Tag: méta

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Mobile Syrup

Meta is done making original content for Facebook Watch

Facebook owner Meta is closing its Facebook Watch originals division. The service is known for its original programming including Red Table Talk, Sorry for Your Loss, Sacred Lies, and Strangers.

The decision comes amid a new layoff of 10,000 employees, including head of development and programming Mina Lefevre.

Meta is among the many tech companies scaling back its employee base. In recent months, we’ve seen layoffs from big players like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

The shuttering of original content creation is something we’ve also seen before. Notably, YouTube ended its Originals program early last year.

Facebook Watch was first launched in Canada in August 2018. While the service itself will continue to operate, it looks like the rollout of new original content will be a thing of the past.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Deadline Via: The Hollywood Reporter

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Mobile Syrup

Mark Zuckerberg wants to introduce AI agents to billions through Meta

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recently told investors that the technology company sees “an opportunity to introduce AI agents to billions of people in ways that will be useful and meaningful.”

Although Zuckerberg didn’t follow up on exactly how the company plans on adding generative AI to its apps, his interest in the project was shown during the company’s earnings call for the first quarter of this year. It was reported that Meta earned $28.6 billion USD (roughly $38.9 billion CAD) in revenue along with a record 2 billion daily users of the Facebook app. Meta’s first quarter profits totalled $5.7 billion USD (about $7.7 billion CAD).

The CEO did tease potential plans for AI implementation on apps such as WhatsApp, Messenger and visual creation tools for posts on Facebook and Instagram, saying, “I expect that these tools will be valuable for everyone from regular people to creators to businesses. For example, I expect that a lot of interest in AI agents for business messaging and customer support will come once we nail that experience.”

Not one to shy away from bringing the topic back to the heavily-touted metaverse, Zuckerberg would go on to state that, over time, AI would come to the virtual world in the form of created avatars, objects, and worlds.

Initially behind on the AI push, Meta has slowly been taking steps towards bringing artificial intelligence to its systems, including spending billions of dollars on rehauling its data centers in recent quarters. Zuckerberg now says that the company is “no longer behind” in building its AI infrastructure and is planning on releasing related products in the coming months.

The news comes as AI chatbots have become all the rage lately, with companies like Snapchat and Google joining in on the craze. While Meta did release an AI language model called LLaMA to researchers earlier this year, it has not released anything widely accessible as of yet.

However, with Zuckerberg announcing that AI is “literally going to touch every single one of our products,” it won’t be long before Meta attempts a splash in the AI field. This doesn’t mean that the company is shifting away from the metaverse, though, with the next Quest VR headset slated to debut later this year.

Speaking of Meta’s journey into AR, Meta Spark is currently looking to support Indigenous storytelling through augmented reality.

Image credit: Meta

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Upcoming WhatsApp update will tweak user’s About section

The popular WhatsApp messaging service is no stranger to user interface adjustments.

While the About section has previously allowed for more than one line of text, everything past the first line would get cut off when viewing contacts in list form. The update will now provide an extra line of text for increased visibility.

The latest update is now available for those enrolled in the WhatsApp beta program. The build is version 2.23.8.25, and can be installed through the Google Play Store.

The Meta-owned company has provided a number of other updates so far this year, including voice status updates and status emoji reactions.

The extra line of text will first appear to a smaller group of beta testers before rolling out to everyone in the program, according to WABetaInfo.

Source: Android Police via WABetaInfo

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Mobile Syrup

Meta Spark looking to support Indigenous storytelling through augmented reality

On April 4th, Meta launched the Spark Indigenous Augmented Reality Creator Accelerator in partnership with Slow Studies Creative in an effort to incorporate immersive augmented reality experiences with Indigenous storytelling.

A five-week incubator program will supply 10 Indigenous creators in Canada with customized and hands-on training to showcase their culture in a new way through AR. This allows creators to connect with audiences beyond the limits of physical spaces.

Meta Spark currently grants more than 750 million people to experience AR to connect and communicate across Meta’s technologies every month.

Founder of Slow Studies Creative and multi-disciplinary Indigenous artist Josh Conrad developed Spark Indigenous as a way to empower Indigenous creators. The program aims to ensure that Indigenous culture and voices are properly represented for the world to both hear and see.

Meta Spark Studio will be used as a free AR design toolkit to give participating creators training to bring their creative ideas to life in virtual spaces.

Additionally, creators will participate in weekly sessions that offer opportunities to share ideas collaboratively and consider how AR can continue to amplify meaningful causes. Tutorials on building AR experiences will become available once the program is complete.

Meta says it’s committed to ensuring its technologies are places for First Nation, Inuit and Métis people “to connect to their communities, share their stories, enable cultural preservation and share history,” both now and in the future.

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Canadians won’t have access to news on Facebook, Instagram, if Bill C-18 approved: Meta

Meta says Canadians won’t be able to access news on its platforms if Bill C-18 becomes law. 

According to The Globe and Mail, the move will impact written and broadcast news. 

Under the bill, known as the Online News Act, platforms like Meta will have to pay news organizations for posting their content. 

“If the Online News Act passes in its current form, we will end the availability of news content on Facebook and Instagram for people in Canada,” Meta spokesperson, Lisa Laventure, told the publication. “A legislative framework that compels us to pay for links or content that we do not post, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our platform, is neither sustainable nor workable.”

The Globe reports unknown financial consequences of the bill played a role in the decision. Laventure told the publication three percent of the posts Canadians see on Facebook have links to news content which “is not a significant source of revenue.”

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said he was disappointed in Meta’s decision. “All we’re asking Facebook to do is negotiate fair deals with news outlets when they profit from their work.”

The news follows Google’s test to block some Canadians from accessing news.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: The Globe and Mail

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Mobile Syrup

Messenger is finally coming back to the Facebook app

METAVERSE META FACEBOOK. Silhouette of smartphone with Facebook, Messenger, whatsApp, Instagram, Oculus apps and blurred META logo on background. Rebrand of Facebook. Stafford, UK, October 28, 2021

Meta has confirmed that Messenger will be re-added to the Facebook app after several years away.

In 2016, the company made the controversial decision to remove in-app messaging functionality to drive people to its dedicated Messenger app. The return of the feature is being tested among some users now and will be expanded “soon,” Facebook chief Tom Alison wrote in a blog post.

“Over the coming year, we’ll build more ways to integrate messaging features in Facebook,” said Alison. “Ultimately, we want it to be easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether in the Messenger app or directly within Facebook.”

The move comes as Meta is looking for new ways to compete with TikTok. As part of these efforts, the company has been trying to position itself as a platform for entertainment and discovery, rather than simply social networking. For example, TikTok allows users to share videos directly through in-app messaging, so Meta undoubtedly wants to do something similar with Facebook.

Interestingly, this news was tucked away in a larger blog post about Facebook’s future, which coincides with new reports that the company is planning thousands of layoffs. This also follows Meta’s announcement in November that it plans to cut around 11,000 employees. During all of this, Meta also reportedly lost nearly $14 billion USD (about 19.2 billion CAD) on its plans for the metaverse.

“Contrary to reports otherwise, Facebook is not dead nor dying, but in fact alive and thriving with 2 billion daily active users,” claims Alison. “People are using Facebook for more than connecting with friends and family, but also to discover and engage around what is most important to them.”

Interestingly, Alison didn’t even mention the metaverse in the blog post and instead looked toward AI. “Our investments in AI are unlocking new ways for people to discover great new content on Facebook and share it with the people they care about,” said Alison.

“As our world-class Meta AI research teams continue to make advancements in AI, particularly generative AI, Facebook — and Meta more broadly — will look to bring this transformative technology to billions of people and allow them to create and share in new ways.”

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

‘Take It Down’ is allowing people to remove explicit online images

Meta is co-funding a new tool that will allow people to remove explicit content of themselves from the internet.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operates ‘Take It Down,’ allowing people to remove explicit online content, taken before they were 18, anonymously.

As The Associated Press reports, the tool lets users create a digital fingerprint (also known as a hash) of the content they want taken down, which then goes into a database that lets participating companies remove images and videos from their platforms.

Only a couple of platforms are currently part of the program, including Facebook, Instagram, Yubo, OnlyFand and Pornhub. “If the image is on another site, or if it is sent in an encrypted platform such as WhatsApp, it will not be taken down,” the publication reports.

Twitter and TikTok have yet to sign on, says The Associated Press.

The tool works with real, AI generated images, and deepfakes. However, altered images that, for instance, are cropped are considered a new image and need a separate hash.

Image credit: NCMEC YouTube/screenshot

Source: NCMEC Via: The Associated Press 

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Mobile Syrup

Meta begins rolling out paid verification, following in the steps of Twitter

Meta is introducing its own paid verification system, similar to Twitter. Across Facebook and Instagram, users will soon be able to purchase their own blue verification checkmark. 

Following months of Twitter’s paid verification debacle, Meta is now following suit. CEO Mark Zuckerberg reveals its Meta Verified service. Meta will begin rolling out its service in Australia and New Zealand this week, with other countries to soon follow.

Much like Twitter, Meta will be launching a platform-specific monthly subscription. On the web, users will be able to purchase a monthly subscription for $11.99 USD (roughly $16.13 CAD). However, to combat Apple and Google’s in-app purchase tax, Meta Verified will be available for $14.99 USD (around $20.17) each month on iOS and Android. In order to purchase a blue verification checkmark, users must be 18 years of age, provide government ID and “meet minimum activity requirements.”

The company claims that with its Meta Verified subscription, users will receive more protection from impersonation. The blue verification checkmark has historically been used to protect the identity of government officials, celebrities, journalists, and content creators. In addition, Meta states subscribers will have “access to a real person for common account issues.” Other perks include increased visibility as well as “exclusive features.”

In December of last year, Twitter launched its revamped Twitter Blue subscription, which includes paid verification. The service is available for $10 CAD/month on the web and $15/month CAD on iOS and Android. 

Following Musk’s ownership of Twitter, which cost $44 billion, he began looking at new avenues of monetization. Musk is bullish in believing that the paid checkmark is “the great leveler” the platform needs. It appears as though he’s opened Pandora’s Box as other platforms are following in Twitter’s footsteps. 

Musk claims those with a legacy blue checkmark will lose verification status in the near future unless they subscribe to Twitter Blue. Unlike Twitter, Meta states, “As we test and learn, there will be no changes to accounts on Instagram and Facebook that are already verified based on prior requirements, including authenticity and notability.” 

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Meta apps can purposefully drain phone batteries claims ex-employee

A data scientist who previously worked for Facebook parent company Meta claimed in a lawsuit that the company’s apps could deliberately drain the batteries of smartphones for testing purposes.

Speaking to the New York Post, George Hayward detailed Meta’s ‘negative testing’ practice, which involves running down the battery in someone’s smartphone to test how apps and features might run in low-battery scenarios. Hayward says he raised concerns about the practice with his manager, saying it could harm someone. The manager, according to Hayward, said that by harming a few, the company could help the masses.

Hayward claims he was fired for refusing to do negative testing over the potential risk of draining someone’s battery when they might need it, such as for a 911 call or Crash Detection.

Moreover, Hayward said he believed Meta engaged in the practice because of internal documents he viewed that included examples of negative testing experiments being carried out.

But before you go deleting your Facebook app, it’s worth pointing out these are significant claims and, at this point, I think we need to know more first. I’d say wait to see how the lawsuit plays out, but Hayward’s lawyer withdrew the suit because Hayward is required to go to arbitration. Hayward told the Post that he stands by the allegations.

While I wouldn’t be surprised that Meta (and most tech companies, for that matter) have testing for measuring app performance under low battery conditions, I would be surprised if that testing was being used on people’s apps without their knowledge. This is the type of thing that would be available on internal versions of apps used for, you know, testing things, not the production apps released to users.

Of course, Meta has done shady things before — and likely will again. For now, we just don’t know.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: New York Post Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Home Depot failed to get consent before sharing customer data with Meta, privacy office found

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) says Home Depot shared personal customer data with Meta without consent.

According to its investigation, the home repair store shared details, such as encoded email addresses and purchase information, from e-receipts with Meta through its Offline Conversions program. The feature contrasted in-store purchases with Home Dept ads shared on Facebook to examine how effective the ads were.

The investigation found Home Depot has been collecting email addresses to share e-receipts since at least 2018.

Information shared with Meta verified if customers had a Facebook account through an automated process. The emails were encoded, and Facebook employees couldn’t read them. However, Meta used personal information for user profiling and targeted advertising unrelated to Home Depot. The investigation says this was possible through Offline Conversions’ contractual terms.

Emails not connected to Facebook accounts weren’t linked to individual customers.

“While the details of a person’s in-store purchases may not have been sensitive in the context of Home Depot, they could be highly sensitive in other retail contexts, where they reveal, for example, information about an individual’s health or sexuality” a press release outlining the investigation states.

Home Depot said it “relied on implied consent,” and its privacy statement explains the company’s actions. The statement is available online or in print upon request at its retail locations. The company further said it didn’t share this information with customers before issuing e-receipts over “consent fatigue” concerns.

However, the OPC rejects the arguments, stating the privacy statement wasn’t “readily available” at retail locations, customers wouldn’t have any reasons to request such documents, and the practice wasn’t clearly explained.

“When customers were prompted to provide their email address, they were never informed that their information would be shared with Meta by Home Depot, or how it could be used by either company,” Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said. “This information would have been material to a customer’s decision about whether or not to obtain an e-receipt.”

Home Depot stopped sharing information with Meta in October 2022 and agreed to implement several OPC recommendations. This includes no longer sharing personal customer information with Meta until further notice and obtaining express consent from customers.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada