The Instagram engineer had already packed his bags for a December vacation when his boss pulled him into a virtual meeting to talk about job goals for 2022.

Their conversation soon took an unexpected turn. Forget the goals, his boss told him. To succeed at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, his boss said, he should instead apply to a new position in the burgeoning augmented reality and virtual reality teams. That’s where the company needed people, he said.

The engineer, who had worked at Instagram for more than three years and who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, was taken aback by essentially having to reapply for a job. He said he hasn’t decided what to do.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of the company formerly known as Facebook, has upended his company ever since he announced in October that he was betting on the so-called metaverse. Under this idea, his company — newly renamed Meta — would introduce people to shared virtual worlds and experiences across different software and hardware platforms.

Since then, Meta has pursued a sweeping transformation, current and former employees said. It has created thousands of new jobs in the labs that make hardware and software for the metaverse. Managers have urged employees who worked on social networking products to apply for those augmented reality and virtual reality roles. The company has poached metaverse engineers from rivals including Microsoft and Apple. And it has officially rebranded some products, like its Oculus virtual-reality headsets, with the Meta name.

The moves amount to some of the most drastic changes at the Silicon Valley company since 2012, when Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had to shift its social network away from desktop computers and toward mobile devices. The company restructured, focusing its energy and resources on making mobile-friendly versions of its products. The makeover was hugely successful, leading to years of growth.

But changing the company’s course now is far more challenging. Meta has more than 68,000 employees, which is more than 14 times its size in 2012. Its market value has risen by more than eight times over that period to $840 billion. Its business is entrenched in online advertising and social networking. And while the shift may give Meta a head start on the internet’s next phase, the metaverse remains a largely theoretical concept — unlike the 2012 move to mobile when smartphones were already being widely used.

The result has been internal disruption, according to nine current and former Meta employees who were not authorized to speak publicly. While some workers were excited about Meta’s pivot, others questioned whether the company was hurtling into a new product without fixing issues such as misinformation and extremism on its social platforms. Workers were expected to adopt a positive attitude toward innovation or leave, one employee said, and some who disagreed with the new mission have departed.

What the metaverse focus means for the company’s existing social networking products like Facebook and Instagram remains in flux, two employees said. At Facebook and Instagram, some teams have shrunk over the last four months, they said, adding that they expected their budgets for the second half of 2022 to be smaller than in previous years.

A spokesman for Meta, which reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday, said that building for the metaverse was not the company’s only priority. He added that there haven’t been significant job cuts to existing teams because of the new direction.

Adam Draper, a managing director of Boost VC, a venture capital firm that invests in companies focused on “sci-fi technology,” said Meta’s new bet was well-timed.

“There will be entire economies and countries built digitally through VR/Web3, and we are just scratching the surface,” he said, using terms to describe next-generation technologies for building the metaverse. He noted that Meta was in the lead with virtual reality because of products like its Oculus headsets, adding, “This is the sci-fi future, and Meta made the bold move to make it a reality.”

Facebook’s pivot to the metaverse started in its top ranks. In September, Mike Schroepfer, the long-serving chief technology officer, said he would step down by the end of 2022. In his place, Zuckerberg appointed Andrew Bosworth, known as “Boz,” who has for the past few years led development on products like the Oculus headsets and Ray Ban Stories smart glasses.

Bosworth’s ascendancy was a sign to insiders that Zuckerberg was taking virtual reality and the metaverse seriously. The two had met at Harvard in an artificial intelligence class, when Zuckerberg was a student and Bosworth was a teacher’s assistant. They kept in touch after Zuckerberg dropped out of the university. Eventually, Bosworth moved to Silicon Valley to work for Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg has since turned to Bosworth for major initiatives. In 2012, Bosworth was given the task of building out Facebook’s mobile advertising products. After management issues at the Oculus virtual reality division, Zuckerberg dispatched Bosworth in August 2017 to take over the initiative. The virtual reality business was later rebranded Reality Labs.

In October, the company said it would create 10,000 metaverse-related jobs in the European Union over the next five years. That same month, Zuckerberg announced he was changing Facebook’s name to Meta and pledged billions of dollars to the effort.

Reality Labs is now at the forefront of the company’s shift to the metaverse, employees said. Workers in products, engineering and research have been encouraged to apply to new roles there, they said, while others have been elevated from their jobs in social networking divisions to lead the same functions with a metaverse emphasis.

Of the more than 3,000 open jobs listed on Meta’s website, more than 24% are now for roles in augmented or virtual reality. The jobs are in cities including Seattle, Shanghai and Zurich. One job listing for a “gameplay engineering manager” for Horizon, the company’s free virtual reality game, said the candidate’s responsibilities would include imagining new ways to experience concerts and conventions.

Internal recruitment for the metaverse ramped up late last year, three Meta engineers said, with their managers mentioning job openings on metaverse-related teams in December and January. Others who didn’t get on board with the new mission left. One former employee said he resigned after feeling like his work on Instagram would no longer be of value to the company; another said they did not think Meta was best placed for creating the metaverse and was searching for a job at a competitor.

Meta also lured away dozens of employees from companies like Microsoft and Apple, two people with knowledge of the moves said. In particular, Meta hired from those companies’ divisions that worked on augmented reality products, like Microsoft’s HoloLens and Apple’s secretive augmented reality glasses project.

Representatives for Microsoft and Apple declined to comment. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal previously reported on some of the personnel moves.

Meta’s employees have been asked to contribute to the change in other ways. In November, they were asked to sign up for Project Aria, an effort to test some new augmented reality glasses, according to an internal memo that was reviewed by The New York Times.

Employees could “earn points and win swag” by wearing the glasses and gathering data through the device’s cameras and sensors, the memo said. To reduce people’s privacy concerns about being filmed with the glasses, employees were asked to wear a T-shirt identifying themselves as a “research participant” and were told not to view or listen to the raw data captured by the glasses, according to the memo.

Employees have also been able to sign up to test the Oculus Quest headsets and to use them for meetings in Horizon Workrooms, the company’s virtual reality work-conferencing space.

Meta is working on other wearable tech products, including a smartwatch with health and fitness tracking capabilities, said two people with knowledge of the project. The Information earlier reported on the smartwatch. Ray Ban Stories, the smart glasses that people can use to capture video, are a stepping stone to making more people comfortable with putting smart tech on their bodies, they said.

In a companywide meeting days after Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was going all in on the metaverse, Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, took questions from employees about the change.

She said she was “excited” about the metaverse’s possibilities and told attendees to imagine the endless opportunities that would be available to people around the world, two employees who listened to the virtual meeting said.

Many employees showed their enthusiasm using heart emojis. But in one private chat for engineers, which was reviewed by The Times, one employee wrote: “Who is the elephant in the room who is going to ask how all of it works? Not it.”

The Instagram engineer had already packed his bags for a December vacation when his boss pulled him into a virtual meeting to talk about job goals for 2022. Their conversation soon took an unexpected turn.

The Instagram engineer had already packed his bags for a December vacation when his boss pulled him into a virtual meeting to talk about job goals for 2022. Their conversation soon took an unexpected turn. Forget the goals, his boss told him. To succeed at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, his boss said, he should instead apply to a new position in the burgeoning augmented reality and virtual reality teams. That’s where the company needed people, he said. The engineer, who had worked at Instagram for more than three years and who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, was taken aback by essentially having to reapply for a job. He said he hasn’t decided what to do. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of the company formerly known as Facebook, has upended his company ever since he announced in October that he was betting on the so-called metaverse. Under this idea, his company — newly renamed Meta — would introduce people to shared virtual worlds and experiences across different software and hardware platforms. Since then, Meta has pursued a sweeping transformation, current and former employees said. It has created thousands of new jobs in the labs that make hardware and software for the metaverse. Managers have urged employees who worked on social networking products to apply for those augmented reality and virtual reality roles. The company has poached metaverse engineers from rivals including Microsoft and Apple. And it has officially rebranded some products, like its Oculus virtual-reality headsets, with the Meta name. The moves amount to some of the most drastic changes at the Silicon Valley company since 2012, when Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had to shift its social network away from desktop computers and toward mobile devices. The company restructured, focusing its energy and resources on making mobile-friendly versions of its products. The makeover was hugely successful, leading to years of growth. But changing the company’s course now is far more challenging. Meta has more than 68,000 employees, which is more than 14 times its size in 2012. Its market value has risen by more than eight times over that period to $840 billion. Its business is entrenched in online advertising and social networking. And while the shift may give Meta a head start on the internet’s next phase, the metaverse remains a largely theoretical concept — unlike the 2012 move to mobile when smartphones were already being widely used. The result has been internal disruption, according to nine current and former Meta employees who were not authorized to speak publicly. While some workers were excited about Meta’s pivot, others questioned whether the company was hurtling into a new product without fixing issues such as misinformation and extremism on its social platforms. Workers were expected to adopt a positive attitude toward innovation or leave, one employee said, and some who disagreed with the new mission have departed. What the metaverse focus means for the company’s existing social networking products like Facebook and Instagram remains in flux, two employees said. At Facebook and Instagram, some teams have shrunk over the last four months, they said, adding that they expected their budgets for the second half of 2022 to be smaller than in previous years. A spokesman for Meta, which reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday, said that building for the metaverse was not the company’s only priority. He added that there haven’t been significant job cuts to existing teams because of the new direction. Adam Draper, a managing director of Boost VC, a venture capital firm that invests in companies focused on “sci-fi technology,” said Meta’s new bet was well-timed. “There will be entire economies and countries built digitally through VR/Web3, and we are just scratching the surface,” he said, using terms to describe next-generation technologies for building the metaverse. He noted that Meta was in the lead with virtual reality because of products like its Oculus headsets, adding, “This is the sci-fi future, and Meta made the bold move to make it a reality.” Facebook’s pivot to the metaverse started in its top ranks. In September, Mike Schroepfer, the long-serving chief technology officer, said he would step down by the end of 2022. In his place, Zuckerberg appointed Andrew Bosworth, known as “Boz,” who has for the past few years led development on products like the Oculus headsets and Ray Ban Stories smart glasses. Bosworth’s ascendancy was a sign to insiders that Zuckerberg was taking virtual reality and the metaverse seriously. The two had met at Harvard in an artificial intelligence class, when Zuckerberg was a student and Bosworth was a teacher’s assistant. They kept in touch after Zuckerberg dropped out of the university. Eventually, Bosworth moved to Silicon Valley to work for Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg has since turned to Bosworth for major initiatives. In 2012, Bosworth was given the task of building out Facebook’s mobile advertising products. After management issues at the Oculus virtual reality division, Zuckerberg dispatched Bosworth in August 2017 to take over the initiative. The virtual reality business was later rebranded Reality Labs. In October, the company said it would create 10,000 metaverse-related jobs in the European Union over the next five years. That same month, Zuckerberg announced he was changing Facebook’s name to Meta and pledged billions of dollars to the effort. Reality Labs is now at the forefront of the company’s shift to the metaverse, employees said. Workers in products, engineering and research have been encouraged to apply to new roles there, they said, while others have been elevated from their jobs in social networking divisions to lead the same functions with a metaverse emphasis. Of the more than 3,000 open jobs listed on Meta’s website, more than 24% are now for roles in augmented or virtual reality. The jobs are in cities including Seattle, Shanghai and Zurich. One job listing for a “gameplay engineering manager” for Horizon, the company’s free virtual reality game, said the candidate’s responsibilities would include imagining new ways to experience concerts and conventions. Internal recruitment for the metaverse ramped up late last year, three Meta engineers said, with their managers mentioning job openings on metaverse-related teams in December and January. Others who didn’t get on board with the new mission left. One former employee said he resigned after feeling like his work on Instagram would no longer be of value to the company; another said they did not think Meta was best placed for creating the metaverse and was searching for a job at a competitor. Meta also lured away dozens of employees from companies like Microsoft and Apple, two people with knowledge of the moves said. In particular, Meta hired from those companies’ divisions that worked on augmented reality products, like Microsoft’s HoloLens and Apple’s secretive augmented reality glasses project. Representatives for Microsoft and Apple declined to comment. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal previously reported on some of the personnel moves. Meta’s employees have been asked to contribute to the change in other ways. In November, they were asked to sign up for Project Aria, an effort to test some new augmented reality glasses, according to an internal memo that was reviewed by The New York Times. Employees could “earn points and win swag” by wearing the glasses and gathering data through the device’s cameras and sensors, the memo said. To reduce people’s privacy concerns about being filmed with the glasses, employees were asked to wear a T-shirt identifying themselves as a “research participant” and were told not to view or listen to the raw data captured by the glasses, according to the memo. Employees have also been able to sign up to test the Oculus Quest headsets and to use them for meetings in Horizon Workrooms, the company’s virtual reality work-conferencing space. Meta is working on other wearable tech products, including a smartwatch with health and fitness tracking capabilities, said two people with knowledge of the project. The Information earlier reported on the smartwatch. Ray Ban Stories, the smart glasses that people can use to capture video, are a stepping stone to making more people comfortable with putting smart tech on their bodies, they said. In a companywide meeting days after Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was going all in on the metaverse, Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, took questions from employees about the change. She said she was “excited” about the metaverse’s possibilities and told attendees to imagine the endless opportunities that would be available to people around the world, two employees who listened to the virtual meeting said. Many employees showed their enthusiasm using heart emojis. But in one private chat for engineers, which was reviewed by The Times, one employee wrote: “Who is the elephant in the room who is going to ask how all of it works? Not it.”

How Facebook is morphing into Meta

Facebook parent&nbsp;Meta&nbsp;Platforms Inc said on Monday that its research team has built a new artificial intelligence supercomputer that it thinks will be the fastest in the world when completed in mid-2022.

Meta&nbsp;said in a blog post that its new AI Research SuperCluster (RSC) would help the company build better AI models that can learn from trillions of examples, work across hundreds of languages, and analyze text, images and video together to determine if the content was harmful.

"This research will not only help keep people safe on our services today, but also in the future, as we build for the&nbsp;metaverse," the company said in a blog post.

The social media company changed its name in October to&nbsp;Meta&nbsp;to reflect its focus on the&nbsp;metaverse, which it thinks will be the successor to the mobile internet.

The&nbsp;metaverse, a broad term which has generated a lot of Silicon Valley buzz in recent months, refers to the idea of shared virtual environments which people can access through different devices and where they can work, play and socialize.

"The experiences we're building for the&nbsp;metaverse require enormous compute power (quintillions of operations/second!) and RSC will enable new AI models that can learn from trillions of examples, understand hundreds of languages, and more,"&nbsp;Meta&nbsp;Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

The company said it believed the supercomputer was currently among the fastest AI supercomputers running.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc said on Monday that its research team has built a new artificial intelligence supercomputer that it thinks will be the fastest in the world when completed in mid-2022.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc said on Monday that its research team has built a new artificial intelligence supercomputer that it thinks will be the fastest in the world when completed in mid-2022. Meta said in a blog post that its new AI Research SuperCluster (RSC) would help the company build better AI models that can learn from trillions of examples, work across hundreds of languages, and analyze text, images and video together to determine if the content was harmful. "This research will not only help keep people safe on our services today, but also in the future, as we build for the metaverse," the company said in a blog post. The social media company changed its name in October to Meta to reflect its focus on the metaverse, which it thinks will be the successor to the mobile internet. The metaverse, a broad term which has generated a lot of Silicon Valley buzz in recent months, refers to the idea of shared virtual environments which people can access through different devices and where they can work, play and socialize. "The experiences we're building for the metaverse require enormous compute power (quintillions of operations/second!) and RSC will enable new AI models that can learn from trillions of examples, understand hundreds of languages, and more," Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. The company said it believed the supercomputer was currently among the fastest AI supercomputers running.

Meta says its new AI supercomputer will be world's fastest

Facebook is facing a 3.2 billion dollar plus class-action suit in Britain for allegations that it has abused its market dominance by exploiting the personal data of almost about 44 million users.

Facebook is facing a 3.2 billion dollar class-action lawsuit in Britain

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin.

But as she waited, another player’s avatar approached hers. The stranger then simulated groping and ejaculating onto her avatar, Siggens said. Shocked, she asked the player, whose avatar appeared male, to stop.

“He shrugged as if to say: ‘I don’t know what to tell you. It’s the metaverse — I’ll do what I want,’” said Siggens, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. “Then he walked away.”

The world’s largest tech companies — Microsoft, Google, Apple and others — are hurtling headlong into creating the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can have their avatars do everything from play video games and attend gym classes to participate in meetings. In October, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, said he believed so much in the metaverse that he would invest billions in the effort. He also renamed his company Meta.

Yet even as tech giants bet big on the concept, questions about the metaverse’s safety have surfaced. Harassment, assaults, bullying and hate speech already run rampant in virtual reality games, which are part of the metaverse, and there are few mechanisms to easily report the misbehaviour, researchers said. In one popular virtual reality game, VRChat, a violating incident occurs about once every seven minutes, according to the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Bad behaviour in the metaverse can be more severe than today’s online harassment and bullying. That’s because virtual reality plunges people into an all-encompassing digital environment where unwanted touches in the digital world can be made to feel real and the sensory experience is heightened.

“When something bad happens, when someone comes up and gropes you, your mind is tricking you into thinking it’s happening in the real world,” Siggens said. “With the full metaverse, it’s going to be so much more intense.”

Toxic behaviour in gaming and in virtual reality is not new. But as Meta and other huge companies make the metaverse their platform, the issues are likely to be magnified by the companies’ reach over billions of people. The companies are encouraging people to join the metaverse, with Meta, which makes the Oculus Quest headsets, cutting prices for the products during the holidays.

Zuckerberg, who appears aware of questions about the metaverse’s harms, has promised to build it with privacy and safety in mind. Yet even his own lieutenants have wondered whether they can really stem toxic behaviour there.

In March, Andrew Bosworth, a Meta executive who will become chief technology officer in 2022, wrote in an employee memo that moderating what people say and how they act in the metaverse “at any meaningful scale is practically impossible.” The memo was reported earlier by The Financial Times.

Kristina Milian, a Meta spokesperson, said the company was working with policymakers, experts and industry partners on the metaverse. In a November blog post, Meta also said it was investing $50 million in global research to develop its products responsibly.

Meta has asked its employees to volunteer to test the metaverse, according to an internal memo viewed by The New York Times. A stranger recently groped the avatar of one tester of a Meta virtual reality game, Horizon Worlds, a company spokesperson said. The incident, which Meta has said it learned from, was reported earlier by The Verge.

Misbehaviour in virtual reality is typically difficult to track because incidents occur in real-time and are generally not recorded.

Titania Jordan, the chief parent officer at Bark, which uses artificial intelligence to monitor children’s devices for safety reasons, said she was especially concerned about what children might encounter in the metaverse. She said abusers could target children through chat messages in a game or by speaking to them through headsets, actions that are difficult to document.

“VR is a whole other world of complexity,” Jordan said. “Just the ability to pinpoint somebody who is a bad actor and block them indefinitely or have ramifications so they can’t just get back on, those are still being developed.”

Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, recently spent several weeks recording interactions in the VRChat game, which is made by a developer called VRChat and largely played through Oculus Quest headsets. In the game, people can form virtual communities and have their avatars play cards, party in a virtual club or meet in virtual public spaces to talk. Oculus rates it as safe for teenagers.

Yet over one 11-hour period, Hood said, he recorded more than 100 problematic incidents on VRChat, some involving users who said they were under 13. In several cases, users’ avatars made sexual and violent threats against minors, he said. In another case, someone tried showing sexually explicit content to a minor.

Hood said the incidents had violated Oculus’ terms of service, as well as those of VRChat. He said he had reported his findings to both companies, but had not heard back.

“VRChat is unsafe because its developers and Facebook have failed to put basic measures in place to ensure abusive users cannot access its services,” he said. “They have created a safe haven for abusive users at the same time as inviting minors to enter the metaverse.”

Milian said Meta’s community standards and VR policy outline what is allowed on its platform, which developers must adhere to. “We don’t allow content that attacks people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability,” she said.

Minors are not permitted to create accounts or use Oculus devices, she said. Part of the responsibility, she added, lies with the developers of the apps.

VRChat did not respond to a request for comment.

After Siggens faced abuse while playing the Population One virtual reality game, she said, she joined a virtual support group for women, many of whom also play the game. Members regularly dealt with harassment in the game, she said. In June, Meta acquired BigBox VR, the developer of Population One.

Another member of the support group, Mari DeGrazia, 48, of Tucson, Arizona, said she saw harassment and assault happen in Population One “two to three times a week, if not more.”

“Sometimes, we see things happen two to three times day that violate the game’s rules,” she added.

BigBox VR did not respond to a request for comment.

DeGrazia said the people behind Population One had responded to her complaints and appeared interested in making the game safer. Despite the harassment, she said, she has found a community of virtual friends with whom she regularly plays the game and enjoys those interactions.

“I’m not going to stop playing, because I think it’s important to have diverse people, including women, playing this game,” she said. “We aren’t going to be pushed out of it, even though sometimes it’s hard.”

In July, DeGrazia wore a haptic vest — which relays sensations through buzzes and vibrations — to play Population One. When another player groped her avatar’s chest, “it felt just awful,” she said. She noted that Zuckerberg has described a metaverse where people can be fitted with full-body suits that let them feel even more sensations, which she said was troubling.

Siggens said she had ultimately reported the user account of the person who groped her in Population One through a form within the game. She later received an automated response saying punitive action had been taken against the user.

“I don’t know if they were banned for a day or for a week or for forever,” she said. “Either way, it just keeps happening.”

An hour after the incident with the stranger’s avatar, Siggens said, her avatar was groped again by a different user.

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin.

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin. But as she waited, another player’s avatar approached hers. The stranger then simulated groping and ejaculating onto her avatar, Siggens said. Shocked, she asked the player, whose avatar appeared male, to stop. “He shrugged as if to say: ‘I don’t know what to tell you. It’s the metaverse — I’ll do what I want,’” said Siggens, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. “Then he walked away.” The world’s largest tech companies — Microsoft, Google, Apple and others — are hurtling headlong into creating the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can have their avatars do everything from play video games and attend gym classes to participate in meetings. In October, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, said he believed so much in the metaverse that he would invest billions in the effort. He also renamed his company Meta. Yet even as tech giants bet big on the concept, questions about the metaverse’s safety have surfaced. Harassment, assaults, bullying and hate speech already run rampant in virtual reality games, which are part of the metaverse, and there are few mechanisms to easily report the misbehaviour, researchers said. In one popular virtual reality game, VRChat, a violating incident occurs about once every seven minutes, according to the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. Bad behaviour in the metaverse can be more severe than today’s online harassment and bullying. That’s because virtual reality plunges people into an all-encompassing digital environment where unwanted touches in the digital world can be made to feel real and the sensory experience is heightened. “When something bad happens, when someone comes up and gropes you, your mind is tricking you into thinking it’s happening in the real world,” Siggens said. “With the full metaverse, it’s going to be so much more intense.” Toxic behaviour in gaming and in virtual reality is not new. But as Meta and other huge companies make the metaverse their platform, the issues are likely to be magnified by the companies’ reach over billions of people. The companies are encouraging people to join the metaverse, with Meta, which makes the Oculus Quest headsets, cutting prices for the products during the holidays. Zuckerberg, who appears aware of questions about the metaverse’s harms, has promised to build it with privacy and safety in mind. Yet even his own lieutenants have wondered whether they can really stem toxic behaviour there. In March, Andrew Bosworth, a Meta executive who will become chief technology officer in 2022, wrote in an employee memo that moderating what people say and how they act in the metaverse “at any meaningful scale is practically impossible.” The memo was reported earlier by The Financial Times. Kristina Milian, a Meta spokesperson, said the company was working with policymakers, experts and industry partners on the metaverse. In a November blog post, Meta also said it was investing $50 million in global research to develop its products responsibly. Meta has asked its employees to volunteer to test the metaverse, according to an internal memo viewed by The New York Times. A stranger recently groped the avatar of one tester of a Meta virtual reality game, Horizon Worlds, a company spokesperson said. The incident, which Meta has said it learned from, was reported earlier by The Verge. Misbehaviour in virtual reality is typically difficult to track because incidents occur in real-time and are generally not recorded. Titania Jordan, the chief parent officer at Bark, which uses artificial intelligence to monitor children’s devices for safety reasons, said she was especially concerned about what children might encounter in the metaverse. She said abusers could target children through chat messages in a game or by speaking to them through headsets, actions that are difficult to document. “VR is a whole other world of complexity,” Jordan said. “Just the ability to pinpoint somebody who is a bad actor and block them indefinitely or have ramifications so they can’t just get back on, those are still being developed.” Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, recently spent several weeks recording interactions in the VRChat game, which is made by a developer called VRChat and largely played through Oculus Quest headsets. In the game, people can form virtual communities and have their avatars play cards, party in a virtual club or meet in virtual public spaces to talk. Oculus rates it as safe for teenagers. Yet over one 11-hour period, Hood said, he recorded more than 100 problematic incidents on VRChat, some involving users who said they were under 13. In several cases, users’ avatars made sexual and violent threats against minors, he said. In another case, someone tried showing sexually explicit content to a minor. Hood said the incidents had violated Oculus’ terms of service, as well as those of VRChat. He said he had reported his findings to both companies, but had not heard back. “VRChat is unsafe because its developers and Facebook have failed to put basic measures in place to ensure abusive users cannot access its services,” he said. “They have created a safe haven for abusive users at the same time as inviting minors to enter the metaverse.” Milian said Meta’s community standards and VR policy outline what is allowed on its platform, which developers must adhere to. “We don’t allow content that attacks people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability,” she said. Minors are not permitted to create accounts or use Oculus devices, she said. Part of the responsibility, she added, lies with the developers of the apps. VRChat did not respond to a request for comment. After Siggens faced abuse while playing the Population One virtual reality game, she said, she joined a virtual support group for women, many of whom also play the game. Members regularly dealt with harassment in the game, she said. In June, Meta acquired BigBox VR, the developer of Population One. Another member of the support group, Mari DeGrazia, 48, of Tucson, Arizona, said she saw harassment and assault happen in Population One “two to three times a week, if not more.” “Sometimes, we see things happen two to three times day that violate the game’s rules,” she added. BigBox VR did not respond to a request for comment. DeGrazia said the people behind Population One had responded to her complaints and appeared interested in making the game safer. Despite the harassment, she said, she has found a community of virtual friends with whom she regularly plays the game and enjoys those interactions. “I’m not going to stop playing, because I think it’s important to have diverse people, including women, playing this game,” she said. “We aren’t going to be pushed out of it, even though sometimes it’s hard.” In July, DeGrazia wore a haptic vest — which relays sensations through buzzes and vibrations — to play Population One. When another player groped her avatar’s chest, “it felt just awful,” she said. She noted that Zuckerberg has described a metaverse where people can be fitted with full-body suits that let them feel even more sensations, which she said was troubling. Siggens said she had ultimately reported the user account of the person who groped her in Population One through a form within the game. She later received an automated response saying punitive action had been taken against the user. “I don’t know if they were banned for a day or for a week or for forever,” she said. “Either way, it just keeps happening.” An hour after the incident with the stranger’s avatar, Siggens said, her avatar was groped again by a different user.

The Metaverse’s dark side: Here come harassment and assaults

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform.

Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December. Meta has challenged Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) ruling on six grounds.

The CMA had delivered the ruling on Giphy in November last year. The watchdog had said that Meta's acquisition &nbsp;of the animated graphics startup would hit competition and advertising.

Stuart McIntosh, who headed an inquiry into the buyout, said action was required because the tie-up had already affected competition in the display advertising market.

"Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he added.

"By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising."

Meta, which announced the purchase of Giphy for a reported $400 million in May 2020, had said it disagreed with the ruling.

The CMA said the merger would allow Facebook to increase its significant market power by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs.

It would also deny or limit other social media sites' access to Giphy GIFs, driving more traffic to Facebook-owned sites such as WhatsApp and Instagram, which account for 73 percent of social media user time in Britain.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform. Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December.

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform. Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December. Meta has challenged Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) ruling on six grounds. The CMA had delivered the ruling on Giphy in November last year. The watchdog had said that Meta's acquisition of the animated graphics startup would hit competition and advertising. Stuart McIntosh, who headed an inquiry into the buyout, said action was required because the tie-up had already affected competition in the display advertising market. "Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he added. "By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising." Meta, which announced the purchase of Giphy for a reported $400 million in May 2020, had said it disagreed with the ruling. The CMA said the merger would allow Facebook to increase its significant market power by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs. It would also deny or limit other social media sites' access to Giphy GIFs, driving more traffic to Facebook-owned sites such as WhatsApp and Instagram, which account for 73 percent of social media user time in Britain. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta appeals British regulator's ruling that asked Facebook to sell Giphy

Billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has bought more property in Hawaii amid protests from locals, according to reports.

The tech billionaire has bought 110 more acres of land, including a former sugar plantation reservoir on Kauai that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago, worth $17 million, Honolulu newspaper Star-Advertiser reported.

With this latest purchase, Zuckerberg’s estate, which he calls Ko’olau Ranch, has grown to nearly 1,500 acres, including&nbsp;a pristine forest, on Kauai's north shore.

The reservoir, whose dam broke which led to a flood that killed seven people in 2006, remains unrepaired and on the state’s list of high-risk dams.

But, Ben LaBolt, spokesman for the couple, told news agency AP that Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chang are committed to doing their part of fulfilling legal requirements and promoting safety of the reservoir.

The couple plan to extend farming, ranching, conservation and wildlife protection work on the land, LaBolt said. They already had 1,300 acres (526 hectares) on the island.

This is Zuckerberg's second purchase this year: In March, he paid $53 million for nearly 600 acres of land on Kauai that includes a public beach and a working cattle ranch. That added to the 750 acres he purchased nearby in 2014.

But Zuckerberg’s presence on the island has remained controversial.

According to Star-Advertiser, Zuckerberg had filed several lawsuits aimed at forcing these families to sell their land at a public court auction to the highest bidder, a legal action known as “quiet title and partition”.

He also reportedly built a six-foot wall last year, to cut off locals’ access to his estate.

(With inputs from agencies)

Billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has bought more property in Hawaii amid protests from locals, according to reports. The tech billionaire has bought 110 more acres of land, including a former sugar plantation reservoir on Kauai that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago, worth $17 million, Honolulu newspaper Star-Advertiser reported.

Billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has bought more property in Hawaii amid protests from locals, according to reports. The tech billionaire has bought 110 more acres of land, including a former sugar plantation reservoir on Kauai that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago, worth $17 million, Honolulu newspaper Star-Advertiser reported. With this latest purchase, Zuckerberg’s estate, which he calls Ko’olau Ranch, has grown to nearly 1,500 acres, including a pristine forest, on Kauai's north shore. The reservoir, whose dam broke which led to a flood that killed seven people in 2006, remains unrepaired and on the state’s list of high-risk dams. But, Ben LaBolt, spokesman for the couple, told news agency AP that Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chang are committed to doing their part of fulfilling legal requirements and promoting safety of the reservoir. The couple plan to extend farming, ranching, conservation and wildlife protection work on the land, LaBolt said. They already had 1,300 acres (526 hectares) on the island. This is Zuckerberg's second purchase this year: In March, he paid $53 million for nearly 600 acres of land on Kauai that includes a public beach and a working cattle ranch. That added to the 750 acres he purchased nearby in 2014. But Zuckerberg’s presence on the island has remained controversial. According to Star-Advertiser, Zuckerberg had filed several lawsuits aimed at forcing these families to sell their land at a public court auction to the highest bidder, a legal action known as “quiet title and partition”. He also reportedly built a six-foot wall last year, to cut off locals’ access to his estate. (With inputs from agencies)

Mark Zuckerberg buys 110 more acres of land, including deadly reservoir, in Hawaii

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been slapped with a massive fine on Friday (December 24) by a Moscow court for failing to remove content that is deemed illegal.&nbsp;

The court's press service revealed on a messaging app Telegram that Meta has been fined $27 million. The court also informed that it has imposed a fine of $98 million on Google.&nbsp;

Russia's state communications regulator Roskomnadzor released a statement, it read: "For the first time, a Russian court has imposed fines that make up a share of the annual revenue of these companies in Russia."&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-metaverse-to-nft-here-is-all-you-need-to-know-about-tech-buzzwords-of-2021-439134">From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021</a>

"In the case of an administrative offense provided for in Part 5 of Article 13.41 of the Administrative Code &lt;...&gt; Google LLC was found guilty ... A punishment was imposed in the form of an administrative fine in the amount of 7,221,916,235 rubles," RIA Novosti was told in the press service of the Tagansky District court.&nbsp;

Moscow has been putting pressure on foreign internet platforms and claims that such platforms fail to take down illegal content in compliance with Russian law. Content from pornographic material and posts promoting drugs and suicide.&nbsp;

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(With inputs from agencies)

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been slapped with a massive fine on Friday (December 24) by a Moscow court for failing to remove content that is deemed illegal.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been slapped with a massive fine on Friday (December 24) by a Moscow court for failing to remove content that is deemed illegal. The court's press service revealed on a messaging app Telegram that Meta has been fined $27 million. The court also informed that it has imposed a fine of $98 million on Google. Russia's state communications regulator Roskomnadzor released a statement, it read: "For the first time, a Russian court has imposed fines that make up a share of the annual revenue of these companies in Russia." ALSO READ | From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021 "In the case of an administrative offense provided for in Part 5 of Article 13.41 of the Administrative Code <...> Google LLC was found guilty ... A punishment was imposed in the form of an administrative fine in the amount of 7,221,916,235 rubles," RIA Novosti was told in the press service of the Tagansky District court. Moscow has been putting pressure on foreign internet platforms and claims that such platforms fail to take down illegal content in compliance with Russian law. Content from pornographic material and posts promoting drugs and suicide. × (With inputs from agencies)

Russian court fines Google and Meta with record $125mn over repeated failure to delete illegal content

Facebook has paid USD 229,643 in fines in Russia over content Moscow deemed illegal, Interfax news agency has reported. There is looming threat of larger fines over the tech giant.

Meta and Alphabet, parent companies of Facebook and Google respectively face a court case next week. &nbsp;They face allegations of violation of Russian legislation. A fine equal to their annual revenue in Russia may be imposed.

Reuters said that Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Russia in October sent state bailiffs to enforce the collection of 17 million roubles in fines imposed on Facebook. Interfax said there were no more enforcement proceedings against the company as of Sunday, citing the federal bailiff service's database.

Moscow has increased pressure on large tech firms this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens to stifle individual and corporate freedom.

Interfax said messaging app Telegram has also paid 15 million roubles in fines.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook has paid USD 229,643 in fines in Russia over content Moscow deemed illegal, Interfax news agency has reported. There is looming threat of larger fines over the tech giant.

Facebook has paid USD 229,643 in fines in Russia over content Moscow deemed illegal, Interfax news agency has reported. There is looming threat of larger fines over the tech giant. Meta and Alphabet, parent companies of Facebook and Google respectively face a court case next week. They face allegations of violation of Russian legislation. A fine equal to their annual revenue in Russia may be imposed. Reuters said that Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Russia in October sent state bailiffs to enforce the collection of 17 million roubles in fines imposed on Facebook. Interfax said there were no more enforcement proceedings against the company as of Sunday, citing the federal bailiff service's database. Moscow has increased pressure on large tech firms this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens to stifle individual and corporate freedom. Interfax said messaging app Telegram has also paid 15 million roubles in fines. Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook pays fine in Russia over content deemed illegal

Social media giant Meta, formerly known as Facebook, ran a massive crackdown on spy firms on its platform as it suspended over 1,500 accounts.

Social media giant Meta crackdowns on spy firms on its platform & suspends over 1,500 accounts

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, banned an array of "cyber mercenary" groups on Thursday, alerting 50,000 users who may have been targeted by firms that spy on activists, dissidents, and journalists.

Meta bans array of 'cyber mercenary' groups, warns 50,000 people that were targeted

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, banned an array of "cyber mercenary" groups on Thursday, alerting 50,000 users who may have been targeted by firms that spy on activists, dissidents, and journalists.

Meta shut down 1,500 Facebook and Instagram webpages linked to groups with services ranging from snooping up public information online to building trust with targets with fake personas to performing digital snooping via hacking attacks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fretting-about-data-security-chinese-government-expands-its-use-of-golden-shares-437299">Fretting about data security, Chinese government expands its use of 'golden shares'</a>

Furthermore, Facebook is warning about 50,000 users in more than 100 countries who may have been targeted by firms including several from Israel, a leading player in the cyber surveillance business.

"The surveillance-for-hire industry... looks like indiscriminate targeting on behalf of the highest bidder," Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy at Meta, told a press briefing.

Facebook said it removed accounts from Cobwebs Technologies, Cognyte, Black Cube and Bluehawk CI -- all of which are based or founded in Israel.

BellTroX, a company based in India, Cytrox based in Macedonia, and another entity with an unidentified location in China also had their Meta accounts removed.

Researchers at Canadian cybersecurity organisation Citizen Lab also accused Cytrox of developing and selling spyware used to hack Egyptian opposition figure Ayman Nour's phone.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/this-is-how-huawei-is-associated-with-chinas-state-surveillance-436995">This is how Huawei is associated with China’s state surveillance</a>

"These cyber mercenaries often claim that their services only target criminals and terrorists," said a Meta statement.&nbsp;

"Targeting is in fact indiscriminate and includes journalists, dissidents, critics of authoritarian regimes, families of opposition members and human rights activists," it added. "We have banned them from our services."

In most cases, the companies selling "web intelligence services" gather information from publicly available online sources, such as news reports and Wikipedia, before beginning the surveillance process.

Cyber mercenaries then created fake accounts on social media sites to gather info about users, Meta investigators said, joining groups and conversations to get further details.

A third tactic is to gain a target's trust on a social network and then trick the person into clicking a booby-trapped link or file that installs software that can then steal information from their devices.

Watch |&nbsp;Meta crackdown on spy firms: 1,500 accounts suspended

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This kind of access allows mercenaries to steal data from a target's phone or computer. In addition, they can silently activate microphones, cameras, and tracking systems.

While Meta was not being able to pinpoint who ran the Chinese operation, it tracked "command and control" of the surveillance tool to servers that appeared to be used by law enforcement officials in China.

(With inputs from agencies)

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, banned an array of "cyber mercenary" groups on Thursday, alerting 50,000 users who may have been targeted by firms that spy on activists, dissidents, and journalists. Meta shut down 1,500 Facebook and Instagram webpages linked to groups with services ranging from snooping up public information online to building trust with targets with fake personas to performing digital snooping via hacking attacks. Also read | Fretting about data security, Chinese government expands its use of 'golden shares' Furthermore, Facebook is warning about 50,000 users in more than 100 countries who may have been targeted by firms including several from Israel, a leading player in the cyber surveillance business. "The surveillance-for-hire industry... looks like indiscriminate targeting on behalf of the highest bidder," Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy at Meta, told a press briefing. Facebook said it removed accounts from Cobwebs Technologies, Cognyte, Black Cube and Bluehawk CI -- all of which are based or founded in Israel. BellTroX, a company based in India, Cytrox based in Macedonia, and another entity with an unidentified location in China also had their Meta accounts removed. Researchers at Canadian cybersecurity organisation Citizen Lab also accused Cytrox of developing and selling spyware used to hack Egyptian opposition figure Ayman Nour's phone. Also read | This is how Huawei is associated with China’s state surveillance "These cyber mercenaries often claim that their services only target criminals and terrorists," said a Meta statement. "Targeting is in fact indiscriminate and includes journalists, dissidents, critics of authoritarian regimes, families of opposition members and human rights activists," it added. "We have banned them from our services." In most cases, the companies selling "web intelligence services" gather information from publicly available online sources, such as news reports and Wikipedia, before beginning the surveillance process. Cyber mercenaries then created fake accounts on social media sites to gather info about users, Meta investigators said, joining groups and conversations to get further details. A third tactic is to gain a target's trust on a social network and then trick the person into clicking a booby-trapped link or file that installs software that can then steal information from their devices. Watch | Meta crackdown on spy firms: 1,500 accounts suspended This kind of access allows mercenaries to steal data from a target's phone or computer. In addition, they can silently activate microphones, cameras, and tracking systems. While Meta was not being able to pinpoint who ran the Chinese operation, it tracked "command and control" of the surveillance tool to servers that appeared to be used by law enforcement officials in China. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook's parent company Meta crackdown on spy firm on its platform as it suspends 1,500 accounts for targeting 50,000 people.

Meta crackdown on spy firms: 1,500 accounts suspended

It is often heard that the stronger party usually gets its own way and it is the smaller organisations that have to suffer. Something similar happened in the case of an artist who lost her voice in front of the social media giant Meta, earlier known as Facebook.<o:p></o:p>

Almost a month ago, Mark Zuckerberg announced that he is changing the umbrella corporate name of his social media platforms to Meta. A few days after that announcement, Thea-Mai Baumann, an Australian artist and technologist,&nbsp;found out that her Instagram account has been blocked.<o:p></o:p>

Reason? Same name.

<o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/meta-poses-threat-to-mental-health-will-mark-zuckerberg-come-clean-435443">WATCH |</a></o:p>

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As per a report first published by the New York Times, when the Australian artist tried accessing her Instagram account on November 02, she got a message saying, "Your account has been blocked for pretending to be someone else".<o:p></o:p>

Her account was named '@metaverse' and she had created the profile in 2012. The artist used this account to share her experiences and document her journey as an arts student in Brisbane, and then the making of her AR company named Metaverse Makeovers.<o:p></o:p>

"This account is a decade of my life and work. I didn’t want my contribution to the metaverse to be wiped from the internet," Baumann&nbsp;told&nbsp;the New York Times.<o:p></o:p>

Baumann created Metaverse Nails which is reportedly the sole product in the world that allows "you to adorn your digital and physical self with customisable holograms," as per their official website.<o:p></o:p>

However, Instagram claims that her account had been "incorrectly removed for impersonation"&nbsp;and was therefore restored two days later. However, the Australian artist is worried that the future of her company is in danger, now that Zuckerberg is competing with her in the name game.<o:p></o:p>

She says she is worried that its culture could be "corrupted by the kind of Silicon Valley tech bros who I feel lack vision and integrity", she&nbsp;said.<o:p></o:p>

It is often heard that the stronger party usually gets its own way and it is the smaller organisations that have to suffer. Something similar happened in the case of an artist who lost her voice in front of the social media giant Meta, earlier known as Facebook.

It is often heard that the stronger party usually gets its own way and it is the smaller organisations that have to suffer. Something similar happened in the case of an artist who lost her voice in front of the social media giant Meta, earlier known as Facebook. Almost a month ago, Mark Zuckerberg announced that he is changing the umbrella corporate name of his social media platforms to Meta. A few days after that announcement, Thea-Mai Baumann, an Australian artist and technologist, found out that her Instagram account has been blocked. Reason? Same name. WATCH | As per a report first published by the New York Times, when the Australian artist tried accessing her Instagram account on November 02, she got a message saying, "Your account has been blocked for pretending to be someone else". Her account was named '@metaverse' and she had created the profile in 2012. The artist used this account to share her experiences and document her journey as an arts student in Brisbane, and then the making of her AR company named Metaverse Makeovers. "This account is a decade of my life and work. I didn’t want my contribution to the metaverse to be wiped from the internet," Baumann told the New York Times. Baumann created Metaverse Nails which is reportedly the sole product in the world that allows "you to adorn your digital and physical self with customisable holograms," as per their official website. However, Instagram claims that her account had been "incorrectly removed for impersonation" and was therefore restored two days later. However, the Australian artist is worried that the future of her company is in danger, now that Zuckerberg is competing with her in the name game. She says she is worried that its culture could be "corrupted by the kind of Silicon Valley tech bros who I feel lack vision and integrity", she said.

Name game? Artist's Instagram account, @metaverse, blocked after Meta rebranding

After the head of Instagram was grilled for compromising children safety on social media, Instagram plans an updated version of the app that shows users chronological feed instead of an algorithm-based one.

Instagram to reintroduce chronological feed option, is Meta finally listening to its users?

At least 300 Scientists & researchers have written an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. They want the Meta CEO to open the company's doors to independent investigators. They want Facebook to clarify how its posts impact the mental health of teens.

300 researchers slam Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

300 Scientists & researchers have written an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. They want the Meta CEO to open the company's doors to independent investigators. They want Facebook to clarify how its posts impact the mental health of teens. Palki Sharma has a report.

Gravitas: An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg

Meta poses threat to mental health? Will Mark Zuckerberg come clean?

Rohingya refugees in Myanmar have filed a lawsuit against Meta Inc over its failure to keep a check on hate speech and violence.

According to the complaint, ''Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow. And the undeniable reality is that Facebook’s growth, fueled by hate, division, and misinformation, has left hundreds of thousands of devastated Rohingya lives in its wake.''

The Rohingyas are seeking punitive damages in the $150 billion lawsuit for being responsible of the genocide that uprooted their lives.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/general-behind-myanmar-coup-is-aung-san-suu-kyis-longtime-rival-434563" hreflang="en">General behind Myanmar Coup is Aung San Suu Kyi's longtime rival</a>

In response, a Meta spokesman said ''We’ve built a dedicated team of Burmese speakers, banned the Tatmadaw, disrupted networks manipulating public debate, and taken action on harmful misinformation to help keep people safe.''

&nbsp;''We've also invested in Burmese-language technology to reduce the prevalence of violating content. This work is guided by feedback from experts, civil society organizations, and independent reports, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar’s findings and the independent Human Rights Impact Assessment we commissioned and released in 2018.''

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/meta-launches-stopnciiorg-to-put-a-stop-on-revenge-porn-434183" hreflang="en">Meta launches StopNCII.org to put a stop on revenge porn</a>

Facebook plays an outsized role in Myanmar as the dominant internet channel and remains widely used by both protesters against military rule and soldiers.

The company had announced that would ban all Myanmar-military-controlled businesses from having a presence on its platforms.

Rafael Frankel, Meta's Pacific director of public policy for emerging countries, Asia Pacific said "This action is based on extensive documentation by the international community and civil society of these businesses' direct role in funding the Tatmadaw."

Radical Buddhist nationalists and military members had used the platform to fan a campaign of violence towards the Rohingya in 2018 as per UN human rights investigators. Around 700,000 refugees had fled an army crackdown in 2017.

(With inputs from agencies)

Rohingya refugees in Myanmar have filed a lawsuit against Meta Inc over its failure to keep a check on hate speech and violence. According to the complaint, ''Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow.

Rohingya refugees in Myanmar have filed a lawsuit against Meta Inc over its failure to keep a check on hate speech and violence. According to the complaint, ''Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow. And the undeniable reality is that Facebook’s growth, fueled by hate, division, and misinformation, has left hundreds of thousands of devastated Rohingya lives in its wake.'' The Rohingyas are seeking punitive damages in the $150 billion lawsuit for being responsible of the genocide that uprooted their lives. Also read | General behind Myanmar Coup is Aung San Suu Kyi's longtime rival In response, a Meta spokesman said ''We’ve built a dedicated team of Burmese speakers, banned the Tatmadaw, disrupted networks manipulating public debate, and taken action on harmful misinformation to help keep people safe.'' ''We've also invested in Burmese-language technology to reduce the prevalence of violating content. This work is guided by feedback from experts, civil society organizations, and independent reports, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar’s findings and the independent Human Rights Impact Assessment we commissioned and released in 2018.'' Also read | Meta launches StopNCII.org to put a stop on revenge porn Facebook plays an outsized role in Myanmar as the dominant internet channel and remains widely used by both protesters against military rule and soldiers. The company had announced that would ban all Myanmar-military-controlled businesses from having a presence on its platforms. Rafael Frankel, Meta's Pacific director of public policy for emerging countries, Asia Pacific said "This action is based on extensive documentation by the international community and civil society of these businesses' direct role in funding the Tatmadaw." Radical Buddhist nationalists and military members had used the platform to fan a campaign of violence towards the Rohingya in 2018 as per UN human rights investigators. Around 700,000 refugees had fled an army crackdown in 2017. (With inputs from agencies)

Rohingya refugees sue Meta for $150 billion over failure to curb hate speech

In a bid to bring positive changes on the internet and to make it a safer environment, Meta (earlier known as Facebook) has launched a new platform to help stop revenge porn.

Along with more than 50 non-governmental organisations from around the world, Meta has established StopNCII.org which is a platform that will provide an opportunity to people to submit complaints of revenge porn and get quick actions for their safety and justice.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/killer-dish-chef-jailed-for-serving-deadly-shepherds-pie-434099" hreflang="en">Killer dish: Chef jailed for serving deadly shepherd's pie</a>

The non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCII), also known as ‘revenge porn’,&nbsp;has been infamously increasing on social media platforms. To combat this problem, Meta joined hands with UK Revenge Porn Helpline and 50 more organisations from across the world.

Through this, people who are concerned about their intimate images being shared online without their consent can submit a case on the platform. Once the complaint is registered, the tool will use its hash-generating technology to assign a unique hash value to an image, which will create a secure digital print.

The participating companies will then use that hash to check if any related image has been uploaded anywhere on their platforms. However, the safer part of this is that the original image will not be transferred in any way from the owner’s device. The technology will only use hashes, and not the images. This means these images will not be circulated further, thus keeping the images safe.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-owner-meta-asked-to-sell-giphy-by-british-regulator-432991" hreflang="en">Facebook-owner Meta asked to sell Giphy by British regulator</a>

This platform is only for adults (over the age of 18). For people under the age of 18, Meta will be redirecting them to organisations such as National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children&nbsp;(NCMEC).&nbsp;

"StopNCII.org represents a sea-change in the way those affected by intimate image abuse can protect themselves. At the heart of the work developing this tool have been the needs of victims and survivors by putting them in control without having to compromise their privacy,"&nbsp;Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, SWGfL, was quoted by Meta in official statement.

In a bid to bring positive changes on the internet and to make it a safer environment, Meta (earlier known as Facebook) has launched a new platform to help stop revenge porn.

In a bid to bring positive changes on the internet and to make it a safer environment, Meta (earlier known as Facebook) has launched a new platform to help stop revenge porn. Along with more than 50 non-governmental organisations from around the world, Meta has established StopNCII.org which is a platform that will provide an opportunity to people to submit complaints of revenge porn and get quick actions for their safety and justice. Also read | Killer dish: Chef jailed for serving deadly shepherd's pie The non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCII), also known as ‘revenge porn’, has been infamously increasing on social media platforms. To combat this problem, Meta joined hands with UK Revenge Porn Helpline and 50 more organisations from across the world. Through this, people who are concerned about their intimate images being shared online without their consent can submit a case on the platform. Once the complaint is registered, the tool will use its hash-generating technology to assign a unique hash value to an image, which will create a secure digital print. The participating companies will then use that hash to check if any related image has been uploaded anywhere on their platforms. However, the safer part of this is that the original image will not be transferred in any way from the owner’s device. The technology will only use hashes, and not the images. This means these images will not be circulated further, thus keeping the images safe. Also read | Facebook-owner Meta asked to sell Giphy by British regulator This platform is only for adults (over the age of 18). For people under the age of 18, Meta will be redirecting them to organisations such as National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). "StopNCII.org represents a sea-change in the way those affected by intimate image abuse can protect themselves. At the heart of the work developing this tool have been the needs of victims and survivors by putting them in control without having to compromise their privacy," Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, SWGfL, was quoted by Meta in official statement.

Meta launches StopNCII.org to put a stop on revenge porn

Meta, the guardian organisation of Facebook and Instagram has taken down a Chinese language misinformation community that tried to unfold claims about COVID-19 utilising a faux Swiss biologist.

Facebook takes down Chinese network behind fake Swiss biologist COVID claims

Meta Platform has said that Chinese-based networks were involved in elaborate online propaganda this year to promote claims of a fake Swiss biologist to spread disinformation on the origins of COVID-19.

According to a report by Meta, the Facebook accounts connected to Chinese information campaigns&nbsp;had promoted the claims of a fake Swiss biologist called “Wilson Edwards”, who claimed that the US was meddling in efforts to find the origins of COVID-19.

Facebook said it had removed a total of 524 Facebook accounts, 20 pages, four groups and 86 Instagram accounts after reviewing public reports that centred around the fake Swiss biologist.

The claims were widely carried by Chinese state media outlets like the Global Times and People's Daily, CGTN, Meta said in its yearly adversarial threat report.

Meta in its report said the social media campaign, which was “largely unsuccessful,” targeted English-speaking audiences in the United States and Britain and Chinese-speaking audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet.

Both Twitter and Facebook are banned in China, but Beijing frequently uses both US social networks to promote its positions on the international stage.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-virus-lab-leak-theory-why-china-has-blocked-access-to-yunnan-mine-387360">'Wuhan virus' and the travails of being a pro-China Hong Kong lawmaker</a>

“Our investigation uncovered that almost the entire initial spread of the “Wilson Edwards” story on our platform was inauthentic — the work of a multi-pronged, largely unsuccessful influence operation that originated in China,” Meta said.

The company in its November said that there was a network of accounts amplifying the fake news, many of which were inauthentic, “but some were real and belonged to employees of Chinese state infrastructure companies including employees of Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co Ltd... and individuals associated with Chinese state infrastructure companies based around the world."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-virus-lab-leak-theory-why-china-has-blocked-access-to-yunnan-mine-387360">Wuhan virus lab leak theory: Why China has blocked access to Yunnan mine</a>

Meta said the campaign used Virtual Personal Network (VPN) infrastructure to conceal its origin, and to give Edwards a more rounded personality. It also said that his profile photo also appeared to have been generated using machine-learning capabilities.

The Swiss embassy has also recently denied the existence of Edwards, reports BCC.

It added "there was no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name "Wilson Edwards" and no academic articles under the name", and urged Chinese media outlets to take down any mention of him.

(With inputs from agencies)

Meta Platform has said that Chinese-based networks were involved in elaborate online propaganda this year to promote claims of a fake Swiss biologist to spread disinformation on the origins of COVID-19.

Meta Platform has said that Chinese-based networks were involved in elaborate online propaganda this year to promote claims of a fake Swiss biologist to spread disinformation on the origins of COVID-19. According to a report by Meta, the Facebook accounts connected to Chinese information campaigns had promoted the claims of a fake Swiss biologist called “Wilson Edwards”, who claimed that the US was meddling in efforts to find the origins of COVID-19. Facebook said it had removed a total of 524 Facebook accounts, 20 pages, four groups and 86 Instagram accounts after reviewing public reports that centred around the fake Swiss biologist. The claims were widely carried by Chinese state media outlets like the Global Times and People's Daily, CGTN, Meta said in its yearly adversarial threat report. Meta in its report said the social media campaign, which was “largely unsuccessful,” targeted English-speaking audiences in the United States and Britain and Chinese-speaking audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet. Both Twitter and Facebook are banned in China, but Beijing frequently uses both US social networks to promote its positions on the international stage. Also read | 'Wuhan virus' and the travails of being a pro-China Hong Kong lawmaker “Our investigation uncovered that almost the entire initial spread of the “Wilson Edwards” story on our platform was inauthentic — the work of a multi-pronged, largely unsuccessful influence operation that originated in China,” Meta said. The company in its November said that there was a network of accounts amplifying the fake news, many of which were inauthentic, “but some were real and belonged to employees of Chinese state infrastructure companies including employees of Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co Ltd... and individuals associated with Chinese state infrastructure companies based around the world." Also read | Wuhan virus lab leak theory: Why China has blocked access to Yunnan mine Meta said the campaign used Virtual Personal Network (VPN) infrastructure to conceal its origin, and to give Edwards a more rounded personality. It also said that his profile photo also appeared to have been generated using machine-learning capabilities. The Swiss embassy has also recently denied the existence of Edwards, reports BCC. It added "there was no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name "Wilson Edwards" and no academic articles under the name", and urged Chinese media outlets to take down any mention of him. (With inputs from agencies)

China-based networks spread online disinformation campaign on Covid origins, says Facebook

Ride-hailing company Uber has collaborated with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India.

The feature will initially be launched in Lucknow, the capital of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, and then expanded to other locations by next year.

According to Nandini Maheshwari, senior director of business development for Uber, "We want to make it as easy as possible for all Indians to take an Uber trip, and to do that we need to meet them on platforms they are comfortable with."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-govt-in-high-court-defends-it-rule-requiring-whatsapp-to-trace-originator-of-message-423152">Also read |&nbsp;Indian govt in high court defends IT rule requiring WhatsApp to trace originator of message</a>

WhatsApp's chat interface will be used by those looking for Uber ride where they will need to register to proceed further.

They can book a ride through either messaging to Uber's business account number, scanning a barcode, or clicking a link directly to open an Uber WhatsApp chat.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-instagram-stop-working-yet-again-twitterati-open-bag-of-memes-419307">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook, Instagram stop working yet again; Twitterati open bag of memes</a>

Abhijit Bose, the head of WhatsApp India said, "The Uber experience on WhatsApp is simple, familiar, and relatable for users and has the potential to accelerate adoption of Uber with a new category of riders in India."

The first of its kind integration could help Uber tap into the more than 500 million user base of Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp in India.

Uber has been operating in the Asian country for the past eight years and is now available in 70 cities. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Ride-hailing company Uber has collaborated with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India. The feature will initially be launched in Lucknow, the capital of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, and then expanded to other locations by next year.

Ride-hailing company Uber has collaborated with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India. The feature will initially be launched in Lucknow, the capital of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, and then expanded to other locations by next year. According to Nandini Maheshwari, senior director of business development for Uber, "We want to make it as easy as possible for all Indians to take an Uber trip, and to do that we need to meet them on platforms they are comfortable with." Also read | Indian govt in high court defends IT rule requiring WhatsApp to trace originator of message WhatsApp's chat interface will be used by those looking for Uber ride where they will need to register to proceed further. They can book a ride through either messaging to Uber's business account number, scanning a barcode, or clicking a link directly to open an Uber WhatsApp chat. Also read | Facebook, Instagram stop working yet again; Twitterati open bag of memes Abhijit Bose, the head of WhatsApp India said, "The Uber experience on WhatsApp is simple, familiar, and relatable for users and has the potential to accelerate adoption of Uber with a new category of riders in India." The first of its kind integration could help Uber tap into the more than 500 million user base of Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp in India. Uber has been operating in the Asian country for the past eight years and is now available in 70 cities. (With inputs from agencies)

Uber collaborates with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India

Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said that it has directed Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, to sell gif platform Giphy. The regulator said that the deal may harm social media users and advertisers in UK.

Meta has been quoted by Reuters as saying that it disagrees with the decision.

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator, said that Facebook's acquisition of Giphy would lead to lessened competition between social media platforms. The watchdog said that the deal between Meta and Giphy had already removed the latter as a competitor from&nbsp;the market.

A panel of the Competition and Markets Authority also found that Facebook will be able to further expand its already significant power in social media market with acquisition iof Giphy. This, observed the panel, may be done by blocking or limiting other social media networks' access to Giphy's gif images.

This may in turn, increase traffic to Facebook and its platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp offering more advantage to Meta in the market.

“We disagree with this decision,” A Meta spokesperson said, according to Reuters. “We are reviewing the decision and considering all options, including appeal.”

In August this year, CMA had provisionally found that acquisition of Giphy would offer undue advantage to Facebook. At that time, the watchdog had even said that Facebook may have to unwind the deal.

(With inputs from agencies)

Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said that it has directed Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, to sell gif platform Giphy. The regulator said that the deal may harm social media users and advertisers in UK.

Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said that it has directed Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, to sell gif platform Giphy. The regulator said that the deal may harm social media users and advertisers in UK. Meta has been quoted by Reuters as saying that it disagrees with the decision. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator, said that Facebook's acquisition of Giphy would lead to lessened competition between social media platforms. The watchdog said that the deal between Meta and Giphy had already removed the latter as a competitor from the market. A panel of the Competition and Markets Authority also found that Facebook will be able to further expand its already significant power in social media market with acquisition iof Giphy. This, observed the panel, may be done by blocking or limiting other social media networks' access to Giphy's gif images. This may in turn, increase traffic to Facebook and its platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp offering more advantage to Meta in the market. “We disagree with this decision,” A Meta spokesperson said, according to Reuters. “We are reviewing the decision and considering all options, including appeal.” In August this year, CMA had provisionally found that acquisition of Giphy would offer undue advantage to Facebook. At that time, the watchdog had even said that Facebook may have to unwind the deal. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook-owner Meta asked to sell Giphy by British regulator 

In a bid to extend its diplomatic outreach to the virtual world, Barbados has agreed to set up an embassy in the metaverse.

''The idea is not to pick a winner – the metaverse is still very young and new, and we want to make sure what we build is transferable across the metaworlds,'' said Barbados’ ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Gabriel Abed.

The Metaverse is a term used to describe a virtual space within digital environments such as online games, social media, and virtual reality. It is a combination of the prefix "meta", meaning beyond, and stem "universe".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also read |&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

According to Abed, ''This is a way for Barbados to expand its diplomatic missions beyond the 18 it currently has with 190+ countries around the world. This allows us to open the door, using technology diplomacy, which then extends to cultural diplomacy – the trade of art, music, and culture.''

''Embassies are the starting point to getting a visa to enter a country or visa-free travel. Can you imagine what that would look like virtually? And where that e-visa could lead you?''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-iceland-tourism-mocks-metaverse-in-funny-ad-mark-zuckerberg-responds-429552">Also read |&nbsp;Watch: Iceland Tourism mocks metaverse in funny ad, Mark Zuckerberg responds</a>

Metaverse&nbsp;evangelists want the new virtual world to be an outlet for creative expression.&nbsp;

As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic.

Metaverse is a vision of the future that may sound fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a bid to extend its diplomatic outreach to the virtual world, Barbados has agreed to set up an embassy in the metaverse. ''The idea is not to pick a winner – the metaverse is still very young and new, and we want to make sure what we build is transferable across the metaworlds,'' said Barbados’ ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, H.

In a bid to extend its diplomatic outreach to the virtual world, Barbados has agreed to set up an embassy in the metaverse. ''The idea is not to pick a winner – the metaverse is still very young and new, and we want to make sure what we build is transferable across the metaworlds,'' said Barbados’ ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Gabriel Abed. The Metaverse is a term used to describe a virtual space within digital environments such as online games, social media, and virtual reality. It is a combination of the prefix "meta", meaning beyond, and stem "universe". Also read | What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? According to Abed, ''This is a way for Barbados to expand its diplomatic missions beyond the 18 it currently has with 190+ countries around the world. This allows us to open the door, using technology diplomacy, which then extends to cultural diplomacy – the trade of art, music, and culture.'' ''Embassies are the starting point to getting a visa to enter a country or visa-free travel. Can you imagine what that would look like virtually? And where that e-visa could lead you?'' Also read | Watch: Iceland Tourism mocks metaverse in funny ad, Mark Zuckerberg responds Metaverse evangelists want the new virtual world to be an outlet for creative expression. As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic. Metaverse is a vision of the future that may sound fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet. (With inputs from agencies)

Barbados establishes world's first metaverse embassy

Metaverse has everyone thinking about it. From those who fully understood what metaverse is to those who are too drowned in information to realise anything about it, everyone is on the bandwagon. Social media is full of jokes, memes and other articulate tomfoolery appreciating Mark Zuckerberg's new frontier in their own way.

But governments making fun of good-ol' Mark and his metaverse? Well this wasn't heard of. Until now.

Iceland's tourism authorities posted a funny video in which an actor invites everyone to 'Icelandverse'

Icelandic actor Jorundur Ragnarsson or 'Zack Mosbergsson' as he has been named in the video, appears to sport Zuckerberg's hairstyle and dressing sense.

The video pokes fun at Zuckerberg and metaverse.

"Today I want to present a revolutionary way to connect our world, without being super-weird," says 'MOsbergsson' in the video.

Icelandverse,&nbsp;he says is an 'enhanced actual reality', because well, Iceland exists in real world. Dig at&nbsp;virtual universe? Very much.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-releases-breathtaking-video-of-davinci-mission-to-venus-428811">NASA releases breathtaking video of DAVINCI mission to Venus</a>

As he goes on talking, Mosbergsson encounters a door but can't open it. He then appears to wait for somebody to come and open. This is an apparent dig at Zuckerberg's insistence on others opening doors for him. The video pokes fun at Zuckerberg even more.

Check out the video

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The video has got more than 900,000 views and hundreds of likes.

But the best part? Mark Zuckerberg himself has commented on it.

“Amazing. I need to make a trip to the Icelandverse soon. Glad you're wearing sunscreen too,” he has commented.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nurse-finds-gold-bible-worth-usd-13-million-in-a-field-427808">Nurse finds gold Bible worth USD 1.3 million in a field</a>

Iceland tourism authorities responded by saying, “Oh, hi Mark! You're always welcome. Icelandverse is open 24/7!”

The banter has got its own fanbase!

Metaverse has everyone thinking about it. From those who fully understood what metaverse is to those who are too drowned in information to realise anything about it, everyone is on the bandwagon.

Metaverse has everyone thinking about it. From those who fully understood what metaverse is to those who are too drowned in information to realise anything about it, everyone is on the bandwagon. Social media is full of jokes, memes and other articulate tomfoolery appreciating Mark Zuckerberg's new frontier in their own way. But governments making fun of good-ol' Mark and his metaverse? Well this wasn't heard of. Until now. Iceland's tourism authorities posted a funny video in which an actor invites everyone to 'Icelandverse' Icelandic actor Jorundur Ragnarsson or 'Zack Mosbergsson' as he has been named in the video, appears to sport Zuckerberg's hairstyle and dressing sense. The video pokes fun at Zuckerberg and metaverse. "Today I want to present a revolutionary way to connect our world, without being super-weird," says 'MOsbergsson' in the video. Icelandverse, he says is an 'enhanced actual reality', because well, Iceland exists in real world. Dig at virtual universe? Very much. Also Read | NASA releases breathtaking video of DAVINCI mission to Venus As he goes on talking, Mosbergsson encounters a door but can't open it. He then appears to wait for somebody to come and open. This is an apparent dig at Zuckerberg's insistence on others opening doors for him. The video pokes fun at Zuckerberg even more. Check out the video × The video has got more than 900,000 views and hundreds of likes. But the best part? Mark Zuckerberg himself has commented on it. “Amazing. I need to make a trip to the Icelandverse soon. Glad you're wearing sunscreen too,” he has commented. Also Read | Nurse finds gold Bible worth USD 1.3 million in a field Iceland tourism authorities responded by saying, “Oh, hi Mark! You're always welcome. Icelandverse is open 24/7!” The banter has got its own fanbase!

Watch: Iceland Tourism mocks metaverse in funny ad, Mark Zuckerberg responds

Meta Platforms has blocked '#saltbae,' a hashtag for celebrity chef Nusret Gokce's nickname after&nbsp;a video was posted online of Gokce feeding a gold-encrusted steak to a senior Vietnamese Communist Party official in London.

The video&nbsp;has sparked online anger in the Southeast Asian country, where the average person earns a few dollars a day.

To Lam, minister of public security,&nbsp;whose agency deals with the monitoring of dissent and surveillance of activists in the authoritarian state,&nbsp;was seen tucking into the hunk of meat at Nusr-Et Steakhouse in the wealthy area of Knightsbridge.

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Nusr-Et, named after Turkish chef Nusret Gokce, known to his nearly 40 million Instagram followers as Salt Bae,&nbsp;serves up steaks wrapped in edible 24-carat gold leaf, reportedly costing more than $1,000.

David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, and now the 64-year-old, Lam have been among the visitors to the steakhouse's branches across the world.

The clip of the Vietnamese politician, which was originally posted by the restaurant before being removed, had spread across Tiktok and Facebook in Vietnam.

He was in Britain during a visit by senior Vietnamese officials to the UN&nbsp;climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/no-food-no-pictures-wedding-photographer-deletes-all-pictures-after-she-is-denied-breaks-417395">Also read |&nbsp;No food, no pictures: Wedding photographer deletes all pictures after she is denied breaks</a>

Many of those posting were angry about the decadence on display while the country struggles in the aftermath of a devastating wave of Covid-19 that has cost countless jobs and caused the heaviest contraction in Vietnam's GDP on record.

''We've unblocked this hashtag on Facebook and we're investigating why this happened," a spokesperson for Facebook operator Meta said.

It wasn't immediately clear why the tag had been blocked, and the spokesperson declined to comment on potential reasons.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-columnist-lands-in-soup-for-saying-indian-food-is-based-on-just-one-spice-408241">Also read |&nbsp;US columnist lands in soup for saying Indian food is based on just 'one spice'</a>

While it was blocked, a search for the hashtag generated a message saying community standards had been violated.

Vietnam routinely asks social media companies to censor content it deems to be "anti-state".

Last year, Vietnam threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it did not remove more local political content from its platform.

To Lam is one of the most powerful officials in Vietnam, his ministry containing both Vietnam's police and the agencies tasked with suppressing dissent and investigating corruption.

He had been touted as a potential candidate for state president in January's leadership reshuffle and has in his capacity as security minister worked to arrest Vietnamese officials accused of corruption and overt displays of opulence.

(With inputs from agencies)

Meta Platforms has blocked '#saltbae,' a hashtag for celebrity chef Nusret Gokce's nickname after a video was posted online of Gokce feeding a gold-encrusted steak to a senior Vietnamese Communist Party official in London.

Meta Platforms has blocked '#saltbae,' a hashtag for celebrity chef Nusret Gokce's nickname after a video was posted online of Gokce feeding a gold-encrusted steak to a senior Vietnamese Communist Party official in London. The video has sparked online anger in the Southeast Asian country, where the average person earns a few dollars a day. To Lam, minister of public security, whose agency deals with the monitoring of dissent and surveillance of activists in the authoritarian state, was seen tucking into the hunk of meat at Nusr-Et Steakhouse in the wealthy area of Knightsbridge. Nusr-Et, named after Turkish chef Nusret Gokce, known to his nearly 40 million Instagram followers as Salt Bae, serves up steaks wrapped in edible 24-carat gold leaf, reportedly costing more than $1,000. David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, and now the 64-year-old, Lam have been among the visitors to the steakhouse's branches across the world. The clip of the Vietnamese politician, which was originally posted by the restaurant before being removed, had spread across Tiktok and Facebook in Vietnam. He was in Britain during a visit by senior Vietnamese officials to the UN climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow. Also read | No food, no pictures: Wedding photographer deletes all pictures after she is denied breaks Many of those posting were angry about the decadence on display while the country struggles in the aftermath of a devastating wave of Covid-19 that has cost countless jobs and caused the heaviest contraction in Vietnam's GDP on record. ''We've unblocked this hashtag on Facebook and we're investigating why this happened," a spokesperson for Facebook operator Meta said. It wasn't immediately clear why the tag had been blocked, and the spokesperson declined to comment on potential reasons. Also read | US columnist lands in soup for saying Indian food is based on just 'one spice' While it was blocked, a search for the hashtag generated a message saying community standards had been violated. Vietnam routinely asks social media companies to censor content it deems to be "anti-state". Last year, Vietnam threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it did not remove more local political content from its platform. To Lam is one of the most powerful officials in Vietnam, his ministry containing both Vietnam's police and the agencies tasked with suppressing dissent and investigating corruption. He had been touted as a potential candidate for state president in January's leadership reshuffle and has in his capacity as security minister worked to arrest Vietnamese officials accused of corruption and overt displays of opulence. (With inputs from agencies)

Why did Meta block hashtag used for celebrity chef Nusret Gokce?

One of Mark Zuckerberg’s first steps toward building the metaverse may be physical instead of virtual.

Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, has discussed opening retail stores that will eventually span the world, said people with knowledge of the project and company documents viewed by The New York Times. The stores would be used to introduce people to devices made by the company’s Reality Labs division, such as virtual reality headsets and, eventually, augmented reality glasses, they said.

These devices are gateways to the metaverse, a futuristic digital world where people move from virtual to augmented versions of reality almost seamlessly. Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, last week renamed his company Meta and laid out a vision for pursuing the metaverse as the next social platform. The stores would help show people that virtual reality and augmented reality can be fun and exciting, exactly the way Zuckerberg sees it.

The aim of the stores is to make the world “more open and connected,” according to the company documents viewed by The Times. They are also intended to spark emotions like “curiosity, closeness,” as well as a sense of feeling “welcomed” while experimenting with headsets in a “judgment free journey,” according to the documents.

Discussions about physical stores predated Facebook’s rebranding by many months, with serious work on the initiative having started last year, the people said. And the project, which is still in development, may not proceed, they said. But if Meta moves forward with stores, it would be a first for a tech giant that has existed largely digitally, with more than 3.5 billion people using its apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

A Meta spokeswoman declined to comment.

Zuckerberg has talked up the metaverse as his company grapples with regulatory and societal challenges. Frances Haugen, a former employee turned whistleblower, amassed thousands of pages of internal documents and recently shared them with lawmakers and the news media. She has said that Facebook was not doing enough to protect society from the harms it causes. Her disclosures have drawn scrutiny from legislators and regulators, though it is unclear how strong her case is.

Skepticism about the metaverse also abounds. While Meta’s Reality Labs division has had modest past success with the Oculus Quest 2, a low-priced headset that was popular last year, virtual reality remains a niche market for hobbyists and enthusiasts. The hardware is often costly and can be difficult to use. Some people have reported that the headsets nauseate them.

“We are, at best guess, at least five to 10 years out from a fully fleshed out Meta product or service,” said Tim Derdenger, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. He said what Meta was working on was akin to the computer game Second Life from the early 2000s, calling it “a second shot at a Second Life-like service, but that is hopefully more immersive.”

Still, Zuckerberg has said he sees the moment to build what he believes will be the next major shift in computing platforms since the smartphone era. In that future, Zuckerberg’s apps would no longer be beholden to the rules dictated by Apple and Google, which own the app stores that distribute Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

Technology companies have gone the brick-and-mortar path before. Gateway, a personal-computer maker, had its own stores in the 1990s. Apple has retail stores so people can test out devices and get their questions answered. Microsoft, Amazon and others have followed with their own stores as well.

In recent years, Meta had experimented with some physical retail efforts. It opened “pop-up” kiosks at airports and a pop-up store in Manhattan’s SoHo district to show its Oculus hardware products. It also had a pop-up location with Macy’s in 2018, with the aim of bringing more small business onto the platform.

Should Meta’s new stores proceed, they would feature products such as Portal devices — teleconferencing gadgets that let people video chat over Facebook — as well as the Oculus headsets, the company documents said. The stores could also include voice-activated sunglasses that Meta developed with Ray-Ban, which people can use to take photos and video.

Early designs for Meta’s stores appeared modern, with a flat, minimalist aesthetic to the building exteriors and subtle placement of the Facebook brand, according to the documents. The company considered naming its stores Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons, Facebook Innovations, Facebook Reality Store and From Facebook, before eventually settling on the Facebook Store as a leading candidate, the documents said.

It was unclear how the Meta rebranding would affect the naming of the stores. Andrew Bosworth, a longtime Facebook executive who will become Meta’s chief technology officer, said last week that the Oculus brand would be discontinued and replaced by the Meta name. The Oculus Quest will become the Meta Quest, while the Facebook Portal will be rebranded the Meta Portal, he said.

The flagship Facebook Store had been planned for Burlingame, California, where Meta has an office for its Reality Labs employees. It was also unclear whether those plans would continue.

One of Mark Zuckerberg’s first steps toward building the metaverse may be physical instead of virtual. Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, has discussed opening retail stores that will eventually span the world, said people with knowledge of the project and company documents viewed by The New York Times.

One of Mark Zuckerberg’s first steps toward building the metaverse may be physical instead of virtual. Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, has discussed opening retail stores that will eventually span the world, said people with knowledge of the project and company documents viewed by The New York Times. The stores would be used to introduce people to devices made by the company’s Reality Labs division, such as virtual reality headsets and, eventually, augmented reality glasses, they said. These devices are gateways to the metaverse, a futuristic digital world where people move from virtual to augmented versions of reality almost seamlessly. Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, last week renamed his company Meta and laid out a vision for pursuing the metaverse as the next social platform. The stores would help show people that virtual reality and augmented reality can be fun and exciting, exactly the way Zuckerberg sees it. The aim of the stores is to make the world “more open and connected,” according to the company documents viewed by The Times. They are also intended to spark emotions like “curiosity, closeness,” as well as a sense of feeling “welcomed” while experimenting with headsets in a “judgment free journey,” according to the documents. Discussions about physical stores predated Facebook’s rebranding by many months, with serious work on the initiative having started last year, the people said. And the project, which is still in development, may not proceed, they said. But if Meta moves forward with stores, it would be a first for a tech giant that has existed largely digitally, with more than 3.5 billion people using its apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. A Meta spokeswoman declined to comment. Zuckerberg has talked up the metaverse as his company grapples with regulatory and societal challenges. Frances Haugen, a former employee turned whistleblower, amassed thousands of pages of internal documents and recently shared them with lawmakers and the news media. She has said that Facebook was not doing enough to protect society from the harms it causes. Her disclosures have drawn scrutiny from legislators and regulators, though it is unclear how strong her case is. Skepticism about the metaverse also abounds. While Meta’s Reality Labs division has had modest past success with the Oculus Quest 2, a low-priced headset that was popular last year, virtual reality remains a niche market for hobbyists and enthusiasts. The hardware is often costly and can be difficult to use. Some people have reported that the headsets nauseate them. “We are, at best guess, at least five to 10 years out from a fully fleshed out Meta product or service,” said Tim Derdenger, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. He said what Meta was working on was akin to the computer game Second Life from the early 2000s, calling it “a second shot at a Second Life-like service, but that is hopefully more immersive.” Still, Zuckerberg has said he sees the moment to build what he believes will be the next major shift in computing platforms since the smartphone era. In that future, Zuckerberg’s apps would no longer be beholden to the rules dictated by Apple and Google, which own the app stores that distribute Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Technology companies have gone the brick-and-mortar path before. Gateway, a personal-computer maker, had its own stores in the 1990s. Apple has retail stores so people can test out devices and get their questions answered. Microsoft, Amazon and others have followed with their own stores as well. In recent years, Meta had experimented with some physical retail efforts. It opened “pop-up” kiosks at airports and a pop-up store in Manhattan’s SoHo district to show its Oculus hardware products. It also had a pop-up location with Macy’s in 2018, with the aim of bringing more small business onto the platform. Should Meta’s new stores proceed, they would feature products such as Portal devices — teleconferencing gadgets that let people video chat over Facebook — as well as the Oculus headsets, the company documents said. The stores could also include voice-activated sunglasses that Meta developed with Ray-Ban, which people can use to take photos and video. Early designs for Meta’s stores appeared modern, with a flat, minimalist aesthetic to the building exteriors and subtle placement of the Facebook brand, according to the documents. The company considered naming its stores Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons, Facebook Innovations, Facebook Reality Store and From Facebook, before eventually settling on the Facebook Store as a leading candidate, the documents said. It was unclear how the Meta rebranding would affect the naming of the stores. Andrew Bosworth, a longtime Facebook executive who will become Meta’s chief technology officer, said last week that the Oculus brand would be discontinued and replaced by the Meta name. The Oculus Quest will become the Meta Quest, while the Facebook Portal will be rebranded the Meta Portal, he said. The flagship Facebook Store had been planned for Burlingame, California, where Meta has an office for its Reality Labs employees. It was also unclear whether those plans would continue.

To build the metaverse, Meta first wants to build stores

Microsoft President Brad Smith has downplayed the metaverse 'hype' and said that it still requires a lot of work.

According to Smith, ''We're all talking about the metaverse as if we're entering some new dimension. This is not like dying and going to heaven. We're all going to be living in the real world with people.''

"I think (the metaverse) will be very big. Everyone is going to be entering this. We have to ensure that it protects privacy, digital safety and protects against disinformation, manipulation. We have a lot to clean up."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-launches-3d-avatars-enters-metaverse-race-426360" hreflang="en">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella launches 3D avatars, enters metaverse race</a>

His statement comes a day after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled three-dimensional versions in the company's teams app and stepped into the world of metaverse.

Smith highlighted that metaverse needs Big Tech actors like Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Apple would likely each develop their own versions of metaverse.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tech-it-out-what-is-the-metaverse-424223/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic.

During an interview he sidelines of Lisbon's Web Summit, he also said that ''Tech is going to have to lean in...with real concrete ideas...even make concessions, so that we can all compromise and build a common platform that better protects people than ... the internet as a whole has in recent past.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also read |&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

"Government (will) see through that, and it's not going to bode well for the sector...We sort of need to get real."

Mark Zuckerberg renamed&nbsp;Facebook Inc. to&nbsp; Meta Platforms Inc. or Meta for short.&nbsp;

Facebook as 'Meta' in a strategic rebranding move that experts believed was a distraction from its privacy violations.

In a stinging rebuke,&nbsp;whistleblower Frances Haugen had accused&nbsp;the company of yet again prioritising expansion over people's safety.

(With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft President Brad Smith has downplayed the metaverse 'hype' and said that it still requires a lot of work. According to Smith, ''We're all talking about the metaverse as if we're entering some new dimension.

Microsoft President Brad Smith has downplayed the metaverse 'hype' and said that it still requires a lot of work. According to Smith, ''We're all talking about the metaverse as if we're entering some new dimension. This is not like dying and going to heaven. We're all going to be living in the real world with people.'' "I think (the metaverse) will be very big. Everyone is going to be entering this. We have to ensure that it protects privacy, digital safety and protects against disinformation, manipulation. We have a lot to clean up." Also read | Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella launches 3D avatars, enters metaverse race His statement comes a day after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled three-dimensional versions in the company's teams app and stepped into the world of metaverse. Smith highlighted that metaverse needs Big Tech actors like Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Apple would likely each develop their own versions of metaverse. As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic. During an interview he sidelines of Lisbon's Web Summit, he also said that ''Tech is going to have to lean in...with real concrete ideas...even make concessions, so that we can all compromise and build a common platform that better protects people than ... the internet as a whole has in recent past.'' Also read | What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? "Government (will) see through that, and it's not going to bode well for the sector...We sort of need to get real." Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc. or Meta for short. Facebook as 'Meta' in a strategic rebranding move that experts believed was a distraction from its privacy violations. In a stinging rebuke, whistleblower Frances Haugen had accused the company of yet again prioritising expansion over people's safety. (With inputs from agencies)

'Requires lot of work': Microsoft President Brad Smith downplays metaverse 'hype'

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use".

The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people. The process is likely to be completed by December.

The social media giant informed that over a third of Facebook's users had opted for the facial recognition setting on its platform. The company has been under fire in recent years over privacy concerns and data leaks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-is-failing-to-safeguard-users-from-covid-19-disinformation-research-425995">Also Read |&nbsp;Facebook is failing to safeguard users from COVID-19 disinformation: Research</a>

"There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use,"&nbsp;parent company Meta said, adding, "amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate," it added.

Watch:&nbsp;Whistleblower Frances Haugen denounces Facebook's Meta rebranding

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Facebook's vice president Nick Clegg had said on Monday that the company had made changes to its policies since 2014 while acknowledging that&nbsp;"legitimate questions" have been raised over its work in "fragile" countries.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-asks-staff-to-preserve-records-dating-back-to-2016-amid-inquiries-424794">Also Read:&nbsp;Facebook asks staff to preserve records dating back to 2016 amid inquiries</a>

Frances Haugen, 37, the former Facebook engineer had earlier leaked data as she&nbsp;accused&nbsp;the company of fuelling hate.

"It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," Haugen told British lawmakers. "Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook," the Facebook whistleblower said.

Haugen also accused the company of putting profits before safety.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-big-facebook-leak-423804">Also Read:&nbsp;Inside the big Facebook leak</a>

"I think it is unlikely the company will change if [Mark Zuckerberg] remains the CEO," she said as she asked the Facebook founder to step down during a&nbsp;web summit.

Facebook had rebranded itself last week naming the company Meta as it sought to focus on "metaverse".

(With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use". The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people.

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use". The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people. The process is likely to be completed by December. The social media giant informed that over a third of Facebook's users had opted for the facial recognition setting on its platform. The company has been under fire in recent years over privacy concerns and data leaks. Also Read | Facebook is failing to safeguard users from COVID-19 disinformation: Research "There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use," parent company Meta said, adding, "amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate," it added. Watch: Whistleblower Frances Haugen denounces Facebook's Meta rebranding Facebook's vice president Nick Clegg had said on Monday that the company had made changes to its policies since 2014 while acknowledging that "legitimate questions" have been raised over its work in "fragile" countries. Also Read: Facebook asks staff to preserve records dating back to 2016 amid inquiries Frances Haugen, 37, the former Facebook engineer had earlier leaked data as she accused the company of fuelling hate. "It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," Haugen told British lawmakers. "Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook," the Facebook whistleblower said. Haugen also accused the company of putting profits before safety. Also Read: Inside the big Facebook leak "I think it is unlikely the company will change if [Mark Zuckerberg] remains the CEO," she said as she asked the Facebook founder to step down during a web summit. Facebook had rebranded itself last week naming the company Meta as it sought to focus on "metaverse". (With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook decides to shut its facial recognition system

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race.

The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality.

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The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. <a href="https://t.co/h5tsdYMXRD">pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD</a>
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1455624165201887234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The metaverse broadly refers to the idea of a shared virtual platform that people can access through different devices and where they can move through digital environments.

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According to Nadella, ''As the digital and physical worlds come together, we are creating an entirely new platform layer, which is the metaverse.''

''In a sense the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space,'' he added.

Microsoft will update its Teams app to push towards metaverse environment that will ''transform how we see the world but how we participate in it.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also read |&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

It comes after Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc to reflect its focus on building the ''metaverse.''

As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic.

Microsoft, which owns Xbox and the world-building game Minecraft, is also a key player in the gaming world.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/facebook-is-now-meta-but-another-company-pocketted-money-from-all-the-buzz-425058">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook is now Meta, but another company pocketted money from all the buzz</a>

Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has talked about planning for "a metaverse or mixed-reality construct."

Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse".

(With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race. The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race. The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality. The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021 × The metaverse broadly refers to the idea of a shared virtual platform that people can access through different devices and where they can move through digital environments. According to Nadella, ''As the digital and physical worlds come together, we are creating an entirely new platform layer, which is the metaverse.'' ''In a sense the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space,'' he added. Microsoft will update its Teams app to push towards metaverse environment that will ''transform how we see the world but how we participate in it.'' Also read | What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? It comes after Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc to reflect its focus on building the ''metaverse.'' As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic. Microsoft, which owns Xbox and the world-building game Minecraft, is also a key player in the gaming world. Also read | Facebook is now Meta, but another company pocketted money from all the buzz Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has talked about planning for "a metaverse or mixed-reality construct." Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse". (With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella launches 3D avatars, enters metaverse race

Whistleblower Frances Haugen has denounced the recent Facebook's Meta rebranding urging her former boss Mark Zuckerberg to step down. She has accused the company of yet again prioritising expansion over people's safety.