changes to the teen experience on its social apps, Meta announced a harsher change intended to protect teens from unwanted contact.

    After limiting teens’ ability to see sensitive content on Instagram and Facebook, Meta introduced today a stricter message setting for teens who are using these two social apps.

    Until now, Meta restricted adults over 19 from messaging teens who don’t follow them. Also, the company limits the type and number of DMs people will be able to send to someone who doesn’t follow them to one text-only message.

    The new setting announced today makes it possible to turn off teens’ ability to receive DMs from anyone they don’t follow or aren’t connected to on Instagram, including other teens, by default.

    When the new setting is toggled on, teens will only receive messages from people they already follow or are connected to. According to Meta, teens in “supervised accounts” must get their parents’ permission to change this setting.

    The new default setting will apply to all teens under the age of 16 (or under 18 in certain countries). Those affected will receive a notification about the new changes on Instagram at the top of their Feed.

    Apart from Instagram, Meta revealed that it’s also changing teens’ default settings on Messenger, so those under 16 (or 18 in certain countries) will only receive messages from Facebook friends, or people they’re connected to through phone contacts.

    Finally, Meta plans to launch another feature that will help protect teens from seeing unwanted and potentially inappropriate images in their message from people they’re already connected to.

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  • Meta implements new restrictions for teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook

    Meta implements new restrictions for teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook

    Meta announced it will start hiding harmful content for Instagram and Facebook teen accounts. The company confirmed that it will automatically place all teens accounts into “the most restrictive control settings” on both its social networks, Instagram and Facebook.

    Besides that, Meta will restrict additional terms in Search on Instagram. Harmful and other types of age-inappropriate content aren’t usually recommended to teens in places like Reels and Explore, but once these changes are implemented, Meta will no longer show it too teens in Feed and Stories, even if it’s shared by someone they follow.
    New teens who join Instagram and Facebook will now have their accounts placed into the most restrictive content control setting by default. In the future, this will expand to teens who are already using both Meta’s social apps.

    Another important change involves content about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. While these topics are very serious and must be treated accordingly, Meta will start hiding related results when teens search for these specific terms.

    Instead, teens will be directed to expert resources for help. According to Meta, this specific update will roll out for everyone over the coming weeks.
    Last but not least, Meta will start sending new notifications encouraging teens to update their settings to a more private experience. If they choose to “Turn on recommended settings,” Meta will automatically change their settings to restrict who can repost their content, tag or mention them, as well as include their content in Reels Remixes. Also, only their followers will be able to message them.

  • Facebook and Instagram are testing themed icons for their Android apps

    Facebook and Instagram are testing themed icons for their Android apps

    The most recent Alpha and Beta versions of the Facebook and Instagram apps on Android now support Android’s themed icons. This supports recent rumors that Meta was working on finally adding this functionality to its apps’ icons, years after it became available throughout the operating system.

    Automatic theming, including themed icons, were introduced to Android with version 12 of the operating system. This feature extracted the dominant colors of your wallpaper and applied them throughout the interface, making for a more minimal and cohesive look.

    Initially, there were eight color palettes to choose from, but that eventually doubled with Android 13 and expanded even further with a monochrome option on Android 14. Still, as the adoption grew with popular app icons, there was always that one holdout — Meta.

    Fortunately, this is now changing as both the Instagram and Facebook icons support automatic theming on Android in their Beta and Alpha apps, meaning that this will likely be rolled out to their stable versions soon. This was spotted by users currently using these versions and reported by Mishaal Rahman on X.

    This is available right now in versions 307.0.0.0.42 (beta) of Instagram and 439.0.0.0.30 (alpha) of Facebook and signals a turning point to how Meta handles the implementation of new Android features. This was evident more recently by the limited rollout of a new Instagram layout for tablets, which can be tested now using a larger screen device, such as the Google Pixel Fold on Android 14 QPR1 Beta.

    For those that enjoy having matching icons on their Android’s home screen, support for a matching themed icon for both of these applications could finally stop the issue of having to hide them inside a folder or pushing them to a secondary stream (if not hide them altogether). Hopefully, this feature makes it to the stable channels sooner.

  • Facebook is removing the dedicated news tab in some countries

    Facebook is removing the dedicated news tab in some countries

    Facebook is making many changes to how it operates in the EU due to the local regulatory entities. Besides taking into consideration paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in Europe, Meta is also removing the new tab in some countries later this year.

    Meta announced today that it will discontinue the Facebook News dedicated tab in the UK, France, and Germany in early December. The move seems to be an attempt to cut costs and focus instead on the products that bring the company a steady flow of income.

    According to Meta, news makes up less than 3 percent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, which basically means that news discovery is a very small part of the experience offered by the social network for the majority of its users.

    The company also said that it must focus its time and resources “on things people tell us they want to see more on the platform, including short-form video.” Meta acknowledged that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content but to connect with people and discover new opportunities and interests.

    While we’ll be deprecating Facebook News in these countries, we will honor our obligations under all existing Facebook News deals with publishers in the UK, France, and Germany until they expire. However, to ensure that we continue to invest in those products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for news content on Facebook News in these countries.

    Even though Facebook users in the UK, France, and Germany will lose access to the Facebook News dedicated tab, but they will still be able to view links to news articles on Facebook.

    Additionally, Facebook confirmed that European news publishers will continue to have access to their accounts and pages, where they can post links to their stories and direct people to their websites.

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  • Meta faces new legal hurdles in Europe

    Meta faces new legal hurdles in Europe

    Social media platforms have often faced issues with European laws, particularly regarding data privacy and tracking. Recently, TikTok had to change its privacy rules to match the new Digital Service Act (DSA). Some time ago, Meta got hit with a $423 million fine from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which made the tech company allow EU users to turn off ad tracking.

    Now, Meta is facing legal troubles again in Europe, this time in Norway. Starting from August 14, Meta will be fined $97,700 per day for privacy breaches. The fine comes from the Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, and will be in effect until November 3.

    With the timeframe and amount of money at stake, the fine might be challenging, even for a tech giant like Meta. As a result, Meta is reaching out to a court in Norway, seeking to put a stop to the fine. A petition for a temporary injunction against the order will be put forth on August 22 during a two-day hearing. Whether the court leans in favor of Meta or not is still up in the air.

    Datatilsynet says that Meta can’t gather users’ data in Norway, like their physical locations, and then use it to aim ads at them, known as behavioral advertising. Behavioral advertising is a strategy that tailors online ads to users based on their web activity and interests. It uses data analysis to create personalized ads for better engagement but also raises privacy concerns about user data usage.

    The regulator also dangles the possibility of turning the fine into a long-term fixture by passing its judgment to the European Data Protection Board, which has the authority to take such action if it aligns with the Norwegian regulator’s stance. If the board backs this move, it could imply that the decision starts to have an impact across Europe.

    In May of this year, the EU slapped Meta with a whopping $1.3 billion fine for breaching privacy rules. It appears that European lawmakers aren’t exactly aiming to be gentle with the big tech giant.

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  • Facebook announces important video-related improvements

    Facebook announces important video-related improvements

    With Facebook Watch discontinued, Meta is trying to improve the video capabilities of its social app. The same editing tools from Reels will be made available for all Facebook videos, while the Video tab is getting a long-overdue redesigned that makes it the central hub of everything related to videos on Facebook.

    Starting today, the Reels editing tools are coming to Feed to make it easier for users to create dynamic videos on Facebook. Previously available on Reels, audio, music and text layers are now available on Meta Business Suite for reels and for video on Feed.

    Also, Facebook users will be able to speed up, reverse or replace their clips. With the new editing tools, it will also be possible to create the right sound for your video by adding music and audio clips, recording voiceovers and reducing unwanted noise.

    Last but not least, Facebook users are getting the ability to upload HDR videos from their phones to Reels and for that video to playback in full HDR.

    Previously known as Facebook Watch, the Video tab has just received a new look and many new functionalities. For starters, the Video tab now features new horizontal-scroll reels sections that highlight recommended reels.

    If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, the redesigned Video tab is available as a shortcut bar at the bottom of the app. Android users will find the same Video tab as a shortcut at the top. Keep in mind that the tabs in the shortcut bar change based on the part of the app that’s used more frequently.

    On the same Video tab, there’s a redesigned Explore section where you can find popular video topics. The Explore section can be accessed by tapping the search icon in the Video tab. According to Meta, the company is using a mix of human curation and machine learning to select topics and videos that are popular.

    Another useful change introduced today is the ability to view and write comments on Instagram Reels without needing to switch between apps. And this appears to be just the beginning, Meta claims.