Tech News Social media CEOs testify in heated US Senate hearing on child safety Social media CEOs testified this week in a heated US Senate hearing on child exploitation. 01/02/2024
Tech News Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg steps down from the company’s board With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not stand for reelection this May,” Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post. 18/01/2024
Tech News Meta to hide some posts from teen social media accounts Meta plans to hide posts about suicide and eating disorders from teens' Instagram and Facebook feeds. 10/01/2024
Tech News Social media companies make billions in ad revenue from US minors Social media companies generate billions of dollars in ad revenue from US minors, a new study shows. In Europe, a new law bans targeted advertising towards youth. 29/12/2023
Business Italy's €870 million tax case against Meta heads to EU scrutiny An audit by Italy's financial police claims that Meta user registrations could be seen as a taxable transaction since they imply the non-monetary exchange of a membership account for the user's personal data. 22/12/2023
Tech News Meta is systematically silencing pro-Palestine voices Human Rights Watch found evidence that Meta's Instagram and Facebook have muted pro-Palestine voices on its social media platforms since the beginning of Israel's war against Hamas. 21/12/2023
Tech News Disinformation scholar accuses Harvard of being influenced by Meta One of the world's leading experts on social media disinformation has filed a whistleblower disclosure to investigate Meta's influence at Harvard. 05/12/2023
Tech News Meta's ad-free subscription service targeted by EU consumer groups Consumer groups say Meta's ad-free service, starting at €9.99 per month, is "an unfair choice for users". 30/11/2023
Tech News Russia adds the spokesman for Facebook owner Meta to a wanted list The move - which means spokesman Andy Stone now faces charges - comes weeks after Russia classified Meta as a "terrorist and extremist" organisation. 27/11/2023
Tech News Meta offers ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram in Europe The move is to comply with EU online privacy rules that require an advertising-free version of platforms. 30/10/2023
Tech News Israel-Hamas war threatens to derail Meta’s ad revenue turnaround Meta is enjoying a profit turnaround. But the Israel-Hamas war could dampen that as it experiments in augmented and virtual reality. 26/10/2023
Tech News Social media platforms are being sued for harmful effect on children Lawyers claim social media uses addictive algorithms to hook young people on potentially harmful content, putting profits before mental health. 25/10/2023
World News ‘It scars you’: Facebook workers claim brutal videos caused trauma More than 20% of the staff Meta hired to check the violent content of Facebook and Instagram are on sick leave due to psychological trauma. 19/10/2023
Business Meta to dismiss employees in metaverse silicon unit Reuters reports that Meta is planning to lay off employees on Wednesday, in a move that could affect the company's plans to build augmented and virtual reality products. 04/10/2023
Tech News Facebook and Instagram could charge users in EU for ad-free services Meta plans to give European Facebook and Instagram users the option of paying for ad-free versions as a way to comply with new EU data privacy rules. 03/10/2023
Tech News Meta conference kicks off with focus on AI and virtual reality The company's Connect conference is a two-day event focussed on Meta's artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) future. 28/09/2023
Europe News Amazon, Google, Facebook: the EU names the digital gatekeepers The European Commission has named six Big Tech companies as gatekeepers of the digital economy, making them subject to stricter rules. 06/09/2023
World News Wagner still recruiting fighters on Facebook, despite Meta’s rules In late May, Meta said it had labelled Wagner as a "dangerous organisation," saying that content promoting the group will be removed from its platforms. A recent study found it's still there. 19/08/2023
Culture news Musk vs Zuck: The ego cage fight of the century (but not in Rome) Musk vs Zuckerberg: The cage fight of the century? (But not in Rome, says Italian Culture minister.) 11/08/2023
Health news ‘No evidence’ linking Facebook use to psychological harm, says study In a study conducted across 72 countries, Oxford scientists found no evidence linking Facebook adoption and negative well-being. 09/08/2023