Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Twitter bans promoting other social media, then reverses course

Twitter

Twitter’s policy page was removed hours after it banned users from promoting their social media. The platform and Musk were criticized for a move that defied the internet’s free market-style cross-linking. Musk appeared to contradict the policy hours after its announcement. Twitter‘s policy page was removed hours after it banned users from promoting Facebook, Instagram, … Read more

Twitter will begin demanding its users to provide it access to their data

Twitter data

Twitter is going to start mandating that its users give it access to their data. This goes against the criteria set forth by Apple for the App Store. The only way to protect one’s privacy will be to pay the monthly subscription fee for Twitter Blue. Twitter CEO, Elon Musk decided to raise the price … Read more

Meta Platforms enabled hateful Facebook posts from Ethiopia, causing conflict

Meta Platforms

Ethiopia’s government and rebel groups have been at war since 2020. Meta Platforms must set aside almost $2 billion to compensate victims of violence incited on Facebook. Expand its moderation team in Nairobi. Meta Platforms is accused of allowing violent and nasty posts from Ethiopia to grow on Facebook, inflaming Ethiopia’s civil strife. This lawsuit … Read more

Bilawal launches Facebook monetization program for Pakistan

Facebook monetization

FM Bilawal visited Meta headquarters in Singapore He launched the “Stars Programme” for monetization in Pakistan He called for enhancing cooperation between Meta and Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited the Asia Pacific headquarters of Meta  the parent company of Facebook, based in Singapore, where he launched the “Stars Programme” for monetization in Pakistan. … Read more

Man United for sale: Facebook and Amazon to compete with $10.6 billion Dubai deal

Man United for sale: Facebook and Amazon to compete with $10.6 billion Dubai deal

Liverpool and Manchester United are two of England’s most successful teams, PSG’s Qatari owners have said they are open to offers for a share of the French club. Dubai has become one of the most likely buyer. While the football world watches what happens on the field in Qatar, the business world is watching what … Read more

Google, Facebook and TikTok to Establish Operations in Pakistan

Google, Facebook and TikTok to Establish Operations in Pakistan

Google wants to do business in Pakistan and give away 15,000 scholarships. SECP granted Google’s request to do business in Pakistan last week. In next few weeks, the company will open an office in Islamabad. Afnanullah Khan, who is on the Senate Finance Committee, recently talked to the media. He said that a group from … Read more

US charges two Russians behind popular Z-Library website

z library website

The Justice Department stated that Anton Napolsky and Valeriia Ermakova were arrested in Cordoba. Z-Library allowed free downloads of millions of books. The 13-year-old network claimed to contain more than 11 million e-books. The Justice Department stated on Wednesday that two Russians have been charged with copyright infringement and fraud for operating the globally popular … Read more

Man finds Facebook ‘spying’ creepy by showing ads for items he discussed

Facebook

When a few advertisements for topics he had just been discussing appeared in a Facebook user’s newsfeed, he became uneasy.

One evening, a 40-year-old guy who wished to remain anonymous was talking in-depth on his mobile phone to his grandmother about how to remove a tree stump from her lawn.

The journalist then noticed an odd Amazon advertisement for a large “copper tree stump killer” nail appear on his Facebook feed the next morning.

He had never looked up anything related to tree stumps on his phone or computer before or after the talk, nor had he “liked” or commented on the topic anywhere, let alone looked up how to get rid of them.

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Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce a lot of job cuts

Mark Zuckerberg

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, is rumoured to be planning to lay off thousands of employees this week. CEO Mark Zuckerberg expects certain teams to “stay flat or shrink” next year. Meta employs 87,000 people across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta, the company that owns Facebook, is rumoured to be planning to lay off … Read more

Kanye West is following his friend Donald Trump, plans to purchase Parler app

kanye west donald trump

The musician is following in the footsteps of his friend Donald Trump. Parler is a collection of new social media platforms promoted by Kanye West and Donald Trump as free-speech alternatives to Twitter. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022. Kanye West is preparing to purchase the social networking app … Read more

Facebook is making its features more like those of TikTok

Facebook

Facebook’s dismal, uninteresting, and monotonous posts are losing customers. People are more interested in sharing reels and styles that are popular at the moment. Facebook has witnessed a rise in TikTok users and is improving the app. Facebook is trying to get back on top of its game by giving its users reels and a … Read more

Facebook looks to reopen offices in Pakistan

Facebook looks to reopen offices in Pakistan
  • Facebook representatives reportedly discussed opening local offices in Pakistan with the director of the FIA.
  • Pakistan currently has over 40 million Facebook users and anticipates its internet user base to quadruple in the next years.
  • Officials from the social network company promised that they will soon visit the country.

Facebook, which is owned by Meta, has been requested to reopen offices in Pakistan, much like it has in other countries like India.

Facebook representatives have vowed to visit Pakistan shortly after being contacted by the Pakistani authorities about the situation.

The invitation was sent out during a meeting between Meta representatives from Romania and Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) Syed Aminul Haq.

For the Ministerial Conference of the International Telecommunication Union, around 186 ministerial delegations assembled in the European country (ITU PP-22). Romania’s capital city of Bucharest hosted the summit.

The IT Minister mentioned during the conference that Pakistan currently has over 40 million Facebook users and anticipates its internet user base to quadruple in the next years.

Employees at Meta expressed happiness with Pakistan’s internet development and pointed out that the number of Facebook users in that nation has increased significantly in recent years.

The IT Minister used the chance to request that Facebook establish local offices in Pakistan.

Officials from the massive social network company promised that they will soon visit the nation.

It’s important to note that this is not the first time a report of this kind has appeared.

Facebook representatives reportedly discussed opening local offices in Pakistan with the director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) earlier this year.

Both parties apparently spoke for more than 3.5 hours, covering a wide range of topics.

The Director made it plain that, like other South Asian nations like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, creating a local office in Pakistan was a prerequisite for Facebook.

Later, the FIA refuted rumors that Facebook intended to set up shop in Pakistan.

Later that day, the agency released a press release claiming that all such accusations are unfounded and unconfirmed.

 

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Meta wants you to easily create Instagram and Facebook accounts

Meta Facebook

Meta wants to make it easier for users to switch between Facebook and Instagram accounts. Users can create new accounts using their Instagram and Facebook logins. This would be done with Meta’s accounts centre and a centralised profile hub. Meta wants to make the experience of its users better, so it is making it easier … Read more

Facebook whistleblower Haugen launches non-profit to take on big tech

Haugen

Frances Haugen, the former Facebook engineer who leaked internal documents, has started a nonprofit. Beyond the Screen will help find ways that big tech is not meeting its “legal and ethical obligations to society”. The group will work with groups like Common Sense Media and Project Liberty. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook engineer who leaked … Read more

Meta sued for illegally gathering user data

Meta user data

Facebook and Instagram’s iOS apps evade App Tracking Transparency, according to a class-action lawsuit. Suit also claims that Facebook opens web links in its own in-app browser. Recent sources indicate that Meta is the subject of a class action lawsuit Recent sources indicate that Meta is the subject of a class action lawsuit. According to … Read more

US Department of Defense rejects use of social media for disinformation

US Department of Defense

The US Department of Defense has initiated a review of its psychological warfare activities. The Washington Post cited a report by Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory on covert pro-western influence efforts. US Central Command officers supervise operations in the Middle East, he says. An official stated on Tuesday that the US Department of Defense … Read more

Facebook induces mental health decline; study

Facebook induces mental health decline
  • The use of Facebook has been directly linked to a “worsening” rise in complaints of anxiety and sadness among students.
  • The suicide rate among 10- to 24-year-olds was steady from 2000 to 2007 but rose 57% between 2007 and 2017.
  • A total of 4.3 billion people on the planet have at least one social media account.

The use of Facebook has been directly linked to a “worsening” rise in complaints of anxiety and sadness among college students, according to recent research.

In the first 2.5 years of the platform’s existence, college students who had accounts on the site were 20% more likely to experience anxiety and 7% more likely to experience depression, according to the study, which was published in the American Economic Review.

Students at Harvard gained access to Facebook first in 2004, followed by those from Columbia, Stanford, and Yale institutions.

Researchers compared the mental health questionnaires conducted on these campuses with those conducted on college campuses without access to the platform using medical data from these universities.

Despite the fact that there have been hundreds of studies linking social media use to deteriorating mental health, researchers claim that their special methodology has allowed them to confirm the connection.

According to the study, which was co-authored by Ro’ee Levy of Tel Aviv University, “unfavorable social comparisons” are probably to blame for the rise in young people’s anxiety and melancholy.

“As we all know, social media platforms are widely used today. Users struggle to comprehend that what they see online may not always mirror reality because they cause jealousy.”

“How much more so when the phenomenon was brand-new, 16–18 years ago,” Levy told.

Another participant in the study and assistant professor at MIT Sloan, Alexey Makarin, stated that “the effects seem to intensify with time.”

“It appears as though the effect is stronger with the sophomore, who had greater exposure,” Makarin said, according to MIT Sloan’s website, if a freshman at Harvard had access to Facebook for one semester and a sophomore for two semesters in late fall 2004.

When Makarin first started using social media, he said that he thought about mental health as “just one more” aspect of it, but after doing his research, he stated, “I began to know how truly horrible the situation is, and it remained with me.”

“Any insights into what’s driving this tendency that this work, or others, may offer, will be incredibly helpful to society,” he added.

The suicide rate among 10- to 24-year-olds was steady from 2000 to 2007, but rose 57% between 2007 and 2017.

This is according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.

Facebook now boasts daily users of 2.5 billion. A total of 4.3 billion people on the planet have at least one social media account.

In 2021, the typical user spent 2.5 hours per day on social media, according to a study by the American Economic Review.

 

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Unsealed documents reveal new details about Facebook-audited apps

Facebook

Documents obtained by plaintiffs in the privacy lawsuits give a look at what the platform’s audit team found in third-party apps. The majority had access to images, videos, events, groups, relationship status, and much more. Facebook has been hit with scandal after scandal for years. And being the CEO of a company is not an … Read more

How to Sort Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter Posts

Social media

Social media feeds are no longer automatically sorted into chronological order. Instagram used to be recognized as the site for photos. TikTok’s For You page is powered by an algorithm. Social media feeds are no longer automatically sorted into chronological order. An algorithm randomly arranges the postings as you navigate through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter … Read more

YouTube, Meta to expand policies, inquiry to fight online extremism

Meta policies

YouTube will remove violent content even if the creators aren’t affiliated with a terrorist group. Microsoft will give schools and smaller groups a basic version of its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools. Major tech companies pledged to remove more violent content and promote media literacy with young users as part of a White … Read more

Meta donates Rs 125 M for flood victims in Pakistan

Meta donates Rs 125 M for flood victims
  • Over a million dollars have been generated by communities on multiple Meta-owned sites.
  • The contribution will help students in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan return to school.
  • The funds will be used to renovate schools, provide cleanliness and health with dignity kits, and support life skills programs.

The parent company of Facebook, Meta, announced on Wednesday that it would provide Rs125 million to UNICEF, Hands, and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) to aid communities affected by the floods in Pakistan.

The contribution will help students in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan return to school while also supporting emergency aid, food, water, and sanitation.

When the flooding started prior to the donation, Facebook’s Safety Check tool was activated, enabling users to notify friends and family that they were safe.

Additionally, a crisis page was created where individuals may utilize the Community Help function to solicit and provide assistance from other communities.

“One of the worst natural disasters we have ever witnessed is currently occurring in Pakistan.”

“The entire country is coming together to support the millions of people who are impacted during this trying time.”

“We hope that the people affected by the disaster can benefit from our donations, and we are thinking about these families and towns as they work to rebuild,” said Jordi Fornies, Director for Emerging Markets, Asia-Pacific at Meta.

Furthermore, Meta’s “Data for Good” initiative started its Disaster Maps program and is currently supplying information to local response partners.

One of those partners, CrisisReady (a Direct Relief and Harvard University partnership), has concentrated on merging data sources into situation reports that are used every day by thousands of first responders on the ground.

The President and CEO of UNICEF USA, Michael J. Nyenhuis, expressed his gratitude to Meta for all of the assistance.

“Millions of people, including children, have been severely impacted by the relentless monsoon rains over the past few weeks, which have severely damaged or entirely washed away people’s homes.”

“We urgently need assistance to continue our relief work in Pakistan and support for children and their families as winter approaches in various areas of the nation in the coming weeks.”

Over a million dollars have been generated by communities on multiple Meta-owned sites for charities supporting flood relief efforts.

Leading NGOs from all across the world have also successfully raised significant funds using Facebook and Instagram.

Baela Raza Jamil, CEO of ITA, commented on the news, saying, “We will renovate schools, guarantee 2nd Chance Accelerated learning programs with life skills (psychosocial support, climate change, and digital literacy), and provide cleanliness and health with dignity kits.”

“By addressing homes, communities, schools, parents, kids, and especially adolescent girls and teachers entrenched inside government institutions for effective emergency response and preparedness, this is a complete and inclusive strategy to #BuildingBackBetter.”

Meta is constantly looking into new ways to help not just families in the damaged areas, but also NGOs and other causes in their endeavors.

 

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Meta starts testing Messenger Community Chats

meta community chats

Community Chats will be available for Facebook Groups, and you will be able to participate through Facebook Messenger. The experience seamlessly blends Messenger and Facebook Groups. Today, Mark Zuckerberg said that Meta is beginning to test Community Chats for Facebook Groups inside Messenger, which sounds a little complex, so let’s break it down. Community Chats … Read more

Mark Zuckerberg not good enough for Facebook?

Mark Zuckerberg not good enough for Facebook
  • Bill George is a senior fellow at Harvard Business School and former CEO of Medtronic.
  • He claims that as long as Mark Zuckerberg is in charge, Meta will fail.
  • According to George, Zuckerberg is a glory-seeker who values fame and money above all else.

According to a Harvard professor, Mark Zuckerberg’s terrible management abilities are dragging Meta toward failure.

According to Bill George, senior fellow at Harvard Business School and former CEO of medical technology company Medtronic, Zuckerberg’s failures as CEO are “continue to derail” the software juggernaut once known as Facebook.

According to George, who works for an international news outlet, “I don’t think Facebook is going to do well as long as he’s there.”

“He’s probably a factor in why so many people are avoiding the business. He’s really wandering aimlessly.”

George has studied leadership failures in the workplace for the past 20 years, and he recently published a new book titled “True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition” that contains his findings.

In essence, George claims that those in charge who lose sight of their most cherished ideals, principles, and role as a leader—especially when doing so for the sake of gain, notoriety, or power—are condemned to failure.

And he claims that after studying prominent company failures for decades, Zuckerberg and Meta of today bear significant similarities.

A request for comment from the publication was not immediately answered by Zuckerberg or Meta.

The CEO of Meta is primarily to blame for his company’s rapid development up to this point.

He turned the 2004 startup he co-founded into a tech behemoth with a $450.46 billion market cap as of Monday morning.

By doing so, he contributed to the development of the current social media industry, a feat he is now aiming to duplicate by relocating his business to the metaverse.

“I have complete faith in Mark Zuckerberg, even though I know that this is probably out of style. I believe Zuckerberg will be able to pull it off.”

Cramer referred to the metaverse as having a history of recovering from stock declines, scandals, and controversies.

“Some people are worth betting on. And if you think back to that awful summer breakdown in 2018… Nobody anticipated these people would return.”

However, George claims that as long as Zuckerberg is in charge, Meta will fail. This is why:

A justifier who assigns blame

In his work, George examines five different sorts of evil bosses. According to George, Zuckerberg fits into not just one but three of those groups.

First, George claims that Zuckerberg is a rationalizer, the kind of manager that refuses to own up to or learn from their errors. Instead, they assign blame to others in order to justify errors.

In February, Meta had the largest single-day decline of any American stock in history, losing more than $232 billion from its market value.

The outcomes were attributed to a number of causes by Zuckerberg and his team, including Apple’s privacy changes in 2021, which have made it more difficult to target advertisements to smartphone consumers, as well as growing competition from rivals like TikTok.

Both of those characteristics plus the significant amount of money spent on metaverse research and development are likely to have had an impact.

More than $10 billion in losses were recorded by Meta’s virtual reality sector in 2021 alone, and $2.8 billion for the entire second quarter of 2022.

Although Zuckerberg did state at a shareholder meeting in May that he anticipates his company will lose “significant” sums of money over the following three to five years as it invests in metaverse technologies, George claims that Zuckerberg has yet to publicly acknowledge or accept responsibility for it.

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Chimpanzee gives crying man hugs and kisses

Chimpanzee

Limbani, the monkey, is an internet star with over 700,000 Instagram followers. The video has over 1.8 million views and 174k likes. Endearing chimp is housed at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF) in Miami, Florida. A video of a well-dressed Chimpanzee consoling a sorrowful guy and caressing his back recently went viral on social media. … Read more

Tired of targeted Facebook ads? Here’s how to remove them

Facebook ads

Facebook, Google and Twitter analyse your behaviour to predict your interests and show you ads that match them. Individual ads are targeted based on your gender, age, income, and psychographic factors like attitudes and interests. Facebook will match advertisers to your profile to keep them anonymous. Many customers believe their computer browsers and social media … Read more

Meta now allows you to post NFTs on both Facebook and Instagram

Meta

Users can publish digital collectables on Facebook and Instagram after connecting their digital wallets. Linking NFTs to these sites increases the likelihood of being targeted with phishing attempts. The expansion is timed to coincide with Eminem and Snoop Dogg’s duet at the VMAs. Meta now allows users to publish digital collectables on Facebook and Instagram … Read more