A new strain of Instagram phishing emails has been detected, in which attackers attempt to trick victims into forking over usernames, passwords, phone numbers, and, most notably, backup codes used to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA).
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A first-of-its-kind law restricting social media use by children has been challenged by an industry group representing TikTok, Meta, X, and Snap.
The NetChoice trade group argues that the law introduced by Utah, and which other states plan to emulate, is unconstitutional …
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Social network Threads has now launched in EU countries, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noting that this now opens it up to an additional 448M people. The company first teased this last week.
EU citizens will also be able to browse Threads without having to create an Instagram account – a move likely intended to placate antitrust regulators …
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Two major dating app companies have suspended Instagram advertising after tests mimicking the behavior of child predators led to ads being served alongside sexually explicit material.
Other brands affected include Disney, Pizza Hut, and Walmart …
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Apple’s decision to use tethered Vision Pro batteries raised a few eyebrows when the upcoming product was announced, with the decision apparently made to reduce the weight of the headset.
However, the company was concerned that the front-heavy weight balance of the device could cause neck strain, and a new Apple patent application puts forward a potential solution – which borrows from a Meta Quest headset accessory shown above …
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Apple and Google should be held legally responsible for gatekeeping app downloads by teenagers, suggests Facebook and Instagram developer Meta.
The proposal to shift legal responsibility comes as social media platforms face increasing legal battles from parents and lawmakers alike …
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A combined Facebook and Instagram subscription is coming to European users in the next few weeks, enabling an ad-free experience in both services for €9.99/month ($10.60).
Alongside this, parent company Meta has announced that it is “pausing” all advertising to under-18s at the same time, meaning they get the same privacy benefits as a paid subscription at no cost …
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A live TikTok global music event will take place on December 10 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. Known as TikTok in The Mix, it will combine headline acts like Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta, and Charlie Puth with upcoming artists who are making a name for themselves on the platform …
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Similar to what other platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram have been doing, Meta now allows users to pay to get verified and unlock some extra features on Facebook and Instagram. To convince more people to pay for the Meta Verified service, the company has reportedly been working on a new option that will let users choose to only see content from verified accounts.
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The developer of a virtual reality yoga app has filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of retaliating after it learned he was also in talks with Apple about bringing the app to Vision Pro.
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Major content moderation failures by both X and Meta are serving to underline the risks of both deliberate disinformation and inadvertent misinformation impacting on next year’s presidential elections …
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Mixed reality headset makers seem to face a choice: do it well, or do it cheap. Priced from $3500, Apple Vision Pro sure ain’t doing it cheap. The consensus from those who have tried Vision Pro, though, seems to be that the experience is technologically impressive.
Can the same be said for Meta’s new Quest 3 mixed reality headset? The $500 XR headset is only loosely defined as cheap, of course, because of Apple’s hard-to-fathom price tag. Nevertheless, is it possible to sell mixed reality for a literal fraction of Vision Pro’s price and still make the experience compelling?
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TikTok may be going ad-free for five bucks a month, but you’ll have to pay a bit more for a similar experience on Meta’s platforms. A new report details Meta’s proposal to offer a version of Facebook and Instagram with no ads that would cost nearly $17/month.
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Threads is working on a new feature that will let you delete your account without nuking your Instagram account, but it won’t be ready anytime soon. Meanwhile, new data forecasts where Meta’s competitor to X (formerly Twitter) will be by year’s end.
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The British government’s hugely controversial Online Safety Bill has today passed in the second chamber of Parliament, and after six years of debate is now set to become law.
While Apple’s iMessage and other end-to-end encrypted messaging apps were saved from being outlawed by the bill, the government hasn’t yet given up the fight …
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Even before Apple unveiled Vision Pro, Meta already had virtual reality headsets called Meta Quest (which were created after Meta acquired Oculus). However, Meta’s headsets aren’t exactly a hit. But Zuckerberg seems to have ambitious plans to compete with Apple Vision Pro, as a new report suggests that Meta has been working with LG to build a new VR headset.
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Meta may introduce the option of an ad-free Facebook subscription as it struggles to comply with increasingly stringent European privacy requirements, says a new report.
A similar paid subscription option may also be offered to Instagram users …
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WhatsApp has sort of been on the Mac for a while now, but Meta’s 3.2 star-rated solution has been resource-hungry and clunky at best. Starting today, Meta is officially launching its new and improved native Mac app with group calling features and more.
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Facebook Messenger E2E encryption has been available to some users for some years now, but a full rollout has taken longer than expected.
The company says it is now expanding end-to-end encrypted messaging to “millions” more people, and promises that it will be standard for everyone by the end of the year …
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Meta has announced that European users can now opt out of algorithmic feeds on Instagram and Facebook, in order to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
However, the company is not extending the same choice to app users in the US or anywhere else outside Europe …
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Meta is blocking news links in Canada, as it did previously in Australia, following the introduction of new legislation. The development is being described as an “everyone loses” outcome …
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Meta seems to be planning to get into artificial intelligence in a big way – with AI images on Instagram, and chatbots aiming to gather more personal data from users …
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An investigation by the Stanford Internet Observatory has found worrying volumes of CSAM on Mastodon. Of particular concern is that the child sexual abuse material included many known examples that should have been automatically detected by digital fingerprinting.
Researchers say that a large part of the issue is the open and decentralized nature of the social media platform …
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As announced earlier this week, Meta today officially launched Threads – its new microblogging social network that aims to compete with Twitter. However, although Threads is a new app, it exists under the branding and structure of Instagram, so users can log in and find their friends more easily there. Read on as we detail how to download and use Threads.
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