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Meta may add a paid subscription option to Instagram and Facebook in Europe, according to The New York Times. The ad-free tier is meant to address European Union (EU) regulations that have diminished some of Meta’s most lucrative data-collection methods. The company said in April that advertising in the EU made up 10 percent of the company’s total revenue. The move would be the first time Meta has deviated from its standard model of a single free platform supported by advertising (and associated data collection). The NYT says the company would continue offering free ad-supported versions of Facebook and Instagram in the EU. It’s unknown exactly when the company would launch the ad-free tiers or how much they would cost. Company “insiders” cited by the NYT believe offering a paid ad-free variant could help “alleviate some European regulators’ concerns,” even if few people use it. The optional tier “could serve Meta’s interests in the region,” they added. An ad-free option for European users would mark one of the most significant splits between consumer tech in the EU and the US.  » Read More

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Free diver, Tiffany Marie Owen's videos evoke fear and wonder in the hundreds of thousands who follow her underwater adventures on social media.Free divers aim for depth or navigate underwater tunnels without using breathing equipment. Owen says she hit a personal best this year, holding her breath while diving down shy of 100 feet. “I think I find most of my joy when I am able to hit depth,” she said.She may love the deep dives, but Owen’s cave adventures tend to go viral on social media. Over 211 million people viewed one of her tunnel swims on TikTok shortly after she posted it in March. She told ABC Action News. “And everything I posted after that was doing very well.”Owen says she unexpectedly made a couple of thousand dollars from her content. Still, after her posts turned profitable, an imposter created a fake Facebook account in her name, copying and sharing her page’s content. “I just felt like I was stolen from.  » Read More

Facebook can get a bad rap these days, but users sometimes forget that Facebook is home to countless groups that can be as broad or as specific as possible. Towns and cities often have Facebook groups where community members can post about local events, news, meetups, ask questions, and more. The North Jersey area has tons of groups that locals can join — it’s actually pretty difficult to weed out the ones worth joining. Luckily, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite groups to join for New Jersey residents.  AMC New York – North Jersey  This group is for members of the North Jersey Appalachian Mountain Club chapter to share hikes, trail and park info, ride shares, photos, videos, and any other mountain-related content.  Beginning Hikers: North Jersey For those who are interested in taking up hiking but not sure where to start. This group has your back. Join to learn about beginner-level trails in NJ, tips, and friends to go with.   » Read More

A social media post made by a Wayne County Schools principal has drawn the ire of some parents and online communities.Spring Creek High School Principal Wendy Waters' commentary on Monday's fatal on-campus shooting at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invoked speculative theories about the alleged shooter. Waters called herself a "mad mamma" in the post, which came to light on Wednesday.Waters speculated that alleged shooter Tailei Qi was "stealing our intellectual property working for the CCP." Qi previously spent time in China and graduated from Wuhan University. Various studies have reached different conclusions, but a US Department of Energy report released in February assessed that COVID-19 likely came from a lab leak in China.The post read as follows:"What? He only came to our country in 2022 from the UNIVERSITY OF WUHAN!!! My bet is he's a Chinese Nationalist as a "visiting student" stealing our intellectual property working for the CCP!! There is nothing WHITE about him and since this is now at my front door I will not let them get away with their gaslighting BS!!!  » Read More

News Meta refuses to suspend Facebook account of former Cambodia PM Hun Sen Facebook’s parent company Meta has rejected the recommendation of its Oversight Board to suspend the Facebook account of former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for violating its policy on incitement. The decision stems from a January video in which Sen threatened his political opponents with violence, allegedly in violation of Facebook’s community standards. In its final decision on the matter, Meta said:Upon assessing Hun Sen’s Facebook Page and Instagram account, we determined that suspending those accounts outside our regular enforcement framework would not be consistent with our policies, including our protocol on restricting accounts of public figures during civil unrest. We have removed the content that was the subject of this case and, consistent with our policies, applied appropriate account-level penalties associated with that action. There is not currently any basis to suspend Hun Sen’s account under our policies.In June, the Oversight Board—which is funded by Meta but operates independently—overturned Meta’s decision to leave up a video on Facebook in which Sen threatened his political opponents with violence.  » Read More

The social media giant Meta recently updated the rulebook it uses to censor online discussion of people and groups it deems “dangerous,” according to internal materials obtained by The Intercept. The policy had come under fire in the past for casting an overly wide net that ended up removing legitimate, nonviolent content. The goal of the change is to remove less of this material. In updating the policy, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also made an internal admission that the policy has censored speech beyond what the company intended. Meta’s “Dangerous Organizations and Individuals,” or DOI, policy is based around a secret blacklist of thousands of people and groups, spanning everything from terrorists and drug cartels to rebel armies and musical acts. For years, the policy prohibited the more than one billion people using Facebook and Instagram from engaging in “praise, support or representation” of anyone on the list. Now, Meta will provide a greater allowance for discussion of these banned people and groups — so long as it takes place in the context of “social and political discourse,” according to the updated policy,  » Read More

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have opened yet another 3R (race, religion and royalty) related investigation into a Facebook account named and owned by Iman ...  » Read More

Meta disrupts covert influence operations on Facebook, Instagram The two largest operations were from China and Russia Other operations originated in Turkey and Iran All involved multiple accounts across social media networks FILE – Facebook’s Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021. European Union hits Facebook parent Meta with record $1.3 billion fine over transfers of user data to US. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File) (NewsNation) — Meta disrupted five social media networks used by foreign adversaries to conduct influence campaigns with both domestic and foreign audiences. The company’s quarterly threat report detailed the covert influence operations the company removed from Facebook and Instagram. The report also noted the operations extend across multiple social networks, not just those owned by Meta. The largest networks were those associated with China and Russia, which targeted audiences outside the country. The three other operations, operated all or in part by individuals in Turkey,  » Read More

The Better Business Bureau is calling it a "verification" or "re-verification" scam. HOUSTON — The latest Facebook scam is now sending frightening messages threatening to close your account if you don't take action. Users trying to keep up with their friends and family on Facebook and Instagram have been warned that if they don't verify their identity, their accounts will be closed. The new scam claims you've violated Facebook's terms and conditions and gives users a 24-hour window to respond or "your page will be suspended." When you click the link, it asks you to verify your name, email, and password. The Better Business Bureau warned users about its form, calling it a "verification" or "re-verification" scam. So what's the worst that could happen if you fill out the form? Don't forget scammers having your login can lead to all sorts of problems. So never reenter your Facebook login, even if the site threatens to close your account. The same advice applies to suspicious alerts or emails from Facebook,  » Read More

A woman shared a seemingly innocent photo on Facebook - but the image actually suggests she was moments away from potentially-deadly danger. The woman, identified as Natalie, shared an image of her hair standing on end due to static electricity without any reason. She was simply out for a walk on La Rocque beach in Jersey at the time and snapped a selfie after feeling “tingles” in her forehead and scalp. READ MORE: Indian summer on the way after Bank Holiday gloom with Britain to sizzle in 26C heat The bizarre sensation lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes and then stopped on August 24, as reported by LadBible. Natalie also explained she could hear thunder on the French coast, implying she knew the strange feeling she was experiencing had something to do with a thunderstorm. Natalie experienced the bizarre sensation for around 10 to 15 minutes (Image: Facebook) She didn’t think much of it until she posted the funny photo on social media and to a local Jersey weather group on Facebook.  » Read More