Technology
Meta fixes a bug that seemed to reset users’ political content settings on Instagram and threads
Meta fixed a bug that caused people to think the corporate had adjusted their selections within the political content tool without their consent. The issue affected users on each Instagram and Threads, seemingly resetting users’ content settings to default, which limits the quantity of political content users see from people they do not follow.
On Wednesday, Meta confirmed it was investigating the difficulty and working to resolve it.
Later Wednesday night, Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone announced in a post within the thread that the difficulty has been resolved. He also shared additional information in regards to the nature of the error, saying that Meta didn’t change political content settings on the backend, but only appeared to achieve this. This made it appear as if users’ chosen settings had been reset, “even though no changes were actually made,” Stone wrote on Threads.
The company didn’t provide more information on how the error occurred, but Stone encouraged users to check whether their settings now reflect their preferences.
You can do that in your Instagram settings, where you scroll down to “Content Preferences,” then select “Political Content.” This is where you possibly can select whether or not you wish to limit political content shared by people you follow.
This setting affects suggestions that appear in Explore, Reels, Channel Recommendations, and Suggested Users, as explained on the page, and also applies to threads.
The recent control was first announced earlier this 12 months. It serves as a way to distance Meta from blame for the impact its apps have on people – something Meta didn’t want to be accused of within the run-up to the US election.
The move isn’t surprising given criticism of the tech giant from either side of the US political spectrum, accused by Republicans of censoring free speech and by Democrats of being too lenient on disinformation and disinformation. Just weeks after the launch of X competitor Threads, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with questions on the app’s content moderation policies.
Later, Meta announced that it will not “actively” recommend political content, which sparked a backlash from creators.
The fact that Meta even has settings for political content shows the ability of algorithm-driven social media apps, where content is displayed based on multiple aspects relatively than simply being a reverse-chronological feed of individuals users have chosen to follow. Other startups, equivalent to Bluesky and other federated networks, are recent models for moderating or blocking content on social media platforms. For example, Bluesky allows users to create their very own channels and subscribe to moderation services. However, the app’s 5 million-plus user base is not as large as Threads’ 170 million monthly energetic users or Instagram’s 2 billion-plus monthly users.
Fortunately for those using Instagram and threads, the bug was fixed ahead of Trump and Biden’s first political debate of 2024, which took place on Thursday evening.
Technology
Revolut will introduce mortgage loans, smart ATMs and business lending products
Revolutthe London-based fintech unicorn shared several elements of the corporate’s 2025 roadmap at a company event in London on Friday. One of the corporate’s important goals for next yr will be to introduce an AI-enabled assistant that will help its 50 million customers navigate financial apps, manage money and customize software.
Considering that artificial intelligence is at the middle of everyone’s attention, this move shouldn’t be surprising. But an AI assistant could actually help differentiate Revolut from traditional banking services, which have been slower to adapt to latest technologies.
When Revolut launched its app almost 10 years ago, many individuals discovered the concept of debit cards with real-time payment notifications. Users may lock the cardboard from the app.
Many banks now can help you control your card using your phone. However, they’re unlikely to supply AI features that might be useful yet.
In addition to the AI assistant, Revolut announced that it will introduce branded ATMs to the market. These will end in money being spent (obviously), but in addition cards – which could encourage latest sign-ups.
Revolut said it plans so as to add facial recognition features to its ATMs in the longer term, which could help with authentication without using the same old card and PIN protocol. It will be interesting to see the way it implements this technology in a way that complies with European Union data protection regulations, which require explicit consent to make use of biometric data for identification purposes.
According to the corporate, Revolut ATMs will start appearing in Spain in early 2025.
Revolut has had a banking license in Europe for a while, which implies it may offer lending products to its retail customers. It already offers bank cards and personal loans in some countries.
Now the corporate plans to expand into mortgage loans – some of the popular lending products in Europe – with an emphasis on speed. If it’s an easy request, customers should generally expect immediate approval and a final offer inside one business day. However, mortgages are rarely easy, so it will be interesting to see if Revolut overpromises.
It appears that the mortgage market rollout will be slow. Revolut said it was starting in Lithuania, with Ireland and France expected to follow suit. Although all these premieres are scheduled for 2025.
Finally, Revolut intends to expand its business offering in Europe with its first loan products and savings accounts. In the payments space, it will enable business customers to supply “buy now, pay later” payment options.
Revolut will introduce Revolut kiosks with biometric payments especially for restaurants and stores.
If all these features seem overwhelming, it’s because Revolut is consistently committed to product development, rolling out latest features quickly. And 2025 looks no different.
Technology
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is leaving PhonePe’s board
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down three-quarters from PhonePe’s board after making an identical move on the e-commerce giant.
Bengaluru-based PhonePe said it has appointed Manish Sabharwal, executive director at recruitment and human resources firm Teamlease, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.
Bansal played a key role in Flipkart’s acquisition of PhonePe in 2016 and has since served on the fintech’s board. The Walmart-backed startup, which operates India’s hottest mobile payment app, spun off from Flipkart in 2022 and was valued at $12 billion in funding rounds that raised about $850 million last 12 months.
Bansal still holds about 1% of PhonePe. Neither party explained why they were leaving the board.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of the first and staunchest supporters of PhonePe,” Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe, said in a press release. His lively involvement, strategic advice and private mentoring have profoundly enriched our discussions. We will miss Binny!”
Technology
The company is currently developing washing machines for humans
Forget about cold baths. Washing machines for people may soon be a brand new solution.
According to at least one Japanese the oldest newspapersOsaka-based shower head maker Science has developed a cockpit-shaped device that fills with water when a bather sits on a seat in the center and measures an individual’s heart rate and other biological data using sensors to make sure the temperature is good. “It also projects images onto the inside of the transparent cover to make the person feel refreshed,” the power says.
The device, dubbed “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (the human washing machine of the longer term), may never go on sale. Indeed, for now the company’s plans are limited to the Osaka trade fair in April, where as much as eight people will have the option to experience a 15-minute “wash and dry” every day after first booking.
Apparently a version for home use is within the works.
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