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  • Meta pauses employee tracker for AI training amid privacy concerns

    About 1,600 workers signed petition against tool that tracked staff keystrokes, mouse clicks and computer screen content Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has paused a program that tracked employees’ computer activity amid data privacy concerns and a staff backlash. The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had introduced a tool that tracked staff keystrokes, mouse clicks and…

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  • Microsoft and Meta announce large staff reductions as they spend big on AI

    Meta said it would cut 10% of it employees while Microsoft will offer voluntary retirement to about 7% of workers Meta and Microsoft are trimming their workforces by thousands as they make heavy investments in AI and executives claim that the technology is meeting their companies’ productivity needs. Meta told staff on Thursday that on…

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  • ‘The era of invincibility is over’: the week big tech was brought to heel

    Ruling that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed addictive products marks possible watershed moment for social media The young woman at the heart of what has been called the tech industry’s “big tobacco” moment was on YouTube at six and Instagram by nine. More than a decade later, she says, she still can’t live without the…

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  • Meta ordered to pay $375m after being found liable in child exploitation case

    New Mexico hails ‘historic’ win after jury finds firm misled consumers over safety and enabled harm against users A New Mexico jury on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375m in civil penalties after it found the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation, against its users.…

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  • Meta reportedly plans sweeping layoffs as AI costs increase

    Sources tell Reuters layoffs could affect 20% or more of company as plans reflect broader tensions within big tech Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater…

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  • Zuckerberg grilled in landmark social media trial over teen mental health

    Meta chief says it has improved identifying underage users but adds ‘I always wish we could have gotten there sooner’ The Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, testified at a landmark trial of social media companies on Wednesday. Plaintiffs’ lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13…

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  • Meta allowed minors access to sex-talking chatbots despite staff concerns, lawsuit alleges

    Filing by New Mexico’s attorney general includes Meta staff emails objecting to AI companion policy Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, approved allowing minors to access artificial intelligence chatbot companions that safety staffers warned were capable of sexual interactions, according to internal Meta documents filed in a New Mexico state court case and made public on…

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  • Trump hosts US tech leaders at White House dinner – minus Elon Musk

    Tesla CEO’s absence is marked departure from his constant presence at the White House in early days of Trump 2.0 As Donald Trump hosted leaders from the biggest US tech companies at a lavish White House state dining room dinner on Thursday night, there was one notable absence. Elon Musk, once inseparable from Trump and…

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  • Zuckerberg claims ‘superintelligence is now in sight’ as Meta lavishes billions on AI

    In advance of Meta’s quarterly earnings report, CEO says his company aims to bring powerful AI into the lives of millions Whether it’s poaching top talent away from competitors, acquiring AI startups or proclaiming that it will build data centers the size of Manhattan, Meta has been on a spending spree to boost its artificial…

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  • 18 months. 12,000 questions. A whole lot of anxiety. What I learned from reading students’ ChatGPT logs

    Students increasingly use AI chatbots for anything from academic queries to emotional quandaries. But are they missing out on the chance to make their own mistakes? Three undergrads reveal all … Student life is hard. Making new friends is hard. Writing essays is hard. Admin is hard. Budgeting is hard. Finding out what trousers exist…

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