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Cambridge Analytica lawsuit settled for $725M; largest ever privacy class action

Cambridge Analytica lawsuit settled | Large office block

The long-running Cambridge Analytica lawsuit against Facebook parent company Meta has finally been settled. The social media company agreed to pay Facebook users a combined total of $725M for sharing their personal data with the now-bankrupt political consultancy.

The lawyers behind the case described the victory as a “historic” one, saying that it was the largest ever payout in a US privacy case …

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Meta announces updates on NFT and other new features coming to Instagram and Facebook

Meta announces updates on NFT and other new features coming to Instagram and Facebook

Meta on Wednesday announced new features coming soon to Facebook and Instagram that will enhance the experience for creators using both platforms. This includes updates on NFT, Instagram subscriptions, and Facebook Stars. The news comes as the company holds its Creator Week conference with in-person events around the world.

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Google and Microsoft take 20x more damage than Apple as big tech sees $3 trillion in losses

It’s been a challenging year on a number of levels and major tech hasn’t been immune. Over the last twelve months, more than $3 trillion in value has been shed by the top seven US tech companies. While all have lost billions, Google’s Alphabet and Microsoft have taken the most damage with 20x the losses that Apple has seen.

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Facebook and Instagram boosts now have to give Apple a cut; Meta calls it a tax

Instagram boosts | Instagram app on iPhone

Facebook and Instagram boosts are a popular way for creators to give their posts extra reach by paying Meta to show them to more people. Apple has updated its App Store rules to say that any boosts purchased through the iOS apps must use in-app purchases (IAP), giving the iPhone maker a 30% cut.

Meta has called this an Apple tax on ads, and says that the Cupertino company is growing its own ad business while undercutting competitors …

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Meta launches ad campaign targeting iMessage: ‘WhatsApp is far more private and secure’

iMessage meta WhatsApp

Meta is launching a new ad campaign targeting Apple’s iMessage platform head-on. The ad campaign unveiled by Mark Zuckerberg today criticizes Apple for only offering end-to-end encryption for iMessage, not standard SMS communication. WhatsApp, on the other hand, offers end-to-end encryption that “works across both iPhones and Android.”

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Zuckerberg on Apple: Unannounced price of unannounced headset is too expensive

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Ask for the views of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Apple, and it will come as no surprise that he’s critical. It seems this even applies to products the Cupertino company hasn’t even yet announced.

The Facebook founder effectively criticized Apple for its (unknown) pricing strategy on its (unannounced) Apple Headset …

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Facebook security warning: Scam apps stole login credentials [U: List of apps]

Facebook security warning | Using app in dark room

Update: The names of the apps are now known. Apple has removed them from the App Store, but the apps also need to be removed from devices – see the list added to the end of the piece.

Meta has issued a Facebook security warning to around one million users that their login credentials may have been stolen by scam apps. While most of the apps were Android ones, 47 of them were iOS apps found in Apple’s App Store

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Horizon Worlds metaverse app so bad that Meta has to force employees to use it

It seems Meta is having problems persuading even its own employees to don one of its virtual reality headsets and use its primary metaverse app, Horizon Worlds. So much so that an internal memo says the company would “hold managers accountable” for their teams using it.

It’s one of a set of leaked memos that suggest Apple may not have too much to fear from Meta’s competition to its own upcoming VR/AR headsets …

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App Tracking Transparency workaround sees Meta face class action lawsuit

App Tracking Transparency workaround | Facebook watching through binoculars

Meta is facing a class action lawsuit after both Facebook and Instagram were found to be using an App Tracking Transparency workaround to track users on the web, even after they were denied permission to do so.

The company is accused not just of breaking Apple’s privacy rules, but also violating both state and federal laws …

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Meta to face ‘accountability’ after 14-year-old Molly Russell took her own life

Molly Russell | Abstract image of rain on a window

Execs from Instagram and Pinterest have been ordered to appear before an inquest into the death of a 14-year-old girl, Molly Russell. Russell took her own life after using the apps to view extensive material on self-harm, depression, and suicide.

It’s the latest development in growing concerns about the impact of social media platforms on the mental health of teenagers, girls especially …

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Meta Quest Pro headset revealed as it was left in hotel room; will launch ahead of Apple headset

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The Meta Quest Pro headset is set to launch next month, and it’s believed to have many features in common with the upcoming Apple headset expected to be launched early next year. We already knew the name, and it now appears we know what both the device and its packaging look like, thanks to a careless employee.

A sample of the headset, its controllers, and retail packaging were left in a hotel room, bringing back memories of the time an Apple engineer left an iPhone 4 prototype in a bar

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Midterm election disinformation fears see both Meta and TikTok prepare defenses

Midterm election disinformation | US flag and ballot envelope

Fears about midterm election disinformation have led both Meta and TikTok to outline the defensive measures they plan to deploy. It follows a disastrous experience in 2016, when Facebook unwittingly sold political ad space to disinformation agents working on behalf of Russia.

Meta subsequently put in place protections for the 2020 elections, and says that it will maintain the strategies shown to be effective, as well as improving on them …

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Virtual reality antitrust intervention, as FTC tells Meta it can’t buy another VR company

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It might seem a little early for a virtual reality antitrust intervention, in a field which is as yet still a niche interest, but the FTC is taking no chances. It has moved to block Meta’s planned purchase of VR fitness company Within.

The aggressiveness of the move makes it seem likely that Apple will face similar bars on acquiring VR companies to assist its upcoming Apple Headset product …

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Apple versus Meta headset battle will determine the future of the internet – Zuckerberg

Apple versus Meta headset | Abstract image of virtual figure formed of dots of light

The future of the internet will depend on the outcome of an Apple versus Meta headset battle, claims Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

He told employees that the two companies had very different visions for the metaverse, and admitted that it’s not yet clear which will be better …

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Meta Quest Pro VR/AR headset name found in iOS app; spec similar to Apple Headset reports

Meta Quest Pro

We knew that Facebook’s parent company Meta was working on a new high-end VR/AR headset, but a couple of new reports reveal both the name – Meta Quest Pro – and more about what to expect.

The broad specifications for the combined virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headset seem close to what has been reported for the upcoming Apple Headset …

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