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Meta is working with Vodafone to free up capacity on 11 of its European mobile networks

Meta, Vodafone optimise video to boost network efficiency

Instagram-owner Meta has worked with Vodafone to free up capacity on 11 of its European mobile networks by optimising the delivery of short-form video without noticeably compromising the viewing experience.

Business • 09 Jul 24

Meta has cited a legitimate interest for using users' data to train and develop its generative AI models and other AI tools, which can be shared with third parties.

Meta gets 11 EU complaints over use of data to train AI

Meta Platforms was hit with 11 complaints today over proposed changes that would see it use personal data to train its artificial intelligence models without asking for consent, which may breach European Union privacy rules.

Business • 06 Jun 24

The European Commission said it had decided to open an in-depth investigation into Facebook and Instagram

Meta faces EU investigation over child safety risks

Meta Platforms' social media sites Facebook and Instagram will be investigated for potential breaches of EU online content rules relating to child safety, EU regulators said today, a move that could lead to hefty fines.

Business • 16 May 24

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta posted a net profit of $12.4 billion in the first quarter of 2024

Facebook-owner Meta sees profits soar in first quarter

Facebook-owner Meta has said its quarterly profits soared last quarter as the company continued to see stellar ad growth across its family of world-leading social media apps.

Business • 25 Apr 24

A new nudity protection feature on Instagram will protect people from seeing unwanted nudity in their DMs

Meta testing new tools to combat sextortion

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is testing new tools to help protect young users from sextortion and other forms of intimate image abuse.

World • 11 Apr 24

Mark Zuckerberg had a weeks of highs and lows - none of which he's likely to have foreseen when he set up Facebook 20 yaers ago

Facing the challenges of adulthood - Facebook turns 20

It's 20 years since Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm room, but this was the week when it finally embraced its place in corporate America, writes Adam Maguire.

Business • 04 Feb 24

Meta said teens will no longer get direct messages from anyone they do not follow or are not connected to on Instagram by default.

Meta moves to protect teens from unwanted messages

Meta is building more safeguards to protect teen users from unwanted direct messages on Instagram and Facebook, the social media platform said today.

Business • 25 Jan 24

Meta rolls out Threads in Ireland

Meta's rival to X/Twitter, Threads, is being rolled out in Ireland and across Europe from today.

Ireland • 14 Dec 23

The AI Alliance will focus on fostering an open community and enabling developers and researchers to accelerate responsible innovation in AI

Tech giants IBM and Meta launch new AI alliance

IBM and Meta have launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) alliance to support open innovation and science in AI.

Business • 05 Dec 23

The lawsuit is the latest attempt by legacy media to fight tech giants in tribunals to protect their turf.

Meta faces $600m lawsuit from Spanish media

A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets has filed a 550 million euro lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms, citing unfair competition in the advertising market in a case that could be replicated across the European Union.

Business • 04 Dec 23

Users can also opt for a free, ad-supported service

Paid Meta services face complaint from privacy group

Meta's paid no-ads subscription service launched in Europe this month faced one of its biggest tests as advocacy group NOYB filed a complaint with an Austrian regulator, saying that it amounted to paying a fee to ensure privacy.

Business • 28 Nov 23

Google, Meta and TikTok all have their European headquarters in Ireland

Google Ireland, Meta Ireland and TikTok win EU case

The EU Court of Justice has ruled that Google, Meta and TikTok, which all have their European headquarters in Ireland, cannot have additional obligations imposed on them by other member states.

Ireland • 09 Nov 23

Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram - took down 1.1bn fake accounts in the first sixth months of this year

Meta took down 1.1bn fake accounts in six-month period

Meta took down more than a billion fake accounts in the first half of the year, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Politics • 25 Oct 23

The lawsuit seeks a variety of remedies, including substantial civil penalties.

US states sue Meta for allegedly harming mental health

Dozens of US states are suing Meta Platforms and its Instagram unit, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social media platforms.

Business • 24 Oct 23

The EU has sent a request for the information to Meta and TikTok amid the proliferation of disinformation after Hamas' attack against Israel

Meta, TikTok get week to detail disinformation measures

Meta and TikTok have been given a week by the European Commission to provide details on measures taken to counter the spread of terrorist, violent content and hate speech on their platforms, a week after Elon Musk's X was told to do the same.

Business • 19 Oct 23

Gareth Lambe stepped down from his role in Meta last year

Medihive appoints former Meta Ireland boss as its CEO

Gareth Lambe, the former Head of Meta in Ireland, has been appointed chief executive of health technology platform Medihive.

Business • 27 Sep 23

North Dublin man Mark J Savage has accused Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd of subjecting him to religious discrimination, victimisation and harassment.

Meta: Discrimination claim should be thrown out

Facebook owner Meta says a religious discrimination claim by an evangelical Christian over his site ban should be thrown out because it is frivolous - submitting that the complainant is "addicted to litigation".

Business • 30 Aug 23

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has released a flurry of AI models, mostly free, this year.

Meta to launch AI model for writing computer codes

Meta Platforms has said it would release an artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to assist in writing computer code, furthering its push into the new technology.

Business • 24 Aug 23

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society said it had made repeated requests for advertisements it had identified as scams to be taken down by Facebook

Thailand threatens Facebook with legal action

Thailand's digital minister plans to ask a court to shut down Meta Platforms' Facebook in Southeast Asia's second largest economy unless it takes action over scams that have affected more than 200,000 people.

Business • 21 Aug 23

Meta to soon launch web version of Threads

Meta Platforms is set to roll out the web version on its new text-first social media platform Threads, hoping to gain an edge over X, formerly Twitter, as the initial surge in users waned.

Business • 21 Aug 23

The new updates will also include a mention button to easily mention someone's account in a thread.

Meta adds new features to Threads to try retain users

Meta Platforms' Threads app is adding new updates including the ability to share posts through Instagram messages, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today, as the company tries to retain users on its new app.

Business • 09 Aug 23

Meta has contacted Ireland's Data Protection Commission about its proposed changes (pic RollingNews.ie)

Meta to seek users' consent for targeted ads

Meta intends to ask users in the European Union for their consent before allowing businesses to target advertising based on what they view on its services such as Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant has said.

Business • 01 Aug 23

Meta paying underpaid data centre electricity bill

Social media giant Meta is in the process of paying back a sizable underpaid electricity bill after power usage was recorded incorrectly at one of its data centres for a period of eighteen months.

Business • 27 Jul 23

Making Twitter profitable was already a challenge for Elon Musk - but now he's facing competition from a deep-pocketed rival

Is Twitter's viability hanging by a Thread?

Having floundered since Elon Musk's high-price acquisition last year, Twitter now faces an existential crisis as Meta mounts a full-frontal assault on its business, writes Adam Maguire.

Business • 13 Jul 23

Meta launched Threads on Apple and Android app stores

Meta takes aim at Twitter with Threads app

Meta has launched a direct challenge to Twitter with Threads, garnering millions of users in hours as it sought to take advantage of its rival's much-weakened state after a series of chaotic decisions from owner Elon Musk.

Business • 06 Jul 23