In a significant US&nbsp;Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, highlighted disturbing statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, revealing a surge in financial "sextortion" cases where predators manipulate minors into sharing explicit content, as reported by Reuters.&nbsp;

Durbin attributed the alarming growth in child sexual exploitation to technological changes. During the hearing, a video featuring children recounting their victimisation on social media platforms was played, emphasising the gravity of the issue. Parents, holding pictures of their children, anxiously awaited the CEOs' entrance into the hearing room.

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<h2>Accusations and accountability</h2>

Senator Lindsey Graham, addressing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accused the company of having "blood on their hands," holding them accountable for the impact of their products. Graham's strong statements reflected concerns about the potential harm caused by social media platforms.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made his first appearance before US&nbsp;lawmakers since March, addressing concerns about the app's impact on children's mental health.

Chew emphasised TikTok's commitment to safety, detailing careful product design choices to prevent harm to teenagers and strict community guidelines against exploitation.

Chew revealed that over 170 million Americans use TikTok monthly, acknowledging that platforms like TikTok are exploited by offenders to target children or trade child sexual abuse material. Durbin pointed out that such platforms are becoming tools for offenders to exploit and endanger minors.

CEOs, including Zuckerberg, Yaccarino, Spiegel, and Citron, testified about their commitment to protecting young users. Zuckerberg's written testimony acknowledged the ongoing challenge, with criminals adapting tactics necessitating continuous improvement in responses. Spiegel highlighted Snap's parental controls resembling real-world monitoring, balancing privacy and safety.

Also watch |&nbsp;Biden under pressure over death of three US soldiers in Jordan

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/biden-under-pressure-over-death-of-three-us-soldiers-in-jordan-685582/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

While the committee approved bills last year, including one removing tech firms' immunity from child sexual abuse material laws, none have become law. Senator Amy Klobuchar stressed the need for legislative action, citing social media companies' historical neglect of children's safety and their role in facilitating harmful content and illegal activities.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a significant US Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation.

In a significant US Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation. Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, highlighted disturbing statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, revealing a surge in financial "sextortion" cases where predators manipulate minors into sharing explicit content, as reported by Reuters. Durbin attributed the alarming growth in child sexual exploitation to technological changes. During the hearing, a video featuring children recounting their victimisation on social media platforms was played, emphasising the gravity of the issue. Parents, holding pictures of their children, anxiously awaited the CEOs' entrance into the hearing room. Also read | Elon Musk 'walks with' Tesla’s Optimus robot, excitement erupts online Accusations and accountability Senator Lindsey Graham, addressing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accused the company of having "blood on their hands," holding them accountable for the impact of their products. Graham's strong statements reflected concerns about the potential harm caused by social media platforms. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made his first appearance before US lawmakers since March, addressing concerns about the app's impact on children's mental health. Chew emphasised TikTok's commitment to safety, detailing careful product design choices to prevent harm to teenagers and strict community guidelines against exploitation. Chew revealed that over 170 million Americans use TikTok monthly, acknowledging that platforms like TikTok are exploited by offenders to target children or trade child sexual abuse material. Durbin pointed out that such platforms are becoming tools for offenders to exploit and endanger minors. CEOs, including Zuckerberg, Yaccarino, Spiegel, and Citron, testified about their commitment to protecting young users. Zuckerberg's written testimony acknowledged the ongoing challenge, with criminals adapting tactics necessitating continuous improvement in responses. Spiegel highlighted Snap's parental controls resembling real-world monitoring, balancing privacy and safety. Also watch | Biden under pressure over death of three US soldiers in Jordan While the committee approved bills last year, including one removing tech firms' immunity from child sexual abuse material laws, none have become law. Senator Amy Klobuchar stressed the need for legislative action, citing social media companies' historical neglect of children's safety and their role in facilitating harmful content and illegal activities. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta, TikTok, X CEOs grilled at US Senate hearing on combating online child exploitation

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced the implementation of new direct messaging restrictions aimed at enhancing the safety of teenage users on its platforms.

Meta limits messages for teen safety on Instagram, Facebook

The US state of New Mexico has said that children using Instagram and Facebook have been frequent targets of sexual harassment. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Wednesday (Jan 17), an internal Meta Platforms presentation in 2021 estimated that 100,000 minors each day received photos of adult genitalia or other sexually abusive content.

The US state of New Mexico has said that children using Instagram and Facebook have been frequent targets of sexual harassment. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Wednesday (Jan 17), an internal Meta Platforms presentation in 2021 estimated that 100,000 minors each day received photos of adult genitalia or other sexually abusive content. This finding is among newly unredacted material about the company’s child-safety policies in a lawsuit filed by New Mexico last month. The lawsuit alleged that Meta recommended sexual content to underage users and promoted underage accounts to predatory adult users. In a 2021 internal document, Meta employees noted that "People You May Know" (PYMK)- one of the recommended algorithms of the platform, was known among employees to connect child users with potential predators. Also read | Dark side of social media: Do X, Facebook, Instagram care about your mental health? WION investigates According to the lawsuit, the above finding had been flagged to the executive several years earlier. The report said that the executives rejected a staff recommendation that Meta adjust the design of PYMK to stop it from recommending minors to adults. 'Meta failed to address widespread predation' New Mexico alleged that Meta has failed to address widespread predation on its platform or limit design features that recommended children to adults with malicious intentions. The state's lawsuit further said that instead of publicly acknowledging internal findings, the company falsely assured people that its platforms were safe. The report said that much of the internal discussion in the unredacted material focused on Instagram. In an internal email in 2020, employees reported that the prevalence of “sex talk” to minors was 38 times greater on Instagram than on Facebook Messenger in the US. The employees urged Meta to enact more safeguards on the platform. Also watch | Meta's Instagram under fire for showing sexual videos of young users × In that year, a presentation called “Child Safety: State of Play” said that Instagram employed “minimal child safety protections” and described policies regarding “minor sexualisation” as “immature.” Meta officials did not take action to prevent adults from sexually soliciting children until late 2022, the lawsuit further alleged. The WSJ report also said that rather than broadly stopping recommendations of the accounts of children to adults, Instagram and Facebook sought to block such suggestions to adults who already demonstrated suspicious behaviour towards children. Apart from New Mexico, over 40 other states in the US sued Meta in October last year alleging the company misled people about the dangers that its platforms posed to young people. (With inputs from agencies)

US state says children on Instagram, Facebook are often targets of sexual harassment: Report

To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union (EU), Meta announced on Monday that users will be able to unlink their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as other services.

Meta to let EU users unlink their Instagram, FB and Messenger accounts

Newly unredacted documents from New Mexico's lawsuit against Meta underscore the the company's "historical reluctance" to keep children safe on its platforms, the complaint says. New Mexico's Attorney General Raul Torrez sued Meta in December, saying the company failed to protect young users from exposure to child sexual abuse material and allowed adults to solicit explicit imagery from them.

Meta dragged to court for ignoring child safety on its platforms

The lawsuit reveals Meta's 'historical reluctance' to protect kids. Meta ignored child safety on its platforms. Meta aware of the sexualisation of minors on its platforms. Watch to know more!

New Mexico court sues Meta over child protection failures

Sheryl Sandberg, Meta’s Chief Operating Officer, announces her departure from the company's board after a 12-year tenure. In a Facebook post, Sandberg expressed confidence in Meta's future, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg welcomes a 'new chapter.'

Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg exits board after 12 years

Sheryl Sandberg, the former Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms, revealed her intention to step down from the company's board of directors after 12 years of service, as announced in her Facebook post on Wednesday. <o:p></o:p>

Sandberg, a key figure at Meta for over 14 years, emphasised that Meta's business is strong and well-positioned for the future, making this an opportune moment for her departure. <o:p></o:p>

She expressed her commitment to continue serving as an adviser to the company even after her board tenure concludes in May.<o:p></o:p>

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to Sandberg's decision, expressing anticipation for "a new chapter together." <o:p></o:p>

Sandberg, once the second-in-command to Zuckerberg, has played a pivotal role in shaping Meta's trajectory and was a prominent figure during her tenure as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company's operations for over a decade. <o:p></o:p>

Sandberg decided to step down from her operational role in 2022, marking a significant transition in her longstanding association with Meta.<o:p></o:p>

Sandberg's departure marks the end of an era, given her instrumental role as the lead architect of Meta's ads-based business model. <o:p></o:p>

Throughout the challenges and controversies faced by the company, she remained a steadfast defender of Meta, consistently asserting that lessons were learned from mistakes, and efforts were made to enhance tools for better content moderation. <o:p></o:p>

Before joining Meta, Sheryl Sandberg held prominent roles at Google, where she served as the Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;Her extensive professional journey also includes being the Chief of Staff for the United States Treasury Department under former President Bill Clinton. <o:p></o:p>

A Harvard University graduate, Sandberg is not only recognised for her corporate leadership but is also an accomplished author, known for her influential work, including the feminist manifesto "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," published in 2013.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

Sheryl Sandberg, the former Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms, revealed her intention to step down from the company's board of directors after 12 years of service, as announced in her Facebook post on Wednesday.

Sheryl Sandberg, the former Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms, revealed her intention to step down from the company's board of directors after 12 years of service, as announced in her Facebook post on Wednesday. Sandberg, a key figure at Meta for over 14 years, emphasised that Meta's business is strong and well-positioned for the future, making this an opportune moment for her departure. She expressed her commitment to continue serving as an adviser to the company even after her board tenure concludes in May. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to Sandberg's decision, expressing anticipation for "a new chapter together." Sandberg, once the second-in-command to Zuckerberg, has played a pivotal role in shaping Meta's trajectory and was a prominent figure during her tenure as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company's operations for over a decade. Sandberg decided to step down from her operational role in 2022, marking a significant transition in her longstanding association with Meta. Sandberg's departure marks the end of an era, given her instrumental role as the lead architect of Meta's ads-based business model. Throughout the challenges and controversies faced by the company, she remained a steadfast defender of Meta, consistently asserting that lessons were learned from mistakes, and efforts were made to enhance tools for better content moderation. Before joining Meta, Sheryl Sandberg held prominent roles at Google, where she served as the Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations. Her extensive professional journey also includes being the Chief of Staff for the United States Treasury Department under former President Bill Clinton. A Harvard University graduate, Sandberg is not only recognised for her corporate leadership but is also an accomplished author, known for her influential work, including the feminist manifesto "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," published in 2013. (With inputs from Reuters)

Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta Platforms, announces exit from board after 12 years

The latest business venture of social media tycoon Mark Zuckerberg – which involves raising “world-class” beef cattle by feeding them beer and nuts in his luxurious Hawaiian hideaway – was derided by the netizens as out of touch and environmentally hazardous. On Wednesday (Jan 10), the Meta CEO shared a picture of himself eating a steak, which was medium rare, with no sides, and was made using beef from his Ko’olau ranch, which is a 1,400-acre compound located on Kauai, the oldest island of Hawaii.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg wants to create top quality beef

2024 is going to be a bleak year for job-seekers. A number of tech companies like Amazon, Google & Meta are laying off scores of employees. Molly Gambhir brings you a report.

Gravitas: Tech companies are laying off employees: Here's Why

Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it would hide more content from teens on its social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook. This comes, as regulators around the globe urged the social media giant to protect children from harmful content on its apps.

In a blog post, Meta said that all teens will now be placed into the most restrictive content control settings on its&nbsp;apps. Furthermore,&nbsp;additional search terms will be limited on Instagram, said the tech giant.

This means that now it will be more difficult for teens to access&nbsp;sensitive content such as suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, even&nbsp;while using features like Search and Explore on Instagram.

<h2>When will Meta implement the measures?</h2>

As per a Reuters report, Meta said the measures which would help deliver a more "age-appropriate" experience are&nbsp;expected to roll out over the coming weeks.

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<h2>Why these new steps?</h2>

It has been alleged that Meta apps Instagram and Facebook are addictive and have contributed to a youth mental health crisis.

Arturo Bejar, a&nbsp;former Meta employee, testified before the US&nbsp;Senate, claiming the company was aware of the harassment and other issues faced by teens on its platforms, but that it failed to take action.

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Bejar has urged Facebook and Instagram to change the design of Facebook and Instagram to nudge users towards positive behaviours&nbsp;and give young people better ways to handle the bad experiences. On Tuesday, he&nbsp;said that Meta's changes did not address his concerns. He remarked that&nbsp;the company was relying on "'grade your own homework' definitions of harm" and that it still fails to offer a way for a teen to easily report an unwanted advance. Talking to Reuters, he said,&nbsp;"This should be a conversation about goals and numbers, about harm as experienced by teens."

The company faces&nbsp;pressure both in the United States and Europe. In October, the social media giant was sued by the attorneys general of 33 US&nbsp;states, including California and New York. The attorneys general alleged that the company repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms.

In Europe, the European Commission has demanded information from Meta about its methods of safeguarding children from illegal and harmful content.

(With inputs from agencies)

Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it would hide more content from teens on its social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook. This comes, as regulators around the globe urged the social media giant to protect children from harmful content on its apps.

Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it would hide more content from teens on its social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook. This comes, as regulators around the globe urged the social media giant to protect children from harmful content on its apps. In a blog post, Meta said that all teens will now be placed into the most restrictive content control settings on its apps. Furthermore, additional search terms will be limited on Instagram, said the tech giant. This means that now it will be more difficult for teens to access sensitive content such as suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, even while using features like Search and Explore on Instagram. When will Meta implement the measures? As per a Reuters report, Meta said the measures which would help deliver a more "age-appropriate" experience are expected to roll out over the coming weeks. Also read | Melania Trump's mother Amalija Knavs passes away after long illness Why these new steps? It has been alleged that Meta apps Instagram and Facebook are addictive and have contributed to a youth mental health crisis. Arturo Bejar, a former Meta employee, testified before the US Senate, claiming the company was aware of the harassment and other issues faced by teens on its platforms, but that it failed to take action. Also read | US: SEC claims its X account hacked after giving fake nod to Bitcoin ETFs Bejar has urged Facebook and Instagram to change the design of Facebook and Instagram to nudge users towards positive behaviours and give young people better ways to handle the bad experiences. On Tuesday, he said that Meta's changes did not address his concerns. He remarked that the company was relying on "'grade your own homework' definitions of harm" and that it still fails to offer a way for a teen to easily report an unwanted advance. Talking to Reuters, he said, "This should be a conversation about goals and numbers, about harm as experienced by teens." The company faces pressure both in the United States and Europe. In October, the social media giant was sued by the attorneys general of 33 US states, including California and New York. The attorneys general alleged that the company repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms. In Europe, the European Commission has demanded information from Meta about its methods of safeguarding children from illegal and harmful content. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta to provide more ‘age appropriate’ content to teens, limit harmful items

Facebook has introduced a link history setting on its mobile application that will keep track of all the websites you visit. So how does this feature work well the new link history feature creates a special repository of all the links you click on on the Facebook mobile app.

Facebook introduces 'link history' setting on mobile app

Facebook parent Meta's Oversight Board has criticised the social media platform for removing two videos depicting hostages and injured people in the Israel-Gaza war.

Facebook parent Meta's Oversight Board has criticised the social media platform for removing two videos depicting hostages and injured people in the Israel-Gaza war. The board said the videos should never have been removed as they were valuable to understanding human suffering on both sides during the war. One of the videos posted on Facebook showed an Israeli woman begging Hamas terrorists not to kill her as she was taken hostage after the dastardly October 7 attacks. The other video showed the aftermath of an Israeli strike near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. “The Board focused on protecting the right to the freedom of expression of people on all sides about these horrific events, while ensuring that none of the testimonies incited violence or hatred,” Michael McConnell, a co-chair of the board, said in a statement. “These testimonies are important not just for the speakers, but for users around the world who are seeking timely and diverse information about ground-breaking events," he added. While Meta reinstated the videos, soon after the quasi-independent board came into the picture, experts argue that the company's policy in policing the content leaves a lot to be desired. The social media giant uses an automatic moderation system which was seemingly responsible for deleting the two videos. Although the videos contained injured children and disturbing images, the board argued that Meta needs to maintain “freedom of expression and access to information". Watch | Israel-Hamas war: Hamas video shows three elderly Israeli hostages pleading for release × Oversight Board - Supreme Court of Meta It also urged Meta to “respond more quickly to changing circumstances on the ground, which affect the balance between the values of voice and safety”. Usually, the Oversight Board takes 90 days to access a single case but this verdict took only 12 days, given the gravity and complexity of the matter. Also read | Who is Abu Ubaida? Hamas' masked spokesperson resurfaces with chilling warning for Israel Notably, the board, comprising of experts in freedom of expression and human rights is often described as the "Supreme Court for Meta". It allowed users to appeal content decisions on Meta platforms, viz. Instagram and Facebook. Since the war first broke out, there has been renewed scrutiny over Meta's content moderation practices. According to the board, it has seen a nearly threefold increase in content removal appeals in the Middle East and North Africa. (With inputs from agencies)

Oversight Board criticises Meta for removing two Israel-Hamas war videos

The Meta founder is reportedly building a massive $100 million compound in Hawaii, which includes an underground bunker and its own sources of food and energy. This secret project, dubbed Koolau Ranch, suggests that the social media tycoon is hiding his doomsday plans from the public.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg building an apocalypse-proof bunker in Hawaii?

Meta Platforms used thousands of pirated books to train its AI models, alleges a new copyright lawsuit filed on Monday (Dec 11) night.&nbsp;

The tech giant reportedly did this despite warnings from their lawyers about the legal peril of doing so. The lawsuit as per Reuters was initially brought this summer.

<h2>Skipping permissions</h2>

Monday's filing consolidates two separate lawsuits brought against Facebook and Instagram by comedian Sarah Silverman, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon and other prominent authors. They allege that Meta has used their works to train its artificial intelligence language model, Llama, without permission.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/epic-games-epic-win-jury-finds-google-guilty-of-monopolistic-practices-in-antitrust-trial-668853">Epic Games' 'epic' win: Jury finds Google guilty of monopolistic practices in antitrust trial</a>

Previously, their claims also said that the AI model's output also violates their copyrights. However, in November, US District Judge Vince Chhabri criticised the claim that the text generated by Llama copies or resembles the author's work. Dismissing the claim, Chhabri allowed the authors to amend most of their claims.&nbsp;

As evidence, the authors have submitted Discord chat logs of a Meta-affiliated researcher, who can be seen discussing the procurement of the dataset. This, as per the news agency, can be a potentially significant piece of evidence that could prove that Meta knew that its use of the books may not be protected by US copyright law.

<h2>What is there in the chat logs?</h2>

In the chat logs, as quoted in the complaint, researcher Tim Dettmers, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, describes his back-and-forth with Meta's legal department. In it, he talks about whether the use of book files as training data would be "legally OK".

"At Facebook, there are a lot of people interested in working with (T)he (P)ile, including myself, but in its current form, we are unable to use it for legal reasons," Dettmers wrote in 2021.&nbsp;

Here, The Pile refers to an open-source language modelling data set Meta has acknowledged it was using to train its first version of Llama.

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According to the complaint, a month before this, Dettmers wrote that Meta lawyers told him "the data cannot be used or models cannot be published if they are trained on that data."

Here, the researcher refrains from describing the specific concerns voiced by lawyers, however, his counterpart makes mention of "books with active copyrights," and says they are the biggest likely source of worry. They also say that training on the data should "fall under fair use."

As per the US Copyright Office, the fair use doctrine allows for the use of "limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports".

<h2>Llama</h2>

Llama is Meta's large language model (LLM). The tech giant released its first version in February 2023. At the time, it published a list of datasets used to train the language model. The list included "the Books3 section of ThePile," which, as per the complaint quoting the person who assembled the dataset, contains 196,640 books.

A second version, dubbed Llama 2 was made available for commercial use this summer. It is free for use for companies with monthly active users of less than 700 million.

<h2>AI and copyrights</h2>

As Artificial Intelligence drives a craze, artists across art forms have come forward alleging unlawful use of their content. In 2023, big tech companies were met with a slew of lawsuits that accuse them of ripping-off copyright protected works. IF successful, these lawsuits would not only generate significant compensation for the content creators, but also drive up the cost of building the data dependent models, somewhat dampening the generative AI craze.

 
&nbsp;

Meta Platforms used thousands of pirated books to train its AI models, alleges a new copyright lawsuit filed on Monday (Dec 11) night. The tech giant reportedly did this despite warnings from their lawyers about the legal peril of doing so.

Meta Platforms used thousands of pirated books to train its AI models, alleges a new copyright lawsuit filed on Monday (Dec 11) night. The tech giant reportedly did this despite warnings from their lawyers about the legal peril of doing so. The lawsuit as per Reuters was initially brought this summer. Skipping permissions Monday's filing consolidates two separate lawsuits brought against Facebook and Instagram by comedian Sarah Silverman, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon and other prominent authors. They allege that Meta has used their works to train its artificial intelligence language model, Llama, without permission. Also read | Epic Games' 'epic' win: Jury finds Google guilty of monopolistic practices in antitrust trial Previously, their claims also said that the AI model's output also violates their copyrights. However, in November, US District Judge Vince Chhabri criticised the claim that the text generated by Llama copies or resembles the author's work. Dismissing the claim, Chhabri allowed the authors to amend most of their claims. As evidence, the authors have submitted Discord chat logs of a Meta-affiliated researcher, who can be seen discussing the procurement of the dataset. This, as per the news agency, can be a potentially significant piece of evidence that could prove that Meta knew that its use of the books may not be protected by US copyright law. What is there in the chat logs? In the chat logs, as quoted in the complaint, researcher Tim Dettmers, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, describes his back-and-forth with Meta's legal department. In it, he talks about whether the use of book files as training data would be "legally OK". "At Facebook, there are a lot of people interested in working with (T)he (P)ile, including myself, but in its current form, we are unable to use it for legal reasons," Dettmers wrote in 2021. Here, The Pile refers to an open-source language modelling data set Meta has acknowledged it was using to train its first version of Llama. Also read | EU to ban use of AI biometric surveillance by police without judicial authorisation: Report According to the complaint, a month before this, Dettmers wrote that Meta lawyers told him "the data cannot be used or models cannot be published if they are trained on that data." Here, the researcher refrains from describing the specific concerns voiced by lawyers, however, his counterpart makes mention of "books with active copyrights," and says they are the biggest likely source of worry. They also say that training on the data should "fall under fair use." As per the US Copyright Office, the fair use doctrine allows for the use of "limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports". Llama Llama is Meta's large language model (LLM). The tech giant released its first version in February 2023. At the time, it published a list of datasets used to train the language model. The list included "the Books3 section of ThePile," which, as per the complaint quoting the person who assembled the dataset, contains 196,640 books. A second version, dubbed Llama 2 was made available for commercial use this summer. It is free for use for companies with monthly active users of less than 700 million. AI and copyrights As Artificial Intelligence drives a craze, artists across art forms have come forward alleging unlawful use of their content. In 2023, big tech companies were met with a slew of lawsuits that accuse them of ripping-off copyright protected works. IF successful, these lawsuits would not only generate significant compensation for the content creators, but also drive up the cost of building the data dependent models, somewhat dampening the generative AI craze.

Meta flouted copyrights to train its AI 'Llama' despite warning from lawyers, claims lawsuit by authors

Social media giant Meta's decision to start fully encrypting messages on Facebook and Messenger has been criticised by US prosecutors and child safety groups, a report by The Guardian said late Friday (Dec 8). On Wednesday, Meta said that the end-to-end encryption feature would be available for use immediately. However, it may take some time for all Messenger accounts to be updated with default end-to-end encryption.

Encryption hides the contents of a message from anyone apart from the sender and the recipient by converting text and images into unreadable cyphers that are unscrambled on receipt. Meta has argued that encryption can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters, and criminals.

However, prosecutors and child safety groups said that the encryption would hamstring the rescue of child sex trafficking victims and the prosecution of predators.

The Guardian report on Friday said that social media companies have been legally obligated to send any evidence of child sexual abuse material they detect to the United States' National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children (NCMEC). From here, the evidence is forwarded to relevant domestic and international law enforcement agencies.

An NCMEC spokesperson said that encryption on platforms "without the ability to detect known child sexual abuse material and create actionable reports will immediately cripple online child protection as we know it."

“NCMEC anticipates the number of reports of suspected child sexual abuse from the larger reporting companies will plummet by close to 80 per cent,” the spokesperson added.

Ali Burns, an assistant US attorney in Illinois, also told the publication that the identification and rescue of exploited children would be made more difficult by encryption, as investigators would often only be able to identify victims by gaining access to a suspect’s social media accounts and private messages.

“It would make it more challenging to corroborate evidence, to be able to verify. I can see this being a challenge for law enforcement,” Burns added.

Civil groups, however, argued that encryption protects individuals’ data and free expression, the report said.

In October, the American Civil Liberties Union, a non-profit human rights organisation, said, "This level of security not only protects individuals from cyber-attacks but also empowers citizens to communicate freely without fear of surveillance, censorship, and warrantless searches – whether by the government, Big Tech, data brokers, or anyone else."

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Meta's decision to start fully encrypting messages on Facebook and Messenger has been criticised by US prosecutors and child safety groups, a report by The Guardian said late Friday (Dec 8).

Social media giant Meta's decision to start fully encrypting messages on Facebook and Messenger has been criticised by US prosecutors and child safety groups, a report by The Guardian said late Friday (Dec 8). On Wednesday, Meta said that the end-to-end encryption feature would be available for use immediately. However, it may take some time for all Messenger accounts to be updated with default end-to-end encryption. Encryption hides the contents of a message from anyone apart from the sender and the recipient by converting text and images into unreadable cyphers that are unscrambled on receipt. Meta has argued that encryption can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters, and criminals. However, prosecutors and child safety groups said that the encryption would hamstring the rescue of child sex trafficking victims and the prosecution of predators. The Guardian report on Friday said that social media companies have been legally obligated to send any evidence of child sexual abuse material they detect to the United States' National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). From here, the evidence is forwarded to relevant domestic and international law enforcement agencies. An NCMEC spokesperson said that encryption on platforms "without the ability to detect known child sexual abuse material and create actionable reports will immediately cripple online child protection as we know it." “NCMEC anticipates the number of reports of suspected child sexual abuse from the larger reporting companies will plummet by close to 80 per cent,” the spokesperson added. Ali Burns, an assistant US attorney in Illinois, also told the publication that the identification and rescue of exploited children would be made more difficult by encryption, as investigators would often only be able to identify victims by gaining access to a suspect’s social media accounts and private messages. “It would make it more challenging to corroborate evidence, to be able to verify. I can see this being a challenge for law enforcement,” Burns added. Civil groups, however, argued that encryption protects individuals’ data and free expression, the report said. In October, the American Civil Liberties Union, a non-profit human rights organisation, said, "This level of security not only protects individuals from cyber-attacks but also empowers citizens to communicate freely without fear of surveillance, censorship, and warrantless searches – whether by the government, Big Tech, data brokers, or anyone else." (With inputs from agencies)

Meta's decision to encrypt messages on Facebook, Messenger criticised. Here's why

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms will now start fully encrypting messages on its social media platforms by default.

Announcing the launch, Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger on the Meta website said, "We take our responsibility to protect your messages seriously, and we’re thrilled that after years of investment and testing, we’re able to launch a safer, more secure and private service."

<h2>Here's what to expect from Meta's new update</h2>

From this week onwards, the social media giant&nbsp;will begin automatically shifting Facebook users to end-to-end encryption for their messages. The global rollout, she said, will "take a number of months to complete".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ancestry-website-23andme-confirms-recent-data-breach-affected-69-million-users-666347">Ancestry website 23andMe confirms recent data breach affected 6.9 million users&nbsp;</a>

Facebook Messenger had the option for users to turn on end-to-end encryption since 2016. However, now this will be the default setting for both calls and messages.

On Instagram, too, users will be shifted to Meta's new end-to-end encryption by default.

<h2>What is end-to-end encryption?</h2>

The encryption feature secures communication, making it so that messages etc. can only be read by the sender and the recipient. This can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters, and criminals.

Users will be prompted to set up a PIN for the recovery of the encrypted messages in case they lose, change or add a device.

Meta's product WhatsApp, another popular instant messaging app, introduced the feature back in 2014, completing the rollout in April 2016.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/landmark-stability-ai-vs-getty-images-copyright-lawsuit-to-move-ahead-to-trial-666377">Landmark Stability AI vs Getty Images copyright lawsuit to move ahead to trial</a>

Crisan says that Meta "has taken years to deliver because we've taken our time to get this right."

"Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. We’ve introduced new privacy, safety and control features along the way like delivery controls that let people choose who can message them, as well as app lock, alongside existing safety features like report, block and message requests," she added.

The change means that Facebook and Instagram users would not have to turn on the encryption feature, which allows a message to be read only by the sender and its recipients.

<h2>What other features have been introduced?</h2>

Messenger users can now edit their messages for up to 15 minutes after sending them. Disappearing messages on the application will now last for 24 hours.

Furthermore, to increase privacy controls, Messenger will now allow users to control their read receipts. Additionally, there is an upgrade to the quality of images users can share, along with the introduction of "added fun layouts".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-launches-gemini-its-most-advanced-ai-model-that-powers-bard-intensifying-competition-with-openai-666952">Google launches Gemini, its most advanced AI model that powers Bard, intensifying competition with OpenAI</a>

Another feature similar to that available in WhatsApp is that voice messages can now be sped up to 1.5x and 2x speeds.&nbsp;

End-to-end encryption has been a bone of contention between companies and governments. The British government had urged Meta back in September not to roll out encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse.

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms will now start fully encrypting messages on its social media platforms by default. Announcing the launch, Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger on the Meta website said, "We take our responsibility to protect your messages seriously, and we’re thrilled that after years of investment and testing, we’re able to launch a safer, more secure and private service.

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms will now start fully encrypting messages on its social media platforms by default. Announcing the launch, Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger on the Meta website said, "We take our responsibility to protect your messages seriously, and we’re thrilled that after years of investment and testing, we’re able to launch a safer, more secure and private service." Here's what to expect from Meta's new update From this week onwards, the social media giant will begin automatically shifting Facebook users to end-to-end encryption for their messages. The global rollout, she said, will "take a number of months to complete". Also read | Ancestry website 23andMe confirms recent data breach affected 6.9 million users Facebook Messenger had the option for users to turn on end-to-end encryption since 2016. However, now this will be the default setting for both calls and messages. On Instagram, too, users will be shifted to Meta's new end-to-end encryption by default. What is end-to-end encryption? The encryption feature secures communication, making it so that messages etc. can only be read by the sender and the recipient. This can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters, and criminals. Users will be prompted to set up a PIN for the recovery of the encrypted messages in case they lose, change or add a device. Meta's product WhatsApp, another popular instant messaging app, introduced the feature back in 2014, completing the rollout in April 2016. Also read | Landmark Stability AI vs Getty Images copyright lawsuit to move ahead to trial Crisan says that Meta "has taken years to deliver because we've taken our time to get this right." "Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. We’ve introduced new privacy, safety and control features along the way like delivery controls that let people choose who can message them, as well as app lock, alongside existing safety features like report, block and message requests," she added. The change means that Facebook and Instagram users would not have to turn on the encryption feature, which allows a message to be read only by the sender and its recipients. What other features have been introduced? Messenger users can now edit their messages for up to 15 minutes after sending them. Disappearing messages on the application will now last for 24 hours. Furthermore, to increase privacy controls, Messenger will now allow users to control their read receipts. Additionally, there is an upgrade to the quality of images users can share, along with the introduction of "added fun layouts". Also read | Google launches Gemini, its most advanced AI model that powers Bard, intensifying competition with OpenAI Another feature similar to that available in WhatsApp is that voice messages can now be sped up to 1.5x and 2x speeds. End-to-end encryption has been a bone of contention between companies and governments. The British government had urged Meta back in September not to roll out encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse.

'Taken our time to get this right': Meta to roll out end-to-end encryption for Facebook & Instagram

The advent of ChatGPT marked the initial foray of generative AI into the mainstream, taking the world by storm. However, its unexpected success reportedly caught rival companies, including Google, off guard, leading to internal concerns and declarations of a "code red".

As ChatGPT gained prominence, Google found itself in an unexpected competition and was reportedly taken aback. Internally, the situation was deemed a "code red", reflecting the urgency and seriousness of the newfound challenge.

<h2>Meta's response to generative AI wave</h2>

Meta, focusing on its mixed-reality metaverse ambitions, also felt the impact of ChatGPT's success. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg received warnings that the dominance of Facebook and Instagram could wane unless a competitive response to OpenAI's ChatGPT was swiftly developed.

Dr&nbsp;LeCun, Meta’s chief AI&nbsp;scientist, cautioned Zuckerberg about OpenAI's advancements. The warning emphasized the need for Meta to match OpenAI's technology and delve into creating an AI&nbsp;assistant capable of internet-related tasks, foreseeing potential obsolescence for platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/openai-may-go-bankrupt-by-end-of-2024-costs-700k-to-operate-chatgpt-daily-report-625016">Also read |&nbsp;OpenAI may go bankrupt by end of 2024, costs $700k to operate ChatGPT daily: Report</a>

Zuckerberg eventually aligned with Dr. LeCun's perspective, leading to the creation of the LLaMa model, or Large Language Model Meta AI, by Meta's Paris team. This marked the beginning of Meta's sustained investment in AI, with the subsequent release of the next-generation LLaMa model, Llama 2.

<h2>Meta's open-source approach and AI products</h2>

Meta released Llama 2 as open source, allowing free access for both commercial and research purposes. However, acknowledging its relative limitations compared to competitors like Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s GPT-4, Meta maintained its commitment to AI development.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-bard-vs-chatgpt-which-is-better-ai-tool-know-how-to-access-google-chatbot-all-you-need-to-know-559622">Also read |&nbsp;Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Which is better AI tool? Know how to access Google chatbot, all you need to know</a>

In addition to Llama 2, Meta expanded its AI endeavours by introducing various products, including the Meta AI chatbot. This chatbot is set to be available across Meta apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and in the future, integrated into Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Quest 3.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

The advent of ChatGPT marked the initial foray of generative AI into the mainstream, taking the world by storm. However, its unexpected success reportedly caught rival companies, including Google, off guard, leading to internal concerns and declarations of a "code red".

The advent of ChatGPT marked the initial foray of generative AI into the mainstream, taking the world by storm. However, its unexpected success reportedly caught rival companies, including Google, off guard, leading to internal concerns and declarations of a "code red". As ChatGPT gained prominence, Google found itself in an unexpected competition and was reportedly taken aback. Internally, the situation was deemed a "code red", reflecting the urgency and seriousness of the newfound challenge. Meta's response to generative AI wave Meta, focusing on its mixed-reality metaverse ambitions, also felt the impact of ChatGPT's success. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg received warnings that the dominance of Facebook and Instagram could wane unless a competitive response to OpenAI's ChatGPT was swiftly developed. Dr LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist, cautioned Zuckerberg about OpenAI's advancements. The warning emphasized the need for Meta to match OpenAI's technology and delve into creating an AI assistant capable of internet-related tasks, foreseeing potential obsolescence for platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Also read | OpenAI may go bankrupt by end of 2024, costs $700k to operate ChatGPT daily: Report Zuckerberg eventually aligned with Dr. LeCun's perspective, leading to the creation of the LLaMa model, or Large Language Model Meta AI, by Meta's Paris team. This marked the beginning of Meta's sustained investment in AI, with the subsequent release of the next-generation LLaMa model, Llama 2. Meta's open-source approach and AI products Meta released Llama 2 as open source, allowing free access for both commercial and research purposes. However, acknowledging its relative limitations compared to competitors like Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s GPT-4, Meta maintained its commitment to AI development. Also read | Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Which is better AI tool? Know how to access Google chatbot, all you need to know In addition to Llama 2, Meta expanded its AI endeavours by introducing various products, including the Meta AI chatbot. This chatbot is set to be available across Meta apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and in the future, integrated into Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Quest 3. (With inputs from agencies)

Caught off guard by ChatGPT: Meta’s chief scientist warned Zuckerberg, nudged him to delve into AI

Meta and IBM launched the new group with more than 50 other organizations to foster an open community that helps accelerate the development of responsible systems.

IBM, Meta form AI Alliance to promote open AI

The parent company of Facebook, Meta, and IBM on Tuesday (Dec 5) launched a new group named 'AI Alliance' which advocates for an “open-science” approach to the development of AI which has now placed them at odds with rivals Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. 
 
The two opposing camps – the open and the closed – disagreed about whether AI should be built in a way which makes the underlying technology widely accessible. At the heart of the debate remains safety and also who gets profit from the advances of AI.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/musk-who-warned-about-threats-of-ai-seeks-to-raise-1-bn-for-his-chatbot-666709">Musk, who warned about 'threats' of AI, seeks to raise $1 billion for his chatbot</a>

IBM senior vice-president Dario Gil, who directs the company's research division, said that the approach which is “not proprietary and closed” is favoured by the open advocates. “So it’s not like a thing that is locked in a barrel and no one knows what they are,” he added, as per The Guardian.

<h2>AI Alliance to restructure future of AI?</h2>

The AI Alliance, which is headed by IBM and Meta and includes Sony, Dell, Intel, the chipmakers AMD and many universities and AI startups – is “coming together to articulate, simply put, that the future of AI is going to be built fundamentally on top of the open scientific exchange of ideas and open innovation, including open source and open technologies," said Gil, while speaking to Associated Press before the launch. 
 
The alliance will most probably lobby regulators to ensure that the new legislation works in their favour. 
 
Taking aim at Google, OpenAI and startup Anthropic, Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun wrote on social media that these companies – which he called the “massive corporate lobbying” - write the rules in a way so as to benefit their high-performing AI models and concentrate their power over the development of the technology.

Watch:&nbsp;Wine tasting with AI? Scientists achieve spirited breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence domain

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The three companies, along with Microsoft – a key partner of OpenAI, have constituted their own industry group called the Frontier Model Forum. 
 
Taking to X, LeCun said that he was worried that fearmongering from fellow scientists regarding AI “doomsday scenarios” has given a push to those people who want to ban open-source research and development. 
 
“In a future where AI systems are poised to constitute the repository of all human knowledge and culture, we need the platforms to be open source and freely available so that everyone can contribute to them,” wrote LeCun. “Openness is the only way to make AI platforms reflect the entirety of human knowledge and culture,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

The parent company of Facebook, Meta, and IBM on Tuesday (Dec 5) launched a new group named 'AI Alliance' which advocates for an “open-science” approach to the development of AI which has now placed them at odds with rivals Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

The parent company of Facebook, Meta, and IBM on Tuesday (Dec 5) launched a new group named 'AI Alliance' which advocates for an “open-science” approach to the development of AI which has now placed them at odds with rivals Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The two opposing camps – the open and the closed – disagreed about whether AI should be built in a way which makes the underlying technology widely accessible. At the heart of the debate remains safety and also who gets profit from the advances of AI. Also read: Musk, who warned about 'threats' of AI, seeks to raise $1 billion for his chatbot IBM senior vice-president Dario Gil, who directs the company's research division, said that the approach which is “not proprietary and closed” is favoured by the open advocates. “So it’s not like a thing that is locked in a barrel and no one knows what they are,” he added, as per The Guardian. AI Alliance to restructure future of AI? The AI Alliance, which is headed by IBM and Meta and includes Sony, Dell, Intel, the chipmakers AMD and many universities and AI startups – is “coming together to articulate, simply put, that the future of AI is going to be built fundamentally on top of the open scientific exchange of ideas and open innovation, including open source and open technologies," said Gil, while speaking to Associated Press before the launch. The alliance will most probably lobby regulators to ensure that the new legislation works in their favour. Taking aim at Google, OpenAI and startup Anthropic, Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun wrote on social media that these companies – which he called the “massive corporate lobbying” - write the rules in a way so as to benefit their high-performing AI models and concentrate their power over the development of the technology. Watch: Wine tasting with AI? Scientists achieve spirited breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence domain The three companies, along with Microsoft – a key partner of OpenAI, have constituted their own industry group called the Frontier Model Forum. Taking to X, LeCun said that he was worried that fearmongering from fellow scientists regarding AI “doomsday scenarios” has given a push to those people who want to ban open-source research and development. “In a future where AI systems are poised to constitute the repository of all human knowledge and culture, we need the platforms to be open source and freely available so that everyone can contribute to them,” wrote LeCun. “Openness is the only way to make AI platforms reflect the entirety of human knowledge and culture,” he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta, IBM join AI race, launch ‘AI Alliance' with 'open-science' approach

Meta is in hot water as they are facing pressure from EU tech regulators. Meta has been asked to provide more details on how they are handling child sexual abuse material on Instagram.

EU demands strict action from Meta for online content contro

Facebook parent Meta has said that it took down five co-ordinated influence networks originating form China, consisting of thousands of accounts aimed at influencing online opinion about 2024 US elections. Talking about the action it took this year, the tech giant warned that efforts were on to influence public opinion ahead of 2024 US Presidential Election.

"Foreign threat actors are attempting to reach people across the Internet ahead of next year's elections, and we need to remain alert," Meta global threat intelligence lead Ben Nimmo said during a briefing about its latest security report, as quoted by AFP.

The company said that in one of the campaign, it found that 4789 fake Facebook accounts were involved. It took action against these accounts and they have now been removed. The campaign was posting content about politics and US-China relations.

These accounts, said Meta, praised China and lashed out at its critics. The accounts even copy-pasted real content posted by US politicians potentially to sow divisions.

Watch | Meta shuts down China-based network of 4800 fake accounts

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"As election campaigns ramp up, we should expect foreign influence operations to try and leverage authentic parties and debate rather than creating original content themselves," Nimmo said.&nbsp;

"We anticipate that if relations with China become an election topic in a particular country, we may see China-based influence operations pivot to target those debates."&nbsp;

Meta has found that these networks originated from China, but has not attributed the efforts to the Chinese government.

<h2>Russia at the top</h2>

The company said that maximum such network continue to originate from Russia. These operations are based inside the country and are mainly focused of information surrounding the Ukraine war.

The security report said that websites that have links to such Russia-based campaigns have of late, also been using the Israel-Hamas war to tarnish the image of the US.

The security team at Meta expects that efforts will be made in coming days and months to sway elections.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-presses-for-antitrust-action-against-rival-microsoft-reuters-664856">Google presses for antitrust action against rival Microsoft: Reuters</a>

"We hope that people will try to be careful when engaging with political content across the internet," Nimmo said.&nbsp;

"For political groups, it's important to be aware that heightened partisan tensions can play into the hands of foreign threat actors."&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/complexity-of-cyberattacks-continues-to-rise-what-should-be-worlds-immediate-focus-665130">As complex cyberattacks continue to rise, what should be the world's immediate focus?</a>

Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy, said during the briefing that generative artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a new element into these efforts, and tools, like ChatGPT, are being used to churn out bogus content that looks convincing.

"Threat actors can use generative AI to create larger volumes of convincing content, even if they don't have the cultural or language skills to speak to their audiences," Gleicher said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook parent Meta has said that it took down five co-ordinated influence networks originating form China, consisting of thousands of accounts aimed at influencing online opinion about 2024 US elections.

Facebook parent Meta has said that it took down five co-ordinated influence networks originating form China, consisting of thousands of accounts aimed at influencing online opinion about 2024 US elections. Talking about the action it took this year, the tech giant warned that efforts were on to influence public opinion ahead of 2024 US Presidential Election. "Foreign threat actors are attempting to reach people across the Internet ahead of next year's elections, and we need to remain alert," Meta global threat intelligence lead Ben Nimmo said during a briefing about its latest security report, as quoted by AFP. The company said that in one of the campaign, it found that 4789 fake Facebook accounts were involved. It took action against these accounts and they have now been removed. The campaign was posting content about politics and US-China relations. These accounts, said Meta, praised China and lashed out at its critics. The accounts even copy-pasted real content posted by US politicians potentially to sow divisions. Watch | Meta shuts down China-based network of 4800 fake accounts × "As election campaigns ramp up, we should expect foreign influence operations to try and leverage authentic parties and debate rather than creating original content themselves," Nimmo said. "We anticipate that if relations with China become an election topic in a particular country, we may see China-based influence operations pivot to target those debates." Meta has found that these networks originated from China, but has not attributed the efforts to the Chinese government. Russia at the top The company said that maximum such network continue to originate from Russia. These operations are based inside the country and are mainly focused of information surrounding the Ukraine war. The security report said that websites that have links to such Russia-based campaigns have of late, also been using the Israel-Hamas war to tarnish the image of the US. The security team at Meta expects that efforts will be made in coming days and months to sway elections. Also Read | Google presses for antitrust action against rival Microsoft: Reuters "We hope that people will try to be careful when engaging with political content across the internet," Nimmo said. "For political groups, it's important to be aware that heightened partisan tensions can play into the hands of foreign threat actors." Also Read | As complex cyberattacks continue to rise, what should be the world's immediate focus? Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy, said during the briefing that generative artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a new element into these efforts, and tools, like ChatGPT, are being used to churn out bogus content that looks convincing. "Threat actors can use generative AI to create larger volumes of convincing content, even if they don't have the cultural or language skills to speak to their audiences," Gleicher said. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta takes down China-based networks influencing opinion on 2024 US elections, issues warning

Meta is in a hot soup as they are facing pressure from the EU tech regulators. Meta has been asked to provide more details on how they handle child sexual abuse material on Instagram.

EU demands strict action from Meta for online content control, asks for details on child abuse

The European Union (EU) regulators on Friday (Dec 1) pulled Meta, asking the company to provide more details on measures it had taken to tackle self-generated child sexual abuse material (SC-CSAM) available on its highly popular photo and video sharing app Instagram.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The EU has given a December 22 deadline to the company to submit its answer. Failure to do so will result in a formal investigation under the new EU online content rules.&nbsp;

Notably, under the&nbsp;EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), big tech companies are required to do more to police illegal and harmful content on their platform.&nbsp;

“The Commission is requesting Meta to provide additional information on the measures it has taken to comply with its obligations to assess risks and take effective mitigation measures linked to the protection of minors, including regarding the circulation of SG-CSAM on Instagram,"&nbsp;the European Commission said in a statement on its latest query.

"Information is also requested about Instagram’s recommender system and amplification of potentially harmful content."

It was in October that the bloc first sent a request for information regarding the measures taken to counter the spread of terrorist and violent content. A month later, a second request was directed, seeking information regarding measures to protect minors.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/metas-instagram-under-fire-for-showing-sexual-videos-of-young-users-wion-dispatch-664357">Watch |&nbsp;Meta's Instagram under fire for showing sexual videos of young users</a>

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<h2>Instagram - a den of paedophiles</h2>

EU pressing Meta for information comes after a Wall Street Journal report, earlier this year claimed that Instagram was struggling to clean&nbsp;child sexual abuse material.

The report added that Instagram's algorithms were connecting a series of accounts which were being used for&nbsp;making, buying and trading underage sex content.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/meta-sets-up-task-force-to-probe-claims-of-instagram-hosting-trade-of-child-sex-abuse-materials-reports-602038">Also read |&nbsp;Instagram 'most important platform' for child sex abuse networks: Report</a>

Another follow-up report by the publication a few days ago stated that Instagram had failed to rectify the problem as paedophiles roamed the digital alleys of the popular social media platform.&nbsp;

“Five months later, tests conducted by the Journal as well as by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection show that Meta’s recommendation systems still promote such content."

A year ago, Meta was fined nearly half a billion dollars after the platform was found to have violated the bloc's data protection rules for minors. It was the largest&nbsp;General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)&nbsp;penalty that the EU had imposed on a social media giant to date.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The European Union (EU) regulators on Friday (Dec 1) pulled Meta, asking the company to provide more details on measures it had taken to tackle self-generated child sexual abuse material (SC-CSAM) available on its highly popular photo and video sharing app Instagram.

The European Union (EU) regulators on Friday (Dec 1) pulled Meta, asking the company to provide more details on measures it had taken to tackle self-generated child sexual abuse material (SC-CSAM) available on its highly popular photo and video sharing app Instagram. The EU has given a December 22 deadline to the company to submit its answer. Failure to do so will result in a formal investigation under the new EU online content rules. Notably, under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), big tech companies are required to do more to police illegal and harmful content on their platform. “The Commission is requesting Meta to provide additional information on the measures it has taken to comply with its obligations to assess risks and take effective mitigation measures linked to the protection of minors, including regarding the circulation of SG-CSAM on Instagram," the European Commission said in a statement on its latest query. "Information is also requested about Instagram’s recommender system and amplification of potentially harmful content." It was in October that the bloc first sent a request for information regarding the measures taken to counter the spread of terrorist and violent content. A month later, a second request was directed, seeking information regarding measures to protect minors. Watch | Meta's Instagram under fire for showing sexual videos of young users × Instagram - a den of paedophiles EU pressing Meta for information comes after a Wall Street Journal report, earlier this year claimed that Instagram was struggling to clean child sexual abuse material. The report added that Instagram's algorithms were connecting a series of accounts which were being used for making, buying and trading underage sex content. Also read | Instagram 'most important platform' for child sex abuse networks: Report Another follow-up report by the publication a few days ago stated that Instagram had failed to rectify the problem as paedophiles roamed the digital alleys of the popular social media platform. “Five months later, tests conducted by the Journal as well as by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection show that Meta’s recommendation systems still promote such content." A year ago, Meta was fined nearly half a billion dollars after the platform was found to have violated the bloc's data protection rules for minors. It was the largest General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) penalty that the EU had imposed on a social media giant to date. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta served deadline by EU to come up with answers regarding child abuse material on Instagram

It has been alleged that Meta allowed kids under the age of 13 to open secret Instagram account and chose to ignore complaints regarding them.

Meta coveted and pursued users under the age of 13, says report

While, Instagram is under fire for delivering sexually explicit content to accounts that exclusively follow children. Instagram's reel service is known for short videos on various topics.

Meta's Instagram under fire for showing sexual videos of young users | WION Dispatch

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, intentionally made its platforms such that it is&nbsp;addictive to children, a recent unsealed legal complaint claimed. Media reports published on Monday (Nov 27) say that the lawsuit alleged that Meta knowingly allowed underage users to hold accounts to gather personal data and sell it to advertisers.&nbsp;

The federal lawsuit against Meta was filed by the attorney&nbsp;generals in 33 states in October, but the details were not revealed in the report. The lawsuit was filed by states ranging from California to Wisconsin.&nbsp;

Now the complaint has unveiled further details as it alleged that Meta harmed young users on Facebook and Instagram with highly manipulative algorithms and technological tools. &nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/chatgpt-offers-better-advice-than-professional-columnists-study-finds-663300">ChatGPT offers better advice than professional columnists, study finds</a>&nbsp;

The complaint alleged that the social media giant knew about the issue, but it opted to never disclose it. Millions of complaints were also sent to Meta but it didn't take action in a broader perspective, but&nbsp;it did disable a fraction of those accounts.&nbsp;

Citing internal company documents, media reports mentioned that the large number of underage users was an "open secret" at the company.&nbsp;

When the complaint was filed in October, 33 states in a joint statement claimed that Meta's business practices violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other state consumer protection laws. Similar actions were also taken by eight other states in state courts.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/way-of-the-future-former-google-engineer-anthony-levandowski-relaunches-ai-church-663284">Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski relaunches AI church</a>&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;New iPhone feature raises privacy concerns amid iOS17 update&nbsp;

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As per the complaint, Meta in 2021 received over 402,000 reports that under 13 users are on Instagram. The tech company disabled only 164,000 accounts — a number half of the reported accounts and apparently with still a backlog of up to 2.5 million accounts of younger children awaiting action.&nbsp;

The 233-page complaint noted that attorney&nbsp;generals alleged that compulsive use of Facebook or Instagram by teens and children can cause physical and mental harm.&nbsp;

The case is based on snippets of emails, earnings call transcripts and other internal communications. The mentioned documents served as evidence which suggested how valuable personal information and time of young users are to the company.&nbsp;

As quoted by reports, a Meta spokesperson said in a statement on Monday: "The complaint mischaracterizes our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, intentionally made its platforms such that it is addictive to children, a recent unsealed legal complaint claimed.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, intentionally made its platforms such that it is addictive to children, a recent unsealed legal complaint claimed. Media reports published on Monday (Nov 27) say that the lawsuit alleged that Meta knowingly allowed underage users to hold accounts to gather personal data and sell it to advertisers. The federal lawsuit against Meta was filed by the attorney generals in 33 states in October, but the details were not revealed in the report. The lawsuit was filed by states ranging from California to Wisconsin. Now the complaint has unveiled further details as it alleged that Meta harmed young users on Facebook and Instagram with highly manipulative algorithms and technological tools. Also read: ChatGPT offers better advice than professional columnists, study finds The complaint alleged that the social media giant knew about the issue, but it opted to never disclose it. Millions of complaints were also sent to Meta but it didn't take action in a broader perspective, but it did disable a fraction of those accounts. Citing internal company documents, media reports mentioned that the large number of underage users was an "open secret" at the company. When the complaint was filed in October, 33 states in a joint statement claimed that Meta's business practices violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other state consumer protection laws. Similar actions were also taken by eight other states in state courts. Also read: Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski relaunches AI church Watch: New iPhone feature raises privacy concerns amid iOS17 update × As per the complaint, Meta in 2021 received over 402,000 reports that under 13 users are on Instagram. The tech company disabled only 164,000 accounts — a number half of the reported accounts and apparently with still a backlog of up to 2.5 million accounts of younger children awaiting action. The 233-page complaint noted that attorney generals alleged that compulsive use of Facebook or Instagram by teens and children can cause physical and mental harm. The case is based on snippets of emails, earnings call transcripts and other internal communications. The mentioned documents served as evidence which suggested how valuable personal information and time of young users are to the company. As quoted by reports, a Meta spokesperson said in a statement on Monday: "The complaint mischaracterizes our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents." (With inputs from agencies)

Meta intentionally allowed children to hold accounts and get addicted, lawsuit alleges

According to reports, Andy Stone, Meta's spokesperson has been places on wanted list by Russia's Ministry of internal affairs. The move comes weeks after Russia classified Meta as an extremist and terrorsit organization.

Russia adds Meta spokesperson Andy Stone to wanted list

The Meta GWI beauty report 2023 reveals a fascinating narrative of how Instagram reels, influencers, and Meta's vast reach have redefined consumer behaviour. From discovering products to making weekly purchases, the screen has become the new shopping cart.

Meta's role in the surge of online beauty & fashion buying

One may assume that big companies making millions of dollars default on standard practices. Watch our report to know more.