Category: meta

Meta Threatens to Pull News Feeds Over California’s Journalism Preservation Act

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is threatening to pull news feeds on its platforms for California residents if the state legislature passes the Journalism Preservation Act. In a statement posted on Twitter on May 31, Meta expressed its opposition to the proposal AB 886, which requires big tech companies to pay news outlets…


Facebook Owner Meta Slashes Business Operations Staff in Final Round of Mass Layoffs

Meta Platforms Inc., owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, slashed jobs across its business and operations units on Wednesday as part of a plan announced last fall to eliminate 10,000 jobs in the course of a broader restructuring program. Dozens of Meta employees from enterprise engineering, marketing, corporate communications, site security, program management, and content…


Meta Sells Giphy for $53 Million to Shutterstock After UK Blocked GIF Platform Purchase

WASHINGTON—Shutterstock said Tuesday it’s buying Giphy from Meta Platforms for $53 million, the final step to unwind the deal blocked by British regulators, who prevented the Facebook owner from purchasing the GIF-sharing platform over competition concerns. The stock image service said it’s paying cash for Giphy, which has 1.7 billion daily users and partners including…


WhatsApp Allows Users to Edit Messages

WhatsApp has granted users one of its most awaited features—the ability to edit messages. “For the moments when you make a mistake or simply change your mind, you can now edit your sent messages on WhatsApp,” the Meta Platforms Inc-owned messaging app said in a blog post on Monday. With the feature rolling out globally…


Trudeau Calls Meta’s Opposition to Bill C-18 ‘Dangerous to Democracy’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Meta’s opposition to Bill C-18 “dangerous” to Canada’s democracy and economy during a press conference on May 9. Trudeau characterized the company’s reasoning for its opposition as journalism having “social value, but not really an economic value.” “That argument that the internet giants are putting forward is not just flawed,…


Meta Reaffirms Plan to Block News Access in Canada If Bill C-18 Passes

A representative for the tech giant Meta said Monday that the company plans to block access to Canadian news content on its platforms if Parliament passes Bill C-18, which mandates that the company pay news publishers for hosting content. “Ultimately, this legislation puts Meta in an unfavourable situation. In order to comply, we have to…


FTC Proposes New Rules Barring Facebook from ‘Monetizing Youth Data’

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on May 3 alleged Facebook failed to comply with a 2020 privacy order and proposed “blanket prohibitions” barring the social media giant from monetizing the data of young users. Wednesday’s announcement represents the third time the FTC has taken action against Facebook, now called Meta, over privacy issues. The tech company agreed…


Michael Taube: Why Canada Will Join a Rogues’ List If Bill C-18 Passes

Commentary The long-anticipated showdown between Canada and Google on Bill C-18 is nigh. When the imaginary pistols are drawn, and the invisible bullets are fired, the reputation of this country could be shattered beyond reproach. Bill C-18, or an Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada, was first…


Oversight Board Tells Meta to Be More Transparent About COVID Censorship

Meta’s Oversight Board, which reviews the company’s content decisions, has asked the tech firm to “increase transparency around government requests” regarding suppressing COVID-19 content. In a statement Thursday, the Oversight Board noted that concerns were raised about Meta reviewing COVID-19-related content at the behest of governments during the height of the pandemic. “This is particularly problematic…


Oversight Board Urges Meta to Be More Transparent About COVID Censorship

Meta’s Oversight Board, an independent panel that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram selected to deliberate its content decisions, has asked the tech firm to “increase transparency around government requests” regarding suppressing COVID-19 content. The Oversight Board noted that concerns were raised about Meta reviewing COVID-19-related content at the behest of governments during the height of the pandemic,…