Tag: Meta

Meta rolls out generative AI tools for advertisers

Posted on October 6, 2023 by - News

Meta is starting to roll out generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for all advertisers.

It claims these functions can create content like image backgrounds and produce variations of written text.

The company started testing these tools in May, giving access to a select group of advertisers in a “testing playground”.

The new features will be available in Meta’s Ads Manager when their official rollout is completed next year.

The announcement marks the Facebook and Instagram owner’s first moves into bundling generative AI technology into its products for mining vast stores of past data to generate new content like prose, art and software code.

Toughest EU rules hit Big Tech on Friday

Posted on August 23, 2023 by - News

On Friday, Big tech vendors will face the toughest regulation of online content since the arrival of GDPR.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) forces companies to more aggressively police digital content and protect online users from disinformation and hate speech or face heavy fines.

Technology law professor Suzanne Vergnolle said the DSA is part of a bigger strategy to give more power to individuals, to the regulators, to civil society.

“It is another step towards more accountability,” she told AFP.

Hackers using Salesforce zero day

Posted on August 4, 2023 by - News

Salesforce logoHackers have been using a zero-day hole in Salesforce email services and SMTP servers, enabling malicious actors to specifically target Facebook users.

According to Guardio Labs the threat actors used a vulnerability named “PhishForce” to conceal malicious email traffic in Salesforce’s legitimate email gateway services, capitalising on Salesforce and Meta’s size and reputation.

The attackers managed to evade conventional detection methods by “using Salesforce’s domain and reputation and exploiting legacy quirks in Facebook’s web games platform,” the researchers said.

NHS shared information with Facebook

Posted on May 31, 2023 by - News

Up to 20 NHS trusts have shared patients’ private medical information with Facebook through a hidden tracking tool on their websites.

The Observer found that data was collected from individuals who accessed NHS webpages related to HIV, gender identity services, self-harm, sexual health, children’s treatment, cancer and more.

The websites of 20 NHS trusts were found to be using the Meta Pixel tracking tool, which gathered browsing information and shared it with the social networking site.

That is despite the trusts promising not to collect that information without obtaining proper consent from the individuals involved.

Vendor job kill continues

Posted on January 23, 2023 by - News

Never mind any skills gap, Vendors are firing staff who they may never see again to make a short-term cut in costs.

Google handed six per cent of its global workforce pink slips apparently to refocus on its priorities, including AI.

CEO Sundar Pichai said: “We’ve decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. We’ve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.”

Pichai said the company will be reviewing its current operations in order to make the most of its early investments in AI.

Tech companies crack down on Russia

Posted on March 2, 2022 by - News

UK tech companies with Russian links or finance might find themselves in hot water with US big tech.

As Tsar Putin’s Russian troops push into Ukraine US tech firms are doing their best to make sure that they are not seen as having anything to do with it.

Some of it is obvious.  Big Tech is under pressure to use its influence over the world’s most popular social networks, apps and phones to take tough action.

Since Russia’s first strike nearly a week ago, Meta, Twitter, Google and other companies have announced a slew of measures such as revoking ads for Russian state media websites, monitoring disinformation and utilising tools to increase the privacy of Ukrainian citizens.