This might come as a shock to you but the things people put on social media aren't always truthful — really blew your mind there, right? Due to this, it can be challenging for people to know what's real without context or expertise in a specific area. That's part of why many platforms use a fact-checking team to keep an eye (often more so look like they're keeping an eye) on what's getting shared. Now, Threads is getting its own fact-checking program, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and de-facto person in charge at Threads, announced. He first shared the company's plans to do so in December.
Mosseri stated that Threads "recently" made it so that Meta's third-party fact-checkers could review and rate any inaccurate content on the platform. Before the shift, Meta was having fact-checks conducted on Facebook and Instagram and then matching "near-identical false content" that users shared on Threads. However, there's no indication of exactly when the program started or if it's global.
Then there's the matter of seeing how effective it really can be. Facebook and Instagram already had these dedicated fact-checkers, yet misinformation has run rampant across the platforms. Ahead of the 2024 Presidential election — and as ongoing elections and conflicts happen worldwide — is it too much to ask for some hardcore fact-checking from social media companies?
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-gets-its-own-fact-checking-program-130013115.html?src=rss
This might come as a shock to you but the things people put on social media aren't always truthful — really blew your mind there, right? Due to this, it can be challenging for people to know what's real without context or expertise in a specific area. That's part of why many platforms use a fact-checking team to keep an eye (often more so look like they're keeping an eye) on what's getting shared. Now, Threads is getting its own fact-checking program, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and de-facto person in charge at Threads, announced. He first shared the company's plans to do so in December.
Mosseri stated that Threads "recently" made it so that Meta's third-party fact-checkers could review and rate any inaccurate content on the platform. Before the shift, Meta was having fact-checks conducted on Facebook and Instagram and then matching "near-identical false content" that users shared on Threads. However, there's no indication of exactly when the program started or if it's global.
Then there's the matter of seeing how effective it really can be. Facebook and Instagram already had these dedicated fact-checkers, yet misinformation has run rampant across the platforms. Ahead of the 2024 Presidential election — and as ongoing elections and conflicts happen worldwide — is it too much to ask for some hardcore fact-checking from social media companies?
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-gets-its-own-fact-checking-program-130013115.html?src=rss
While Google and OpenAI have been racing to win the AI crown over the past year, we've seemingly reverted away from the idea of speaking to virtual assistants. Generative AI products have typically launched with text-only inputs, and only later add the ability to search images and basic voice commands. At Google I/O today, the company showed off Gemini Live, a new mobile experience for natural conversations with its AI.
Google offered up a few potential use cases; You could have a conversation with Gemini Live to help prepare for a job interview, where it could potentially ask you relevant questions around the positions. It could also give you public speaking tips if you want to research a speech. What makes Gemini Live unique is that you'll be able to speak at your own pace, or even interrupt its responses if you'd like. Ideally, it should be more like having a conversation with a person, instead of just voicing smart assistant commands or generative AI queries.
At I/O, Google also showed off Project Astra, a next-generation virtual assistant that takes the concept of Gemini Live even further. Astra is able to view your camera feed and answer questions in real-time. It's unclear how long that'll take to arrive, but Google says some of Astra's live video features will come to Gemini Live later this year. Gemini Live will be available for Gemini Advanced subscribers in the next few months.
Catch up on all the news from Google I/O 2024 right here!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/with-gemini-live-google-wants-you-to-relax-and-have-a-natural-chat-with-ai-181329788.html?src=rss
While Google and OpenAI have been racing to win the AI crown over the past year, we've seemingly reverted away from the idea of speaking to virtual assistants. Generative AI products have typically launched with text-only inputs, and only later add the ability to search images and basic voice commands. At Google I/O today, the company showed off Gemini Live, a new mobile experience for natural conversations with its AI.
Google offered up a few potential use cases; You could have a conversation with Gemini Live to help prepare for a job interview, where it could potentially ask you relevant questions around the positions. It could also give you public speaking tips if you want to research a speech. What makes Gemini Live unique is that you'll be able to speak at your own pace, or even interrupt its responses if you'd like. Ideally, it should be more like having a conversation with a person, instead of just voicing smart assistant commands or generative AI queries.
At I/O, Google also showed off Project Astra, a next-generation virtual assistant that takes the concept of Gemini Live even further. Astra is able to view your camera feed and answer questions in real-time. It's unclear how long that'll take to arrive, but Google says some of Astra's live video features will come to Gemini Live later this year. Gemini Live will be available for Gemini Advanced subscribers in the next few months.
Catch up on all the news from Google I/O 2024 right here!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/with-gemini-live-google-wants-you-to-relax-and-have-a-natural-chat-with-ai-181329788.html?src=rss
They say "Twitter isn't real life," but Black Twitter proved otherwise. For years, that phrase has been a way to ignore the real-world impact of social media conversations, especially when they spark radically new ideas. But that's clearly not true when you look at Black Twitter, an unofficial community made up of the site's black users, which inspired culturally significant movements with hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite. Hulu's new documentary, "Black Lives Matter: A People's History," adapted from Jason Parham's Wired article, explores the rise and global influence of the community. Over the course of three engaging and often hilarious episodes, the series cements itself as an essential cultural document.
"The way I would define Black Twitter is a space where Black culture specifically was hanging out in a digital way," said Prentice Penny, the series director and former show-runner of HBO's Insecure, in an interview on the Engadget Podcast. "And even though it was a public space — clearly, it's Twitter, anybody can get on it — it still felt like you were having conversations with your friends that are like on the back of the bus. Or like on the stoop, or in the lunchroom. I mean, that's the energy of it."
In particular, Penny says that Twitter felt special because there was no real hierarchy, especially in the early days. That meant that even celebrities weren't immune to being mocked, or acting out on their own social media profiles (like Rihanna's notorious early Twitter presence). Twitter in its heyday felt like a place where money or class didn't really matter.
"This was kind of an equalization of a lot of things, that somebody in Kentucky who nobody knows could have the same strong opinion as someone who you revere, right?" Penny said. "And I think that's what made the space so fresh, because we don't really have spaces that are kind of a level playing ground in this country."
Twitter also felt genuinely different from the other social networks in the late 2000s. At the time, Facebook was mostly focused on connecting you with schoolmates and family members — it wasn't really a place for simply hanging out and joking around. Prentice notes that the forced brevity on Twitter also made it unique, since you had to really focus on what you were trying to say in 140 characters.
"Each of the creators [in the series] had a different idea of what Twitter should be," Penny added. "Some thought it should be a town square, some people thought it should be a news information thing... I think like with Black culture, the one thing we do really well is, because we're often given the scraps of things, we have to repurpose something, like taking the worst of the pig and making soul food... I think we are really good at taking things that could kind of be different things and make it be pliable for us."
The documentary recounts the many ways Black Twitter leveraged the platform, both for fun and for kicking off serious social movements. The community helped make live-tweeting TV shows a common occurrence, and it's one reason Scandal became a hit TV show. But Black users also helped raise the profile around Trayvon Martin's killing by George Zimmerman. His eventual acquittal led to the creation of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, a movement which sparked national protests in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans.
If you've been online and following the Black Twitter community for years, the Hulu documentary may not seem particularly revelatory. But there's value in charting the impact of cultural movements, especially given how quickly social media and the tech world moves.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hulus-black-twitter-documentary-is-a-vital-cultural-chronicle-161557720.html?src=rss
Meta is testing a new way to boost engagement on Threads using Instagram. The company is now testing the ability to cross-post photos from Instagram to Threads. Meta confirmed the experiment after a handful Threads users noticed the setting crop up in Instagram (TechCrunch was first to report the change).
According to the company, cross-posting from Instagram to Threads is optional, though users can opt to have automatically all new photo posts shared to their Threads account as well. (Those who are part of the test can tweak cross-posting settings in the Instagram app.)
Meta has been testing a number of features to boost the growth of Threads, which currently has 150 million users. The company has also experimented with cross-posting from Facebook to Threads and promotes Threads posts directly in Facebook and Instagram feeds, regardless of whether they use the app. It’s also encouraging creators to be more active on the app. Meta has been offering bonuses to creators in exchange for high-performing posts on Threads.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-testing-cross-posting-from-instagram-to-threads-234245961.html?src=rss
Meta is expanding its paid verification service for businesses, adding three new tiers to the program that offers extra perks to companies willing to pay a monthly subscription. The company began testing the service, called Meta Verified, with businesses last fall after rolling out a paid verification for individuals.
With the new plans, which are coming first to Australia, and New Zealand, Meta is offering a much wider range of services to business owners that rely on its platform. Under the new structure, the basic “standard” plan is $14.99/month. It offers a verification badge, higher ranking in search, impersonation protection, the ability to add links to images and access to customer support. (Each subscription covers a single Facebook or Instagram account, the program is expected to roll out to WhatsApp "soon.")
While that base plan is now the same price for businesses as it is for individuals, companies will pay a hefty premium for the extra perks. There are three additional tiers for business owners to choose from: the $44.99/month “plus” plan, the $119.99 “premium” plan and $349.99/month “max” plan. Each of these includes additions like the ability to add links to a Reels posts, fast-tracked customer support and more profile customization options.
Meta
The most expensive plan also expands impersonation protection to up to five employees as well as extra customer service perks. It includes a semiannual “account review,” which will consist of “personalized guidance on their content strategy.” And it allows account owners to request a phone call from a Meta customer service representative for help with account issues and other problems.
During a briefing with reporters, Meta’s VP of new monetization experiences Pratiti Raychoudhury said the expansion of Meta Verified is meant “to meet businesses where they are in their journey on our apps.” She said Meta will continue to tweak its offerings as more companies sign up for verification.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-expanding-its-paid-verification-service-for-businesses-200412634.html?src=rss
Newsletter platform Substack is ramping up its video ambitions and trying to lure TikTok stars to its service. The company announced a new “creator studio” that will offer a group of creators free promotion and other services if they “ turn their TikTok channels into Substack shows and communities.”
The program is part of a larger effort by the newsletter company to expand beyond text newsletters. The timing also happens to come just weeks after a bill that could ban TikTok in the United States became law, though Substack claims its plans are unrelated to the measure. “We’re not introducing this fellowship because of panic over a TikTok bill or ever-changing algorithms,” Substack’s Austin Tedesco writes in a blog post. Instead, he says, it’s about finding a replacement for all “ad-based platforms” which he says are “unreliable partners” for creators.
It’s not clear how Substack intends to create a better home for creators, though the experience of participants in the creator studio will presumably inform its future plans. For now, the company is recruiting ten TikTok creators for the program. Those who are accepted will receive production help and PR services, as well as access to “exclusive features” and “white glove service” from Subsatck’s partnerships team.
The company says creators in the program can still post on TikTok, Instagram and other social channels but that Substack should be the “primary home base for free and premium content.” Creators will also be expected to engage with subscribers on Substack Chat.
Substack has been pushing video features for awhile, but the announcement is the clearest sign yet that it wants to expand its service to creators typically found on traditional social media platforms, rather than writers who may also dabble in video. The company also likely won’t be the last to try to take advantage of TikTok’s uncertain future in the United States. And while YouTube and Instagram may be better-positioned to scoop up TikTok’s talent, Substack may be able to carve out a space for creators looking to offer paywalled content.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/substack-is-trying-to-lure-tiktok-stars-to-its-platform-130052380.html?src=rss
Jack Dorsey has apparently exited the Bluesky board. As spotted by TechCrunch, the former Twitter CEO who was previously Bluesky’s highest-profile proponent shared the life update this weekend on X, where he’s been posting a lot lately. In response to a user who asked “are you still on the bsky board,” Dorsey said only, “no.” That’s it, nothing more. Engadget has reached out to the company for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
The decentralized social network started as a project by a team at then-Twitter back in 2019, but it eventually split off on its own. It only opened to the public this March after being invite-only for almost a year. While Jack Dorsey sat on its board, Bluesky is led by Jay Graber, its CEO since 2021. Dorsey has said mixed things about X since Elon Musk’s takeover, but it seems he’s now swung back around. On Saturday, he posted on X, “don’t depend on corporations to grant you rights. defend them yourself using freedom technology. (you’re on one).”
The company has made no mention yet of Dorsey’s departure, and he’s still named as a board member on its website. Dorsey seemingly deleted his own Bluesky account months ago, TechCrunch notes.
Update, May 6 2024, 11:28AM ET: Bluesky has since confirmed Dorsey's departure on its official account. The company also noted that it's "searching for a new board member for the Bluesky public benefit company who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/jack-dorsey-says-on-x-that-hes-not-on-the-bluesky-board-anymore-183902317.html?src=rss
Facebook’s News Feed algorithm has long been at the center of debates about some of Meta’s biggest problems. It’s also been a near constant source of complaints from users. But, if a newly filed lawsuit is successful, Facebook users may be able to use the social network with a vastly different feed. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is suing Meta on behalf of a researcher who wants to release a browser extension that would allow people to “effectively turn off” their algorithmic feeds.
The extension was created by Ethan Zuckerman, a researcher and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He argues that Facebook users would be better off with more control over their feeds. “The tool, called Unfollow Everything 2.0, would allow users to unfollow their friends, groups, and pages, and, in doing so, to effectively turn off their newsfeed—the endless scroll of posts that users see when they log into Facebook,” the lawsuit explains. “Users who download the tool would be free to use the platform without the feed, or to curate the feed by refollowing only those friends and groups whose posts they really want to see.” (Meta officially renamed the News Feed to “Feed” in 2022.)
Zuckerman isn’t the first to come up with such a tool. He was inspired by a similar project, also called “Unfollow Everything,” from 2021. Facebook sued the U.K man who created that extension and permanently disabled his account. Zuckerman is trying to avoid a similar fate with his lawsuit. The suit, filed in San Francisco federal court Wednesday, asks the court “to recognize that Section 230 protects the development of tools designed to empower people to better control their social media experiences.”
The case could be a novel test of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which is mostly known as the law that shields online platforms from legal liability for the actions of their users. But unlike recent Supreme Court cases involving the statute, Zuckerman’s case “relies on a separate provision protecting the developers of third-party tools that allow people to curate what they see online, including by blocking content they consider objectionable.”
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment on the lawsuit. The company has a history of heavy-handed tactics when it comes to independent researchers. In addition to shutting down the earlier version “Unfollow Everything,” the company disabled the Facebook accounts of a group of NYU researchers attempting to study political ad targeting in 2021. Those types of tactics have led to some researchers pursuing “data donation” programs, which recruit volunteers to “donate” their own browsing data for academic studies.
If released, Zuckerman’s browser extension would also have a data donation component, allowing users to opt-in to sharing “anonymized data about their Facebook usage.” The data would then be used for research into the effects of Facebook’s feed algorithm.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-researcher-is-suing-meta-for-the-right-to-turn-off-facebooks-news-feed-210344993.html?src=rss