Meta

Link

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

Andrew Orr · · Add Comment

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.

Link

FTC Oculus Probe Examines Meta for Potential Anticompetitive Practices

Andrew Orr · · Add Comment

Bloomberg has a report (paywalled link) about an FTC Oculus probe launched recently along with multiple states. A paywall-free summary can be found in the link below.

The agency is seeking to explore how Meta may be using market power in the VR space to stifle competition – in particular whether the Oculus app store might be discriminating against third parties selling apps that compete with Meta’s software. The inquiry also includes a probe into sales practices and pricing for the Quest 2 headset, at $299 notably less expensive than many rival models, according to the report.

Link

Details of Meta Appeal Against GIPHY Ruling Emerge

Charlotte Henry · · Add Comment

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.