Meta is going to introduce a safety feature to alert parents when their teens talk about suicide or self-harm with its chatbot, Meta AI. The California-based company announced the move on Thursday, 16 July.

“We’ll now let parents using Instagram supervision tools know if their teen discusses suicide or self harm with Meta AI, and will provide expert resources to help parents approach these conversations with their teens,” reads the Meta statement.


Meta expands AI safety features for teens; expands parental alerts for AI chatbot

Meta is preparing for one of its biggest artificial intelligence infrastructure upgrades yet. According to an internal company memo reviewed by Reuters, the company plans to begin manufacturing its next-generation AI chip, codenamed Iris, in September 2026.The chip is part of Meta's long-term Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) programme, under which the company is developing its own AI processors instead of relying entirely on third-party suppliers. The goal is to improve the AI systems powering Facebook, Instagram and other Meta products while reducing computing costs.The reported production follows six weeks of successful testing, during which engineers found no major issues with the chip.<h2>Why is Meta building its own AI chip?</h2>Running advanced AI models requires enormous computing power, and buying large numbers of graphics processing units (GPUs) from companies such as Nvidia and AMD has become increasingly expensive.Meta believes custom-designed chips can perform many AI tasks more efficiently while giving the company greater control over its infrastructure.The Iris processor has been designed with help from Broadcom, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will manufacture the chip. Industry analysts say nearly every major AI company is now pursuing custom silicon to reduce costs and avoid dependence on external chip suppliers.<h2>Meta plans to double computing capacity</h2>The Reuters memo shows Meta expects to deploy around 7 gigawatts (GW) of computing infrastructure by the end of 2026 before doubling that figure to 14GW in 2027.For comparison, 1GW of electricity can power roughly 800,000 homes. Such a rapid expansion highlights the enormous energy requirements of modern AI systems. Meta also expects to spend up to $145 billion this year on AI infrastructure, making it one of the biggest investors in artificial intelligence globally.<h2>The AI hardware race is accelerating</h2>Meta's chip strategy reflects a broader industry trend. Google has its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Amazon has Trainium and Inferentia, while Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are also exploring custom AI hardware.According to the memo, Meta plans to introduce a new AI chip roughly every six months through 2027, a much faster release cycle than the industry's traditional annual updates. The company has also secured long-term supply agreements with Samsung Electronics for memory chips, Sandisk for storage and Sumitomo Electric for fibre-optic equipment as it expands its global data centre network. With AI demand continuing to grow, owning more of its hardware stack could become one of Meta's biggest competitive advantages in the years ahead.&nbsp;

Meta will reportedly begin producing its new Iris AI chip in September after successful testing. The custom processor is part of the company's plan to double computing capacity to 14GW by 2027, reduce dependence on Nvidia and support growing AI services across its platforms.

Meta is preparing for one of its biggest artificial intelligence infrastructure upgrades yet. According to an internal company memo reviewed by Reuters, the company plans to begin manufacturing its next-generation AI chip, codenamed Iris, in September 2026. The chip is part of Meta's long-term Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) programme, under which the company is developing its own AI processors instead of relying entirely on third-party suppliers. The goal is to improve the AI systems powering Facebook, Instagram and other Meta products while reducing computing costs. The reported production follows six weeks of successful testing, during which engineers found no major issues with the chip. Why is Meta building its own AI chip? Running advanced AI models requires enormous computing power, and buying large numbers of graphics processing units (GPUs) from companies such as Nvidia and AMD has become increasingly expensive. Meta believes custom-designed chips can perform many AI tasks more efficiently while giving the company greater control over its infrastructure. The Iris processor has been designed with help from Broadcom, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will manufacture the chip. Industry analysts say nearly every major AI company is now pursuing custom silicon to reduce costs and avoid dependence on external chip suppliers. Meta plans to double computing capacity The Reuters memo shows Meta expects to deploy around 7 gigawatts (GW) of computing infrastructure by the end of 2026 before doubling that figure to 14GW in 2027. For comparison, 1GW of electricity can power roughly 800,000 homes. Such a rapid expansion highlights the enormous energy requirements of modern AI systems. Meta also expects to spend up to $145 billion this year on AI infrastructure, making it one of the biggest investors in artificial intelligence globally. The AI hardware race is accelerating Meta's chip strategy reflects a broader industry trend. Google has its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Amazon has Trainium and Inferentia, while Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are also exploring custom AI hardware. According to the memo, Meta plans to introduce a new AI chip roughly every six months through 2027, a much faster release cycle than the industry's traditional annual updates. The company has also secured long-term supply agreements with Samsung Electronics for memory chips, Sandisk for storage and Sumitomo Electric for fibre-optic equipment as it expands its global data centre network. With AI demand continuing to grow, owning more of its hardware stack could become one of Meta's biggest competitive advantages in the years ahead.

Meta will reportedly begin producing its new Iris AI chip in September after successful testing. The custom processor is part of the company's plan to double computing capacity to 14GW by 2027, reduce dependence on Nvidia and support growing AI services across its platforms.

Meta plans a new AI chip every six months: Here's how its next chip could reduce dependence on Nvidia

The Indian government has directed Meta to immediately remove advertisements and content on Instagram that allegedly promote or facilitate child sexual abuse material. 

Authorities have issued a notice seeking a detailed explanation from Meta on how such advertisements were allowed to appear on the platform. Meta says it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse material and is continuing to strengthen its detection systems using advanced technology.

India orders Meta to remove Instagram ads linked to child sexual abuse material

Meta is facing one of the biggest legal threats in tech history. Four US states are now seeking a record $1.4 trillion in penalties from the company over claims related to platform safety. The lawsuit alleges Meta misled users about how safe its platforms are. Meta is pushing back and denying the allegations.


Meta hit with $1.4 trillion penalty claim by US states

Meta and Google have told the Delhi High Court that they can't proactively monitor the unauthorised publication and dissemination of courtroom videos on their platforms. Meta stated it cannot act as a "super censor" or referee over daily content generation across Facebook and Instagram. Liability must rest strictly on the actual publisher or uploader. &nbsp;The submission was made in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Vaibhav Singh alleging illegal recording and circulation of the April 13 hearing of Arvind Kejriwal seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from the CBI's Delhi liquor policy case. The petitioner sought the removal of the videos from all the platforms. The petition also mentioned AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Sanjeev Jha, Punardeep Sawhney, Jarnail Singh, Mukesh Ahlawat, and Vinay Mishra, as well as the Congress's Digvijaya Singh and journalist Ravish Kumar.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rick-scott-pakistan-neutrality-khamenei-criticism-us-iran-mediation-1783424421189">'Where Bin Laden hid...': Rick Scott slams Pakistan's mediator role after Khamenei tribute</a>Meta responded that intermediaries are in no way responsible for user-generated content. It does not own or control user-generated content and has no obligation to proactively remove such content unless notified. Google also took a similar position, suggesting the functional limitation of monitoring user-generated content, including unauthorised recordings of court hearings, and determine wether it is unlawful, unless notified. They described themselves as intermediaries and suggested that responsibilities, if any, lie with the user or content creator.&nbsp;On April 23, the court directed the takedown of the social media posts containing videos of the court proceedings. The division bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora has impleaded the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as a respondent. The court noted that several respondents had not yet been served with notices, and the bench has adjourned the matter to August 27 for the next hearing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Meta and Google told the Delhi High Court they cannot proactively monitor unauthorised courtroom videos, arguing that liability lies with uploaders and not intermediary platforms.

Meta and Google have told the Delhi High Court that they can't proactively monitor the unauthorised publication and dissemination of courtroom videos on their platforms. Meta stated it cannot act as a "super censor" or referee over daily content generation across Facebook and Instagram. Liability must rest strictly on the actual publisher or uploader. The submission was made in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Vaibhav Singh alleging illegal recording and circulation of the April 13 hearing of Arvind Kejriwal seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from the CBI's Delhi liquor policy case. The petitioner sought the removal of the videos from all the platforms. The petition also mentioned AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Sanjeev Jha, Punardeep Sawhney, Jarnail Singh, Mukesh Ahlawat, and Vinay Mishra, as well as the Congress's Digvijaya Singh and journalist Ravish Kumar. Also Read: 'Where Bin Laden hid...': Rick Scott slams Pakistan's mediator role after Khamenei tribute Meta responded that intermediaries are in no way responsible for user-generated content. It does not own or control user-generated content and has no obligation to proactively remove such content unless notified. Google also took a similar position, suggesting the functional limitation of monitoring user-generated content, including unauthorised recordings of court hearings, and determine wether it is unlawful, unless notified. They described themselves as intermediaries and suggested that responsibilities, if any, lie with the user or content creator. On April 23, the court directed the takedown of the social media posts containing videos of the court proceedings. The division bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora has impleaded the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as a respondent. The court noted that several respondents had not yet been served with notices, and the bench has adjourned the matter to August 27 for the next hearing.

Meta and Google told the Delhi High Court they cannot proactively monitor unauthorised courtroom videos, arguing that liability lies with uploaders and not intermediary platforms.

Meta, Google tell Delhi High Court they can't proactively act as 'super censor'

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has directed Meta to disable the advertisements and content promoting and facilitating access to child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on Instagram, according to government sources. It has also sought an explanation on the issue.

MeitY issues stern notice to Meta over CSEAM ads on Instagram 

Indian government on Sunday (Jul 5) issued a stern notice to Meta, directing it to immediately remove all advertisements and content on Instagram that promotes ot facilitates access to Child Sexual Exploitative &amp; Abuse Material (CSEAM). The Centre has also demanded a detailed explanation from the company within seven days, new agency ANI reported, citing sources. This comes a day after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta over the matter.The ministry has demanded Meta to immediately pull down all paid ads on Instagram linked to CSEAM. Officials have also asked the company to act fast to stop anything like this from slipping through again.Meta has been given a week to respond with a full explanation of how this happened and what it plans to change. Officials said the concern comes from reports that some paid ads were allegedly being used to push users toward external websites hosting illegal child abuse material.The Centre has taken a serious view of the issue, especially allegations that Instagram’s systems may have been boosting or spreading such content through algorithmic recommendations. It has directed Meta to act immediately to stop any promotion or circulation of this material.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-on-red-alert-imd-warns-of-extremely-heavy-rain-this-weekend-1783133546552">Mumbai on red alert as IMD warns of heavy rain; severe waterlogging in Gujarat</a>This comes amid rising concerns about how social media platforms are being misused to spread or enable access to illegal and harmful content, with authorities pushing for stricter safeguards and faster action from tech companies.This is the second time this week that Meta officials were summoned by MeitY. Earlier, ANI reported that ministry officials had already met Meta representatives to discuss concerns linked to the government’s notice over WhatsApp’s proposed usernames feature.<h2>What did Meta say?</h2>In an email statement, a Meta spokesperson told WION that they have a “zero tolerance policy” for content and ads relating to CSAM. It added that its teams are constantly working to improve protection on its platform.“Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defenses, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too,” the spokesperson said.Watch | UK national crime agency &amp; WEF release child safety guidelines<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-national-crime-agency-wef-release-child-safety-guidelines-1783168942032/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-national-crime-agency-wef-release-child-safety-guidelines-1783168942032/embed</a>&nbsp;

Indian government has ordered Meta to remove Instagram ads promoting child sexual exploitative content and sought a detailed response within seven days.

Indian government on Sunday (Jul 5) issued a stern notice to Meta, directing it to immediately remove all advertisements and content on Instagram that promotes ot facilitates access to Child Sexual Exploitative & Abuse Material (CSEAM). The Centre has also demanded a detailed explanation from the company within seven days, new agency ANI reported, citing sources. This comes a day after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta over the matter. The ministry has demanded Meta to immediately pull down all paid ads on Instagram linked to CSEAM. Officials have also asked the company to act fast to stop anything like this from slipping through again. Meta has been given a week to respond with a full explanation of how this happened and what it plans to change. Officials said the concern comes from reports that some paid ads were allegedly being used to push users toward external websites hosting illegal child abuse material. The Centre has taken a serious view of the issue, especially allegations that Instagram’s systems may have been boosting or spreading such content through algorithmic recommendations. It has directed Meta to act immediately to stop any promotion or circulation of this material. Also read | Mumbai on red alert as IMD warns of heavy rain; severe waterlogging in Gujarat This comes amid rising concerns about how social media platforms are being misused to spread or enable access to illegal and harmful content, with authorities pushing for stricter safeguards and faster action from tech companies. This is the second time this week that Meta officials were summoned by MeitY. Earlier, ANI reported that ministry officials had already met Meta representatives to discuss concerns linked to the government’s notice over WhatsApp’s proposed usernames feature. What did Meta say? In an email statement, a Meta spokesperson told WION that they have a “zero tolerance policy” for content and ads relating to CSAM. It added that its teams are constantly working to improve protection on its platform. “Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defenses, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too,” the spokesperson said. Watch | UK national crime agency & WEF release child safety guidelines https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-national-crime-agency-wef-release-child-safety-guidelines-1783168942032/embed

Indian government has ordered Meta to remove Instagram ads promoting child sexual exploitative content and has sought a detailed response within seven days.

India orders Meta to remove Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse, demands explanation in 7 days: Report

The Centre has issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp's newly introduced username feature, raising concerns that it could fuel impersonation, phishing, identity theft and digital fraud. The government has directed WhatsApp to hold off on rolling out the feature until consultations are completed and has sought a detailed explanation from the company within three days.

India issues notice to Meta over new WhatsApp feature, flags 'fraud' concerns

New Delhi: The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-100-eminent-people-from-india-pak-write-open-letter-to-modi-shehbaz-appeal-to-end-hostilities-1782916095110">Over 100 eminent people from India, Pak write open letter to Modi, Shehbaz; appeal to end hostilities</a>&nbsp;WhatsApp, used by hundreds of millions in India, announced last week that users would soon be able to reserve unique usernames, allowing them to connect with others without sharing their phone numbers. The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-invites-india-s-ruling-bjp-and-opposition-congress-to-khamenei-state-funeral-1782905079005">Iran invites India’s ruling BJP and opposition Congress to Khamenei state funeral</a>&nbsp;Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/decoding-japan-s-soft-power-and-cultural-influence-india-others-tend-to-overlook-1782901121503">Decoding Japan’s soft power and cultural influence India, others tend to overlook</a>&nbsp;But it is clear that the Indian government is not convinced and is concerned that fraudsters could create fake profiles mimicking officials or agencies, especially using international numbers, making it harder to trace perpetrators. Meta has yet to respond publicly to the notice.&nbsp;For the social media giant, India represents one of WhatsApp’s largest and fastest-growing markets, driving user numbers and engagement that bolster the company’s global valuation.

The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.

New Delhi: The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability. Also Read: Over 100 eminent people from India, Pak write open letter to Modi, Shehbaz; appeal to end hostilities WhatsApp, used by hundreds of millions in India, announced last week that users would soon be able to reserve unique usernames, allowing them to connect with others without sharing their phone numbers. The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers. Also Read: Iran invites India’s ruling BJP and opposition Congress to Khamenei state funeral Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”. Also Read: Decoding Japan’s soft power and cultural influence India, others tend to overlook But it is clear that the Indian government is not convinced and is concerned that fraudsters could create fake profiles mimicking officials or agencies, especially using international numbers, making it harder to trace perpetrators. Meta has yet to respond publicly to the notice. For the social media giant, India represents one of WhatsApp’s largest and fastest-growing markets, driving user numbers and engagement that bolster the company’s global valuation.

The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.

India directs Meta to halt WhatsApp usernames feature until consultations are complete

When your own oversight body, the independent board you created and funded specifically to hold you accountable, publicly says your rules for banning users are inconsistent, opaque, and raise systemic human rights concerns, the problem is no longer a matter of public perception. It is a matter of institutional failure. That is where Meta now stands.&nbsp;The Case That Exposed The System&nbsp;The Oversight Board's review was triggered by a case involving an Instagram account with 70,000 followers that was banned after making threatening posts targeting a journalist. The board upheld the ban itself, the account had violated Meta's rules. But the case opened a wider investigation into how Meta handles account-level enforcement across its platforms, and what the board found was damning.&nbsp;Two Platforms, Two Completely Different Rules&nbsp;Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, both governed by the same parent company, use markedly different penalty structures for the same kinds of violations. Facebook implements a system of temporary suspensions before escalating to a permanent ban, giving users a graduated series of consequences. Instagram does not. Instead, Instagram restricts features like livestreaming access or reduces account visibility as intermediate penalties, but the board pointed out that livestreaming is not even available to all accounts, since it requires a minimum of 1,000 followers. A penalty that restricts a feature most users do not have is not a penalty. It is a gap in the system dressed up as a policy.&nbsp;AI Makes The Decision, Nobody Reviews It&nbsp;The board found that many account bans and suspensions appeared to have been made automatically by AI systems, with no human oversight involved in the decision. Users reported being unable to challenge account disablements or receiving any meaningful explanation for why their accounts were banned. The AI flags an account, the AI disables it, and the user is left with no information about what happened, no human to speak to, and no realistic path to appeal. The board explicitly recommended that users should at minimum be notified when an AI system, rather than a human moderator, has been responsible for penalising their account.&nbsp;750 Public Comments On A Single Case&nbsp;The scale of frustration among Meta's users was reflected in the board's own data. It received more than 750 public comments on this single case alone with endless list of complaint posts (maybe in millions) on other social media platforms like X. Board members also reported receiving what they described as ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from users who had their accounts disabled. For a platform with billions of users, the Oversight Board's comment volume is a small sample, but it signals a level of organised public anger that is difficult to ignore.&nbsp;What The Board Recommended&nbsp;The Oversight Board made several specific recommendations. It called on Meta to provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows them to submit written explanations, not just click a button and hope. It recommended that Meta notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement actions on their accounts. It proposed that information about account bans be included in Meta's public transparency reports. It recommended the creation of a dedicated dashboard where users can review their account status, see their violation history, understand the role AI played in any moderation decisions, and access information about how to appeal. And it called for a dedicated reporting channel for people who are high-risk targets of violence and their representatives.&nbsp;The Bigger Problem&nbsp;Meta created the Oversight Board in 2020 as an independent check on its content moderation decisions. The board was supposed to provide accountability and build public trust. Instead, what the board's latest findings reveal is a company that has automated enforcement at scale, stripped out human review, created inconsistent rules across its own platforms, and left millions of users with no meaningful recourse when the system gets it wrong. The Oversight Board can recommend changes. It cannot force Meta to implement them. Whether any of these recommendations result in real changes to how Meta bans accounts or whether they join the growing list of oversight recommendations that Meta has acknowledged and quietly ignored, remains to be seen.

Meta's Oversight Board found account bans lack due process, AI makes decisions with no human review, and Facebook and Instagram use different rules. 750+ complaints on one case.

When your own oversight body, the independent board you created and funded specifically to hold you accountable, publicly says your rules for banning users are inconsistent, opaque, and raise systemic human rights concerns, the problem is no longer a matter of public perception. It is a matter of institutional failure. That is where Meta now stands. The Case That Exposed The System The Oversight Board's review was triggered by a case involving an Instagram account with 70,000 followers that was banned after making threatening posts targeting a journalist. The board upheld the ban itself, the account had violated Meta's rules. But the case opened a wider investigation into how Meta handles account-level enforcement across its platforms, and what the board found was damning. Two Platforms, Two Completely Different Rules Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, both governed by the same parent company, use markedly different penalty structures for the same kinds of violations. Facebook implements a system of temporary suspensions before escalating to a permanent ban, giving users a graduated series of consequences. Instagram does not. Instead, Instagram restricts features like livestreaming access or reduces account visibility as intermediate penalties, but the board pointed out that livestreaming is not even available to all accounts, since it requires a minimum of 1,000 followers. A penalty that restricts a feature most users do not have is not a penalty. It is a gap in the system dressed up as a policy. AI Makes The Decision, Nobody Reviews It The board found that many account bans and suspensions appeared to have been made automatically by AI systems, with no human oversight involved in the decision. Users reported being unable to challenge account disablements or receiving any meaningful explanation for why their accounts were banned. The AI flags an account, the AI disables it, and the user is left with no information about what happened, no human to speak to, and no realistic path to appeal. The board explicitly recommended that users should at minimum be notified when an AI system, rather than a human moderator, has been responsible for penalising their account. 750 Public Comments On A Single Case The scale of frustration among Meta's users was reflected in the board's own data. It received more than 750 public comments on this single case alone with endless list of complaint posts (maybe in millions) on other social media platforms like X. Board members also reported receiving what they described as ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from users who had their accounts disabled. For a platform with billions of users, the Oversight Board's comment volume is a small sample, but it signals a level of organised public anger that is difficult to ignore. What The Board Recommended The Oversight Board made several specific recommendations. It called on Meta to provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows them to submit written explanations, not just click a button and hope. It recommended that Meta notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement actions on their accounts. It proposed that information about account bans be included in Meta's public transparency reports. It recommended the creation of a dedicated dashboard where users can review their account status, see their violation history, understand the role AI played in any moderation decisions, and access information about how to appeal. And it called for a dedicated reporting channel for people who are high-risk targets of violence and their representatives. The Bigger Problem Meta created the Oversight Board in 2020 as an independent check on its content moderation decisions. The board was supposed to provide accountability and build public trust. Instead, what the board's latest findings reveal is a company that has automated enforcement at scale, stripped out human review, created inconsistent rules across its own platforms, and left millions of users with no meaningful recourse when the system gets it wrong. The Oversight Board can recommend changes. It cannot force Meta to implement them. Whether any of these recommendations result in real changes to how Meta bans accounts or whether they join the growing list of oversight recommendations that Meta has acknowledged and quietly ignored, remains to be seen.

Meta's own independent Oversight Board has found that the company's account banning practices lack due process, transparency, and consistency. Facebook and Instagram use different penalty systems. AI makes decisions with no human oversight. Users cannot meaningfully appeal. The board received over 750 public complaints on a single case — and says its members get ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from banned users.

'Millions of lives destroyed': Meta's oversight board thinks its AI rules for banning accounts are baffling

Meta AI has 1.2 billion monthly active users. That number sounds impressive until you understand how it was achieved: not by building a product people chose to use, but by embedding an AI assistant directly into WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, and Facebook feeds — apps that billions of people were already using every day. Users did not download Meta AI. They did not sign up for it. It appeared, uninvited, inside their existing conversations and search bars. Compare that to ChatGPT, which has 900 million weekly active users who actively chose to visit a standalone product — and which holds 76.85% of the AI search market. For professional tasks like coding, research, legal analysis, and writing, ChatGPT remains far superior. Meta AI is widely described as useful for quick queries and social integration, but not much else.&nbsp;$83.5 Billion In Cumulative Losses And Counting&nbsp;Meta's Reality Labs division — which houses its AI, VR, AR, and metaverse operations — has accumulated approximately $83.5 billion in operating losses across 21 consecutive quarters. In 2025 alone, Reality Labs burned $19.2 billion. In Q1 2026, it lost another $4.03 billion while generating just $402 million in revenue — a ratio of roughly $10 lost for every $1 earned. Meta has now laid off more than 1,000 Reality Labs employees as it pivots resources from the metaverse to AI, but the losses continue to mount with no breakeven point in sight.&nbsp;$145 Billion In AI Spending — With No Cloud Business To Show For It&nbsp;Meta has raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to between $125 billion and $145 billion — an increase of over 60% year-on-year. This money is going into data centres, Nvidia GPUs, and AI infrastructure. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are spending similar amounts — but each of them has a cloud computing business that immediately monetises that infrastructure by selling compute capacity to other companies. Meta has no cloud business. Its revenue is almost entirely advertising. Every dollar spent on AI infrastructure is a bet that it will eventually make ads more targeted and platforms more engaging. That may happen. But right now, Meta AI, business agents, WhatsApp paid messaging, and early commerce initiatives are not generating meaningful revenue. The AI spending is improving the existing ad business — not building a new one.&nbsp;The Moderation Crisis Nobody Is Pricing In&nbsp;While Meta pours billions into AI infrastructure, the AI it has already deployed is actively destroying trust with the people who use its platforms. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's account bans lack due process and transparency. Thousands of creators, small business owners, and ordinary users have had their accounts suspended or permanently deleted by AI moderation systems that falsely flag normal content — including family photos — as violations. A Change.org petition against wrongful Meta account bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures. Meanwhile, AI-generated bot accounts with blue tick verification badges continue to operate freely on the same platforms. Meta has gutted its human moderation teams in favour of AI enforcement — and the AI is getting it catastrophically wrong at scale.&nbsp;Zuckerberg's Answer On AI Returns&nbsp;When Meta reported its Q1 2026 earnings and revealed the raised capex guidance, analysts pressed Mark Zuckerberg on what measurable return on investment the company's AI spending was actually delivering. His answer was notable: he described it as ‘a very technical question.’ For a company spending up to $145 billion in a single year on capital projects — more than the GDP of most countries — that answer is not reassuring. Meta's CFO said the 2025 AI investment cohort ‘paid off,’ but what that means in practice is that ad targeting improved. It does not mean Meta AI as a product generates revenue. It does not mean the $145 billion in infrastructure will produce a new business line. It means the existing advertising machine got slightly better.&nbsp;What The Market Is Choosing To Ignore&nbsp;Meta's stock has fallen approximately 27.5% from its all-time high of $796.25 in August 2025, trading at around $577 as of mid-June 2026. But even after that correction, the market is still valuing Meta at roughly $1.46 trillion — a price that assumes the AI spending will eventually pay off, that Meta AI will become a competitive product, and that the moderation crisis will resolve itself. The data suggests a different picture: a company that has burned nearly $90 billion on Reality Labs over seven years with no return, that is spending $145 billion on infrastructure it cannot monetise through a cloud business, whose flagship AI product was force-embedded into existing apps rather than adopted on its own merits, and whose AI moderation system is actively destroying the creator and small business ecosystem that drives its advertising revenue. The market may be right that Meta's ad business is strong enough to survive all of this. But calling Meta AI a success — when its users did not choose it, its moderation is failing, its losses are approaching $90 billion, and its CEO calls ROI ‘a very technical question’ — requires ignoring a substantial amount of evidence to the contrary.

Meta AI has 1.2B users it didn't earn, $83.5B in cumulative losses, $145B capex with no cloud business, and a moderation crisis destroying creator trust. Here's the data.

Meta AI has 1.2 billion monthly active users. That number sounds impressive until you understand how it was achieved: not by building a product people chose to use, but by embedding an AI assistant directly into WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, and Facebook feeds — apps that billions of people were already using every day. Users did not download Meta AI. They did not sign up for it. It appeared, uninvited, inside their existing conversations and search bars. Compare that to ChatGPT, which has 900 million weekly active users who actively chose to visit a standalone product — and which holds 76.85% of the AI search market. For professional tasks like coding, research, legal analysis, and writing, ChatGPT remains far superior. Meta AI is widely described as useful for quick queries and social integration, but not much else. $83.5 Billion In Cumulative Losses And Counting Meta's Reality Labs division — which houses its AI, VR, AR, and metaverse operations — has accumulated approximately $83.5 billion in operating losses across 21 consecutive quarters. In 2025 alone, Reality Labs burned $19.2 billion. In Q1 2026, it lost another $4.03 billion while generating just $402 million in revenue — a ratio of roughly $10 lost for every $1 earned. Meta has now laid off more than 1,000 Reality Labs employees as it pivots resources from the metaverse to AI, but the losses continue to mount with no breakeven point in sight. $145 Billion In AI Spending — With No Cloud Business To Show For It Meta has raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to between $125 billion and $145 billion — an increase of over 60% year-on-year. This money is going into data centres, Nvidia GPUs, and AI infrastructure. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are spending similar amounts — but each of them has a cloud computing business that immediately monetises that infrastructure by selling compute capacity to other companies. Meta has no cloud business. Its revenue is almost entirely advertising. Every dollar spent on AI infrastructure is a bet that it will eventually make ads more targeted and platforms more engaging. That may happen. But right now, Meta AI, business agents, WhatsApp paid messaging, and early commerce initiatives are not generating meaningful revenue. The AI spending is improving the existing ad business — not building a new one. The Moderation Crisis Nobody Is Pricing In While Meta pours billions into AI infrastructure, the AI it has already deployed is actively destroying trust with the people who use its platforms. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's account bans lack due process and transparency. Thousands of creators, small business owners, and ordinary users have had their accounts suspended or permanently deleted by AI moderation systems that falsely flag normal content — including family photos — as violations. A Change.org petition against wrongful Meta account bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures. Meanwhile, AI-generated bot accounts with blue tick verification badges continue to operate freely on the same platforms. Meta has gutted its human moderation teams in favour of AI enforcement — and the AI is getting it catastrophically wrong at scale. Zuckerberg's Answer On AI Returns When Meta reported its Q1 2026 earnings and revealed the raised capex guidance, analysts pressed Mark Zuckerberg on what measurable return on investment the company's AI spending was actually delivering. His answer was notable: he described it as ‘a very technical question.’ For a company spending up to $145 billion in a single year on capital projects — more than the GDP of most countries — that answer is not reassuring. Meta's CFO said the 2025 AI investment cohort ‘paid off,’ but what that means in practice is that ad targeting improved. It does not mean Meta AI as a product generates revenue. It does not mean the $145 billion in infrastructure will produce a new business line. It means the existing advertising machine got slightly better. What The Market Is Choosing To Ignore Meta's stock has fallen approximately 27.5% from its all-time high of $796.25 in August 2025, trading at around $577 as of mid-June 2026. But even after that correction, the market is still valuing Meta at roughly $1.46 trillion — a price that assumes the AI spending will eventually pay off, that Meta AI will become a competitive product, and that the moderation crisis will resolve itself. The data suggests a different picture: a company that has burned nearly $90 billion on Reality Labs over seven years with no return, that is spending $145 billion on infrastructure it cannot monetise through a cloud business, whose flagship AI product was force-embedded into existing apps rather than adopted on its own merits, and whose AI moderation system is actively destroying the creator and small business ecosystem that drives its advertising revenue. The market may be right that Meta's ad business is strong enough to survive all of this. But calling Meta AI a success — when its users did not choose it, its moderation is failing, its losses are approaching $90 billion, and its CEO calls ROI ‘a very technical question’ — requires ignoring a substantial amount of evidence to the contrary.

Meta AI has 1.2 billion monthly users it did not earn, force-embedded into WhatsApp and Instagram. Reality Labs has burned through $83.5 billion in cumulative losses. The company is spending $145 billion on AI infrastructure with no cloud business to monetise it. Its own Oversight Board says its AI moderation lacks due process. And when asked about AI returns, Mark Zuckerberg called it ‘a very technical question.’ Here is the data the market is choosing to ignore.

Meta AI is a lost cause but the market refuses to see it yet! Here's why

Meta Platforms has agreed to invest $900 million in Indian fintech startup CRED, acquiring an approximately 20 per cent minority stake and valuing the Bengaluru-based company at $4.5 billion. At the same time, CRED founder Kunal Shah has been appointed global head of WhatsApp, succeeding Will Cathcart, who led the platform for nearly seven years.The deal is the single largest strategic investment by a global technology major in India's consumer financial services sector. But the number that matters most is not $900 million. It is 0.65 per cent.<h2>What Meta actually bought</h2>CRED is not a platform built for everyone, and it was never meant to be.The company admits only Indians with CIBIL credit scores above 750, a threshold that excludes the vast majority of the population and leaves roughly 17 million members who collectively represent the country's most financially active consumer segment. These are people who pay their credit card bills on time, borrow responsibly, and spend at a scale that makes them disproportionately valuable to any financial platform trying to build depth rather than just volume.The platform processes more than 40 per cent of India's credit card bill payments. Over time, it has expanded into personal loans, insurance, e-commerce and investment products. In March 2026, the Reserve Bank of India granted CRED a Payment Aggregator licence, one of the most consequential regulatory authorisations in Indian fintech, giving it the infrastructure to process payments directly for merchants.Financially, CRED ended FY25 with operating revenue of Rs 2,735 crore, up 16 per cent year on year. Operating losses narrowed by 51 per cent to Rs 298 crore. On a net basis, after accounting for non-operating expenses, including employee stock options and depreciation, losses contracted by 11.5 per cent to Rs 1,457 crore. In May 2026 alone, CRED processed 157.19 crore UPI transactions worth Rs 61,002 crore.Ashish Bhatia, Founder and CEO of India Accelerator and Co-Founder of Finvolve, said the deal should not be read as a valuation story."People often say CRED is a credit card bill payment app. That's like saying Amazon is a bookstore," Bhatia said. "CRED became valuable because it became the platform for a particular kind of Indian: financially responsible, creditworthy and aspirational, allowing them to progressively do more things. Pay bills, yes. But also borrow, invest, shop and discover. The product kept deepening because the relationship kept deepening. That's what platforms do. That's what Meta bought."<h2>The gap Meta could not close</h2>The strategic urgency behind the deal is visible in that single number: 0.65 per cent.That is WhatsApp Pay's share of India's UPI market as of May 2026, according to data published by the National Payments Corporation of India and reported across multiple outlets. It trails PhonePe at 46.2 per cent, Google Pay at 32.7 per cent, Paytm at 7.9 per cent, and even smaller players such as Navi, super.money, BHIM, FamPay and CRED's own UPI product. For an app used by more than 500 million Indians every day, it is a number that tells its own story.India processed a record 23.2 billion UPI transactions in May 2026 alone, according to NPCI. WhatsApp was present for almost none of them in any meaningful commercial sense.The reason traces back to timing. PhonePe entered the UPI market in 2016. Google Pay followed in 2017. WhatsApp Pay did not receive full regulatory approval until 2020, by which time Indian consumers had already formed payment habits, merchants had already integrated rival platforms, and the market had already chosen its defaults. Meta has spent six years trying to close that gap. It has not.Meta has now committed more than $6.6 billion across India's digital economy: $5.7 billion for a 9.99 per cent stake in Reliance's Jio Platforms in April 2020, and $900 million for an approximately 20 per cent stake in CRED in June 2026. The Jio investment was designed to accelerate WhatsApp commerce through JioMart. That partnership remains active. WhatsApp Pay's market position, however, has not materially improved.<h2>One window, one deadline</h2>The window Meta is now targeting is not competitive. It is regulatory, and it has a closing date.India's National Payments Corporation of India requires PhonePe and Google Pay to cap their individual transaction volumes at 30 per cent of the total UPI market by 31 December 2026. Both currently exceed that threshold significantly, with PhonePe at 46.2 per cent and Google Pay at 32.7 per cent. The rule has been extended twice before, most recently on 31 December 2024, citing operational challenges. If it remains in force this time, both dominant platforms would be required to stop onboarding new users once they reach the cap, creating an opportunity that WhatsApp Pay, with Kunal Shah now leading the product globally, is better positioned than ever to seize.The shift is already beginning. The combined share of PhonePe and Google Pay fell to 79 per cent in May 2026, below 80 per cent for the first time since NPCI began publishing individual application statistics, according to Outlook Business, citing NPCI data. The top three providers collectively held 95.2 per cent of all transactions in January 2024. By May 2026, that had contracted to 87 per cent as smaller platforms steadily gained ground.NPCI also lifted the user onboarding cap on WhatsApp Pay entirely on 31 December 2024, opening UPI payments on the platform to its full Indian user base for the first time.<h2>What this means for the ecosystem</h2>The deal's implications extend well beyond WhatsApp and CRED.Bhatia said it is a signal that India's fintech market is entering a period of fundamental bifurcation and that the criteria for survival are shifting."The ecosystem is bifurcating sharply between companies that own a real relationship with a specific community and companies that are just running transactions," he said. "The ones who survive the next cycle will be asking the right question today: not 'How do I grow faster?' but 'Which community do I truly belong to, and what more can I do for them?'"The CRED valuation trajectory illustrates this shift in numbers. The company peaked at $6.4 billion in 2022, fell to $3.5 billion in a 2025 down round, and has recovered to $4.5 billion following Meta's investment. It is a full cycle that mirrors the broader shift in sentiment across India's fintech sector over the past three years. Community depth, rather than transaction volume, is what preserved its value through that correction.<h2>The next layer: intelligence, not more rails</h2>For founders watching this deal, Paramdeep Singh, Founder of Long Tail Ventures, said the real signal has nothing to do with building another payments product."India already processes over 18 billion UPI transactions every month. The next opportunity is no longer building another payments app, but building intelligence on top of existing financial rails," Singh said.Singh pointed to underwriting, fraud detection, collections, compliance, treasury management and AI-powered financial tools for consumers and businesses as the most significant opportunities emerging from India's digital financial infrastructure."These are large, recurring problems where AI can materially improve cost, speed and accuracy," he said. "India's digital public infrastructure provides a unique foundation to build globally relevant companies in these areas. For founders, the challenge is no longer access to financial rails, but finding proprietary data and distribution that others cannot easily replicate."The scale of that infrastructure is not in dispute. NPCI data show India's UPI network processed 228.3 billion transactions during 2025, up 29.3 per cent by volume year on year. The rails are built, and the question now is who builds the intelligence layer on top of them.<h2>The data question regulators will watch</h2>The deal does raise a question that India's regulatory architecture will need to answer over time.CRED holds one of the richest repositories of consumer financial behaviour data in India, including credit card repayment histories, spending patterns, borrowing behaviour and UPI transaction data, all tied to the country's most creditworthy consumer segment. Meta, as a minority investor without a board seat, has said it will have no access to that member data, a structural choice designed to address the data sovereignty concerns that have historically made Indian regulators cautious about foreign technology companies expanding into financial services.India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 is the governing framework for how platforms handle consumer data of this nature. Its rules covering consent managers and Significant Data Fiduciaries are still being operationalised. Whether the current architecture of the Meta-CRED deal satisfies the RBI and NPCI as WhatsApp's financial services ambitions continue to grow will be a question that regulators, and the market, will be watching closely.

With WhatsApp Pay holding less than 1% of India's UPI market despite 500 million users, the deal of  $900 million investment by Meta in CRED is less about money and more about a payments problem Meta has spent six years failing to solve.

Meta Platforms has agreed to invest $900 million in Indian fintech startup CRED, acquiring an approximately 20 per cent minority stake and valuing the Bengaluru-based company at $4.5 billion. At the same time, CRED founder Kunal Shah has been appointed global head of WhatsApp, succeeding Will Cathcart, who led the platform for nearly seven years. The deal is the single largest strategic investment by a global technology major in India's consumer financial services sector. But the number that matters most is not $900 million. It is 0.65 per cent. What Meta actually bought CRED is not a platform built for everyone, and it was never meant to be. The company admits only Indians with CIBIL credit scores above 750, a threshold that excludes the vast majority of the population and leaves roughly 17 million members who collectively represent the country's most financially active consumer segment. These are people who pay their credit card bills on time, borrow responsibly, and spend at a scale that makes them disproportionately valuable to any financial platform trying to build depth rather than just volume. The platform processes more than 40 per cent of India's credit card bill payments. Over time, it has expanded into personal loans, insurance, e-commerce and investment products. In March 2026, the Reserve Bank of India granted CRED a Payment Aggregator licence, one of the most consequential regulatory authorisations in Indian fintech, giving it the infrastructure to process payments directly for merchants. Financially, CRED ended FY25 with operating revenue of Rs 2,735 crore, up 16 per cent year on year. Operating losses narrowed by 51 per cent to Rs 298 crore. On a net basis, after accounting for non-operating expenses, including employee stock options and depreciation, losses contracted by 11.5 per cent to Rs 1,457 crore. In May 2026 alone, CRED processed 157.19 crore UPI transactions worth Rs 61,002 crore. Ashish Bhatia, Founder and CEO of India Accelerator and Co-Founder of Finvolve, said the deal should not be read as a valuation story. "People often say CRED is a credit card bill payment app. That's like saying Amazon is a bookstore," Bhatia said. "CRED became valuable because it became the platform for a particular kind of Indian: financially responsible, creditworthy and aspirational, allowing them to progressively do more things. Pay bills, yes. But also borrow, invest, shop and discover. The product kept deepening because the relationship kept deepening. That's what platforms do. That's what Meta bought." The gap Meta could not close The strategic urgency behind the deal is visible in that single number: 0.65 per cent. That is WhatsApp Pay's share of India's UPI market as of May 2026, according to data published by the National Payments Corporation of India and reported across multiple outlets. It trails PhonePe at 46.2 per cent, Google Pay at 32.7 per cent, Paytm at 7.9 per cent, and even smaller players such as Navi, super.money, BHIM, FamPay and CRED's own UPI product. For an app used by more than 500 million Indians every day, it is a number that tells its own story. India processed a record 23.2 billion UPI transactions in May 2026 alone, according to NPCI. WhatsApp was present for almost none of them in any meaningful commercial sense. The reason traces back to timing. PhonePe entered the UPI market in 2016. Google Pay followed in 2017. WhatsApp Pay did not receive full regulatory approval until 2020, by which time Indian consumers had already formed payment habits, merchants had already integrated rival platforms, and the market had already chosen its defaults. Meta has spent six years trying to close that gap. It has not. Meta has now committed more than $6.6 billion across India's digital economy: $5.7 billion for a 9.99 per cent stake in Reliance's Jio Platforms in April 2020, and $900 million for an approximately 20 per cent stake in CRED in June 2026. The Jio investment was designed to accelerate WhatsApp commerce through JioMart. That partnership remains active. WhatsApp Pay's market position, however, has not materially improved. One window, one deadline The window Meta is now targeting is not competitive. It is regulatory, and it has a closing date. India's National Payments Corporation of India requires PhonePe and Google Pay to cap their individual transaction volumes at 30 per cent of the total UPI market by 31 December 2026. Both currently exceed that threshold significantly, with PhonePe at 46.2 per cent and Google Pay at 32.7 per cent. The rule has been extended twice before, most recently on 31 December 2024, citing operational challenges. If it remains in force this time, both dominant platforms would be required to stop onboarding new users once they reach the cap, creating an opportunity that WhatsApp Pay, with Kunal Shah now leading the product globally, is better positioned than ever to seize. The shift is already beginning. The combined share of PhonePe and Google Pay fell to 79 per cent in May 2026, below 80 per cent for the first time since NPCI began publishing individual application statistics, according to Outlook Business, citing NPCI data. The top three providers collectively held 95.2 per cent of all transactions in January 2024. By May 2026, that had contracted to 87 per cent as smaller platforms steadily gained ground. NPCI also lifted the user onboarding cap on WhatsApp Pay entirely on 31 December 2024, opening UPI payments on the platform to its full Indian user base for the first time. What this means for the ecosystem The deal's implications extend well beyond WhatsApp and CRED. Bhatia said it is a signal that India's fintech market is entering a period of fundamental bifurcation and that the criteria for survival are shifting. "The ecosystem is bifurcating sharply between companies that own a real relationship with a specific community and companies that are just running transactions," he said. "The ones who survive the next cycle will be asking the right question today: not 'How do I grow faster?' but 'Which community do I truly belong to, and what more can I do for them?'" The CRED valuation trajectory illustrates this shift in numbers. The company peaked at $6.4 billion in 2022, fell to $3.5 billion in a 2025 down round, and has recovered to $4.5 billion following Meta's investment. It is a full cycle that mirrors the broader shift in sentiment across India's fintech sector over the past three years. Community depth, rather than transaction volume, is what preserved its value through that correction. The next layer: intelligence, not more rails For founders watching this deal, Paramdeep Singh, Founder of Long Tail Ventures, said the real signal has nothing to do with building another payments product. "India already processes over 18 billion UPI transactions every month. The next opportunity is no longer building another payments app, but building intelligence on top of existing financial rails," Singh said. Singh pointed to underwriting, fraud detection, collections, compliance, treasury management and AI-powered financial tools for consumers and businesses as the most significant opportunities emerging from India's digital financial infrastructure. "These are large, recurring problems where AI can materially improve cost, speed and accuracy," he said. "India's digital public infrastructure provides a unique foundation to build globally relevant companies in these areas. For founders, the challenge is no longer access to financial rails, but finding proprietary data and distribution that others cannot easily replicate." The scale of that infrastructure is not in dispute. NPCI data show India's UPI network processed 228.3 billion transactions during 2025, up 29.3 per cent by volume year on year. The rails are built, and the question now is who builds the intelligence layer on top of them. The data question regulators will watch The deal does raise a question that India's regulatory architecture will need to answer over time. CRED holds one of the richest repositories of consumer financial behaviour data in India, including credit card repayment histories, spending patterns, borrowing behaviour and UPI transaction data, all tied to the country's most creditworthy consumer segment. Meta, as a minority investor without a board seat, has said it will have no access to that member data, a structural choice designed to address the data sovereignty concerns that have historically made Indian regulators cautious about foreign technology companies expanding into financial services. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 is the governing framework for how platforms handle consumer data of this nature. Its rules covering consent managers and Significant Data Fiduciaries are still being operationalised. Whether the current architecture of the Meta-CRED deal satisfies the RBI and NPCI as WhatsApp's financial services ambitions continue to grow will be a question that regulators, and the market, will be watching closely.

With WhatsApp Pay holding less than 1% of India's UPI market despite 500 million users, the deal of &nbsp;$900 million investment by Meta in CRED is less about money and more about a payments problem Meta has spent six years failing to solve.

With $900 million, Meta eyes at 17 million members, one regulatory window and a payments problem in India

Meta is making a new push into wearable artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, they unveiled a new line of AI-powered smart glasses developed with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. Starting at $299, the new devices are considerably cheaper than Meta's premium smart glasses launched last year.&nbsp;The announcement is important because it signals Meta's ambition to make AI hardware more accessible to everyday consumers as competition in the wearable technology market intensifies. The launch also comes as rivals including Apple, Google and Snap continue investing heavily in next-generation smart glasses and AI-powered devices.<h2>Meta is betting big on AI glasses</h2>For several years, Meta has argued that smart glasses could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence. Meta’s latest glasses are powered by Meta AI running on Muse Spark, the first model developed by Meta's Superintelligence Labs. According to Meta, the glasses allow users to interact with AI, access information and receive text-based assistance through a wearable device rather than a smartphone. The launch reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader vision of bringing what he calls "personal intelligence" directly to consumers.<figure class="image"><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-02.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses"></figure><h2>What's different about the new glasses?</h2>One notable change is branding. Unlike previous devices, the new glasses are not linked to popular eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban or Oakley. Instead, Meta is introducing its own design language with several new frame styles and colours. Among the options is a slim oval collection developed in collaboration with media personality Kylie Jenner. The company hopes the broader range of styles will help attract consumers who may not have been interested in earlier smart glasses. A growing market<figure class="image"><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-03.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses"></figure><h2><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-01.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses">Meta enters the launch from a position of strength</h2>According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smart-glasses shipments reached 9.6 million units last year. Meta accounted for approximately 76.1 per cent of those shipments. That dominance has encouraged competitors to accelerate their own wearable AI projects. Google is expanding its smart-glasses efforts, while Apple is reportedly developing future wearable products that could incorporate artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Snap recently launched augmented reality glasses priced at $2,195, targeting a different segment of the market.<h2>Why the lower price matters</h2>The biggest talking point may be the price. At $299, the new Meta Glasses cost significantly less than last year's $800 Ray-Ban Display glasses. Industry analysts have long argued that price remains one of the biggest barriers preventing smart glasses from becoming mainstream. By lowering the entry cost, Meta appears to be prioritising adoption and ecosystem growth over premium positioning.&nbsp;The next phase of the AI race.Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond chatbots and smartphones. Technology companies are now competing to determine which device will become the primary way people interact with AI throughout the day.<h2>Meta believes smart glasses could play that role</h2>Whether consumers agree remains to be seen. However, with a lower price, new designs and the company's latest AI technology, Meta is making one thing clear: it sees wearable AI as one of the most important battlegrounds in the technology industry.

Meta has launched a new range of AI-powered smart glasses starting at $299, significantly undercutting previous models. Powered by Meta's latest AI model.

Meta is making a new push into wearable artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, they unveiled a new line of AI-powered smart glasses developed with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. Starting at $299, the new devices are considerably cheaper than Meta's premium smart glasses launched last year. The announcement is important because it signals Meta's ambition to make AI hardware more accessible to everyday consumers as competition in the wearable technology market intensifies. The launch also comes as rivals including Apple, Google and Snap continue investing heavily in next-generation smart glasses and AI-powered devices. Meta is betting big on AI glasses For several years, Meta has argued that smart glasses could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence. Meta’s latest glasses are powered by Meta AI running on Muse Spark, the first model developed by Meta's Superintelligence Labs. According to Meta, the glasses allow users to interact with AI, access information and receive text-based assistance through a wearable device rather than a smartphone. The launch reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader vision of bringing what he calls "personal intelligence" directly to consumers. What's different about the new glasses? One notable change is branding. Unlike previous devices, the new glasses are not linked to popular eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban or Oakley. Instead, Meta is introducing its own design language with several new frame styles and colours. Among the options is a slim oval collection developed in collaboration with media personality Kylie Jenner. The company hopes the broader range of styles will help attract consumers who may not have been interested in earlier smart glasses. A growing market Meta enters the launch from a position of strength According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smart-glasses shipments reached 9.6 million units last year. Meta accounted for approximately 76.1 per cent of those shipments. That dominance has encouraged competitors to accelerate their own wearable AI projects. Google is expanding its smart-glasses efforts, while Apple is reportedly developing future wearable products that could incorporate artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Snap recently launched augmented reality glasses priced at $2,195, targeting a different segment of the market. Why the lower price matters The biggest talking point may be the price. At $299, the new Meta Glasses cost significantly less than last year's $800 Ray-Ban Display glasses. Industry analysts have long argued that price remains one of the biggest barriers preventing smart glasses from becoming mainstream. By lowering the entry cost, Meta appears to be prioritising adoption and ecosystem growth over premium positioning. The next phase of the AI race.Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond chatbots and smartphones. Technology companies are now competing to determine which device will become the primary way people interact with AI throughout the day. Meta believes smart glasses could play that role Whether consumers agree remains to be seen. However, with a lower price, new designs and the company's latest AI technology, Meta is making one thing clear: it sees wearable AI as one of the most important battlegrounds in the technology industry.

Meta has launched a new range of AI-powered smart glasses starting at $299, significantly undercutting previous models. Powered by Meta's latest AI model.

Meta introduces new AI smart glasses powered by its latest AI model, starting at $299

Meta is reportedly exploring a major investment in Indian fintech startup CRED, with discussions valuing the company at around $4 billion. Reports suggest the deal could involve tens of millions of dollars and have fueled speculation about a deeper partnership—or even a larger strategic move involving CRED founder Kunal Shah. At the same time, Meta’s leadership decisions around its messaging ecosystem have intensified focus on the company’s growing ambitions in India, one of its most important markets worldwide.


Meta's India Bet: Meta Taps Indian Founder To Lead WhatsApp

Facebook’s parent company Meta is investing around $900 million (around Rs 8,550 crore) in Indian fintech startup CRED, the two companies announced on Monday. As part of the investment, Cred’s founder, Kunal Shah, will take over as global CEO of WhatsApp.&nbsp;CRED will now be led by Miten Sampat as the interim CEO, shared Kunal Shah in a Monday post on X.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app. I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses,” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said on Monday.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/14-students-killed-in-fire-at-animation-centre-in-lucknow-many-jump-from-1st-floor-1782130828955">15 killed in fire at animation centre in Lucknow; many jump off 1st floor</a>&nbsp;Shah takes over from WhatApp’s current head, Will Cathcart, who will be stepping down after seven years in the role.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community. Will is transitioning to a new role within Meta where he’ll build new products from the ground-up,” Zuckerberg added.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/6-shiv-sena-ubt-rebel-mps-join-eknath-shinde-s-shiv-sena-1782129323513">6 Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs join Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It’s been a minute. 2015–2018 - Exited FreeCharge. Spent time learning and investing. - Pondered about: Why can&#39;t trust be rewarded? Started with $1M of personal capital. - Launched CRED to reward people for paying credit card bills on time. 2019–2025 - Built a system run by a…&mdash; Kunal Shah (@kunalb11) <a href="https://x.com/kunalb11/status/2069043017420599323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shah said in a post on X, “I started Cred in 2018 with a belief that creditworthiness deserves to be rewarded. In under eight years, that belief has turned into a new category: millions of members, ~₹3,200 crore (~US $325M) in revenue, profitability, a full stack of licences and a strong brand. On this foundation, with additional capital and an extraordinarily talented team, CRED is poised to become an enduring institution for decades to come. I’m stepping back with gratitude and with conviction that the team will keep raising the bar.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-to-sell-supersonic-brahmos-missile-to-uae-talks-in-its-initial-stages-report-1782133327073">India to sell supersonic BrahMos missile to UAE, talks in its initial stages: Report</a>&nbsp;“We have a generational opportunity to build on Kunal’s vision and compound consistently towards becoming a public company. I’m excited to take CRED forward in its next chapter. We are just getting started,” said Miten Sampat.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday that CRED founder Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next global CEO. Kunal brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app, he added.

Facebook’s parent company Meta is investing around $900 million (around Rs 8,550 crore) in Indian fintech startup CRED, the two companies announced on Monday. As part of the investment, Cred’s founder, Kunal Shah, will take over as global CEO of WhatsApp. CRED will now be led by Miten Sampat as the interim CEO, shared Kunal Shah in a Monday post on X. “Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app. I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses,” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said on Monday. Also Read: 15 killed in fire at animation centre in Lucknow; many jump off 1st floor Shah takes over from WhatApp’s current head, Will Cathcart, who will be stepping down after seven years in the role. “Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community. Will is transitioning to a new role within Meta where he’ll build new products from the ground-up,” Zuckerberg added. Also Read: 6 Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs join Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday that CRED founder Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next global CEO. Kunal brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app, he added.

CRED founder Kunal Shah becomes global CEO of WhatsApp as Meta invests $900 million in startup

Meta has accused Israeli spyware firm NSO Group of violating a court injunction in an ongoing legal battle, escalating tensions between the tech giant and the surveillance company. The dispute centers around allegations of unauthorized access and misuse of WhatsApp systems through sophisticated spyware tools.

Meta Accuses NSO of Violating Court  Injunction  | WhatsApp Disrupts Phishing Attempts

Thailand’s Consumer Council is planning a civil lawsuit against Meta over alleged failures to tackle online scams and harmful content on its platforms. Officials say consumers have suffered financial losses linked to fraudulent advertisements and deceptive activity circulating online. The move adds to growing global scrutiny of major tech companies over user safety and platform accountability.


Thailand's Consumer Council Plans Civil Suit Against Meta

The European Union’s top court has upheld Messenger’s “gatekeeper” designation under the bloc’s landmark digital competition rules. The ruling strengthens the EU’s push to regulate major tech platforms and ensure fair competition in the digital market. The decision could have significant implications for how large technology companies operate, share data, and comply with strict European regulations. Watch the latest updates on the court ruling, Big Tech regulation, and the future of digital markets in Europe.


EU Court Upholds Messenger's 'Gatekeeper' Designation 

Meta is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence-powered wearable device that could take the form of a pendant worn around the neck. According to a report by The Information, the company plans to begin testing the device within the next year as it continues expanding its AI hardware strategy.The reported project comes as major technology companies increasingly explore AI-powered devices beyond smartphones and computers. Meta has already invested heavily in smart glasses and virtual reality products, and the new pendant could become another part of its growing wearable ecosystem.<h2>What is Meta's AI pendant?</h2>According to reports, Meta's new device would function as an AI-powered pendant that users could wear around their neck or attach to clothing. While full details have not been revealed, the wearable is expected to build on technology developed by Limitless, an AI startup acquired by Meta in late 2025.Before the acquisition, Limitless developed a wearable pendant capable of recording conversations, creating summaries and helping users recall information from meetings and daily interactions. Following the acquisition, Meta said the deal would help accelerate its efforts to develop AI-enabled wearable technology. Industry observers believe Meta could integrate its AI assistant into the device, allowing users to interact with artificial intelligence throughout the day without needing to use a smartphone.<h2>Why is Meta investing in AI wearables?</h2>The move reflects a broader trend across the technology industry.Companies are increasingly exploring devices that allow users to access AI more naturally throughout the day. Instead of opening an app or typing a question, wearable devices can provide hands-free access to AI assistants.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly argued that wearable devices could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence in the future. The company has already found success with its smart glasses developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, which combine cameras, audio features and AI-powered assistance. An AI pendant would represent another step towards making AI available throughout the day in a less intrusive form.<h2>Why have AI wearables struggled in the past?</h2>Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence, many dedicated AI wearable devices have struggled to gain widespread adoption. Several products launched over the past few years faced challenges related to privacy concerns, battery life, limited functionality and unclear consumer demand. Some users questioned whether wearable devices that continuously listen to conversations or collect information could create privacy risks. Others found that early AI devices did not offer enough practical benefits compared with smartphones. These challenges have led some technology companies to rethink how AI hardware should be designed and marketed. Meta appears to be betting that advances in AI models and wearable technology could make a new generation of devices more useful.<h2>Meta's broader wearable strategy</h2>The reported pendant project is only one part of Meta's expanding hardware plans. According to the report, the company is also working to expand its smart glasses lineup and is considering a subscription service called "Wearables for Work", aimed at business users. The strategy suggests Meta sees wearable technology as a major growth opportunity, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into daily life. The company has invested billions of dollars in hardware development through its Reality Labs division, which oversees products related to virtual reality, augmented reality and wearable technology.<h2>Can AI wearables help Reality Labs?</h2> The success of future wearable products could be important for Meta's hardware business. Reality Labs has continued to face financial pressure despite ongoing investment. According to company disclosures, the division reported a loss of around $4 billion during the first quarter of the year. Meta has argued that these investments are necessary to build the next generation of computing platforms, including AI-powered devices and augmented reality products. Analysts say wearable devices could eventually become a key revenue source if consumers embrace AI assistants that work seamlessly throughout the day.

Meta is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence-powered wearable device that could take the form of a pendant worn around the neck. 


Meta is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence-powered wearable device that could take the form of a pendant worn around the neck. According to a report by The Information, the company plans to begin testing the device within the next year as it continues expanding its AI hardware strategy. The reported project comes as major technology companies increasingly explore AI-powered devices beyond smartphones and computers. Meta has already invested heavily in smart glasses and virtual reality products, and the new pendant could become another part of its growing wearable ecosystem. What is Meta's AI pendant? According to reports, Meta's new device would function as an AI-powered pendant that users could wear around their neck or attach to clothing. While full details have not been revealed, the wearable is expected to build on technology developed by Limitless, an AI startup acquired by Meta in late 2025. Before the acquisition, Limitless developed a wearable pendant capable of recording conversations, creating summaries and helping users recall information from meetings and daily interactions. Following the acquisition, Meta said the deal would help accelerate its efforts to develop AI-enabled wearable technology. Industry observers believe Meta could integrate its AI assistant into the device, allowing users to interact with artificial intelligence throughout the day without needing to use a smartphone. Why is Meta investing in AI wearables? The move reflects a broader trend across the technology industry. Companies are increasingly exploring devices that allow users to access AI more naturally throughout the day. Instead of opening an app or typing a question, wearable devices can provide hands-free access to AI assistants. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly argued that wearable devices could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence in the future. The company has already found success with its smart glasses developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, which combine cameras, audio features and AI-powered assistance. An AI pendant would represent another step towards making AI available throughout the day in a less intrusive form. Why have AI wearables struggled in the past? Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence, many dedicated AI wearable devices have struggled to gain widespread adoption. Several products launched over the past few years faced challenges related to privacy concerns, battery life, limited functionality and unclear consumer demand. Some users questioned whether wearable devices that continuously listen to conversations or collect information could create privacy risks. Others found that early AI devices did not offer enough practical benefits compared with smartphones. These challenges have led some technology companies to rethink how AI hardware should be designed and marketed. Meta appears to be betting that advances in AI models and wearable technology could make a new generation of devices more useful. Meta's broader wearable strategy The reported pendant project is only one part of Meta's expanding hardware plans. According to the report, the company is also working to expand its smart glasses lineup and is considering a subscription service called "Wearables for Work", aimed at business users. The strategy suggests Meta sees wearable technology as a major growth opportunity, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into daily life. The company has invested billions of dollars in hardware development through its Reality Labs division, which oversees products related to virtual reality, augmented reality and wearable technology. Can AI wearables help Reality Labs? The success of future wearable products could be important for Meta's hardware business. Reality Labs has continued to face financial pressure despite ongoing investment. According to company disclosures, the division reported a loss of around $4 billion during the first quarter of the year. Meta has argued that these investments are necessary to build the next generation of computing platforms, including AI-powered devices and augmented reality products. Analysts say wearable devices could eventually become a key revenue source if consumers embrace AI assistants that work seamlessly throughout the day.

Meta is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence-powered wearable device that could take the form of a pendant worn around the neck.&nbsp;

After AI glasses, Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant: What it is and how it could work

#Gravitas Meta has turned its AI dream into a global warning about the future of jobs. The company has cut around 8,000 jobs as it pushes aggressively into artificial intelligence.


Meta's AI Push Costs 8,000 Jobs

Leaked audio by labour-focused media organisation More Perfect Union from an April 30 town hall reveals Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying that its employees were used to train AI data. In the audio it Zuckerberg could be hard explaining that the company’s new artificial intelligence data tracking program was a way to “learn from watching really smart people do things.” The audio surfaced as Meta has begun laying off roughly 8,000 employees, 10 per cent of its workforce. In the recording, Zuckerberg defended a mandatory internal software program that logs employee keystrokes, mouse movements, and screen snapshots.Zuckerberg explicitly told employees that the average intelligence of the Meta employees was “significantly higher” than that of the outside contractors typically hired for data labelling. “So if we’re trying to teach the models coding, for example, then having people internally build tools or solve tasks that help teach the model how to code, we think is going to dramatically increase our model’s coding ability faster than what others in the industry have the capability to do, who don’t have thousands and thousands of extremely strong engineers at their company," said Zuckerberg. Meta did not spell out or clarified on the whole process because “this stuff is tricky” &nbsp;and “not strategically in your interest for us to communicate everything” so that competitors could not catch on.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nvidia-q1-fy2027-record-revenue-ai-boom-data-centre-growth-1779368905223">NVIDIA posts record $81.6 billion revenue: Why NVIDIA is the biggest winner of the global AI boom</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">LEAKED AUDIO: In an all-hands meeting on April 30, Mark Zuckerberg tells employees that he&#39;s training AI on them ahead of mass layoffs. &quot;The AI models learn from watching really smart people do things... The average intelligence of the people who are at this company is… <a href="https://t.co/lt9eeJ3cwh">pic.twitter.com/lt9eeJ3cwh</a>&mdash; More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/2056842597117636890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meta has laid off 8,000 active positions and cancelled 6,000 open job roles in European and US offices, as the company is redirecting between $125 billion and $145 billion into AI infrastructure and data centres this year alone. Meta is further assigning 7,000 workers to four new organisations focused on developing AI tools. They will be moved to a new segment of the “AI native design structures” where the employee-to-manager ratio will be smaller than in other organisations.&nbsp;The NYT earlier reported that employees were sceptical about the AI tracking program and expressed fear that they would unknowingly train models that would replace them. The tracking program known as the Model Capability Initiative runs across apps like Gmail, VSCode, and Meta’s internal assistant, Metamate. When employees asked how to opt out, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth responded bluntly, "There is no option to opt out of this on your work provided laptop."

Leaked audio reveals Mark Zuckerberg saying Meta employees were used to train AI models through internal tracking software, as the company lays off 8,000 workers and ramps up AI investments.

Leaked audio by labour-focused media organisation More Perfect Union from an April 30 town hall reveals Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying that its employees were used to train AI data. In the audio it Zuckerberg could be hard explaining that the company’s new artificial intelligence data tracking program was a way to “learn from watching really smart people do things.” The audio surfaced as Meta has begun laying off roughly 8,000 employees, 10 per cent of its workforce. In the recording, Zuckerberg defended a mandatory internal software program that logs employee keystrokes, mouse movements, and screen snapshots. Zuckerberg explicitly told employees that the average intelligence of the Meta employees was “significantly higher” than that of the outside contractors typically hired for data labelling. “So if we’re trying to teach the models coding, for example, then having people internally build tools or solve tasks that help teach the model how to code, we think is going to dramatically increase our model’s coding ability faster than what others in the industry have the capability to do, who don’t have thousands and thousands of extremely strong engineers at their company," said Zuckerberg. Meta did not spell out or clarified on the whole process because “this stuff is tricky” and “not strategically in your interest for us to communicate everything” so that competitors could not catch on. Also Read: NVIDIA posts record $81.6 billion revenue: Why NVIDIA is the biggest winner of the global AI boom

Leaked audio reveals Mark Zuckerberg saying Meta employees were used to train AI models through internal tracking software, as the company lays off 8,000 workers and ramps up AI investments.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says 'smart' employees used to train AI models in viral audio

Meta is once again facing scrutiny after another round of layoffs highlighted the harsh realities of the global tech industry slowdown. The job cuts reflect growing pressure on major technology companies to reduce costs, restructure operations and focus on AI-driven growth. Employees and analysts say the layoffs expose rising uncertainty in Silicon Valley despite strong investments in artificial intelligence and digital expansion.


Meta Layoff: The Horror Layoffs at Meta Exposes New Tech Reality

Employees at Meta are reportedly protesting against workplace tracking software that some workers claim monitors mouse activity and productivity inside offices. Staff members have allegedly distributed flyers raising concerns about privacy, surveillance and employee trust. The controversy has sparked a broader debate about how far companies should go in tracking worker performance, especially as tech firms increasingly rely on digital monitoring systems in hybrid and office environments.

Meta Employees Revolt Over Workplace Tracking Software And Mouse Monitoring

In a blow to privacy, Meta ended end-to-end encryption on Instagram. At present, this is the default option on platforms like Signal, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Owing to Meta's move, all content of direct messages on Instagram can be accessed by the platform now. 

Instagram Chats May No Longer Be Private After Meta Ends Encryption

Meta has ended end-to-end encryption for direct messages on Instagram from May 8, 2026. This means that messages sent through Instagram DMs are no longer fully private, marking a significant change in how users communicate on the platform.The feature, which was introduced in 2023, ensured that only the sender and receiver could read messages. With its removal, chats may now be accessible under certain conditions, depending on how systems are used to monitor content.&nbsp;<h2>What changes for Instagram users</h2>With end-to-end encryption removed, Instagram users will notice a change in how their messages are handled.Earlier, encrypted chats meant:Messages could not be accessed by third partiesOnly users involved in the chat could read themNow, messages may be:Analysed for safety purposesAccessible through technical systems if requiredMeta had earlier informed users about this update and provided an option to download or back up chats before the change took effect.<h2>Why Meta is making this move</h2>One of the key reasons behind the change is linked to user safety, especially concerns around harmful content.Reports suggest that removing encryption allows platforms to: Detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) Identify grooming behaviour Flag harassment or illegal contentThe move follows increasing global pressure on tech companies to improve safety measures on messaging platforms.<h2>Legal and regulatory pressure</h2>Governments in several regions, including the United States, United Kingdom and European Union, have been pushing for stronger monitoring of online platforms.Regulations such as:The UK’s Online Safety ActProposed EU Chat Control rules are aimed at ensuring companies can detect harmful content, even within private communications. Earlier this year, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million, citing concerns about platform safety and user protection.<h2>Privacy concerns and debate</h2>While the change may help detect harmful activity, it has also raised concerns among privacy advocates.Experts argue that:Removing encryption may reduce user privacyMessages could become more vulnerable to misuseTrust in private communication may be affectedThis creates a balance issue between ensuring safety and protecting personal data.<h2>What happens next</h2>Meta has not confirmed whether similar changes will be applied to other platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. For now, the update applies only to Instagram, but it signals a broader shift in how tech companies may handle private messaging in the future. As regulations continue to evolve, platforms may increasingly adjust their systems to meet safety requirements while managing user expectations around privacy.

Meta has ended end-to-end encryption for direct messages on Instagram from May 8, 2026. This means that messages sent through Instagram DMs are no longer fully private, marking a significant change in how users communicate on the platform.

Meta has ended end-to-end encryption for direct messages on Instagram from May 8, 2026. This means that messages sent through Instagram DMs are no longer fully private, marking a significant change in how users communicate on the platform. The feature, which was introduced in 2023, ensured that only the sender and receiver could read messages. With its removal, chats may now be accessible under certain conditions, depending on how systems are used to monitor content. What changes for Instagram users With end-to-end encryption removed, Instagram users will notice a change in how their messages are handled. Earlier, encrypted chats meant: Messages could not be accessed by third parties Only users involved in the chat could read them Now, messages may be: Analysed for safety purposes Accessible through technical systems if required Meta had earlier informed users about this update and provided an option to download or back up chats before the change took effect. Why Meta is making this move One of the key reasons behind the change is linked to user safety, especially concerns around harmful content. Reports suggest that removing encryption allows platforms to: Detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) Identify grooming behaviour Flag harassment or illegal content The move follows increasing global pressure on tech companies to improve safety measures on messaging platforms. Legal and regulatory pressure Governments in several regions, including the United States, United Kingdom and European Union, have been pushing for stronger monitoring of online platforms. Regulations such as: The UK’s Online Safety Act Proposed EU Chat Control rules are aimed at ensuring companies can detect harmful content, even within private communications. Earlier this year, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million, citing concerns about platform safety and user protection. Privacy concerns and debate While the change may help detect harmful activity, it has also raised concerns among privacy advocates. Experts argue that: Removing encryption may reduce user privacy Messages could become more vulnerable to misuse Trust in private communication may be affected This creates a balance issue between ensuring safety and protecting personal data. What happens next Meta has not confirmed whether similar changes will be applied to other platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. For now, the update applies only to Instagram, but it signals a broader shift in how tech companies may handle private messaging in the future. As regulations continue to evolve, platforms may increasingly adjust their systems to meet safety requirements while managing user expectations around privacy.

Meta has ended end-to-end encryption for direct messages on Instagram from May 8, 2026. This means that messages sent through Instagram DMs are no longer fully private, marking a significant change in how users communicate on the platform.

‘Your DM chats are no longer private’: Instagram removes end-to-end encryption from messages

Big changes are coming to Instagram DMs after May 8, as Meta reportedly scales back end-to-end encryption. This move raises concerns about how private conversations will be in the future. Users may no longer have the same level of message security they once relied on. Privacy advocates are already warning that this could weaken trust in one of the world’s most popular messaging platforms.


Instagram Ends Private Chat Feature After May 8 

Meta has challenged a recent court verdict that held the company partly liable for social media addiction among users, arguing that the decision misinterprets how online platforms operate. The case centers on claims that design features on social media apps contribute to excessive usage, particularly among younger users. Meta maintains that responsibility for usage patterns is shared and says it will continue to appeal the ruling as debates over tech regulation and user harm intensify globally.


Meta Challenges Court Ruling Over Social Media Addiction Liability

In March, a court verdict in U.S. took tech giants by a storm. It held Meta accountable for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people. Meta has now challenged this verdict, citing a federal law which exempts online platforms from liability for user-generated content. 

Meta Appeals Against Verdict Holding It Accountable for Social Media Addiction

A US jury has delivered a landmark verdict against Meta, finding the tech giant negligent over its platform design alongside Google in a case that could reshape the future of social media regulation. Meta has been ordered to pay $4.2 million in damages, sparking fresh debate around online safety, algorithm-driven engagement, and corporate accountability. The ruling is being seen as a major legal moment that could influence future lawsuits against Big Tech companies worldwide.


Meta Ordered To Pay $4.2 Million In Damages

Major publishers have taken legal action against Meta, accusing the company of using their content without permission to train its LLaMA AI models. The lawsuit alleges copyright violations and raises serious questions about how tech giants source data for artificial intelligence. The case could have far-reaching implications for the future of AI development, content ownership, and digital rights worldwide.


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Meta Accuses NSO of Violating Court Injunction | WhatsApp Disrupts Phishing Attempts