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Some major tech companies including Meta are taking steps to combat “pig butchering” scams, which trick Americans out of billions of dollars each year through fake online friendships and romances. Pig butchering scams are elaborate and often take months to unfold. Meta on Thursday announced it has taken its first major steps into addressing the scams, including dedicating staff to identify where scammers operate, sharing that information with international law enforcement, and taking down more than 2 million accounts this year. The announcement reflects how more tech companies are recognizing the severity of pig butchering scams. Calling themselves the Tech Against Scams coalition, the companies pledged to share scammer information with each other and better educate users.

Persons: they’ve, Meta, Jeff Lunglhofer, ”, Jake Sims, Operation Shamrock, “, ” Sims Organizations: Meta, Facebook, FBI, Tech, NBC News Locations: WhatsApp, France, Cambodia, OpenAI

A homeless Florida man was arrested Wednesday and charged with plotting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange to force a "reboot" or "reset" of the U.S. government, according to a criminal complaint. Yener told agents at the time that he was creating “rockets” with very “volatile” chemical mixtures that would explode if they were mixed incorrectly, the complaint says. Undercover FBI agents later made contact with Yener and convinced him they wanted to help him carry out an attack, it says. “There is one place that would be hella easy...the stock exchange, that would be a great hit," Yener said, according to the complaint. So that’s perfect.”Days later, he told a group of undercover FBI agents that he wanted to bomb the stock exchange the week before Thanksgiving.

Persons: Harun Abdul, Malik Yener, Yener, ”, Seamus Hughes Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, ., FBI, Facebook, ISIS, Undercover FBI, Walmart, NBC News, Stock Exchange, Court Watch Locations: Florida, Coral Springs, “

☆ Andrew Webber's forever war
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Sam Fellman | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

Like others in Chosen Company, Webber had been drawn to Ukraine for reasons he couldn't quite explain. AdvertisementNow, as Webber and his fellow members of Chosen Company got acquainted in the bar, uncertainty hung over the gathering. One showed an assault team clearing a World War I-style bunker, using live rounds. AdvertisementCats are everywhere on the front lines in Ukraine; Webber rescued one from a building under fire. "It seemed like he had stuff he was working on," says O'Leary, the CO of Chosen Company.

Persons: Andrew Webber, Webber chatted, he'd, Webber, Vera, Gwen, DeeDee, He'd, Jovelle Tamayo, she'd, I'm, hadn't, Rhodesian Bush, Dee Dee, David Roller, Sweeney, Tom Mader, Mader, vomited, patting, Andrew, Matthew James When Webber, wasn't, Karla Stephens, Karla, He's, Dubs, would've, Ryan O'Leary, Thomas Waszak, Elizabeth Gil, Fenwick, —, Sayed Zuhoor, Hilarie Atkisson, who's, Joe, O'Leary, Webber wasn't, marveled, Tango, Pervomaiske, Chosen, Wayne Hallatt, Hallatt, Thomas Waszak Wearing, wouldn't, Delta, Lance Lawrence, Lawrence, CeeBee, it's, Webber couldn't, we're, Waszak, Nichole, he's, Sam Fellman, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: White Sox, Chosen Company, Army, Company, corgi, Chosen, French Foreign, Rhodesian, Ranger School, intel, Operating, Taliban, Motorized Infantry Brigade, LinkedIn, Northwestern, Fenwick & West, Big Law, United, Fenwick, Ranger, Volunteers, Delta, AK, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Webber, Business Locations: Ukrainian, Dnipro, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, America, Seattle, Bakhmut, Washington, West Point, West, Georgia, Afghanistan's, Taliban, Kandahar, Fort Benning, Russian, Donetsk, Pervomaiske, Kabul, United States, Afghan, Russia, German, Delta, Kyiv

Meta is ramping up its efforts to fight sextortion on Instagram with the launch of new features that are designed to help prevent young users from getting blackmailed into sharing nude photos. Starting Thursday, Instagram will automatically block follow requests sent to teenage users from accounts that display certain “scammy behaviors,” according to Meta. At a Senate online child safety hearing in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to parents who said Instagram contributed to their children’s suicides or exploitation. Last month, Meta announced it will begin automatically placing all users under 18 into “teen accounts” with stricter privacy settings. “If they really want to promote meaningful change and online safety for kids and teens, they can stop opposing federal solutions like the Kids Online Safety Act,” Hinkle said.

Persons: sextortion, Instagram, Antigone Davis, Meta’s, —, we’ve, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, Haley Hinkle, “, ” Hinkle, they’re, Davis, Hinkle Organizations: Meta, FBI, NBC News, Kids, Senate Locations: Fairplay, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia

☆ Her teenage summer crush unexpectedly came back into her life. ‘I felt like I was reconnecting with my best friend’
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

He remembers the way she walked down the beach, recalls noticing her immediately, wanting to talk to her. “We’d download songs and listen to the album at the same time,” recalls Vlad. “The emotion was really, really intense. Iga OlszakWhile Vlad and Iga were together in Germany, they talked about the potential of Iga visiting Vlad in the US. “He created that space for me where it felt really good and I finally felt okay to say the truth,” she says.

Persons: Iga Olszak, Vlad Dimovski, Iga, Vlad, “, Skotina, ”, ” Vlad, ” Iga, …, wasn’t, –, that’s, ’ ”, Vlad’s, She’d, he’d, Iga –, weren’t, they’d, Olszak, I’d, who’d, ”, “ I’d, Will, ’ ” Vlad, Luca, Klara, They're, – he’d, “ I’m, we’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, “, Facebook Locations: Skotina, Greece, Poland, North Macedonia, Mount Olympus, Iga, Germany, Chicago, Republic of Macedonia, Europe, Bielefeld, “, Florida, Macedonia, pouting

☆ Mark Zuckerberg has brilliantly cornered us
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewMark Zuckerberg looks poised to dominate the AI adoption race thanks to a technicality: Meta has three billion-plus captive users who have no choice but to use it. As the company reported second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Zuckerberg gloated about Meta AI — its AI assistant rolled out earlier this year — being "on track to achieve our goal of becoming the most used AI assistant by the end of the year." Related storiesIn effect, then, that gives Zuckerberg a lot of engaged users to introduce AI-powered technology to. Meta's family of apps now has 3.27 billion daily active users. Zuckerberg also seems intent on showing users that AI can inherently make their experience of his apps vastly better.

Persons: —, Zuckerberg, It's, Mike Proulx, Forrester, WhatsApp, Susan Li Organizations: Service, Harvard, Business, Meta, Facebook, Apple, Apple Intelligence, OpenAI

☆ Armie Hammer called the sexual abuse allegations against him 'career death.' Here's a timeline of the actor's controversial fall from grace.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Jacob Sarkisian | Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Hammer denied certain allegations against him, such as the allegation of rape, and simply avoided or refused to address others. Leon Bennett/WireImageDuring the timing of the alleged messages, Hammer was married to Elizabeth Chambers. AdvertisementThat same year, the actor told Elle magazine that a former girlfriend tried to stab him while they were having sex. "I hit really dark low points," Hammer told Ramsey. Hammer denied rumors that he is a cannibal, calling them "bizarre," and said he's now sober after doing an extended stint in rehab.

Persons: —, Hammer, @houseofeffie, Armie Hammer, Richard Shotwell, Jennifer Lopez, Armie, Josh Duhamel, Hammer's, Elizabeth Chambers, Leon Bennett, Chambers, Julie Miller, Elizabeth, exes, Courtney Vucekovich, Paige Lorenze, Andrew Brettler, Mr, Jessica Ciencin Henriquez, Henriquez, Rebecca, Marquis de Sade, Elle, Angelova, Gloria Allred, Brettler, Allred, Effie, wasn't, Tyler Ramsey, Ramsey, he's, I'm, Moises Mendez II, Gabi Stevenson Organizations: Service, Air Mail, Business, Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD, Hollywood, Variety, Lionsgate, Hammers, Fox News, Daily Mail, Netflix, Playboy, Hollywood Reporter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Dominican Republic, Netflix Brazil, LA, Cayman Islands

☆ Apple wants to make more smart home devices — which may not be dumb
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the meantime we may see something decidedly less ambitious out of Apple: New iPads. It would be like a more portable Facebook portal. And while I've never heard of the Google Pixel, I had heard of the Facebook Portal, and... Facebook doesn't sell those anymore. On the other hand: My colleague Katie Notopoulos loved the Facebook Portal. But you never know: I spent decades not wearing a watch, and now if I forget to put on my Apple Watch before I leave the house I get anxious about losing my steps for the day.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Gurman, Apple, hasn't, I've, Katie Notopoulos Organizations: Apple, Service, Google, Facebook, Apple Watch

☆ Meta tried to 'build a clone of Snapchat' using data from Onavo, unsealed court documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An analytics app Meta acquired a decade ago turned into a major source of inspiration for product and business decisions, including its work to "clone" Snapchat. Rosen is Meta's chief information security officer, while Tiger was vice president of engineering until he left Meta in 2022. For several years, Onavo was key to how Meta decided to acquire, launch, and change its products, according to over a dozen court documents unsealed last week in an ongoing lawsuit. After the acquisition, Facebook found through Onavo's data on messaging apps that Snapchat was a top five mobile app and WhatsApp had begun to outpace Facebook Messenger. The company was hailed for its tech that compressed data on mobile phones, allowing apps to run in the background without eating up user data.

Persons: Guy Rosen, Roi Tiger, Rosen, Tiger, Onavo, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Mike Schroepfer, Chris Cox, Javier Olivan, Sandberg, Olivan, Cox, Facebook's, Colin Stretch, WhatsApp, Zuckerberg, Instagram, Snapchat, Stretch, Kali Hays Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Business, Onavo, YouTube, Olivan, TechCrunch Locations: Onavo, Davos, khays@insider.com

☆ He prosecuted child sex predators. Now, he’s going after Meta for allegedly enabling them
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Meta, along with other major social media companies, faces growing scrutiny over the safety of young users on its platforms. But of the several lawsuits filed against Meta over child safety in recent years, none have focused as pointedly as Torrez’s case on alleged child sexual exploitation. In some cases, Torrez said he volunteered to take child abuse cases and to visit safe houses to conduct interviews with child victims. The New Mexico Attorney General's office alleges it found in an investigation of Facebook and Instagram accounts promoting sexualized images of minors. Meta also says it has removed hundreds of thousands of accounts, groups and devices for violating its child safety policies.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Presiliano Torrez, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, pornographers, General Raúl Torrez, Countess, ” Torrez, Zuckerberg, Frances Haugen, ” Meta, Obama, Meta, Rebecca Wright, —, Linda Atkinson, aren’t, “, New Mexico Attorney General's, Issa Bee, Issa, you’re, Nkechi Nneji, Evelyn Hockstein, Ann Olivarius, McAlister Olivarius Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, Meta, Tech, Getty, CNN, Communications, ”, Harvard, London School of Economics, Stanford Law School, New Mexico Department of Justice, New Mexico Attorney, PayPal, National Center for, Force, Reuters, Bureau, US News Locations: New York, New Mexico, Torrez, Washington ,, Albuquerque, Mexico, ”, Bernalillo County, Torrez’s, United States

☆ Big Tech goes from 'teenager' to 'grown-up' under landmark EU law. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Justin Tallis | AFP via Getty ImagesAn EU law that seeks to rein in large digital companies has officially kicked in, spelling big changes for primarily U.S. tech giants. CNBC runs through how the law impacts large U.S. tech companies — as well as consumers in the EU. The EU Digital Markets Act primarily impacts U.S. tech giants — the likes of Alphabet , Amazon , Apple , and Meta . The rules have already sparked big changes for tech giants in how they serve customers in the EU. It's likely more adjustments will come, as competitors to Big Tech firms aren't happy with the proposals put in place so far.

Persons: Justin Tallis, Bill Echikson, Echikson, ByteDance, Apple Organizations: Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Getty, Digital Markets, European Commission, Center for, CNBC, Big Tech, EU Digital Markets, Meta, Google, Companies, EU, Spotify Locations: EU, U.S, iPhones

☆ Sam Altman and Elon Musk are beefing, but the two share plenty in common
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Sam Altman's sprawling AI empire amid his beef with Elon Musk . AdvertisementBut first, the sun never sets on Sam Altman's AI empire. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was thrust into the mainstream consciousness with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Elon Musk and Sam Altman Michael M. Santiago/Getty, Nordin Catic/Getty, Tyler Le/BIThere is another tech billionaire whose vision exceeds a singular company. But unlike Musk, Altman has, somewhat incredibly, mostly skirted controversy (save for his ouster-then-return saga ).

Persons: —, There's, Sam Altman's, Elon Musk, Alastair Grant, Rebecca Zisser, Sam Altman, Altman, Darius Rafieyan, Sam Altman Michael M, Nordin Catic, Tyler Le, Elon, Musk, OpenAI, execs, Altman isn't, Robert Downey Jr, Tony Stark, Goldman Sachs, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Neema Raphael, Goldman's, Jerome Powell, Powell, Li Qiang's, Xi Jinping, Fernando Gutierrez, leapfrog, Ridley Scott's, Napoleon, BI's Peter Kafka, Elon Musk's, Joe Biden, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Service, Elon, Business, OpenAI, Microsoft, Goldman, Beijing, Nvidia, leapfrog Apple, Apple, Google, FTC, Facebook, Variety, Tesla, Costco, Kroger, Digital Locations: China, Delaware, New York, London

☆ Meta's Facebook Messenger hit with layoffs amid ongoing 'efficiency' push
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Kali Hays | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Meta's ongoing efficiency drive has resulted in another round of layoffs. Messenger, the popular Facebook app, was hit this week with cuts. Messenger, the popular direct messaging app within Facebook, was hit with a round of layoffs this week, according to two people familiar with the company. The cuts at Messenger come after a similar layoff affected some employees working at Instagram, as Business Insider reported. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Instagram, Messenger Organizations: Service, Meta, Facebook, Business, BI Locations: Instagram, Meta

☆ Facebook and Instagram outage: Widespread disruption resolved
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, went down for thousands of users on Tuesday, because of what the company called a “technical issue.” The outage was resolved within around two hours. As many as 500,000 Facebook users had reported issues logging in or accessing the site as of mid-morning Eastern Time on Tuesday, according to outage tracker Downdetector. Around 50,000 outage reports had been issued regarding Instagram and another 10,000 for Facebook Messenger, although the number of reports had already begun to fall within an hour after they began. About an hour and a half after the outage reports started ticking up, fewer than 80,000 people were reporting issues with Facebook, according to Downdetector. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down for nearly six hours in 2021, an outage that the company assured users was not due to malicious activity.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, “, ”, Andy Stone, Messenger, Meta, ” Stone, WhatsApp Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook Locations: New York

☆ Facebook and Instagram Users Report Meta Services Are Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram went down starting around 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, according to Down Detector, a website that tracks user reports of telecommunication and internet disruptions. More than 3,200 users reported that they were having issues with Facebook shortly after 10 a.m., compared to a base line of 17 such reports on an average day. By around 10:20 a.m., there were more than 350,000 reports of trouble with the website. More than 53,000 people reported issues with Instagram around 10:30 a.m. and more than 8,800 users reported issues with Facebook Messenger around that time, according to Down Detector. Some users flocked to X to see if others were also experiencing trouble with those sites.

Persons: Instagram Organizations: Facebook

☆ I ditched my smartphone for 12 months but it was a bad decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( William Haigen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

When my iPhone suddenly stopped working 12 months ago, my immediate reaction surprised me. Like, according to PC Mag 67% of millennials, I’ve tried and failed to spend less time on my phone. I’ve downloaded all of the productivity apps, tried making rules and systems, and read books about breaking bad habits — to no avail. WhatsApp only works if you have a smartphone, so friends and family who don’t use Facebook Messenger are nearly uncontactable. I’ve become quite accustomed to not even having my phone on or taking it with me everywhere I go.

Persons: I’ve, Steve Jobs ’, overstimulation, I’m, —, Hyperconnectivity Organizations: Service, Business, Nokia

☆ I met my boyfriend on a Facebook housing group. We were roommates for 2 years before we started dating.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Waverly Colville | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He had posted in a Facebook housing group stating he and another person were looking for two more roommates to fill out their four-bedroom loft. We had to become each other's best friends. The thought of us ever being anything more than roommates and best friends was alien, even gross. Our relationship was totally platonic — until it wasn'tIt wasn't until the following fall that things started to get confusing. He was not only one of my best friends but he was also my roommate.

Persons: John, Jack, Jewelyn, —, Waverly Colville, We've Organizations: Facebook Locations: East Williamsburg, Buffalo, New York, Costa Rica, Coachella, Cayman Islands, Sri Lanka

☆ Apple and Microsoft clinch key win as iMessage, Bing exempted from tough EU competition rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The decision is a win for Apple, whose iMessage service has long faced complaints from Android users due to incompatibilities. The EU's competition restrictions also won't apply to Microsoft's Bing and Edge browsers, as well as the Redmond tech giant's online advertising service, Microsoft Advertising. The Tuesday pronouncement does not mean that Apple and Microsoft themselves won't still be treated as gatekeepers under the EU rules. Late last year, the EU unveiled six designated gatekeeper that would be subject to its rules: Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok owner ByteDance. Apple recently opened up its App Store for third-party developers in Europe, which could threaten the iPhone giant's lucrative fees.

Persons: Microsoft's Bing, Meta's WhatsApp, ByteDance Organizations: European Commission, Apple, Facebook, Users, Redmond, Microsoft, CNBC, EU, EU Digital Markets, Meta Locations: Europe

☆ Facebook is still thriving 20 years later. Here’s how
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Twenty years after its launch, social media giant Facebook continues to show unprecedented staying power after burying early competitors like MySpace and Friendster and establishing a distinct foothold in the burgeoning social media landscape. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesStrong social connection was the linchpin of Facebook, differentiating it from other primordial social media sites. MySpace’s monthly active users had trickled down to an estimated 35 million in mid-2011, according to a Comscore report at the time. In contrast, by September of that year, Facebook was seeing almost 800 million monthly active users. In April 2012, the company acquired photo-centric social media platform Instagram for about $1 billion.

Persons: Harvard University undergrad, Mark Zuckerberg, “, ”, Pablo Boczkowski, alums, ” Zuckerberg, Daniel Acker, Justin Timberlake, Friendster’s, Friendster, Boczkowski, Meta’s, ” Boczkowski, WhatsApp, Meta Organizations: New, New York CNN, Harvard University, Facebook, Communication Studies, Northwestern University, Harvard, New York Times, Bloomberg, Getty, MySpace, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Google, Meta, Inc, “, TikTok, Twitter Locations: New York, Zurich, India, Brazil, Argentina, Italy

☆ I sold everything I own to live on a boat with my wife. It's harder than we imagined — but we love it because it made us stronger.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Michelle Mastro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iain Cameron and his wife Brioni left Scotland and moved onto a boat in the Caribbean, in 2020. Besides, we both had stable jobs in Scotland: Brioni was an elementary school teacher and I worked in tech as an international technical trainer. For over two years now, living on a boat has made us stronger, more confident, and more appreciative. Iain and Brioni sailing on their boat in the Caribbean. An aerial view of Iain and Brioni sailing off the coast of an island.

Persons: Iain Cameron, Brioni, they've, Cameron, —, we've, Saint Vincent, Iain, Caine, Iain Cameron We've, Manseen Logan Organizations: Service, Facebook, eBay, Robertson, YouTube, Seas, Southampton, Annapolis Locations: Scotland, Caribbean, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dubrovnik, Croatia, Adriatic, Grenadines, Saint Vincent, United Kingdom, YachtWorld, Bonaire, Guna Yala, Panama, mlogan@insider.com

☆ Meta's Responsible AI team shrinks amid layoffs and restructuring, even as the company goes all-in on AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Meta in 2020 officially formed the Responsible AI (RAI) team with about 30 members of staff. Over the last year, the group's numbers have dwindled, according to five people familiar with the company and its AI work. A shrinking of the RAI team comes at a time when AI has become a global phenomenon . The Responsible AI team was restructuredJerome Pesenti, who was vice president of Meta's AI group, including the RAI team, left last summer and founded his own AI company Sizzle AI. Compliance is important work as RAI workers try to keep Meta's AI work in line with upcoming rules and regulations .

Persons: it's, Mark Zuckerberg's, Meta, Zuckerberg, They're, Jerome Pesenti, Mike Schroepfer, Andrew, Boz, Bosworth, Pesenti, Esteban Arcaute, Kali Hays Organizations: Meta, RAI, Facebook, Social, Twitter Locations: khays@insider.com, @hayskali

☆ People are figuring out ways to generate inappropriate images with Meta's new AI stickers — and sharing the results online
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Users have found ways to generate wildly inappropriate images with the tool, and are sharing the results online. One academic hit out at Meta's AI safeguards in a blog post on Sunday. AdvertisementAdvertisementMeta launched the AI stickers and other features like celebrity AI assistants on September 27. But the stickers are already drawing ridicule online after people started trying to figure out ways to generate wildly inappropriate images using the tech. AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, hit out at Meta's AI safeguards in a separate blog post on Sunday.

Persons: Meta, —, Justin Trudeau, ince, lew, haring, ike, ickey, onic, hough Organizations: Service, Meta, Canadian, ust

☆ UK to work 'constructively' with Meta over encryption and online safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. The government has urged Meta not to roll out encryption on those two platforms without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse. "My call to Meta is to work with us more constructively to roll out end-to-end encryption with robust safety measures because what they're proposing at the moment will make Facebook and Instagram Direct (messages) safe havens for paedophiles," she told the BBC. Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, has said encryption can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals. Social media platforms will face tougher requirements to protect children from accessing harmful content when the Online Safety Bill passed by parliament on Tuesday becomes law.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Suella Braverman, Meta, Braverman, Bill, Sarah Young, William James, James Davey Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, BBC, Meta, Times Radio, Social, Thomson

☆ UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Messenger and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. "They must develop appropriate safeguards to sit alongside their plans for end-to-end encryption." End-to-end encryption is a bone of contention between companies and the government in the new law. Tech companies have said scanning messages and end-to-end encryption are fundamentally incompatible.

Persons: Yves Herman, Bill, Suella Braverman, Meta, WhatsApp, Paul Sandle, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, Social, Tech, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Britain

☆ The former head of Meta's failed stablecoin project admits he was too 'idealistic.' Now David Marcus's new startup plans to work within the system.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

With an ultimate goal to be the go-to currency for the global financial system, it was, in hindsight, too ambitious, Marcus admits now. "If you're dependent on one centralized stablecoin to do global payments, it's a problem as we've experienced firsthand," he said. Why Meta's crypto project failedIn 2019 Meta unveiled plans to create a digital currency pegged to hard currencies including the US dollar. With his new startup, Lightspark, Marcus plans to hypercharge the global payments system is simpler, or at least less grandiose. Users will swap their local currency for bitcoin and then have it converted to the local currency of whichever country the capital is needed in.

Persons: David Marcus, Meta's, Libra, Diem, Marcus, Meta, that's, Mark Zuckerberg, he's, Christian Catalini, Marcus's, Catalini Organizations: PayPal, Visa, Securities and Exchange Commission, Meta, bitcoin, Facebook, JPMorgan, Bloomberg Locations: Manhattan, Los Angeles, Bahrain

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