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  • Microsoft, Google will not challenge EU gatekee…
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    Microsoft, Google will not challenge EU gatekee…

    By Foo Yun Chee and Supantha Mukherjee BRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Microsoft and Google will not challenge an EU law requiring them to make it easier for users to move between competing services such as social media platforms and internet browsers. As part of its latest crackdown on Big Tech, the European Union in September picked 22 “gatekeeper” services, run by six of the world’s biggest tech companies, to face new rules . The Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires these gatekeepers to inter-operate their messaging apps with competitors and allow users to decide which apps they pre-install on …

  • Alphabet, Match settle Google Play antitrust cl…
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    Alphabet, Match settle Google Play antitrust cl…

    By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google has settled claims by dating app developer Match Group that it monopolized Android app distribution with its Play Store, leaving “Fortnite” maker Epic Games as the sole plaintiff in an antitrust trial against Google set to begin Nov. 6. Match said in a filing in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday that it had resolved its allegations against Google. In a statement, Google said it was “pleased to reach a settlement agreement with Match Group.” Google also recently settled related antitrust claims from U.S. states and consumers for undisclosed t…

  • Meta introduces ad-free plans for Instagram, Fa…
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    Meta introduces ad-free plans for Instagram, Fa…

    (Reuters) – Meta Platforms said on Monday it will offer users in Europe a subscription plan to use Facebook and Instagram without advertisements to comply with the European Union regulations. The monthly subscription plans will cost 9.99 euros ($10.58) for web users, while iOS and Android users will have to shell out 12.99 euros a month. The EU regulations threaten to curb Meta’s ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source. Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and an ad-free paid subscription might lead to users opting for the for…

  • Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates on…
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    Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates on…

    By Katie Paul and Yuvraj Malik NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta Platforms beat expectations for third-quarter profit and revenue on Wednesday, helped by a recovery in digital advertising and an aggressive austerity drive, and trimmed its expenses for the year. Advertisers banking on resilient consumer spending flocked to the social media company’s digital platforms ahead of the holiday shopping season, a rebound that also boosted ad sales at Alphabet and Snap. In the third quarter ended Sept. 30, ads viewed increased by 31% from a year earlier. The average price per ad decreased by 6%, but the pace of…

  • Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates on…
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    Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates on…

    By Katie Paul and Yuvraj Malik NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta Platforms beat expectations for third-quarter profit and revenue on Wednesday, helped by a recovery in digital advertising and an aggressive austerity drive, and trimmed its expenses for the year. Advertisers banking on resilient consumer spending flocked to the social media company’s digital platforms ahead of the holiday shopping season, a rebound that also boosted ad sales at Alphabet and Snap. In the third quarter ended Sept. 30, ads viewed increased by 31% from a year earlier. The average price per ad decreased by 6%, but the pace of…

  • Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, s…
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    Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, s…

    By Katie Paul and Yuvraj Malik NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta Platforms beat expectations for third-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday, as advertisers banking on resilient consumer spending flocked to its digital platforms ahead of the holiday shopping season. The Facebook and Instagram owner also trimmed its expense forecast for the year, while warning of additional spending and regulatory pressures ahead for 2024. It forecast total 2023 expenses at between $87 billion and $89 billion, down from its earlier forecast range of $88 billion to $91 billion. The social media company also said it exp…

  • Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, f…
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    Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, f…

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms beat expectations for third-quarter revenue on Wednesday, while warning of additional spending and regulatory pressures ahead for 2024. The social media giant said it expected 2024 total expenses in the range of $94 billion-99 billion, higher than estimates, according to LSEG data. The company also trimmed its 2023 total expenses view to $87 billion to $89 billion from its earlier forecast range of $88 billion to $91 billion. Shares of Meta rose 4% in extended trading. Meta has been climbing back from a bruising 2022, buoyed by the hype around emerging AI technology, …

  • Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, f…
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    Facebook-parent Meta beats revenue estimates, f…

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms beat expectations for third-quarter revenue on Wednesday, while warning of additional spending and regulatory pressures ahead for 2024. The social media giant said it expected 2024 total expenses in the range of $94 billion-99 billion, higher than estimates, according to LSEG data. The company also trimmed its 2023 total expenses view to $87 billion to $89 billion from its earlier forecast range of $88 billion to $91 billion. Shares of Meta rose 4% in extended trading. Meta has been climbing back from a bruising 2022, buoyed by the hype around emerging AI technology, …

  • Meta to roll out broadcast channels to Facebook…
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    Meta to roll out broadcast channels to Facebook…

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it will roll out broadcast channels, a feature for public distribution of messages from individuals, to Facebook and Messenger. Social media firms are bringing in more features to shore up engagement across apps in a highly competitive online environment. The announcement comes as rival messaging app Telegram’s broadcast channels have assumed an outsized role in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as the primary means that the Palestinian Islamist group uses to communicate with the world. “We’re currently testing the ability for Pages to create br…

  • Meta to limit some Facebook comments on Israeli…
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    Meta to limit some Facebook comments on Israeli…

    By Katie Paul and Sheila Dang NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook-owner Meta Platforms on Wednesday introduced temporary measures to limit “potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments” on posts about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Meta said it will change the default setting for people who can comment on new and public Facebook posts created by users “in the region” to only their friends and followers, Meta said in an updated blog post. A Meta spokesperson declined to specify how the company defined the region. Users can opt-out and change the setting at any time, Meta said. The social media …

  • Google’s Russian subsidiary recognised as bankr…
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    Google’s Russian subsidiary recognised as bankr…

    MOSCOW (Reuters) -Google’s Russian subsidiary has been recognised as bankrupt by a Moscow court, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, over a year after proceedings began. Google declined to comment. Alphabet Inc.’s Russian unit filed for bankruptcy in summer 2022 after authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors. Free services, including search and YouTube, have continued operating. Moscow has repeatedly clashed with foreign technology companies over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that intensified after Rus…

  • Google to pay German publishers 3.2 million eur…
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    Google to pay German publishers 3.2 million eur…

    BERLIN (Reuters) – Google has agreed to pay German publishers 3.2 million euros ($3.38 million) a year for its publication of news content pending a decision from the German patent office (DPMA) on the issue, the sides said in separate statements on Thursday. The U.S. search engine operator reached the agreement with Corint Media, an umbrella organisation that represents the interests of German and international publishers including Sat.1, ProSieben, RTL, Axel Springer and CNBC. “The payments to Corint Media are in line with what we have already agreed with 470 regional and national publicatio…

  • Factbox-Elon Musk’s growing legal challenges
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    Factbox-Elon Musk’s growing legal challenges

    By Tom Hals (Reuters) -Elon Musk was sued by the U.S. securities regulator related to his takeover of Twitter, the latest court battle against the billionaire whose empire spans electric carmaker Tesla, space startup SpaceX and brain-chip startup Neuralink. Below is a list of Musk’s legal entanglements. TWITTER LAWSUITS The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Musk to compel the world’s richest man to testify as part of a probe into his $44 billion takeover of social media giant Twitter, a court filing on Oct. 5 showed. In May 2022, Twitter investors had sued Musk, claiming he mani…

  • Factbox-Elon Musk’s growing legal challenges
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    Factbox-Elon Musk’s growing legal challenges

    By Tom Hals (Reuters) – Elon Musk was sued by the U.S. securities regulator related to his takeover of Twitter, the latest court battle against the billionaire whose empire spans electric carmaker Tesla, space startup SpaceX and brain-chip startup Neuralink. Below is a list of Musk’s legal entanglements. TWITTER LAWSUITS The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Musk to compel the world’s richest man to testify as part of a probe into his $44 billion takeover of social media giant Twitter, a court filing on Oct. 5 showed. The SEC had said in May 2022 that it was looking into Musk’s …

  • Google stopped Samsung from expanding search ap…
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    Google stopped Samsung from expanding search ap…

    By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former executive at Samsung Electronics’ venture capital arm who proposed that mobile app developer Branch Metrics’ software offering be expanded in Samsung smartphones faced pushback due to pressure from Google, he said on Thursday in a landmark antitrust trial against the Alphabet unit. Patrick Chang, who worked at Samsung Next to invest in innovative companies, had urged the parent company to expand the offerings of Branch, which can search within apps, to its Android smartphones. Branch Metrics founder and former CEO Alexander Austin testified in lat…

  • Google stopped Samsung from installing search a…
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    Google stopped Samsung from installing search a…

    By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former executive at Samsung Electronics’ venture capital arm who proposed that mobile app developer Branch Metrics’ software be installed in Samsung smartphones faced pushback due to pressure from Google, he said on Thursday in a landmark antitrust trial against the Alphabet unit. Patrick Chang, who worked at Samsung Next to invest in innovative companies, had urged the parent company to add Branch, which can search within apps, to its Android smartphones. Branch Metrics founder and former CEO Alexander Austin testified in late September that his company…

  • Meta’s new AI chatbot trained on public Faceboo…
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    Meta’s new AI chatbot trained on public Faceboo…

    By Katie Paul MENLO PARK, California (Reuters) – Meta Platforms used public Facebook and Instagram posts to train its new Meta AI virtual assistant, but excluded private posts shared only with family and friends in an effort to respect consumers’ privacy, the company’s top policy executive told Reuters in an interview. Meta also did not use private chats on its messaging services as training data for the model and took steps to filter private details from public datasets used for training, said Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg, speaking on the sidelines of the company’s annual Conne…

  • Meta’s new AI chatbot trained on public Faceboo…
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    Meta’s new AI chatbot trained on public Faceboo…

    By Katie Paul MENLO PARK, California (Reuters) – Meta Platforms used public Facebook and Instagram posts to train its new Meta AI virtual assistant, but excluded private posts shared only with family and friends in an effort to respect consumers’ privacy, the company’s top policy executive told Reuters in an interview. Meta also did not use private chats on its messaging services as training data for the model and took steps to filter private details from public datasets used for training, said Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg, speaking on the sidelines of the company’s annual Conne…

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
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    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
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    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
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    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
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    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
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    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
    in ,

    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
    in ,

    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…
    in ,

    UK urges Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryp…

    By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse after the Online Safety Bill was passed by parliament. Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, plans to implement end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, saying the technology re-enforced safety and security. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supported strong encryption for online users but it could not come at the expense of children’s safety. “Meta …

  • US argues Google wants too much information kep…
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    US argues Google wants too much information kep…

    By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Monday objected to removing the public from the court during some discussions of how Google prices online advertising, one of the issues at the heart of the antitrust trial under way in Washington. The government is seeking to show that Alphabet’s Google broke antitrust law to maintain its dominance in online search. The search dominance led to fast-increasing advertising revenues that made Google a $1 trillion company. David Dahlquist, speaking for the government, pointed to a document that was redacted that had a short back …

  • Google says in US antitrust trial it can be rep…
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    Google says in US antitrust trial it can be rep…

    By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Google’s attorney said Tuesday the US was wrong to argue the search and advertising giant broke antitrust law to stay on top, saying its search engine was wildly popular because of its quality and that dissatisfied consumers can switch with “a few easy clicks.” The U.S. Justice Department accuses Google of paying billions of dollars annually to device makers like Apple Inc, wireless companies like AT&T and browser makers like Mozilla to give Google’s search engine a market share of about 90%. Speaking for Google, John Schmidtlein said the payments compensa…

  • Dutch groups sue Google over alleged privacy vi…
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    Dutch groups sue Google over alleged privacy vi…

    AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch consumers’ association Consumentenbond together with the Privacy Protection Foundation issued legal proceedings against Google on Tuesday for alleged large-scale privacy violations, they said in a statement. Both groups demanded that Google, part of Alphabet Inc, stops “its constant surveillance and sharing of personal data through online advertising auctions” and that it pays 750 euros ($804) in damages “for every consumer who has used Google”. The statement said 82,000 people had so far joined the claim for damages since the groups announced the action in May …

  • Meta to drop ‘Facebook News’ tab in some Europe…
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    Meta to drop ‘Facebook News’ tab in some Europe…

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it will discontinue the “Facebook News” feature on its social media app in the UK, France and Germany, later this year. Users will still be able to view links to news articles and European news publishers will continue to have access to their Facebook accounts and pages after the change is implemented in December, Meta said. However, Facebook will not form new commercial deals for news content on “Facebook News”, nor offer product innovations for news publishers in these countries. “Facebook News”, which curates a feed of news articles, is a dedicated …

  • Meta to drop ‘Facebook News’ tab in some Europe…
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    Meta to drop ‘Facebook News’ tab in some Europe…

    (Reuters) – Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it will discontinue a “Facebook News” tab in its social media app in the UK, France and Germany later this year. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

  • Meta may allow Facebook, Instagram users in EU …
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    Meta may allow Facebook, Instagram users in EU …

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms is considering paid versions of Facebook and Instagram with no advertisements for users residing in the European Union (EU) as a response to scrutiny from regulators, the New York Times reported on Friday. Those who pay for the subscriptions would not see ads while Meta would also continue to offer free versions of the apps with ads in the EU, the report said, citing three people with knowledge of the plans. The report added that the possible move may help Meta combat privacy concerns and other scrutiny from the EU as it would give users an alternative to the company’…

  • Google hit with copyright lawsuit by Danish onl…
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    Google hit with copyright lawsuit by Danish onl…

    By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google was hit with a lawsuit on Thursday by Danish online job-search rival Jobindex, a year after the latter complained to EU antitrust regulators that the U.S. tech giant unfairly favoured its own job-search service. The Danish Media Association on behalf of Jobindex sued Google at a Danish court alleging copyright violations. Jobindex has accused Google of copying job ads to its own service without permission and wants compensation and damages for copyright violations. This is the first lawsuit in the Danish courts under new EU copyright rules…

  • Privacy activist Schrems files complaints again…
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    Privacy activist Schrems files complaints again…

    By Supantha Mukherjee STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Advocacy group Noyb on Thursday filed complaints against Google-owned Fitbit in Austria, the Netherlands and Italy accusing the fitness tracking company of violating the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy regime. Vienna-based Noyb (None Of Your Business), the digital rights group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, has already filed hundreds of complaints against big tech companies ranging from Alphabet Inc’s Google to Meta over privacy violations, some leading to big fines. Fitbit forces its users to consent to d…

  • Trump returns to social media site X, formerly …
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    Trump returns to social media site X, formerly …

    By Helen Coster and Sheila Dang (Reuters) -Former President Donald Trump returned to the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, with a post on Thursday showing his mug shot from his booking at Fulton County Jail in Georgia earlier in the day. With his post, an appeal for donations, Trump reclaimed direct access to the public on the platform that banned him following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress by his supporters. On Nov. 19 the San Francisco-based app reversed its position under billionaire Elon Musk, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” who bought Twitter on Oct. 2. T…

  • Google vows more transparency on ads as new EU …
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    Google vows more transparency on ads as new EU …

    By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Google will provide more information on targeted advertisements and give researchers more access to data on how its products work, to comply with landmark European Union online content rules, the Alphabet unit said on Thursday. Known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the new rules are more onerous for Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Twitter, booking.com, Pinterest, Snap Inc’s Snapchat, Wikipedia, Zalando and Alibaba’s AliExpress because of their large number of users. The DSA will go into effect on Friday and requires companies to do more to tackle child sexual…

  • Judge allows key US antitrust Google search cla…
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    Judge allows key US antitrust Google search cla…

    By David Shepardson and Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge hearing the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit accusing Google of unlawfully maintaining monopolies in the internet search market let stand key claims made by the federal government. Google, a unit of Alphabet, had asked for summary judgment on all the government’s claims in the case. U.S. Judge Amit Mehta, in a decision made public in Washington on Friday, granted Google’s request on some grounds but allowed the remainder of the claims to proceed to trial next month. The Justice Department sued Google in 2020, accusing…

  • Facebook parent Meta forecasts quarterly revenu…
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    Facebook parent Meta forecasts quarterly revenu…

    By Katie Paul and Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) -Meta Platforms forecast third-quarter revenue above market expectations on Wednesday, sending shares up on the suggestion that it anticipated higher ad spending as a result of an improving macroeconomic environment. The company expects July-September revenue in the range of $32 billion to $34.5 billion, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $31.30 billion, according to Refinitiv data. “We continue to see strong engagement across our apps and we have the most exciting roadmap I’ve seen in a while with Llama 2, Threads, Reels, new AI products in th…

  • Facebook-parent Meta forecasts quarterly revenu…
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    Facebook-parent Meta forecasts quarterly revenu…

    (Reuters) -Meta Platforms forecast third-quarter revenue above market expectations on Wednesday, anticipating higher ad spending on signs of improving macroeconomic environment. The company expects July-September revenue in the range $32 billion to $34.5 billion, compared to analysts’ average estimate of $31.30 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Shares surged 7% in after-market trading, as Meta also beat second-quarter revenue estimates. Revenue grew 11% to $32 billion in the quarter ended June, compared to analysts’ average estimate of $31.12 billion. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengalur…

  • Twitter blue bird has flown as Musk says X logo…
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    Twitter blue bird has flown as Musk says X logo…

    By Supantha Mukherjee, Martin Coulter and Sheila Dang (Reuters) -After 17 years with an iconic blue bird that came to symbolize the broadcasting of ideas to the world, billionaire Elon Musk renamed Twitter as X and unveiled a new logo, marking a focus on building an “everything app.” On Monday, a stylized white X on a black background became the new logo on Twitter’s website, though the blue bird was still seen on the mobile app. Since taking over Twitter in October, Musk has said he envisions an app that could offer a variety of services to users beyond social media, such as peer-to-peer paym…

  • Meta’s Threads could lure ads from Twitter but …
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    Meta’s Threads could lure ads from Twitter but …

    By Akash Sriram, Samrhitha A and Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Threads, Meta Platform’s broadside to Twitter, is seen by some advertisers as less contentious and more predictable than Elon Musk’s platform, and analysts say it could lure away marketing budgets – eventually. Launched on July 5, Threads became the fastest-growing social media platform to hit 100 million users, the apparent first serious threat to the dominant microblogging Twitter app. On Sunday, Musk said Twitter would rebrand and change its logo to an X. Threads saw a drop-off in downloads and engagement in the week following its buz…

  • Elon Musk says Twitter to change logo, adieu to…
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    Elon Musk says Twitter to change logo, adieu to…

    (Reuters) -Elon Musk said on Sunday he was looking to change Twitter’s logo, tweeting: “And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds”. In a post on the site at 12:06 a.m. ET (0406 GMT), the social media platform’s billionaire owner added: “If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow.” Musk posted an image of a flickering “X”, and later in a Twitter Spaces audio chat replied “Yes” when asked if the Twitter logo will change, adding that “it should have been done a long time ago”. Under Musk’s tumultuous tenure since he b…

  • TikTok to perform ‘stress test’ ahead of EU Dig…
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    TikTok to perform ‘stress test’ ahead of EU Dig…

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok has voluntarily agreed to a “stress test” to prepare for the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Tuesday. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Alphabet unit Google, Meta and other large online platforms will risk hefty fines if they do not control illegal content. TikTok will also be subject to the DSA rules, which require companies to manage risk, conduct external and independent auditing, share data with authorities and adopt a code of conduct. Those rules come into effect …

  • TikTok to perform ‘stress test’ ahead of EU Dig…
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    TikTok to perform ‘stress test’ ahead of EU Dig…

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok has voluntarily agreed to a “stress test” to prepare for the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Tuesday. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Alphabet unit Google, Meta and other large online platforms will risk hefty fines if they do not control illegal content. TikTok will also be subject to the DSA rules, which require companies to manage risk, conduct external and independent auditing, share data with authorities and adopt a code of conduct. Those rules come into effect …

  • Elon Musk says Twitter’s cash flow still negati…
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    Elon Musk says Twitter’s cash flow still negati…

    By Jahnavi Nidumolu and Krystal Hu (Reuters) -Twitter’s cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and a heavy debt load, Elon Musk said on Saturday, falling short of his expectation in March that Twitter could reach cash flow positive by June. “Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” Musk said in a tweet replying to suggestions on recapitalization. This is the latest sign that the aggressive cost-cutting measures since Musk acquired Twitter in October alone are not enough to get Twitter to cash flow positive, and sugges…

  • Elon Musk says Twitter’s cash flow still negati…
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    Elon Musk says Twitter’s cash flow still negati…

    (Reuters) – Elon Musk said Twitter’s cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and a heavy debt load. “Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” Musk said in a tweet early on Saturday. After Musk acquired Twitter in October, the social media firm faced months of chaos, including layoffs of thousands of employees, criticism over lax content moderation, and an exodus of many advertisers who did not want their ads appearing next to inappropriate content. Musk’s hiring of Linda Yaccarino, former ad chief at Comcast’s NBCUnive…

  • Twitter seeks termination of FTC order over dat…
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    Twitter seeks termination of FTC order over dat…

    By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Twitter asked a U.S. court on Thursday to terminate a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission that governed the social media company’s data privacy protections, arguing that the regulatory agency has made “unceasing demands.” In a filing with U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Twitter accused the FTC of bias and overreach, saying it had sent letters demanding actions by the company at a rate of one every other week since billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October. The FTC did not respond to a request for comment. In 2011, Twitter and the FTC reached…

  • Twitter owes ex-employees $500 million in sever…
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    Twitter owes ex-employees $500 million in sever…

    By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) – Twitter Inc on Wednesday was hit with a lawsuit accusing it of refusing to pay at least $500 million in promised severance to thousands of employees who were laid off after Elon Musk acquired the company. Courtney McMillian, who oversaw Twitter’s employee benefits programs as its “head of total rewards” before she was laid off in January, filed the proposed class action in San Francisco federal court. McMillian claims that under a severance plan created by Twitter in 2019, most workers were promised two months of their base pay plus one week of pay for each full …

  • Meta to contest EU antitrust charges at July 13…
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    Meta to contest EU antitrust charges at July 13…

    By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Facebook owner Meta will contest EU antitrust charges at a closed hearing on Friday in a bid to stave off a possible hefty fine after regulators charged it with tying its classified advertisements service to its social network, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission sent a charge sheet to the world’s most popular social network last December, singling out two practices that showed that Meta abused its market power. It said Meta’s tying of its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace with its social network Facebook gave the …

  • Meta to contest EU antitrust charges at July 13…
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    Meta to contest EU antitrust charges at July 13…

    By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Facebook owner Meta will contest EU antitrust charges at a closed hearing on Friday in a bid to stave off a possible hefty fine after regulators charged it with tying its classified advertisements service to its social network, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission sent a charge sheet to the world’s most popular social network last December, singling out two practices that showed that Meta abused its market power. It said Meta’s tying of its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace with its social network Facebook gave the …

  • Google-backed Anthropic startup upgrades its Cl…
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    Google-backed Anthropic startup upgrades its Cl…

    By Jeffrey Dastin and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) – Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Google, on Tuesday widened consumer access to its chat program Claude and upgraded underlying technology that the company says makes “Claude 2” better at tasks such computer coding and arithmetic. The San Francisco-based company said its new AI model, the latest in a cascade of product releases from Silicon Valley, was also less likely than its prior technology to give offensive or dangerous responses. Businesses can launch products drawing on the model, and consumers in the U.S. and UK can…

  • Meta’s Twitter rival Threads hits 100 million u…
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    Meta’s Twitter rival Threads hits 100 million u…

    (Reuters) – Meta Platforms’ Twitter rival Threads crossed 100 million sign-ups in five days, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, dethroning ChatGPT as the fastest online platform to hit the milestone. The app has been setting new records for user additions since its launch on Wednesday, with celebrities from Jennifer Lopez to Kim Kardashian joining the platform seen as the first serious threat to the Elon Musk-owned microblogging app. Twitter has responded by threatening to sue Meta over the app, alleging that the social media behemoth used its trade secrets and other confidential information….

  • Twitter threatens to sue Meta over Threads plat…
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    Twitter threatens to sue Meta over Threads plat…

    By Jody Godoy (Reuters) -Twitter has threatened to sue Meta Platforms over its new Threads platform in a letter sent to the Facebook parent’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg by Twitter’s lawyer Alex Spiro. Meta, which launched Threads on Wednesday and has logged more than 30 million sign ups, looks to take on Elon Musk’s Twitter by leveraging Instagram’s billions of users. Spiro, in his letter, accused Meta of hiring former Twitter employees who “had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information,” News website Semafor first reported. “Twitter intends to s…

  • Meta to launch Twitter challenger app Threads
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    Meta to launch Twitter challenger app Threads

    By Martin Coulter (Reuters) -Meta Platforms plans to launch a Twitter-rivalling microblogging app called Threads, days after Twitter boss Elon Musk attracted criticism by announcing a temporary cap on how many posts users can read on the social media site. Threads is expected to be released on Thursday and will allow users to retain followers from photo-sharing platform Instagram, and keep the same username, a listing on Apple’s App Store showed. The rollout represents a direct challenge to Twitter, which has faced numerous controversies since Musk bought the company for $44 billion in 2022. L…

  • Meta’s Threads is a true threat to Musk-owned T…
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    Meta’s Threads is a true threat to Musk-owned T…

    By Aditya Soni (Reuters) -Meta’s Threads could quickly become a major threat to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, thanks to its easy access to billions of Instagram users, a similar interface to that of its rival and the advertising heft of the social media giant, analysts and industry experts said. Dubbed as the “Twitter-Killer”, Threads logged 10 million sign ups within the first seven hours after its launch, with celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Gordon Ramsay joining the app. Shares of Meta Platforms were up nearly 1% on Thursday, after they closed 3% higher in the previous session ahead of the ro…

  • Zuckerberg-Musk fight is on: Meta launches ‘Twi…
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    Zuckerberg-Musk fight is on: Meta launches ‘Twi…

    By Katie Paul NEW YORK (Reuters) – Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is set to deliver a blow to Elon Musk on Wednesday night, as the tech billionaires’ rivalry goes live with the launch of Instagram’s much-anticipated Threads platform, a clone of Twitter. Analysts said investors were salivating over the possibility that Threads’ ties to Instagram might give it a built-in user base and advertising apparatus, which could siphon ad dollars from Twitter as its new CEO tries to revive the microblogging company’s struggling business. While Threads is launching as a standalone app, screenshots posted on Apple’…

  • Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…
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    Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…

    (Reuters) – Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino on Tuesday tweeted a defense of the temporary cap announced July 1 on the number of tweets users can read in a day, and the company said advertising has been stable in the days since the step that drew heavy criticism from users and marketing professionals. Yaccarino wrote in her tweet: “when you have a mission like Twitter — you need to make big moves to keep strengthening the platform.” It was her first public comment on the limits announced on Saturday by owner Elon Musk, who said the step was meant to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and…

  • Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…
    in ,

    Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…

    (Reuters) – Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino on Tuesday tweeted a defense of the temporary cap announced July 1 on the number of tweets users can read in a day, and the company said advertising has been stable in the days since the step that drew heavy criticism from users and marketing professionals. Yaccarino wrote in her tweet: “when you have a mission like Twitter — you need to make big moves to keep strengthening the platform.” It was her first public comment on the limits announced on Saturday by owner Elon Musk, who said the step was meant to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and…

  • Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…
    in ,

    Twitter CEO backs widely criticized tweet-readi…

    (Reuters) – Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino on Tuesday tweeted a defense of the temporary cap announced July 1 on the number of tweets users can read in a day, and the company said advertising has been stable in the days since the step that drew heavy criticism from users and marketing professionals. Yaccarino wrote in her tweet: “when you have a mission like Twitter — you need to make big moves to keep strengthening the platform.” It was her first public comment on the limits announced on Saturday by owner Elon Musk, who said the step was meant to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and…

  • Twitter says users must be verified to access T…
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    Twitter says users must be verified to access T…

    By Sheila Dang (Reuters) -Twitter users will soon need to be verified in order to use TweetDeck, the social media company said in a tweet on Monday. The change will take effect in 30 days, the company said. TweetDeck, which until now was free for all Twitter users, allows people to organize the accounts they follow into different columns in order to easily monitor content. The product is widely used by businesses and news organizations, and the move to charge for TweetDeck could bring a revenue boost to Twitter, which has struggled to retain advertising revenue under billionaire Elon Musk’s ow…

  • Twitter says users must be verified to access T…
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    Twitter says users must be verified to access T…

    By Sheila Dang (Reuters) -Twitter users will soon need to be verified in order to use TweetDeck, the social media company said in a tweet on Monday. The change will take effect in 30 days, the company said. TweetDeck, which until now was free for all Twitter users, allows people to organize the accounts they follow into different columns in order to easily monitor content. The product is widely used by businesses and news organizations, and the move to charge for TweetDeck could bring a revenue boost to Twitter, which has struggled to retain advertising revenue under billionaire Elon Musk’s ow…

  • German alternative Mastodon gets boost from new…
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    German alternative Mastodon gets boost from new…

    BERLIN (Reuters) – Turmoil at Twitter following new limits to the amount of posts users can see appears to be driving a surge in activity at Mastodon, a German rival that prides itself on its decentralised, user-driven structure. “Looks like Mastodon’s active user base has increased by 110K (110,000) over the last day. Not bad,” Eugen Rochko, creator and chief executive of Mastodon, wrote on the platform late on Sunday. “I would prefer it if Elon Musk was destroying his site during the work week. This isn’t the first time,” another post from Rochko read. On Saturday, Twitter boss Elon Musk ann…

  • Analysis-Musk’s Twitter rate limits could under…
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    Analysis-Musk’s Twitter rate limits could under…

    By Jody Godoy (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s move to temporarily cap how many posts Twitter users can read on the social media site could undermine efforts by the company’s new Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino to attract advertisers, marketing industry professionals said. Musk announced Saturday that Twitter would limit how many tweets per day various accounts can read, to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and system manipulation. Users posted screenshots in reply, showing they were unable to see any tweets, including tweets on the pages of corporate advertisers, after hitting the limit. Ad…

  • Analysis-Musk’s Twitter rate limits could under…
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    Analysis-Musk’s Twitter rate limits could under…

    By Jody Godoy (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s move to temporarily cap how many posts Twitter users can read on the social media site could undermine efforts by the company’s new Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino to attract advertisers, marketing industry professionals said. Musk announced Saturday that Twitter would limit how many tweets per day various accounts can read, to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and system manipulation. Users posted screenshots in reply, showing they were unable to see any tweets, including tweets on the pages of corporate advertisers, after hitting the limit. Ad…

  • Google lays off staff at Waze as it merges mapp…
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    Google lays off staff at Waze as it merges mapp…

    (Reuters) -Google-parent Alphabet is cutting jobs at mapping app Waze as it merges the unit with its own map products, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing an email from the mapping division’s head. Google said in December that it will merge Waze and Google Maps teams to consolidate processes, making it a part of the Google Geo division, its portfolio of real-world mapping products that include Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View. The company is shifting its Waze strategy to include Google ads instead of using a separate ads system, resulting in layoffs, the CNBC report said, citing the ema…