Facebook's Failed 'Diem' Stablecoin Now Officially Over

Facebook had dreams of launching its own cryptocurrency called Diem (formerly Libra) but the company has called it quits (link to original PR piece here, commentary from The Verge below).

The sale of Diem’s assets marks the end of an effort that, in retrospect, was doomed from the start. Facebook, which now goes by Meta, created the apps that would have been the main way people used the token. So even though Facebook formed the Libra Association to govern the token with other companies, people were immediately fearful that Libra would make the controversial tech giant even more powerful. Plus, members of the Libra Association started to drop out, just months after the group had been announced.

Facebook Rolls Out End-to-End Encrypted Chats for Everyone

End-to-end encrypted chats are now available for all users of Facebook Messenger, the company announced. This includes group chats and calls.

Last year, we announced that we began testing end-to-end encryption for group chats, including voice and video calls. We’re excited to announce that this feature is available to everyone. Now you can choose to connect with your friends and family in a private and secure way.

These secure chats remain opt-in only, instead of encrypted by default like actual private messaging apps.

Mozilla 'Pixel Hunt 'Study Aims to Track Facebook Tracking You

Mozilla is launching a study called Facebook Pixel Hunt. The goal is to track Facebook tracking around the web.

According to its own privacy policy, Facebook may collect information about you across the web even if you don’t have a Facebook account. One way Facebook performs this tracking is through a network of “pixels” that may be installed on many of the sites you visit. By joining this study, you will help Rally and The Markup investigate and report on where Facebook is tracking you and what kind of information they are collecting.

Details of Meta Appeal Against GIPHY Ruling Emerge

Documents have revealed the basis of Meta’s appeal against a British regulator’s decision that it should sell GIPHY. Reuters has summed up the key points raised by Facebook’s parent company in appeal against the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal on Wednesday published a summary of Meta’s application, outlining its challenge on six grounds. The U.S company, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Facebook, said the CMA had failed to assess its offer to ensure Giphy could continue to provide services to competitors like Snapchat and TikTok on the same terms. The regulator’s decision was also procedurally flawed, Meta said. The CMA ordered Meta to sell Giphy, which it acquired for a reported $400 million in May 2020, in November after it decided the remedies offered by the U.S. company did not answer its concerns.

Over 24,000 People Sign Data Privacy Petition to Stop Facebook Extremism

A petition signed by over 24,000 people has been delivered to Congress from Fight for the Future, Senator Ron Wyden to encourage a federal data privacy law. The impetus? Far-right extremism on social media websites such as Facebook.

Coalition members urged lawmakers to protect against attacks like that on the Capitol last year by addressing Facebook’s data-fueled algorithmic manipulation.

When Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before Congress in October, she named algorithmic manipulation as the platform’s source of power. Algorithmic manipulation is only possible with invasive and copious personal data on individual people, harvested via mass surveillance.

Oculus VR Wins Most Popular App on Christmas Day 2021

Meta’s Oculus app topped the charts for the App Store on Christmas, likely reflecting the popularity of the VR headset as a gift. Meta doesn’t disclose how many headsets it sells, however.

Today’s VR headsets from Meta are nowhere near as powerful or capable enough to enable Zuckerberg’s ultimate vision for the metaverse. But they can give you a taste of what’s possible. On top of that, Meta now has a lot more customers, giving it a chance to gather more data about how normal folks use virtual reality and tailor experiences to those tastes. If Zuckerberg’s thesis about the metaverse is correct, then this year’s new crop of VR users will help inform Meta, and other companies working on similar technologies, to decide on what kind of experiences to make next.

Instagram's Takedown of Metaverse Account Proves You Own Nothing on Web

The New York Times reports how Meta-owned Instagram blocked an @metaverse account, claiming it was impersonating someone else. The account has since been restored to its original owner, but the saga shows how you don’t truly own anything on Web 2.0.

“This account is a decade of my life and work. I didn’t want my contribution to the metaverse to be wiped from the internet,” she said. “That happens to women in tech, to women of color in tech, all the time,” added Ms. Baumann, who has Vietnamese heritage.

I disagree with that quote, however. I think Instagram would’ve taken the handle from anyone, regardless of gender or race.