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  Facebook Inc is now called Meta, the company said on Thursday, in a rebrand that focuses on its ambitions building the " metaverse ," a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the next big computing platform. The name change comes as the world's largest social media company battles criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the company's live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, said the new name reflected its ambitions to build the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service. The metaverse, a term first coined in a dystopian novel three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley, refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual environment which can be accessed by people using different devices. Read More

  Facebook said it plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union over the next five years to work on a new computing platform that promises to connect people virtually but could raise concerns about privacy and the social platform gaining more control in people's online lives. The company said in a blog post Sunday that those high-skilled workers will help build the metaverse, a futuristic notion for connecting online that uses augmented and virtual reality . Facebook executives have been touting the metaverse as the next big thing after the mobile internet, though their track record is spotty on predicting future trends. Expectations that CEO Mark Zuckerberg made four years ago of taking virtual vacations with faraway loved ones via a headset or using a smartphone camera to improve an apartment virtually have not materialised so far. Read Full Article Here

  Admitting that it is not easy to detect and remove accounts belonging to people under the age of 13, Facebook has said that it is looking at ways to convince people under age 13 to not lie about their age, including using the artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Facebook Latest News Facebook and Instagram weren't designed for people under the age of 13, so the company is now creating new ways to stop those who are underage from signing up. "We're developing AI to find and remove underaged accounts, and new solutions to verify people's ages. We're also building new experiences designed specifically for those under 13," said Pavni Diwanji, VP of Youth Products at Facebook. Facebook is also working with operating system (OS) providers, internet browsers and other providers so they can share information to help apps establish whether someone is of an appropriate age. Read Full Article Here

  The Delhi High Court Friday said it will hear on August 27 the pleas by Facebook and WhatsApp challenging the new IT rules for social media intermediaries, requiring the messaging app to trace chats and make provisions to identify the first originator of information, on the ground that they violate the right to privacy and are unconstitutional. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh listed the matter for August 27 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said he was in some difficulty and urged the court to adjourn the hearing. The request was not opposed by senior advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for WhatsApp and Facebook respectively. Click Here

  Facebook has taken down nine networks from six countries in April targeting people with false and deceptive information. The social network removed 1,565 Facebook accounts, 141 Instagram accounts, 724 Pages and 63 Groups. In Palestine, Facebook removed 447 Facebook accounts, 256 Pages, 17 Groups, and 54 Instagram accounts from Palestine that targeted primarily Palestine, and to a lesser extent Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and Qatar. "In addition, WhatsApp removed multiple accounts that were part of this activity. We found this activity as part of our internal investigation ahead of the election in Palestine and linked it to Fatah, a political party in Palestine," Facebook said in a blog post late on Thursday. In Mexico, it removed 162 Facebook accounts, 11 Pages, and seven Instagram accounts from Mexico that targeted the state of San Luis Potosi in that country. Read More