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☆ How Mark Zuckerberg is reimagining the classroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Later this year, Meta will launch new software for educators that aims to make it easier to use its VR headsets in the classroom. The tools will let teachers manage and program multiple Quest headsets at once, give them access to a range of education-related apps and provide greater oversight and control of how students are using the devices. CNN reporter Clare Duffy interviews Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg in virtual reality, using a Meta Quest 3 headset, alongside Meta spokespeople, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Questions about VR in the classroomThe cost to incorporate VR headsets in the classroom could be a hurdle to adoption for the many schools already struggling with limited resources. While cheaper than some other headsets on the market, Meta’s Quest 3 devices still start at $499 each.

Persons: Shakespeare, ”, Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Clegg, Vincent Quan, Abdul Latif Jameel, ” Quan, Clare Duffy, Meta spokespeople, ” Clegg, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Magic School, Meta, Globe Theatre, Global Affairs, VR, CNN, New Mexico University, Morehouse College, Quest Locations: New York, Ancient Rome, Meta, Manhattan, London, “

☆ Instagram to crack down on teen sextortion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The company announced on Thursday it is testing new features to curb an alarming trend called financial sextortion, which often targets kids and teenagers. Once the nude images are sent, the scammers claim they’ll post them online, either on public websites or on newsfeeds where their friends will see, unless the victims send money or gift cards. In the upcoming weeks and among a subset of users, Instagram said it will roll out various new features, such as blurring nude images sent in direct messages and informing users when they’ve interacted with someone who engaged in financial sextortion. But the FBI recently said it has seen an increase in financial sextortion cases from strangers, often started by scammers overseas. Meta said it is also working on ways to identify accounts that may be engaging in sextortion scams by detecting and monitoring likely sextortion behavior.

Persons: Instagram, they’ve, ” Antigone Davis, “ It’s, sextortion, Meta, Meta Meta, ” Davis, “, ” Organizations: CNN, FBI, National Center for, Meta, Tech Coalition

☆ Meta is accused of censoring a non-profit newspaper and an independent journalist who criticized the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The controversy began Thursday morning when users noticed that all links to the non-profit newspaper the Kansas Reflector had been flagged as a cybersecurity threat and their posts were removed. About seven hours later, the paper said, most of its links had been restored, save for one — a column that had criticized Facebook and accused it of suppressing posts related to climate change. That seemed suspicious to Marisa Kabas, an independent journalist in New York, who asked the Reflector for permission to publish the text of the column on her own website, the Handbasket. And for about two hours, she said, all of the links to her site were blocked. In a Threads post on Friday, Stone said the blocked links were “due to a security error” that also mistakenly blocked links to The Handbasket and the nonprofit news aggregator site News From The States.

Persons: Meta, Andy Stone, Marisa Kabas, “, ” Kabas, ”, Stone, Stone didn’t, Sherman Smith Organizations: New, New York CNN, Meta, Facebook, Kansas, CNN, The Locations: New York, The States, Kansas

☆ Elon Musk’s reversal on blue checkmarks shows his desperation to lure high-profile users back to X
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk has given up, restoring the “lords and peasants” blue checkmark system he once admonished and assailed as elitism. “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit,” Musk wrote in November 2022. But most journalists and other notable users who once sported the checkmark declined to fork over the cash. Even worse, trolls impersonating the identities of others were granted blue checkmarks, stripping the symbol of its core value: identity verification. A representative for X did not respond to a request for comment on Musk’s move to restore the blue checkmarks.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, Twitter’s, X, Musk, ” Musk, Musk —, —, “ Organizations: New York CNN Locations: New York

☆ Meta’s AI image generator really struggles with the concept of interracial couples
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Meta’s AI image generator is coming under fire for its apparent struggles to create images of couples or friends from different racial backgrounds. The same thing happened when prompted by CNN to create an image of an Asian woman with a White husband. This screen grab of an Imagine with Meta AI prompt shows an AI-generated image. Catherine Thorbecke/CNN via Imagine with Meta AIMeta released its AI image generator in December. Please try something else.”This screen grab of Imagine with Meta AI shows a message in response to a prompt.

Persons: Catherine Thorbecke, Meta, “, OpenAI’s Dall Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, East, Meta, Google Locations: New York, America, White

☆ CNN Exclusive: Adderall prescriptions have been filled less often amid ongoing shortage in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —About 1 in every 10 people in the US who uses Adderall or similar combination drugs to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been affected by an ongoing shortage, a new analysis suggests. The US Food and Drug Administration announced that Adderall was in shortage in mid-October 2022, and the share of people with ADHD who filled their prescriptions for Adderall and related medications plunged in the following months. Patients were considered eligible for a monthly prescription fill if they had filled one within the previous two years. Prescriptions for medications used to treat ADHD surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among young adults and women, one study found. But it’s been about a year and a half since she’s been able to fill her Adderall prescription in a “totally uneventful” way, she said.

Persons: Adderall, Robert Califf, Anne Milgram, David Goodman, ”, Mary Beth King, it’s, she’s, ” King, King, ” Goodman, John Mitchell, ” Mitchell, they’re, ’ ”, –, “, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Drug, of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, American Professional Society, New, Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: Sweden

☆ Meta’s Smart Glasses Are Becoming Artificially Intelligent. We Took Them for a Spin.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Brian X. Chen | Mike Isaac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a sign that the tech industry keeps getting weirder, Meta soon plans to release a big update that transforms the Ray-Ban Meta, its camera glasses that shoot videos, into a gadget seen only in sci-fi movies. Next month, the glasses will be able to use new artificial intelligence software to see the real world and describe what you’re looking at, similar to the A.I. software, they can be used to scan famous landmarks, translate languages and identify animal breeds and exotic fruits, among other tasks. software, wearers just say, “Hey, Meta,” followed by a prompt, such as “Look and tell me what kind of dog this is.” The A.I. then responds in a computer-generated voice that plays through the glasses’ tiny speakers.

Persons: Meta, Ray, Ban, ”

☆ Digital Markets Act: Apple, Google and Meta at risk of ‘heavy’ fines as Europe launches new probes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The European Union has launched investigations into Apple, Google and Facebook parent Meta on suspicion that they are failing to comply with a new landmark European law designed to promote competition in digital services. The European Commission said it “suspects” that various practices by all three companies “fall short of effective compliance” with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into effect earlier this month. If the probes find a “lack of full compliance,” they could face “heavy fines,” said European Commissioner Thierry Breton. The practices the European Commission is investigating include what it calls Meta’s “pay or consent” approach. Last October, Meta (META) launched a subscription service, called “Subscription for no ads,” allowing European users of Facebook and Instagram to pay up to €12.99 ($14) a month for ad-free versions.

Persons: “, ”, Thierry Breton, Elon Musk’s, Meta’s, Meta’s ‘ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Apple, Google, European Commission, Digital Markets, Microsoft, Commission, Meta, Facebook, CNN

☆ Opinion: The dangers in leaving TikTok at Beijing’s disposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For many of the 170 million TikTok users in the United States, Wednesday’s vote in the House of Representatives to effectively ban the social media platform is worrisome. That’s just one reason why it’s laughable to hear China’s foreign ministry claim that the TikTok bill would disrupt market operations and undermine investor confidence. Most of the world’s most popular social media apps, incidentally, are banned in China unless they — or their user data — are locally based and thus easily overseen by the government. She has had multiple meetings with legislators and has spoken with Trump about protecting TikTok, according to the Washington Post. The government needs to develop oversight rules for all social media.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Donald Trump, TikTok, Shou Chew, “, Jack Ma —, Xiao Jianhua, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Trump, ” Trump, ”, Jeff Yass, Kellyanne Conway, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, ByteDance, Frida Ghitis CNN, Pew Research, Facebook, Oracle, National Intelligence, Rutgers University, Air Force One, Microsoft, Trump, Citizens United Locations: United States, Washington, Russia, TikTok, Beijing, That’s, China, Israel, Tibet, Hong Kong, USSR

☆ Martin Ødegaard: How teenage prodigy finally found his home at Arsenal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —As he led the team out inside of a raucous Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard had the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Because Ødegaard looks to have finally found his home at Arsenal. On a magical night for Arsenal fans, Ødegaard produced another sensational performance, proving once again to be the creative spark for Mikel Arteta’s team. But, in Ødegaard, Arsenal finally has a leader who looks determined to lead this team to success. And, in Arsenal, Ødegaard finally has a place to shine.

Persons: Martin Ødegaard, Ødegaard, Mikel Arteta’s, Leandro Trossard, Arsenal's Ødegaard, Andrew Boyers, Arsene Wenger’s, Martin, ”, Hans Erik Ødegaard, Zinedine Zidane, Denis Doyle, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Arteta, “, “ Martin, he’s, ” Ødegaard, Mike Hewitt Organizations: CNN, Emirates, Arsenal, Gunners, Porto, Champions League, Norwegian, Strømsgodset, Norwegian national, Manchester United, Liverpool, CNN Sport, ”, Madrid, Real Madrid, La Liga, Spanish, Real Sociedad, ” Arsenal, English Premier League rivals Manchester City Locations: Norwegian, Europe, France, Real, London, Liverpool, Ødegaard, Arsenal

☆ Trump calls Facebook the enemy of the people. Meta’s stock sinks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Facebook once again finds itself in the crosshairs of former President Donald Trump. “It has everything to do with the comments from former President Trump,” Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Well, Trump argues that banning TikTok would help Facebook, a company the former president has a long history of battling with. Meta reinstated Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in February 2023. Specifically, Luria said Trump, if elected president, could pressure Facebook by making it harder for Meta to make acquisitions in the future.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ” Gil Luria, Davidson, ” Trump, Republicans –, Meta, “, Luria, ” Luria, Joe Biden Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, CNBC, ”, Trump, Truth, D.A, CNN, Republicans, Capitol, Meta, Truth Social, Trump Media & Technology Group Locations: New York, United States, Trump, Washington, China

☆ Jefferies analyst challenges Trump’s claim that Meta’s Facebook is ‘enemy of the people’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Stephanie Landsman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jefferies' Brent Thill sees Facebook as vital — despite President Donald Trump calling it an "enemy of the people" on CNBC's "Squawk Box " on Monday. The reverse has happened for small businesses," the firm's tech sector lead told CNBC's " Fast Money ." "The reality is the economic value to all these small businesses' advertising is off the charts." But ultimately, I think, the value created is so great for these small businesses, it's hard to turn down the facts," said Thill. "I'd be buying this stock on this weakness," Thill said.

Persons: Jefferies, Brent Thill, Donald Trump, CNBC's, Trump's, Thill Organizations: Trump, Facebook, Meta, Google Locations: Monday's

Trump’s TikTok U-turnTikTok users have continued to flood the social media platform — and lawmakers’ inboxes — with pleas to halt a bill that would force its Chinese owners to divest or face a ban in the U.S.That effort to keep TikTok online has now attracted some unlikely backers, including Donald Trump. A recap: Last week, a powerful House committee voted 50-0 to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores by Sept. 30 unless its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, sold its stake. President Biden said on Friday that he’d sign the bill if it reaches his desk — even as his campaign has embraced the platform. But Trump has potentially scrambled the political calculus in Washington. Starting last week, the former president has pushed back against a TikTok ban, arguing that such a move would strengthen Meta’s Facebook — the “true Enemy of the People!” (Remember that as president, Trump issued an executive order ordering ByteDance to divest its American assets.)

Persons: ’ inboxes, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump Organizations: Facebook Locations: U.S, Beijing, Washington

☆ Premarket stocks: Why another unexpectedly hot jobs report could derail markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Wall Street was taken aback by the US labor market’s resilience in January. Another unexpectedly hot report could shake things up again. The January jobs report showed that the US economy added a stunning 353,000 jobs that month and the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%. The new EU regulations force sweeping changes on some of the world’s most widely used tech products, including Apple’s app store, Google search and messaging platforms, including Meta’s WhatsApp. The broad obligations apply only to the EU, which could leave tech users in the United States and other markets looking longingly at some of the features Big Tech is rolling out in response to the European directive.

Persons: Jerome Powell, he’s, “, ” Powell, Bonnie Cash, —, ’ ”, BeiChen Lin, It’s, Loretta Mester, ”, José Torres, Meta’s, Brian Fung, Apple, Bing, Read, Elisabeth Buchwald, NYCB, Steven Mnuchin’s, Alessandro DiNello, ” Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal, Financial, Capitol, Reuters, Traders, Russell Investments, ” Cleveland Federal, CNBC, Market, Interactive Brokers, Apple, Google, Union citizens, Big Tech, New York Community Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Liberty Strategic Capital Locations: New York, Washington ,, United States, NYCB, Silicon

☆ 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

☆ Sweeping EU rules for tech giants take effect today. Here’s what’s changing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The new EU regulations force sweeping changes on some of the world’s most widely used tech products, including Apple’s app store, Google search and messaging platforms, including Meta’s WhatsApp. Its broad obligations affect six of the world’s largest tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. While the law could increase demand for tech companies to extend EU-specific features to other markets, few platforms have shown signs they plan to do so. Tech pushes backBut some tech companies have pushed back on the DMA, warning that it could lead to unintended consequences. “The changes the DMA requires will inevitably cause a gap” between EU users’ security and the security Apple users enjoy outside the EU, it added.

Persons: Meta’s, Apple, Bing, Elon Musk’s, “ Fortnite, ”, Agustin Reyna, “, Apple’s, ” Apple, Reyna, ” BEUC, Tim Sweeney, Meta —, Daniel Friedlaender, CCIA, Friedlaender, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: Washington CNN, Apple, Google, Union citizens, Big Tech, Spotify, Netflix, Digital Markets, Meta, Microsoft, European Commission, EU, YouTube, Epic, Consumer, Tech, Games, CNN, Computer, Communications Industry Association Locations: United States, Europe

☆ Big American Tech Profits From Chinese Ad Spending Spree
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Daisuke Wakabayashi | Mike Isaac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Temu, the international arm of the Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, is flooding Google with ads for absurdly inexpensive goods. With an initial public offering looming, the fast-fashion merchant Shein is inundating Instagram with ads for clothes and accessories at rock-bottom prices. Developers of China’s video streaming and gaming apps are dumping marketing dollars into Facebook, X and YouTube to entice potential users. In the last year, Temu has placed about 1.4 million ads globally across Google services, and at least 26,000 different versions of ads on Meta, according to Meta’s Ad Library. “You can’t escape their ads across Facebook, Instagram and Google Search.”

Persons: Shein, Temu, ”, Canaves Organizations: Facebook, YouTube, Google, Meta, Ad Locations: China, United States, eMarketer

☆ 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

☆ Your company knows you’re reading this story at work
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But experts say that while AI tools might be new, watching, reading and tracking employee conversations is far from novel. A Chevron spokesperson told CNN the company is using Aware to help monitor public comments and interactions on its internal Workplace platform, where employees can post updates and comments. Cybersecurity company Proofpoint uses similar technology to help monitor cyber risks, such as incoming phishing scams or if an employee is downloading and sending sensitive work data to their personal email account. This would prevent employees from not sharing sensitive company data with an AI model, which could resurface in future responses. Even when employees are not on a secure work network, companies are able to monitor activity through browsers.

Persons: ”, David Johnson, “, Johnson, Slack, Reece Hayden, ” Hayden, Hayden Organizations: CNN, Walmart, Starbucks, Chevron, Forrester Research, Microsoft, Warner Brothers Discovery, Fortune, ABI Research, Meta Locations: Delta

☆ When an Artist Dies, Who Owns Her Story?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Kate Dwyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was an evening in late January, and Raquel Cecilia Mendieta was dining at the Parador, the 12th-century monastery-turned-hotel where she was staying while she installed artwork for a new survey of Ana Mendieta, the famous Cuban-born performance artist — and Ms. Mendieta’s maternal aunt — at a nearby museum. It had been a long day of assembling logs, soil, pine cones and branches into a reimagining of the artist’s “Untitled: Silueta Series” inside the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, and her dinner companions — her 15-year-old daughter, Anabella, and Grace Hong, the assistant director at Galerie Lelong, which represents the Ana Mendieta estate — were still jet-lagged after traveling from New York. But they jumped when, after plates of bacalao and glasses of white wine had been cleared, Ms. Mendieta checked her phone and exclaimed, “Oh my god!”

Persons: Raquel Cecilia Mendieta, Ana Mendieta, —, Castilla y, Anabella, Grace Hong, Mendieta, “ Organizations: Arte Contemporáneo, Castilla y León, Galerie Lelong Locations: Cuban, New York

☆ Anant Ambani pre-wedding bash: Celebrities, tycoons jet to Indian billionaire heir’s celebrations in Jamnagar
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New Delhi Reuters —Charter jets for tycoons and celebrities, a performance by Rihanna and directions to don “jungle fever” outfits when visiting an animal rescue center — that’s how billionaire Mukesh Ambani is kickstarting big fat Indian wedding celebrations for his son. The occasion of the moment that has India transfixed is a three-day pre-wedding jamboree for his youngest son Anant Ambani, 28, who is set to marry his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29. Anant is a director at Reliance’s new energy business and one of Ambani’s three children who are the heirs to his empire. Ambani also made headlines with his daughter Isha’s wedding in 2018 which was described by some as a mini-Davos summit. Guests to Anant Ambani’s celebrations are set to savor 500 dishes created by around 100 chefs.

Persons: Rihanna, Mukesh Ambani, Ambani, Anant Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Anant, David Blaine, Bill Gates, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Gautam Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Bob Iger, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Anant Ambani’s Organizations: Delhi Reuters —, Reliance, Forbes, Disney, Reliance’s, Encore, Former U.S, Reuters Locations: Delhi, India, Jamnagar, Reliance’s, Gujarat, Davos, Former, New Delhi, Mumbai

☆ Crypto exchange Gemini to pay $1.1 billion back to customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Gemini Trust, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, will return at least $1.1 billion to customers of its now shuttered lending program, following a settlement with a New York regulator. NYDFS has the right to “bring further action against Gemini if the company does not fulfill its obligation,” it said in the statement. In a Wednesday blog post, the crypto exchange said that due to the settlement, customers of its lending program, Gemini Earn, would receive 100% of their digital assets back in kind plus any appreciation in value. Gemini Earn marketed itself as a low-risk investment in which customers could lend crypto assets to another firm, Genesis Global Capital (GGC), while earning interest payments as high as 8%. That was when the trillion-dollar crypto market crumbled, due to the collapse of FTX, the once high-flying crypto exchange.

Persons: Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, NYDFS, Meta’s, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Bankman, Fried Organizations: CNN, Gemini Trust, Gemini, New York Department of Financial Services, Facebook, Genesis Global, Bankman, New, GCC, Digital Currency Group Locations: New York, FTX, Manhattan

☆ Meta accused of ‘massive, illegal’ data collection operation by European consumer rights groups
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —European consumer rights groups have accused Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of carrying out a “massive” and “illegal” operation of collecting data from hundreds of millions of users in the region. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), an umbrella body for 45 consumer groups, said eight of the groups were filing complaints with their respective national data protection authorities Thursday. The company’s practices, the groups argue, breach parts of the European Union’s signature data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. Several days later, Meta launched a subscription service allowing its European users to pay up to €12.99 ($14) a month to use ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram. The organization filed a complaint with European consumer protection authorities in November, arguing that this “pay-or-consent” approach was an example of an unfair and “aggressive” commercial practice prohibited under EU law.

Persons: Meta, “, Ursula Pachl, Brian Fung Organizations: London CNN, Facebook, European Consumer Organisation, General Data, CNN, Meta Locations: Europe, United States

☆ News outlets are collapsing as advertisers flock to social media platforms, with major implications for society
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Social media companies are soaking up the billions in advertising dollars that once flowed to legacy media companies — a trend that continues to accelerate despite an ever-growing mountain of evidence indicating the Silicon Valley titans govern their ballooning kingdoms with little regard for how their products negatively impact society. Time and time again, companies like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and others have been caught allowing harmful content to exist on their platforms. The committee heard testimony from the heads of the largest tech firms on the dangers of child sexual exploitation on social media. To be fair, brands would likely prefer to advertise on the platforms of responsible media actors versus the risky world of social media. But Big Tech offers these brands much more effective targeting, while boasting a larger and younger audience than legacy news organizations.

Persons: BuzzFeed, You’re, It’s, Meta, ”, Jeff Horowitz, Katherine Blunt, Mark Zuckerberg, Anna Moneymaker Organizations: New York CNN, Social, Media, New York Times, CNN, YouTube, Times, Meta, Dirksen, Facebook, Big, Big Tech, News Locations: New York, Snapchat, Washington ,

☆ Apple Kills Its Electric Car Project
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Brian X. Chen | More About Brian X. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Though Apple had not unveiled its car to consumers, the product had for many years been one of Silicon Valley’s worst-kept secrets because it was being tested on public roads. The cancellation is a rare move by Apple, which typically doesn’t shelve such public and high-profile projects. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has publicly hinted that Apple was interested in entering the car space. The company had also been testing hundreds of vehicles equipped with autonomous driving technology in public for many years. The car, which Apple spent billions of dollars researching, had been intended as a rival to Tesla’s electric vehicles, which include autonomous driving features.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple, Cook’s Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, Vision

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