DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Factbox: How the EU's Digital Markets Act challenges Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Wednesday, the EU Commission designated 22 services of the major tech companies as "gatekeepers" of online services. That means they will be required to make their messaging apps inter-operate with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices. APP STORES:Apple and Google will be forced to provide space for third-party app stores on their respective iOS and Android devices. For example, they may offer users a “choice screen” with a range of options upon setting up their device. MESSAGING:Under the DMA’s new interoperability rules, gatekeepers’ messaging apps will no longer be siloed off from others.

Persons: ByteDance, Ben Wood, Apple’s, Martin Coulter, William Maclean Organizations: New, Union, Big Tech, Markets, EU Commission, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, Insight, Reuters, EU, Facebook, Thomson

You can create a Facebook business page to grow your brand and expand your reach. It's easy to customize your Facebook business page with photos, a call to action button, publishing tools, and more. It's easy to create a Facebook business page and customize it with photos, business hours, page roles, upcoming events, and more. Here's how to create a Facebook business page. Facebook business pages are different from Facebook profiles as they serve different purposes.

Persons: Grace Eliza Goodwin, it's Organizations: Facebook

BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Despite the murders of four of her colleagues for their reporting, Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko never considered she had been poisoned when she fell ill on a train to Berlin. But when I found myself in Europe I totally forgot all these security measures." Her symptoms started with disorientation and stomach ache on the train journey from Munich to Berlin and persisted for several weeks. A former Chechen rebel died in Berlin in what a German court said was a Russian state assassination. She was one of three Russian independent woman journalists who were apparently poisoned while abroad in a similar period.

Persons: Elena Kostyuchenko, Kostyuchenko, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Skripal, Sergei Litvinenko, Thomas Escritt, Mike Harrison Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Berlin, Russia, Europe, Munich, Chechen, Ukraine

☆ Fact Check-Sleeping intern in office prank image mistaken for dead man
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of co-workers surrounding their sleeping colleague, who is slumped in his chair with his eyes closed and mouth open, is being falsely claimed online to show a deceased man. The image, here, is being shared with a caption that suggests the sleeping man suffered a cardiac arrest and died, and his unwitting colleagues had gathered for a prank photo. And it just went downhill from there.”Paraschivescu also told Reuters via Facebook Messenger in January 2022 that he is the man in the picture and is very much alive. Gsoft posted the same photo on Facebook in February 2016 (here), joking in French in the caption: “And yes, it happened at GSOFT. The man was sleeping, not dead.

Persons: he’d, Eduard Paraschivescu, ” Paraschivescu, ”, Gsoft, Read Organizations: Gsoft, Huffington, Reuters, Facebook Locations: Montreal, Canada, GSOFT

☆ They had a teenage summer romance. Here’s what happened when they reunited years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

The summer Andrea first crossed paths with Lewis Kelly. He seemed aloof, “a loner,” as Andrea thought back then. When Andrea didn’t hear from him, she assumed he’d forgotten about her. “We’re so cute.”Then, as the date of his arrival got ever closer, Andrea started doubting herself. “I just want to make it work and be with you.”At this, Andrea started crying.

Persons: Andrea Camila, Andrea, Lewis Kelly, Lewis, –, She’d, ” Andrea, Niall, ’, Direction’s Niall Horan, ”, daydreaming, “, ” Lewis, “ Andrea, wasn’t, Andrea giggled, ’ ”, he’d, she’d, Imani Lee, Andrea didn’t, Lewis “, I’m, wouldn’t, It’s, hadn’t, We’re, ’ ” Andrea, Lewis didn’t, they’d messaged, Andrea messaged, they’d, They’d, it’s, he’s, sobs, “ We’re, Lewis wasn’t, “ They’d, didn’t, let’s, Andrea welled, “ It’s, Lewis Kelly “ Organizations: CNN, Sunshine State, CNN Travel, Facebook, Skype, Dublin City University, YouTube, Imani Lee Creative Locations: Clearwater Beach , Florida, Florida, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Europe, TikTok, Mexican

☆ Mark Zuckerberg's Meta launches Instagram's Threads app, a rival to Twitter amidst Elon Musk backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Meta's new Threads app Courtesy Meta“The vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Threads post following the launch. After downloading the app, users are asked to link up their Instagram page, customize their profile and follow the same accounts they already follow on Instagram. Verified Instagram accounts are also automatically verified on Threads. In this photo illustration, the app Threads from Meta seen displayed on a mobile phone. The escalating rivalry between the two companies only appears to have added to the rivalry between Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Persons: ”, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Elon Musk, Davide Bonaldo, ” parroting, Musk, “, Zuckerberg, –, Hanna Ziady Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Twitter, Meta, Wednesday, TweetDeck

☆ Threads: Meta takes aim at Twitter with new app
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Zuckerberg’s Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has teased a new app that is set to take on Twitter by offering a rival space for real-time conversations online. The app is called Threads and it is expected to go live Thursday, according to a listing in the App Store. The app appears to have many similarities to Twitter — the App Store description emphasizes conversations, as well as the potential to build a following and connect with like-minded people. Since taking Twitter private in October, Musk has turned the social media platform on its head, alienating advertisers and some of its highest-profile users. Twitter announced Monday that users would soon need to pay for TweetDeck, a tool that allows people to organize and easily monitor the accounts they follow.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Musk, ” parroting Organizations: London CNN, Twitter, Meta, TweetDeck, Facebook, Las Locations: Las Vegas

[1/3] Cast member Hailee Steinfeld attends the premiere for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 30, 2023. The UAE Media Council on Monday said on Twitter it "will not allow the circulation or publication of content contrary to the values and principles of the UAE and the standards of media content in force in the country." Several cinema customer service lines did not say why the film was not listed and government bodies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In June 2022 the UAE banned Walt Disney-Pixar's animated feature film "Lightyear" from screening because it features characters in a same-sex relationship. The youth and culture ministry said it "violated the nation's media content standard".

Persons: Hailee Steinfeld, Mario Anzuoni, Vox, Majid Al Futtaim, Majid Al Futaim, Gwen Stacy, Abdullah Al, Sami, Walt Disney, Yousef Saba, Lisa Barrington, Andrew Mills, Nafisa Eltahir, Mohammed Benmansour, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, United, Vox Cinemas, Vox, Novo, Reel, Reuters, UAE Media, Walt, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, United States, Gulf, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Scientists were delighted to discover that parrots willingly made video calls to bird friends and were less lonely as a result
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The ability to make video calls to other parrots, then, may give birds the chance to access the socialization and species identity they have in the wild, Cunha said. Parrot caregivers learned, for instance, to recognize signs of stress during the video calls and offer encouragement to help reduce any fear associated with the new experience. The researchers released three parrots from the study in its early stages, as these birds didn't seem to like the calls at all. But most of the parrots apparently enjoyed the experience and chose to make plenty of calls to other birds. The study authors acknowledge the need for additional research, as this study is the first exploring video calling for parrots.

☆ A new AI chatbot called Pi is designed to serve as your personal assistant — here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new chatbot called Pi, launched by Inflection AI, offers personal advice and support. There's a new AI chatbot on the scene — and this one wants to get personal. At one point, I asked Pi to share museum recommendations for a friend visiting New York City. Insider asked Pi how to restart the conversation, and Pi said to "start talking about whatever is on your mind." Inflection AI also said it's "creating a new form of 'boundary training' that will redefine how AIs learn and are trained."

☆ Tech giants are pouring money into A.I. as they cut costs elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

He said Google is using AI to improve the conversion rate of ads and reduce the amount of "toxic text" that goes into AI models. "There will be a small number of companies that want to invest that time and money and we will be one of them at Amazon," Jassy said. A concept he's particularly excited about is "AI agents," which often refer to AI programs that can carry out goals. "At this point we are no longer behind in building out our AI infrastructure," Zuckerberg said. Zuckerberg said the company would need to "continue investing," but would do so after it launches its generative AI products and gets a better grasp on the resources required.

☆ The creepy secret behind online therapy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tanmoy Goswami | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Crisis Text Line, now in its 10th year of operations, uses artificial intelligence to respond to people experiencing emotional abuse, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. 'The vast majority of mental-health apps are exceptionally creepy'BetterHelp, a poster child of online therapy founded in 2013, calls itself "the world's largest therapy platform" and says it has over 2 million users. One of the first popular mental-health apps, PTSD Coach, was launched by the US Department of Veteran Affairs in 2011. But for mental-health companies these practices can undermine the very foundations of mental-health care: dignity, trust, and psychological safety. As Crisis Text Line wrote on its website extolling its deal with Loris: "Why sell T-shirts when you can sell what your organization does best?"

☆ Supreme Court Debates Free-Speech Defense in Cyberstalker Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Singer-songwriter Coles Whalen performed for friends and family at an undisclosed location in March. Photo: Thomas Simonetti/The Washington Post/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—Supreme Court justices on Wednesday questioned whether a Colorado stalking law violates the First Amendment because defendants can be convicted even if they didn’t intend to threaten victims with physical violence. The case was a textbook example of cyberstalking. Billy Counterman became obsessed with a Denver singer-songwriter, Coles Whalen, and in 2014 began texting her through Facebook Messenger, under the delusion that they were in a romantic relationship. The hundreds of messages, which kept coming even after she blocked Mr. Counterman and obtained a restraining order against him, were terrifying and drove her from performing in public, Ms. Whalen said.

☆ Meta's social media apps back up after brief outage, Downdetector says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc's (META.O) social media apps appeared to be back up after facing a brief disruption in the United States on Wednesday, data on outage tracking website Downdetector.com showed. At the peak of the outage, more than 17,000 user reports had indicated issues with Instagram in the United States, as of 2352 GMT. Over 13,000 incidents were reported for the Facebook app and outage reports also briefly spiked for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger around the same time. Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including user-submitted errors on its platform. Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Compass real-estate agent hired — then quickly fired — a woman after she was accused of taking part in the Capitol riot and linked to COVID-19 denial and anti-LGBTQ rallies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Compass' official Instagram account said Makowka no longer worked for Townes. This week, after a politically progressive Instagram account reiterated its claims that Makowka was connected to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Compass' official Instagram account confirmed she was terminated. "It is a fabrication that I stormed the Capitol," Makowka told Insider on Wednesday via Facebook Messenger. Later that day, Compass' official Instagram account commented on the post: "This person is no longer associated with Compass." The Townes team did not respond to requests for comment.

You can recover deleted messages from Facebook Messenger by downloading them or checking old email notifications. Once you delete a Facebook message, it's gone for good — at least, from a strict Facebook Messenger perspective. Here are a few methods you can use to recover deleted Facebook messages, as well as back up your messages so you don't lose them in the future:How to recover deleted Facebook messagesHere are five methods that could help you retrieve those messages:Check your archived conversationsIf you archived the messages instead of deleting them, you can easily recover them, as Facebook always keeps your archived chats. Check if your Facebook messages were sent to your emailThis only works if you have all email notifications enabled for your account. Quick tip: If you're using an iOS device, you can't recover your deleted Facebook messages using any file app — however, you can download your messages by backing them up beforehand.

“We were using Facebook Messenger to communicate with her parents and coached them through the delivery, so I watched her being delivered on my cellphone," Blackburn told NBC News. Davon Thomas with his wife, Erica Thomas, and their newborn, Devynn Brielle Thomas. Erica and Davon Thomas were trapped in their house by snow when Erica suddenly went into labor, Blackburn said. She had also instructed him to help his wife take a hot shower to ease her pain and help her move around “to get the gravity going,” Blackburn said. Moments later, Erica squatted down and when the baby came out, Davon Thomas was there to receive his daughter with towels in his arms.

☆ Flight delays and cancellations will likely impact millions of Christmas travelers. What to do when your airline experiences disruptions.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The National Weather Service has warned of a strong winter storm expected to affect holiday travel. But, some airlines offer to rebook on their website or mobile app and waive any fees, so it's sometimes easier to make changes online than in person. Carriers offering both are Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines, according to the DoT dashboard. It never hurts to request a meal or hotel during flight disruptions, and you might get lucky with a goodwill gesture from the carrier. For example, in the case of a winter storm, it's likely many passengers will end up stranded in random cities across the US.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence of human remains dubbed ‘Mona Lisa’ found on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Human remains have never been found on the moon, NASA’s chief historian told Reuters, but users online are sharing a video that is allegedly proof a sarcophagus named Mona Lisa was discovered during a moon mission. The same Mona Lisa figure appears in the background of a book by French author Thierry Speth titled, “Apollo 20, the Unknown Mission” (here). He added that there is “no evidence to substantiate” the claim that a figure named Mona Lisa was found on the moon. He also shared filmstrips of the Mona Lisa to that group that match the footage in the viral video (here). In one post (here), Speth shared a link to an interview he did about Apollo 20 (here).

Thankfully, there are a few ways to get around those extra fees, with more airlines offering passengers access to free Wi-Fi than ever before. Hawaiian Airlines is also planning to launch free in-flight Wi-Fi in 2023 thanks to its partnership with SpaceX's SkyLink. American Airlines also seems to be testing out free Wi-Fi on many of its aircraft that are equipped with Viasat — as part of an ongoing trial, passengers who opt to watch a sponsored video can access 30 minutes of Wi-Fi free of charge. Some international carriers offer free Wi-Fi, but with certain stipulations. Then, choose the airline's Wi-Fi network and login on the Wi-Fi homepage using your T-Mobile or Sprint phone number.

☆ Finance influencers who hyped up FTX and BlockFi are facing angry fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In the case of finance influencers who hyped up FTX and BlockFi to their subscribers, the result is a lot of unhappy, skeptical former fans. As prominent crypto platforms topple, financial influencers face anger and skepticism. On YouTube, financial influencers have built loyal followings by sharing financial advice and actively promoting companies like FTX and BlockFi. As the companies crumble, those influencers are facing skepticism and backlash from fans. Apple's App store has become an imitation of its former self.Apple used to carefully curate its App store, helping developers gain visibility and customers find what they needed, writes Michael Gartenberg.

☆ Frontier Airlines no longer has a customer service phone line
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Customers who need flight information or want to make changes to travel plans can no longer call Frontier Airlines and speak to an agent, the company confirmed to CNN Saturday. Customers seeking help or information from the carrier must deal with an online chatbot, social media channels or WhatsApp. Customers who call the customer service phone number now are greeted with an automated message that says, “At Frontier, we offer the lowest fares in the industry by operating our airline as efficiently as possible. We also have a chat service available 24/7.”Its low-cost flight competitors, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Airlines, still use call centers staffed by live agents. It’s no wonder Frontier wants to get rid of customer service over the phone.

☆ Should I delete my DMs? What Twitter has on you, and what you can and can't do about it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Lora Kolodny | Kevin Collier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's not that easy to delete your direct messages on Twitter . Private communications sent between individuals or to groups through Twitter's "Messages" system, commonly known as direct messages, can only be eliminated if all the people involved in the conversation delete those messages, according to Twitter's system. That means users looking to delete their DMs will need to make sure all of their counterparts do so as well. Twitter has never encrypted its direct messages, despite calls from cybersecurity activists to do so. Cutler recommended that Twitter users proceed with caution.

☆ What do the check marks mean on Facebook Messenger? How to decode the status of your message
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Kelly Laffey | Nov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The check marks on Facebook Messenger indicate the status of your message. One of the hallmarks of Facebook Messenger is the series of check marks that appear next to a message. Below is an outline of what the check marks in Facebook Messenger mean. Quick tip: You can open the Messenger app from within the Facebook app by tapping the Messenger icon in the top right corner. Here's what the check marks mean on Facebook MessengerEmpty circle with a check mark: The message has been sent but not delivered to the recipient.

☆ A man with a brain injury was scammed out of all of his money. He and his mother are calling on social-media companies to protect disabled people from con artists.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Westwood, who has a disability due to a brain injury, told Insider how the scam changed his life. In late July, Westwood's mother, Mary-Ellen Field, received a text message from one of Westwood's caregivers, she told Insider. Justin Westwood"Then he started asking me for money again, which usually means he's in trouble," she told Insider. It wasn't until he started asking for money for his gas bill and constantly coming over for dinner that his mom understood how little money Westwood had. Westwood told Insider that he got a message on Facebook from someone calling himself "Agent Tyson," who said he had money from the government for Westwood.

Search resuls for: "Facebook Messenger"

25 mentions found