Digital world

  Meta’s Oversight Board has  just announced  an expansion plan to include Threads in its purview. The announcement was recently made about how Threads users would be given the chance to make appeals against Facebook’s parent firm’s decisions having to do with moderating content online. This would provide this independent group the chance to impact policies for the new app that comes under Meta’s ownership. It’s a serious expansion for Meta’s Oversight Board. The latter has now weighed up against any issues linked to Facebook and Instagram’s content published online. This change would give users the chance to have greater accountability that was independent, early on. As per statements mentioned by the Oversight Board, users making appeals across Threads are going to see it work very much like how it is on Meta’s other two apps, Instagram and Facebook. After exhausting the whole internal system on Meta, they can see a small glimmer of hope through reviews requested by Met...

A recent study conducted by the European Commission highlights a concerning trend among social media influencers, with the majority failing to disclose paid content. This omission not only contravenes advertising guidelines but also raises legal implications for both influencers and the brands they promote. European Union regulations mandate influencers to maintain transparency in their posts, ensuring they do not disseminate false or deceptive information about products or services. Specifically, influencers must disclose any financial or non-monetary benefits received from endorsing a brand's offerings. The study examined  posts from 576 influencers across major social media platforms and uncovered significant deficiencies. While nearly all influencers (97%) shared content with commercial intent, only a minority 2 in 10 (or 20 percent to be exact) consistently disclosed the promotional nature of their posts. A notable portion (30%) omitted essential company details, such as conta...

  Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, shared insights into his unconventional leadership style during a recent  episode of the Morning Brew Daily podcast . He expressed a reluctance towards delegating responsibilities, a principle that has sparked controversy within the business and leadership community. Zuckerberg emphasized the importance, in his view, for founders to immerse themselves in decision-making processes and various aspects of their company's operations. He acknowledged the necessity of recognizing personal limitations to avoid hindering progress. Despite his inclination towards hands-on involvement, Zuckerberg acknowledged the indispensability of a talented team to handle essential tasks beyond his capacity. Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen Reflecting on his evolving confidence over time, Zuckerberg asserted his commitment to delving deeply into various matters and steering them towards his envisioned direction. He acknowledged the inevitability of setbacks but...

  Tech giant Meta is facing great scrutiny from watchdogs located in the EU. The news comes after the rollout of ad-free subscriptions took center stage in 2023 but EU regulators feel the thought of the ‘pay or ok’ initiative is just worrisome and they’re making sure Meta knows how they feel about this. In the recently   published joint letter , several watchdogs from that part of the globe had people talking more on this front and speaking against the model for ad-free subscriptions. The leading concern is that there is a $14 monthly fee attached which Meta would take to ensure user data was secure and privacy was maintained at all times. The firms who are expressing concern include those hailing from Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands. There were plenty of concerned parties who felt Meta’s Pay or Okay policy might be too expensive and therefore they would find it hard to say no to the option that allows them to reject the offer. The document similarly goes on to point out ...

  Tech giant Meta is gearing up for the upcoming US Elections phase as well as crucial voting polls all set to take center around the globe very soon. The company  just mentioned  how the goal was to provide a greater number of data to the masses for the sake of academics and to ensure people stayed well aware of what was taking place in their surroundings. As days go by, this would be designed to ensure voters remain well aware of what’s taking place in terms of remaining aware of happening in the world of politics so they can be more informed and make better decisions along the way. Remember, Meta has already been criticized multiple times for enabling misinformation to spread across its apps for a while now, and it seems to peak, each time the elections take place. The goal is to ensure the best understanding of any political shifts arising as we speak because things keep on fluctuating and people need to be aware of what’s taking place. After this new initiative was r...

  A hacker has just raised the alarm amongst Facebook users after confirming that 200,000 personal data record entries were reportedly stolen from the firm’s database. The news is alarming for obvious reasons as the claims further went on to delineate how the cybercriminal dubbed ‘alogoatson breached contractors’ efforts that are in charge of Facebook’s cloud services. They stole part of the user database that featured a significant number of entries. The information was rolled out by a leading threat actor dubbed ‘IntelBroker’ which is notorious for a long list of leaks that entailed data stolen through General Electric and a long list of high-profile attacks taking place. This sample entails lists featuring full names, profile image links, and hashed passwords. Other than that, profile ratings, settings, and plenty of reviews were on display. The hacker explained how the data that was compromised included the likes of Physical IDs. This database was first rolled out in February a...

  Tech giant Meta is under pressure after greater  concern grew  surrounding its respective hate speech policy. Many users were wary about the terminology linked to zionists and how it was being used for posts linked to the Arab and Jewish communities.  The policy currently enables the use of the term in a political discourse. Still, it was removed when it had to do with Jews or Israelis directly, especially when it was in the context of a violent or dehumanizing manner. This was just confirmed through an email generated by a Meta rep who mentioned that it planned to invite others to discuss the matter in the future, as first spotted by  TheIntercept . Meanwhile, the email further mentioned how the firm considered reviewing this in context to posts and concerns of users who were the real stakeholders on this front. This means we might soon be witnessing a possible change in policy while advocacy groups (including  MPower Change  and  7amleh )...

  Meta is  changing  the way Instagram and Threads show political content. The company wants to avoid making Threads like Twitter, where political debates can get very heated. Now, Instagram and Threads won't "proactively" show users political posts. This is similar to what Meta already does on Facebook. It has cut down on political content in different places like the News Feed and video suggestions. Image: Digital Information World Meta plans to bring these changes to Instagram and Threads as the 2024 U.S. elections get closer. This means less political content in Instagram Reels and the Explore section, as well as in the main feed of both Instagram and Threads. Threads is trying to be different from Twitter, avoiding news and political debates. Even though Threads delayed adding a trends feature, Meta doesn't want to push news content there. Meta's new rules affect how Instagram suggests posts to users. But, if someone follows an account that shares political c...

  Tech giant Meta is on the rise to roll out a greater sense of transparency surrounding its platforms. Facebook’s parent firm  says  it hopes to implement a greater number of rules that give rise to more transparency as we speak while others would be linked to detecting AI usage through technical measures. We agree that it won’t always be possible as there are plenty of options up for grabs and a lot of options available today for subverting digital watermarks can be done with ease. But tech giant Meta says it hopes to generate the latest industry standards on this front that has to do with AI detection. Facebook’s parent firm hopes to collaborate with a series of other providers in the industry to ensure AI transparency and create the right working rules that highlight such ordeals taking place online. Tech giant Meta says it’s on the rise to creating several tools that can identify which markers are invisible and which are not. This means labeling pictures from all kin...

  Social media trends are always evolving and now with the use of VR, AR, and other AI technologies, users are finding different ways to engage with each other online. Surely, these new trends of online engagements are going to impact the next generation of young consumers.  A report by Qustodio   shows  how the young generation of people are engaging themselves in new trends on different social media platforms. The report is based on a survey of 40,000 US families with kids ages between 4 to 18 years. The report outlines the social media platforms where kids spend their time. It was revealed that kids are spending an average of 2 hours daily playing Roblox, a popular online game. Kids are also spending another 2 hours on average of their day on TikTok. However, in 2023, TikTok remained the most-blocked social media app for its influence on mental health and security concerns. Parents worldwide restrict access due to its controversial challenges, marking its second c...

  Whatsapp is coming up with a new feature that will enable the user to lock their chats on WhatsApp web, as spotted by  WBI . Users have been demanding locked chats on WhatsApp web and now Meta's messaging platform has already started working on it. The locked chats will have a separate tab for them that will greatly protect the user’s privacy. Anything about tab placement and its design is too soon to discuss as WhatsApp hasn’t said (officially) anything about it. What some experts are anticipating is that the tab is likely to have a code that will help the user to hide their private chats. Keep in mind that a lock for chats on WhatsApp is already available on its iOS and Android. There are a lot of advantages to locking your chats on WhatsApp in terms of privacy and security. The biggest advantage of locking the chats on WhatsApp web will be when the user will be working among other people and wants to protect their privacy. WhatsApp is working hard to add new features on t...

  Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Meta, expressed his heartfelt apologies during a Senate session on online child safety topic, acknowledging the distress experienced by parents who attributed their children's tragic outcomes to Instagram. Senator Josh Hawley's inquiry prompted Zuckerberg's candid response, "I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through. It’s a terrible ordeal, and no family should endure the hardships yours have faced." The Senate Judiciary Committee convened the hearing, titled “ Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis ,” where Zuckerberg, alongside the CEOs of TikTok, Discord, X, and Snap, faced a barrage of queries from lawmakers. Holding snapshots of their children, parents confronted the tech leaders, donning blue ribbons advocating the "STOP Online Harms! Pass KOSA!" initiative, urging the enactment of the Kids Online Safety Act. Upon Zuckerberg's entrance, audible disapproval emanated from ...