Texas parents gain new tools to control their teenโs social media use
Parents of Texas children under 18 can now monitor and restrict their childโs activity on digital platforms including Facebook and Instagram โ but only if they know their child uses the service.
Meta oversight panel says political content cuts could limit dissent in crises including Venezuela's
Metaโs efforts to scale back political content on its platforms could limit the reach of peopleโs expressions of dissent or awareness during crises, including Venezuelaโs post-election crisis.
Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with Texas in privacy lawsuit over facial recognition
Officials say Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission.
Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with Texas in privacy lawsuit over facial recognition
Officials say Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission.
Meta's Oversight Board says deepfake policies need update and response to explicit image fell short
Meta's Oversight Board says the company failed to take down an AI-generated intimate image of an Indian female public figure that violated its policies until the board got involved.
Meta takes down thousands of Facebook, Instagram accounts running sextortion scams from Nigeria
Meta says it has removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts engaging in sexual extortion scams.
Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden on the social media site
Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Supreme Court rules for Biden administration in a social media dispute with conservative states
The Supreme Court has sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.
JuJu Watkins enjoying summer, dreams of playing in 2028 Olympics in hometown Los Angeles
JuJu Watkins has already thought about how special it would be to play for the U.S. in 2028 at the Olympics in her hometown of Los Angeles.
New York moves to limit 'addictive' social media feeds for kids
New York's governor has signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platformโs algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive.
Facebook owner Meta seeks to train AI model on European data as it faces privacy concerns
Meta said Monday it wants to use data from users in privacy-conscious Europe to train its artificial intelligence models.
Supreme Court will take up Meta's bid to end lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal
The Supreme Court has agreed to consider shutting down a multibillion-dollar class action investorsโ lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
Democratic officials criticize Meta ad policy, saying it amplifies lies about 2020 election
Several Democrats serving as their stateโs top election officials have sent a letter to the parent company of Facebook, asking it to stop allowing ads that claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: 'The whole country is paying the price'
Misinformation about India's election is surging online as the world's most populous country votes.
Judge dismisses Meta shareholder lawsuit claiming that directors' obligations extend beyond company
A Delaware judge has dismissed a shareholder lawsuit asserting novel claims about the roles of corporate leaders and arguing that the loyalties of Meta directors and company founder Mark Zuckerberg should not lie exclusively with the social media giant.
Russia convicts the spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta in a swift trial in absentia
An independent Russian news site has reported that a court in Russia convicted the spokesperson of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison in absentia.
Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back news and political content
Meta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the U.S. and Australia as the platform further deemphasizes news and politics.
State AGs send letter to Meta asking it to take 'immediate action' on user account takeovers
A group of 40 state attorneys general have sent a letter to Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta expressing concern over what they say is dramatic uptick of consumer complaints about account takeovers and lockouts.
Social media outages hurt small businesses -- so it's important to have a backup plan
The Meta outage that affected Facebook, Messenger and Instagram for a few hours on Tuesday was an inconvenience for most.
Europe's Digital Markets Act is forcing tech giants to make changes. Here's what that will look like
Europeans scrolling their phones and computers this week will get new choices for default browsers and search engines, where to download iPhone apps and how their personal online data is used.
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outage
A technical issue had caused widespread login issues for more than an hour across Metaโs Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday.
Zuckerberg meets LG, Samsung chiefs in Seoul as Meta ramps up AI ambitions
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has discussed cooperation on extended reality devices with LG Electronics executives as part of his visit to South Korea that highlights Metaโs ambitions in artificial intelligence.
Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery
Major technology companies signed a pact Friday to voluntarily adopt โreasonable precautionsโ to prevent artificial intelligence tools from disrupting democratic elections worldwide.
Meta removes Instagram and Facebook accounts for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Meta has removed Instagram and Facebook accounts run on behalf of Iranโs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after criticism over his support for Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the monthslong war still raging in the Gaza Strip.
Meta says it will label AI-generated images on Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram users will start seeing made-by-AI labels on deepfake images that appear on their social media feeds, part of a broader tech industry initiative to sort between whatโs real and not.
Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in heated Senate hearing on child exploitation
The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies have testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety on their platforms.
Florida House passes a bill to ban social media accounts for children under 16
Florida children under the age of 16 would be banned from popular social media platforms regardless of parent approval under a bill passed by the House.
Court documents underscore Meta's 'historical reluctance' to protect children on Instagram
Newly unredacted documents from New Mexicoโs lawsuit against Meta underscore the companyโs historical reluctance to keep children safe on its platforms.
Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens' Instagram and Facebook feeds
Meta says it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagersโ accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law limiting kidsโ use of social media
A federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law that would require children under 16 to get parental consent to use social media apps.
A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids' use of social media
A trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies has sued Ohio over a pending law that requires children to get parental consent to use social media apps.
Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds
A study from Harvard says social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year.
Meta attorneys ask judge to dismiss suit claiming that directors' obligations extend beyond company
Attorneys for Meta and Mark Zuckerberg are asking a Delaware judge to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit asserting that the loyalties of company directors should not lie exclusively with the social media giant.
Meta's initial decisions to remove 2 videos of Israel-Hamas war reversed by Oversight Board
A quasi-independent review board has ruled that Facebook parent company Meta should overturn two decisions it made this fall to remove posts โinforming the world about human suffering on both sidesโ of the Israel-Hamas war.
AI's future could be 'open-source' or closed. Tech giants are divided as they lobby regulators
Tech leaders have been vocal proponents of the need to regulate artificial intelligence, but theyโre also lobbying hard to make sure the new rules work in their favor.
TikTok and Meta challenge Europe's new rules that crack down on digital giants
TikTok and Meta are filing legal challenges against new European Union rules designed to counter the dominance of digital giants and make online competition fairer by giving consumers more choice.
European privacy officials widen ban on Meta's behavioral advertising to most of Europe
European privacy officials have widened a ban on Meta's โbehavioral advertisingโ practices to most of Europe.
Meta rolls out paid ad-free option for European Facebook and Insta users after privacy ruling
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe are getting the option to pay for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continentโs strict data privacy rules.
EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war
The European Union has demanded Meta and TikTok detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.
'Addictive' social media feeds that keep children online targeted by New York lawmakers
New York is bidding to put new controls on social media platforms that state leaders say will protect the mental health of younger users.
Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk's X is the most egregious
While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out whatโs happening in the world.
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe could get ad-free subscription option, WSJ reports
Meta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continentโs strict data privacy rules.
Supreme Court pauses order curbing Biden administration efforts to block social media posts
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked enforcement of a lower court order curbing Biden administration efforts to combat controversial social media posts.
TikTok Shop launches in the U.S. as the company bets big on e-commerce
After months of testing, TikTok is fully launching its e-commerce product in the U.S., in an effort to translate the appโs cultural relevance among young consumers to sales.
Court sides with Norwegian regulator's $100K daily fine imposed on Meta over ad privacy concerns
Meta has lost a legal battle to freeze an order from Norwayโs data protection authority that imposes hefty fines on the Facebook and Instagram owner over advertising practices deemed to violate user privacy.
EU targets Apple, Amazon, Meta and other Big Tech in next phase of digital crackdown
The European Union is targeting six Big Tech companies including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft under new digital rules aimed at reining in the market power of online companies.
Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policy
Elon Musk says his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform.
Thailand threatening to shut down Facebook, alleging it doesn't screen ads well enough
A Thai Cabinet minister is threatening to try to shut down Facebook in the country, saying the social media platform does not do enough to screen the advertisements it runs, leaving people vulnerable to costly scams.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire news
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Facebook of putting profits over peopleโs safety during Canadaโs wildfire emergencies.
For Mark Zuckerberg's Threads, the real rival is still TikTok โ not the former Twitter
Threads, the simple, bare-bones text-based social network created by Facebook owner Meta, burst onto the scene during a particularly bad week for the rival then still known as Twitter.
Facebook owner Meta carries out threat to block news in Canada. Google plans to do the same
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta is keeping its promise to block news content in Canada on its platforms in response to a new law that requires tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.
Deep dive into Meta's algorithms shows that America's political polarization has no easy fix
A team of some of the world's leading social media researchers has published four studies looking at the relationship between the algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram and America's widening political divide.
Are you a Facebook user? You have one month left to apply for a share of this $725M settlement
U.S. Facebook users have one more month to apply for their share of a $725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta agreed to pay late last year.
Musk says Twitter is losing cash because advertising is down and the company is carrying heavy debt
Elon Musk says Twitter is losing cash because advertising is still down sharply and the social media company is carrying heavy debt.
3 tax prep firms shared 'extraordinarily sensitive' data about taxpayers with Meta, lawmakers say
Some congressional Democrats say three large tax preparation firms sent โextraordinarily sensitiveโ information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over at least two years.
'Clone' or competitor? Users and lawyers compare Twitter and Threads
In a cease-and-desist letter earlier this week, Twitter threatened legal action against Instagram parent company Meta over the new text-based app, Threads.
Canada's government to stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram after Meta says it will block news
Canada's government says it will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram in response to Metaโs decision to block access to news content on their social platforms as part of a temporary test.
Oversight board recommends Facebook suspend Cambodian premier's account for violent language
A quasi-independent review board is recommending that Facebook temporarily suspend the social media accounts of Cambodia's prime minister.
Instagram and Facebook are adding more parental controls. Critics say they aren't enough
Instagram and Facebook are adding new parental supervision tools and privacy features beginning Tuesday, but critics say the steps don't go far enough.
Canada will require Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news under bill set to become law
A Canadian bill that will require Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content that they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms is set to become law.
Twitter is the worst major social media platform when it comes to LGBTQ+ safety, says GLAAD
All major social media platforms do poorly at protecting LGBTQ+ users from hate speech and harassment โ especially those who are transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming, the advocacy group GLAAD said on Thursday.
Is it real or made by AI? Europe wants a label for that as it fights disinformation
The European Union is pushing online platforms like Google and Meta to step up efforts to fight false information by adding labels to text, photos and other content generated by artificial intelligence.
Meta tests blocking news content on Instagram, Facebook for some Canadians
Meta is preparing to block news for some Canadians on Facebook and Instagram in a temporary test that is expected to last through the end of June.
California bill requiring Big Tech to pay for news gains momentum
A bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay news agencies for using their content passed its first big test in the state Legislature on Thursday.
Meta fined record $1.3 billion and ordered to stop sending European user data to US
The European Union has slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine and ordered it to stop transferring users' personal information to the United States by October.
Time running out to claim money from AT&T, Meta, Wesson Oil lawsuits
Deadlines are approaching for eligible customers to claim their part of some class action lawsuit settlements involving AT&T, Facebook and Wesson Oil.
Are you a Facebook user? You could get some settlement cash
Anyone in the U.S. who has had a Facebook account at any time since May 24, 2007, can now apply for their share of a $725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta has agreed to pay.
MWC mobile tech fair to show off new phones, AI, metaverse
The latest folding-screen smartphones, immersive metaverse experiences, AI-powered chatbot avatars and other eye-catching technology are set to wow visitors at the annual MWC wireless trade fair.
Facebook ran ads in Moldova for oligarch sanctioned by US
Facebook allowed a Moldovan oligarch with ties to the Kremlin to run ads on its platform urging protests against that country's government โ even though he and his political party are subject to U.S. sanctions.
Donald Trump to be allowed back on Facebook after 2-year ban
Facebook parent Meta says it will restore former President Donald Trumpโs personal account in the coming weeks, ending a two-year suspension it imposed in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Like the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem in the mental health crisis among youth.
Ireland fines Meta 390M euros in latest privacy crackdown
Irish regulators have hit Facebook parent Meta with hundreds of millions in fines for online privacy violations and banned the company from forcing European users to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.
FTC didn't stop Facebook-Instagram. How about Meta-Within?
Facebook parent Meta is sparring with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over its pending acquisition of virtual reality fitness company Within Unlimited in federal court in San Jose, California.
Meta oversight board urges changes to VIP moderation system
Facebookโs quasi-independent oversight board says an internal system that exempted high-profile users, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, from some or all of its content moderation rules needs a major overhaul.
Judge orders Meta to pay $10.5M in legal fees to Washington
Facebook parent company Meta has been ordered to pay $10.5 million in legal fees to Washington state, atop a nearly $25 million fine for repeated and intentional violations of campaign finance disclosure laws.
Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Twitter say they're taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation about voting and elections ahead of next month's midterms.
Meta agrees to sell Giphy, ending battle with UK regulators
Facebook parent Meta says it will sell off Giphy after running out of options to thwart a ruling by U.K. regulators, who again found that the deal to buy the GIF-sharing platform would limit competition and innovation.
Meta hits back in fight with FTC over VR company acquisition
Facebook parent Meta struck back in its legal battle with federal regulators over its proposed acquisition of virtual-reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural.