Thread posts can now be shared directly to your Instagram story without leaving the app | TechCrunch

Threads on App Store is seen in this illustration photo.

Threads already has over 400 million monthly users, but Meta wants to push that number even higher. With the launch of a new Threads feature this week, the company is making it easier for Threads users to share in-app posts to their Instagram Stories — a move that could take advantage of Instagram’s larger user … Read more

The executive who helped build Meta’s advertising machine is trying to find out

The executive who helped build Meta's advertising machine is trying to find out

Brian Boland spent over a decade figuring out how to build a system that would make Meta money. He told a California jury on Thursday that he was fueling the draw of more users, including teenagers, to Facebook and Instagram — despite the risks. Boland’s testimony came a day after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took … Read more

Zuckerberg grilled in court over social media damage to minors | TechCrunch

Zuckerberg grilled in court over social media damage to minors | TechCrunch

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in court on Wednesday in a landmark trial to determine whether the tech giant’s social networking apps are addictive and harmful to teens and children. The trial, held in LA Superior Court, had already revealed that Meta’s own research showed that parental supervision could not prevent teens from compulsively using … Read more

Mark Zuckerberg and his Ray-Ban entourage are having their day in court

Mark Zuckerberg and his Ray-Ban entourage are having their day in court

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg entered the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in much the same way as all the lawyers, reporters and advocates who had come to watch him testify in the landmark trial, but with one notable difference: He was accompanied by an entourage who appeared to be wearing Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. To … Read more

Social media in court: tech giants face lawsuits over addiction, safety and mental health

Social media in court: tech giants face lawsuits over addiction, safety and mental health

A set of cases alleging that social media platforms are harming the safety and mental health of teenagers will be heard this year, pitting executives such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions about what they did or didn’t do to protect children. Unlike many previous legal challenges against social media companies, these cases … Read more

A startup called Germ becomes the first private messenger to launch directly from the Bluesky app | TechCrunch

A startup called Germ becomes the first private messenger to launch directly from the Bluesky app | TechCrunch

Here’s something you’ve never seen on Big Tech social platforms: Decentralized open social network Bluesky has integrated new technology from a startup called Germ Network to bring end-to-end encrypted (E2E) messaging to the Bluesky app. This move makes Germ DM the first private messenger to run natively in the Bluesky app. Along with the launch, … Read more

Meta’s own research finds parental supervision doesn’t actually help curb teens’ compulsive social media use | TechCrunch

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testifies at a US Senate hearing in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2021. - Mosseri appeared before Congress after press reports based on leaked internal research showed the photo-sharing app could harm its young users. Mosseri's testimony comes as the social media networks under Facebook parent Meta battle a crisis sparked by the company's own documents, and which have rekindled a years-old US push for regulation. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

An internal Meta research study called “Project MYST,” created in collaboration with the University of Chicago, found that parental supervision and controls — such as time limits and restricted access — had little impact on children’s compulsive use of social media. The study also found that children who experienced stressful life events were more likely … Read more

4chan creator says ‘Epstein had nothing to do’ with creation of infamous far-right board /pol/

4chan creator says 'Epstein had nothing to do' with creation of infamous far-right board /pol/

Epstein had nothing to do with the reintroduction of the political board on 4chan, or anything else related to the site. The decision to add the board was made weeks in advance and the board was added almost 24 hours before the first chance encounter at a social event. His assistant then approached me and … Read more

New Mexico goes to trial to charge Met with aiding and abetting child predators

New Mexico goes to trial to charge Met with aiding and abetting child predators

At the heart of the ensuing social media liability case is a key question: Did Meta lie or mislead the public about the security of its platform, when it knew otherwise? The state of New Mexico opened its case Monday, arguing that public statements by Meta’s top executives regularly contradict its own internal discussions and … Read more

Former Tumblr chief Jeff D’Onofrio is joining the Washington Post as acting CEO

Former Tumblr chief Jeff D'Onofrio is joining the Washington Post as acting CEO

After what can be generously called a questionable tenure as the CEO of the company The Washington PostWill Lewis is stepping down this week after mass redundancies. Jeff D’Onofrio, Tumblr’s former CEO from 2017 to 2022, will step in as acting CEO and publisher. D’Onofrio has been the Post’s CFO since last June, meaning he’s … Read more