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Tag: meta

  • Tax collections from Meta, Google, TikTok soar

    Tax collections from Meta, Google, TikTok soar

    Sixty-seven cross-border digital platforms, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft have paid taxes of VND5.8 trillion (US$241.7 million) so far this year compared with VND3.5 trillion for 2022.

    The General Department of Taxation said it would urge other foreign service providers who have yet to declare and pay taxes to do so, and upgrade its electronic information portal to facilitate online payment.

    As of Sept. 18 some 350 e-commerce platforms had provided tax authorities with information about 191,000 organizations and individuals that did a total of VND44.5 trillion worth of business through them.

    Tax collections in the first nine months stood at VND1,050 trillion, down 5% from the same period last year, according to the department.

    Taxes on crude oil were down 20% at VND46 trillion.

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  • 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 took down more than 7,000 fake accounts related to pro-China propaganda

    Meta took down more than 7,000 fake accounts related to pro-China propaganda

    Fake accounts on social media aren’t something new. Most likely, many of us have come across at least one fake account during our time on social media. Facebook reportedly holds the largest number of fake accounts compared to any other social network in the world. However, it appears that Meta has managed to eliminate at least some of them.

    Meta shared details about a network of fake accounts that had spread pro-China propaganda on Facebook. The company mentions that the takedowns were tied to “individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement” who also ran similar fake accounts on other platforms.

    The company often shares updates about taking down fake accounts that are up to no good, but what Meta’s security researchers found this time is pretty big. Meta got rid of 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Pages, 15 Groups, and 15 Instagram accounts, making it one of the largest networks of fake accounts ever discovered by the company.

    Meta found several groups of fake accounts from various parts of China. The way the groups acted, made it seem like they might have been working together from a shared place, maybe an office. Each group had a specific schedule, being most active in the morning and afternoon. They took breaks for lunch and dinner and then had another burst of activity in the evening, so basically, they had a full-time job.

    Ben Nimmo, who’s in charge of global threat intelligence at Meta, calls this move “the most prolific covert influence operation that we know of in the world today.” He also points out that the people running these accounts were also busy on X, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest.

    As per Meta, the fake accounts aimed to share pro-China messages, including positive commentary about China, criticisms of the US, and Western foreign policies. The company did verify that it discovered proof connecting these fake accounts to an earlier pro-China operation cleverly called Spamouflage that showed up in 2019.

    In addition, the company also shared that it stopped numerous malicious domains and efforts to create fake accounts and Pages linked to the Russian Doppelganger operation, which aims to mimic official news and government websites to spread false articles undermining support for Ukraine. This operation has broadened its scope from France, Germany, and Ukraine to the US and Israel.

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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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  • Instagram might label AI-generated content

    Instagram might label AI-generated content

    Recently, Meta, in collaboration with Microsoft, introduced the new Llama 2 – a next-generation large language AI model. This new technology enables companies to customize AI for their needs, like creating chatbots and image generators. It seems that consumer-facing generative AI tools based on this model are already on the horizon.

    It looks like Meta is developing several new generative AI features for Instagram. These features include labels that will help users to identify images “generated by Meta AI.”

    If you wonder what reverse engineers do, they are sort of detectives for technology. They take apart things like software or devices to figure out how they work, even if they were not the ones who originally made them. It’s like solving a puzzle to understand the hidden secrets behind the technology.

    The screenshot shared by Paluzzi shows an in-app message explaining that posts created using Meta’s generative AI tools may soon be labeled within Instagram. This suggests that the company could be interested in helping users identify AI-generated content.

    There have been concerns about the safety and impact of free consumer-facing AI tools on our online presence. Some worry that they could aid the spread of misinformation or mislead people. To address these concerns, some AI companies, including Meta, have pledged to adopt AI safety measures, like using watermarks for AI-generated content. The introduction of labels for AI-generated content on Instagram might be part of these measures.

    Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI stand at the forefront of the artificial intelligence sector in the US. Last month, following a call to action from the White House, they made commitments to incorporate safeguards into their AI technology. Additionally, these industry leaders have joined hands to establish the Frontier Model Forum, an association focused on advancing AI, of which Meta is also a part. The forum’s primary goal is to ensure frontier AI models’ secure and ethical advancement.

    As AI continues to advance at a rapid pace, social media platforms should pay more attention to AI-generated content and clearly label it, even if the content is generated from third-party apps or software. Instagram already has many AI-generated human-like models posing as influencers, which can lead to confusion and misperception of reality.
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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.

  • Facebook updates enhance reels creation, audience growth, and content monetizing

    Facebook updates enhance reels creation, audience growth, and content monetizing

    Meta is rolling out new updates to Facebook to attract more creators and generate more video content for the platform. While nearly 3 billion people worldwide currently use Facebook, Meta still has to compete with social media giants like TikTok, especially considering its continuous growth among younger generations.

    The latest Facebook updates are designed to simplify the process of creating reels on the platform, provide new features in ProMode to assist creators in expanding their following, offer valuable insights for content creation, and broaden monetization options across the platform.

    Facebook has introduced an Inspiration Hub within the Professional Dashboard to make creating reels easier. This hub brings together popular reels, hashtags, topics, and music to inspire creators in their content production. Additionally, a mobile app update combines audio, music, and text into a unified editing screen, streamlining reel editing process.

    Another aspect Facebook has improved is audience growth. Any Facebook user can switch to Professional Mode and become a creator. ProMode creators can appear in the ‘Creators to Follow’ unit on the feed, increasing their chances of being discovered by more people. Moreover, when ProMode creators comment on public posts, a follow button may appear alongside their name, allowing them to attract new followers through conversations.

    And, of course, if you want to be a creator, you are probably interested in how to monetize your content. The new update lowered some of the monetization eligibility requirements, and creators now need to have garnered 500 followers over the past 30 days to qualify for monetization, compared to the previous requirement of 1,000 followers in 60 days. This trend of expanding income opportunities aligns with YouTube’s recent adjustments.

    Facebook’s objective is clear: to entice more creators to the platform by simplifying content production, enabling monetization, and fostering the growth of followers. Most new updates are available only for users in ProMode, but the company is saying that they hope to bring them more broadly over time.
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  • Meta is pulling the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple Watch

    Meta is pulling the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple Watch

    After this month is over, Meta is pulling the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple Watch. Starting on June 1st, Apple Watch users can no longer send or receive messages using the app. The news got out after some users of the wearable spotted a notification on the Apple Watch Messenger app titled “Changes to Messenger on Apple Watch.” The notification said, “After May 31st, Messenger won’t be available as an Apple Watch app, but you can still get Messenger notifications on your watch.”
    A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the news and pointed out that those who want to send and receive messages using Facebook Messenger can still do so via the iPhone app, through their desktop, or by using the website. For some reason, Meta hasn’t shared this decision with many and it has yet to release a public statement. Apple is expected to release watchOS 10 in September, focusing on widgets instead of third-party apps.
    I also remember back in the day when Facebook had special integration so that you could make posts and upload photos directly without having to open the app. Obviously this meant people didn’t need to open the app as much, and that meant less ads, so they removed it.”
    If you use the Facebook Messenger app on your Apple Watch, you have less than three weeks to enjoy using it unless Meta changes your heart. Since its decision to eliminate the Apple Watch app might have to do with money, please don’t hold your breath hoping for Meta to reverse its decision.
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  • Meta, Sa Sa and Vita Green join Omnichat to share WhatsApp marketing

    Meta, Sa Sa and Vita Green join Omnichat to share WhatsApp marketing

    Omnichat, a one-stop omnichannel messaging integration platform that offers conversational commerce solutions, recently hosted an offline event, “Future Commerce Summit cum New Product Launch”.

    Leading global social media giant Meta and several prominent retail brands in Hong Kong, including beauty product retailing group Sa Sa and health supplements group Vita Green were invited to explore the recent retail trends this year along with WhatsApp Marketing to foster conversions and sales while delivering a first-class customer experience.

    As the WhatsApp Business Solution Provider of Meta, Omnichat also announced the launch of its latest social commerce solutions comprising automated customer journey, in-chat payment, social customer data platform (Social CDP) in tandem with “Omni AI”, the latest integration with ChatGPT. The features are designed to empower retail businesses to drive efficient customer service and better customer engagements, thus improving sales conversion rates online and offline.

    Meta builds technologies that help people connect. Adam Bowden, partner lead, GCR & global partners of Meta, said that 70 percent of consumers worldwide use instant messaging software to communicate with businesses, according to the statistics of Meta.

    “Meta has provided WhatsApp Business Platform to businesses, enabling them to meet the needs of consumers and achieve their business goals more quickly. This platform drives merchants to interact and communicate with customers anytime and anywhere, enhancing the relationship between merchants and customers and encouraging consumption. With monthly active users reaching 2.5 billion, WhatsApp has a global presence in 180 countries,” Bowden said.

    According to the survey conducted by Meta & Forrester Consulting, 88 percent of surveyed businesses said that WhatsApp has brought in more revenue. Claudia Chiu, senior strategic partner manager, Greater China Region of Meta, noted that the WhatsApp Business Platform has empowered businesses to establish a complete shopping journey.

    “WhatsApp Business Platform can tailor-make different messages to customers based on their characteristics or scenarios, such as new customers, repeated customers, and potential customers. Moreover, businesses can include different response buttons and product catalogues in WhatsApp messages.”

    Sa Sa proactively integrates its offline and online businesses to deliver a customer-centric omnichannel shopping experience. Hong Li, director of e-commerce at Sa Sa, said that using Chatbot auto-reply feature of Chat Commerce has significantly reduced the response time of customer service, enabling the team to solve other customers’ problems, thereby increasing sales conversion rates.

    “During the last Lunar New Year and 3.8 International Women’s Day, we delivered game messages and exclusive coupons to customers via WhatsApp and Omnichat’s Chat Commerce platform. Through this way, not only the customer engagement rates can be increased but also a 39-fold increase in coupon redemption rates compared to the general rate,” Li added.

    Vita Green has been continuously increasing member engagement and digital marketing automation capabilities through technology advancement. Terrence Siu, head of IT at Vita Green, said their iconic brands, Vita Green and Tea Château have been using WhatsApp to precisely send customised marketing and promotional messages to their loyal members. Salespersons can also be bound to their respective customers for providing one-on-one services, including product recommendations and customer enquiries.

    “Thanks to WhatsApp and Omnichat’s platform, our team is equipped with a new communication channel for member engagement which has boosted our sales and enhanced the overall customer experience,” Siu said.

    Across WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, Omnichat empowers brands to deliver seamless online and offline communications for customers.

    Alan Chan, founder and CEO of Omnichat, said: “Our merchants can use the Social CDP to collect customer identities from various social media platforms and map them to a unique profile, building a more comprehensive customer database. Together with the automated customer journey solutions, customised marketing messages can be automatically sent out in accordance with different shopping scenarios.

    “We expect the function will empower merchants to achieve more than 20 per cent revenue growth. With the integration of ChatGPT, we further optimise the handling of customers’ enquiries, product recommendations as well marketing campaign planning. Our In-Chat Payment function is also available for merchants to send payment links and deliver a seamless Chat-and-Buy customer shopping experience.”

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  • Meta’s ad platform experiences huge glitch wiping out some customers’ advertising budgets

    Meta’s ad platform experiences huge glitch wiping out some customers’ advertising budgets

    Facebook advertisers say that they experienced a strange glitch last weekend forcing them to pay as much as twice the usual ad rates. These advertisers were charged rates as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars for ads they claim that no one was able to view even though Facebook parent Meta denied this. This happened at 2 am last Sunday and for a brief period Meta removed all ads from its network and at the same time, it barely spoke with its advertising customers.
    The glitch affected mostly advertisers on Facebook, although some Instagram advertisers were also affected. A Meta spokesman said, “A technical issue that has now been resolved caused ad delivery issues for some advertisers.” Last Sunday not only did advertisers notice that they were being charged more than Meta was supposed to charge them for ads, but they also spent more money that budgeted for specific campaigns.
    Amazingly, complete advertising budgets were wiped out in just a few hours. And the ads were not being shown to any more users than usual and didn’t even drive more clicks despite all the money being drained from advertisers’ accounts. And as we mentioned earlier, some advertisers said their ads were not being viewed.
    The Meta spokesman added that the issue “resulted in some miscalibration for advertising campaigns that were focused on optimizing for certain sales objectives. This caused faster campaign spending, resulting in more variable costs. We do not have evidence that we charged customers for ads no one saw. If no impression occurred, the advertiser would not be charged.”
    Typically, a company might lay out money for a two-week ad campaign. Say the company budgeted $5,000 for the campaign. Meta would control exactly how much money would be spent and when it would be spent. Advertisers would have access to metrics showing how well the ad campaign was working but wouldn’t know anything beyond that. They can look at a status page that shows them when Meta’s systems are down.
    Meta allows the platform to spend 25% over the daily amount budgeted by each company. The Meta spokesman said, “We do not have evidence of exceeding this 25% increase on daily budgets amid the technical issue on Sunday, however.”
    The advertisers affected by the glitch were forced to make a tough decision. They could temporarily pause their ad campaigns or keep the status quo and hope that Meta would straighten things out. For small companies that depend on these ads to generate business, the problem could be a major one. Advertisers dislike making a big fuss and noise because Meta and Google own 50% of the digital advertising market.
    Long-time advertising consultant Barry Holt, who has a decade’s experience managing Facebook advertising campaigns, said, “We shouldn’t have to take action when Facebook has a bug. But for the small business who don’t have an ear at Facebook, there aren’t a lot of options. Meta is just counting on advertisers to bend over and take it.” Holt adds, “Meta is extremely opaque and always has been. All we get is a generic explanation that ‘we are aware of an issue.’ That’s better than nothing, but it’s not enough.”
    Meta has admitted that the events of last Sunday did happen and promised to initiate its “normal refund policies.” But as the ad consultant notes, this is not a quick, smooth, and painless process. “You can burn hours and resources complaining and begging them for refunds and credits. Sometimes it works, but it may not be worth the investment,” Holt said. “And when the restitution comes, it can be months later.”
    Media strategist Eric Seufert wrote in a tweet last week, “Meta’s ad platform experienced an irregularity today that saw many advertisers’ campaigns dramatically increase spend with poor performance. Meta’s communications about this situation with advertisers have been woefully inadequate. This is unacceptable and insulting.”

     

  • WhatsApp rolls out new security features

    WhatsApp rolls out new security features

    Great news for WhatsApp users, as the company has just announced it has kicked off the rollout of some important security features meant to protect accounts. The new features will provide WhatsApp users with extra layers of privacy, as well as more control over their personal messages.

    First off, the latest update introduces a new security measure when a WhatsApp user wants to switch their account to a new device. Starting today, WhatsApp may ask users on their old devices to verify that they really want to take this step as an extra security check. It’s an important feature that will help alert users in case of an unauthorized attempt to move their account to another device.

    Another essential addition to WhatsApp is device verification. To prevent mobile device malware from taking advantage of their people’s phones without their permission and use their WhatsApp to send unwanted messages, the app has added special security checks.

    These checks will help authenticate an account (with no action needed from the user) and, hopefully, better protect the user if their device has been compromised. You can check out Meta’s post for more details on how this works under the hood.

    Last but not least, WhatsApp’s automatic security codes feature has just received an upgrade. The upgrade consists of a new security feature based on a process called “Key Transparency,” which should allow WhatsApp users to automatically verify their secure connection.

    Starting today, users can immediately tap on the encryption tab to verify that their conversation is secured. More details about the new security feature are available on Meta’s Engineering website.

    Although the new security features will automatically be added to each user’s device, two features must actually be turned on: two-step verification and use of end-to-end encrypted backups. Don’t forget to switch these on if you want an extra layer of security.

  • Zuckerberg copies Musk announcing Meta Verified for Facebook and Instagram

    Zuckerberg copies Musk announcing Meta Verified for Facebook and Instagram

    It looks like Twitter isn’t the only company willing to put a little blue checkmark next to your name in return for a stream of monthly payments. As you probably know, Twitter is asking $8 per month or an annual payment of $84 to join Twitter Blue, which, among other features, will allow you to have your identity verified with a blue checkmark next to your name. Today, Meta co-founder, chairman, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will test a new service called Meta Verified.

    Meta calls Meta Verified a subscription bundle for Instagram and Facebook and includes a verified badge that shows that you are who you say you are and have verified your identity using a form of government ID. The bundle also helps protect subscribers from having their identities impersonated by using “proactive account monitoring.” Meta Verified members will also have access to a real person to handle common issues that an Instagram or Facebook user might have.

    Other features of the program will give Meta Verified users increased visibility and reach. This means that subscribers will have their posts prominently appear in certain areas of the Instagram and Facebook platforms such as “search, comments, and “recommendations.” Lastly, the subscription bundle offers users exclusive features that will allow them to express themselves “in unique ways.”

    The Meta Verified subscription bundle will be available starting later this week in Australia and New Zealand as a direct purchase on Instagram and Facebook. Make the purchase on the web, which will cost the equivalent of $11.99 per month. If you subscribe via the Facebook or Instagram app on iOS or Android, the price is the equivalent of $14.99 per month. Hmm. Why should an in-app purchase from the App Store or Google Play Store be 25% more expensive (wink, wink)?

    To be eligible to sign up for the program, accounts have to show that they were active in the past with a prior posting history, and the account owner must be at least 18 years of age. Those applying for a Meta Verified subscription must submit a government ID to Meta showing their name and photograph (like a Driver’s License, for example) which must match the name and photo used on their Facebook or Instagram account.

    Meta says, “We’re also committed to continuous monitoring and review of reported violations, as well as taking swift action against those who try to evade our systems.” There will be no changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified based on previous requirements.

    The company states, “Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses, and our community at large. As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of the verified badge so we can expand access to verification and more people can trust the accounts they interact with are authentic.”

    After being tested in Australia and New Zealand, Meta says that it hopes to bring Meta Verified to the rest of the world soon.

    Back when the company was known as Facebook, it made what is arguably the best acquisition of all time in the tech industry by paying $1 billion for Instagram back in 2012. Some believe that Instagram is now worth in excess of $100 billion. Instagram has matured from a camera filter app to a broader, more well-rounded social media site.

    In 2014, Facebook announced its purchase of messaging app WhatsApp for an initial price of $16 billion. By the time the deal closed a few months after it was first revealed, the final price tag of the transaction had ballooned to a range of $19 billion-$21 billion due to Facebook’s increasing stock valuation.

  • Facebook drains users’ cellphone batteries intentionally

    Facebook drains users’ cellphone batteries intentionally

    A long-standing rumor suggests that the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps drain the battery on cellphones that have the apps installed. If you believe former Facebook employee George Hayward, a data scientist, Facebook can secretly drain the battery on its users’ cellphones on purpose.  There is actually a name for what it is that Facebook is doing, It is called “negative testing” and it allows tech companies to secretly run down the batteries on someone’s phone to test features on an app or to see how an image might load.
    Facebook parent Meta fired Haywar for refusing to participate in negative testing. “I said to the manager, ‘This can harm somebody,’ and she said by harming a few we can help the greater masses. Any data scientist worth his or her salt will know, Don’t hurt people,” he told the Post.
    Meta axed Hayward in November and initially filed a lawsuit against the company in Manhattan Federal Court. The 33-year-old worked for Meta’s Facebook Messenger app, which delivers text, phone calls, and video calls between users. In the suit, Hayward’s attorney, Dan Kaiser, pointed out that draining users’ smartphone batteries puts people at risk, especially “in circumstances where they need to communicate with others, including but not limited to police or other rescue workers.”
    The suit had to be withdrawn because Meta’s terms of employment forced Hayward to argue his case in arbitration. Kaiser says that most people have no idea that Facebook and other social media companies can drain your battery intentionally. Commenting on the practice of negative testing, the lawyer added, “It’s clearly illegal. It’s enraging that my phone, that the battery can be manipulated by anyone.”
    Originally hired in 2019, Hayward was receiving a six-figure annual paycheck from Meta. But when it came to the company’s request to perform the negative testing, Hayward said, “I refused to do this test. It turns out if you tell your boss, ‘No, that’s illegal,’ it doesn’t go over very well.”
    At one point during his employment at Meta, the company handed Hayward an internal training document titled “How to run thoughtful negative tests.” The document included examples of how to run such tests. After reading the document, Hayward said that it appeared to him that Facebook had used negative testing before. He added, “I have never seen a more horrible document in my career.”
  • Messenger rolls out default end-to-end encrypted chats to more people

    Messenger rolls out default end-to-end encrypted chats to more people

    End-to-end encrypted chats isn’t a new feature for Messenger. Six years ago, the feature was introduced via Secret Conversations, but default end-to-end encrypted chats has been a beta feature for very long time (and it still is). However, Meta has decided that now would be a good time to enroll more Messenger users into the beta program.

    In a new announcement released this week, Meta revealed that it has started to expand testing default end-to-end encryption for Messenger gradually. The feature should become available for more people over the next few months. According to Meta, people who will receive the beta feature will be notified in individual chat threads.

    As far as the method of choosing who’s going to get their chats upgraded with an extra layer of protection, Meta says that it’s been designed to be random “so that there isn’t a negative impact on our infrastructure and people’s chat experience.”

    But that’s not the only thing messenger users will get in the coming months. Along with default end-to-end encrypted chats, Meta announced the introduction of some new features, like chat themes, custom emojis and reactions and a few more, which will be available into Meta’s end-to-end encrypted experience.

    Group profile photos is another new feature that will allow Messenger users to pick group profile photos for different chats. The link previews feature has been redesigned for end-to-end encrypted chats to let users see where a link is taking them before they actually click on it.

    The new Active Status feature lets Messenger users see when you’re active. Thankfully, the feature can be turned off, which comes in handy if you don’t want to be disturbed. Finally, Bubbles (a circle with a friend’s picture) allows Messenger users to read and reply to messages while Messenger users to read and reply to messages while they’re using other apps. It needs to be enabled to make the bubble appear whenever you receive new messages. Sadly, Bubbles is only available on Android for the time being.

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  • Update to Instagram gives teen users a feature they requested

    Update to Instagram gives teen users a feature they requested

    Meta announced today that it is adding new features to its Instagram app that are designed to give users a break from receiving notifications and to help them manage their feeds to avoid viewing content that they don’t want to see. Quiet mode, which launches today, will prevent you from receiving notifications when enabled. When someone sends you a Direct Message, an auto-reply will be sent and your activity status will be updated to alert others that you have Quiet mode turned on.
    Quiet mode can be customized to fit the user’s schedule. Meta says that teens have been requesting a feature like Quiet mode that will allow them to focus on schoolwork at night without having to be disrupted by notifications. And here’s the thing. Once Quiet mode is disabled, Instagram will catch you up by sending you a summary of all the notifications you missed while on Quiet mode.
    While Quiet mode will be available to all users, Instagram will prompt teens to use the feature when they are using the app late at night. Quiet mode will be available starting today to Instagram users in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Meta says that it hopes to bring the feature to other countries soon.
    As we noted, Meta also wants to allow Instagram users to tell them which content they do not want to see on their feeds or recommended to them. In Explore, you can hide more than one post that you’re not interested in at one time. And when you tell Instagram that you’re not interested in a particular Explore post, you won’t see similar content in the future in Reels, Search, or wherever Instagram makes recommendations.
    To tag an Explore image as something that you’re not interested in, press on the image, tap the three-dot menu icon on the upper right next to the follow button, and tap on Not interested on the pop-up at the bottom of the screen. On videos shown in the vertical format, the three dot menu icon is the last element located along the right side of the display.
    Instagram users can already hide DMs and comments that contain certain words. You can now stop receiving recommended posts that include certain words in a post’s caption or hashtag. To create such a list, open the Instagram app and tap the profile picture in the bottom right corner. That takes you to your account page. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the upper right. Go to Settings > Privacy > Hidden Words > Manage custom words and phrases. You can add multiple words, phrases, and even emojis.
    Lastly, Instagram recently added a feature allowing parents to view their teen’s Instagram settings. If a teen changes a setting on the Instagram app, a parent will receive a notification. Parents can also find out which Instagram accounts have been blocked by their teens.
    Meta suggests that parents “Visit Family Center for conversation starters and to learn more about the available parental supervision tools, including how to set time limits, schedule breaks, be notified when teens share a report, and more. These updates are part of our ongoing work to ensure people have experiences that work for them, and that they have more control over the time they spend online and the types of content they see.”
    According to a published report, among U.S. and British teens that had suicidal thoughts, 6% in the states and 13% in England traced these feelings back to an issue they had with content read on Instagram. While ideally those teens should stop using the app, that might be easier said than done. Hopefully, the new features will help teens cope while using Instagram.
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