Meta fined record $1.3B, ordered to stop sending European user data to U.S.
The social media company that owns Facebook might have to carry out a costly and complex revamp of its operations if it’s ultimately forced to stop the transfers.
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Supreme Court sides with Google, Twitter, but avoids ruling on broader protections
The justices unanimously rejected a lawsuit alleging that the companies allowed their platforms to be used to aid and abet an attack at a Turkish nightclub that killed 39 people in 2017.
Musk confirms Twitter’s new CEO is ad guru Linda Yaccarino from NBCUniversal
Yaccarino has worked at NBCUniversal for nearly 12 years—with her team generating more than $100 billion in ad sales since 2011, her company bio notes.
Indiana judge deals blow to state’s lawsuit against TikTok
The decision denied the request from Attorney General Todd Rokita for an order preventing TikTok from stating on app stores that it has “none” or “infrequent/mild” references to drugs, sexual or other inappropriate content for children as young as 12.
Regulators: Facebook misled parents, failed to guard privacy of children
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to a 2020 privacy order with Facebook—now called Meta. The FTC said the company has failed to fully comply with the order. Meta called the announcement a “political stunt.”
TikTok hires Indiana lobbyist as some states restrict access to the app
The move by TikTok comes as several states, including Indiana, restrict access to the video-sharing platform on government-issued devices due to national security concerns.
Gap grows between TikTok users, lawmakers on potential ban
On the one side are dozens of lawmakers on Capitol Hill issuing dire warnings about security and possible Chinese surveillance. On the other are some 150 million TikTok users who just want to be able to keep making and watching short, fun videos.
Twitter say parts of its source code leaked online
The leak creates more challenges for billionaire Elon Musk, who bought Twitter last October for $44 billion and took the company private. Since then, it has been engulfed in chaos, with massive layoffs and advertisers fleeing.
UPDATE: TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical lawmakers on safety, content
A nearly six-hour grilling of TikTok’s CEO by lawmakers brought the platform’s 150 million U.S. users no closer to an answer as to whether the app will be wiped from their devices.
TikTok dismisses calls for Chinese owners to sell stakes
Meanwhile, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been moving forward with legislation that would give the Biden administration more power to clamp down on TikTok.
Mark Zuckerberg was warned about social media addiction, filing shows
Employees at Facebook parent Meta Platforms and TikTok developer ByteDance were aware of the harmful effects of their platforms on young children and teenagers but disregarded the information or in some cases sought to undermine it, court filings show.
Twitter hit by glitches as links, images fail to load
The company experienced an uptick of instability and bugs in recent months after new owner Elon Musk cut its staff sharply.
TikTok adds 60-minute limit for teens but leaves big loopholes
The purported “limit” has been introduced as TikTok encounters significant political pressure in the United States from lawmakers in both major parties.
Supreme Court wrestles with lawsuit shield for social media
The case highlighted the tension between technology policy fashioned a generation ago and the reach of today’s social media, numbering billions of posts each day.
Twitter scrambles to fix meltdown as many unable to tweet
It is not clear what caused Wednesday’s meltdown, but Twitter engineers and experts have been warning that the platform is at an increased risk of fraying since new owner Elon Musk fired most of the people who worked on keeping it running.
Indy laboratory fires manager who threatened California congressman
Patients Choice Laboratories said Friday it was “appalled” by the comments of its employee, who sent a vulgar, threatening direct message to Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell.
Twitter leak exposes 235 million email addresses from hack
While account passwords were not leaked, malicious hackers could use the email addresses to try to reset people’s passwords, or guess them if they are commonly used or reused with other accounts.
Indiana blocks Chinese-owned app TikTok from state devices
The blockage came on the same day that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sued TikTok, claiming the video-sharing platform misleads its users, particularly children, about the level of inappropriate content and security of consumer information.
Facebook parent Meta will pay $725M to settle user data case
The case sprang from 2018 revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a firm with ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon, had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million users of the platform.
Musk says he will find new Twitter CEO but keep control of key divisions
Musk tweeted his decision Tuesday night in response to an unscientific and unrepresentative poll he launched two days ago, which asked users whether he should step down as head of the company.