Tag: mark zuckerberg

Meta Is Expanding Its NFT Testing to Instagram Stories, Reveals Mark Zuckerberg

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg addressed creators on Wednesday announcing that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram will begin testing the display of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Instagram Stories using its augmented reality platform named Spark AR. After launching an initial test of NFT display options on Instagram back in May, Meta is now expanding the test pool for the option, while it’s also planning to bring NFT display to Facebook as well, “starting with a small group of US creators.”

Speaking on the integration of NFTs into Meta’s apps, Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook, “We’re expanding our test so more creators around the world can display their NFTs on Instagram.” The company also stated in an announcement, “Creators and collectors will be able to share their digital collectibles across Facebook and Instagram after we begin rolling out the feature on Facebook with select US creators at a later date.”

Zuckerberg had first mentioned the integration of NFTs on Instagram back in March which he followed up with a video in May stating that the team at Meta had begun work on integrating digital collectibles for its metaverse and Reality Labs plan, and also across the company’s family of apps.

Back in May, Zuckerberg had also stated that user’s part of test group will be able to post NFTs at no-cost by linking their third-party digital wallets in-app. The NFTs will get a special “shimmer” around the photo with attribution to both the creator and the owner.

The blockchain networks that are supported for the feature include Ethereum and Polygon, with Flo wand Solana launching soon, a company spokesperson confirmed with The Block. Third-party wallets that’ll be compatible with the platform include Rainbow, MetaMask, and Trust Wallet, with Coinbase, Dapper and Phantom.

Earlier this week, Meta also announced it would join with other tech companies to create a metaverse standards body. The group intends to build the next version of the web and develop a shared ethos for Web 3 and the metaverse. Some of the companies who joined the initiative include Adobe, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Qualcomm; Apple was noticeably missing from the pack.

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Facebook-Owner Meta Launching High-Fashion Clothing Store for Avatars

Facebook-owner Meta Platforms is launching a digital clothing store where users can purchase designer outfits for their avatars, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday.

Initial fashion brands participating in the store launch will be Balenciaga, Prada, and Thom Browne, but Meta aims to make the store an open marketplace where developers can create and sell outfits, said Zuckerberg, speaking in an Instagram Live.

Earlier this week, Meta, Alphabet unit Google, Twitter, and Microsoft agreed to take a tougher line against disinformation under an updated EU code of practice that could hit them with hefty fines if they fail to do so.

More than 30 signatories including advertising bodies have committed to the updated Code of Practice on disinformation, the European Commission said.

The signatories agree to do more to tackle deep fakes, fake accounts and political advertising, while non-compliance can lead to fines as much as 6 percent of a company’s global turnover, the EU executive said, confirming a Reuters report last week.

The companies, which include TikTok and Amazon’s live streaming e-sports platform Twitch, have six months to comply with their pledges and will have to present a progress report at the beginning of 2023.

“The new code is a testimony that Europe has learned its lessons and that we are not naive any longer,” Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova told a news conference.

She said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union accelerated the EU’s crackdown on fake news.

Sanctions may including banning companies from Europe, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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Meta’s Quest 2 VR Headset Update to Add Ability to Socialise in Horizon World, Says Mark Zuckerberg

Meta on Friday said that it is adding the ability to easily socialise in virtual reality with an update to its Quest 2 headsets in another step toward the metaverse.

The tweak heading for the latest model Quest from Meta-owned Oculus will let wearers hop into virtual settings with friends, chief Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page.

“I’m here to announce the ability to, as soon as you put on your Quest 2 headset, to have people hang out with you in a social environment,” Zuckerberg said in a video.

The software update will open a door to Horizon World virtual reality platform that Facebook-parent Meta opened to the public in North America at the end of last year.

Meta is also working on letting people create their own virtual worlds where they host gatherings of avatars, Zuckerberg said.

Horizon Worlds is far from a fully realised metaverse, a future internet where online experiences like chatting to a friend would eventually feel face-to-face thanks to VR headsets.

But the platform does let people gather online with friends or others, play games and immerse themselves in 360-degree videos.

Facebook parent Meta earlier this year instituted a minimum distance between users’ avatars in its virtual reality Horizon network after reports of harassment, one of the thorny issues for its metaverse vision.

The “personal boundary” function in the immersive platform puts a ring of space around users’ digital proxies.

Facebook renamed its parent company to Meta in October to emphasise its aim to shift from scandal-prone social media platform to its virtual reality vision for its future.

The firm’s metaverse push also includes tools for remote working, which boomed during the pandemic.

Facebook bought virtual reality headset maker Oculus in 2014.

The technology has taken off in the gaming industry, and become popular among players of Fortnite and Roblox.

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Meta Ex-COO Sheryl Sandberg Reportedly Being Investigated Over Use of Company Resources

Lawyers are investigating Meta Platforms’ outgoing operations chief Sheryl Sandberg’s use of company resources over several years, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Several employees have been interviewed in connection with the investigation by Facebook-parent Meta, the WSJ reported, adding that the probe has been underway since at least last fall.

Meta and Sandberg did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Among the activities being scrutinized is the work of Meta employees to support Sandberg’s foundation, Lean In, and towards writing and promotion of her second book, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy”, the report added.

Earlier in June, Sandberg, whose close partnership with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg powered the growth of the world’s biggest social network, announced her departure from the company after 14 years.

Chief Growth Officer Javier Olivan is set to take over as chief operating officer although Zuckerberg said he did not plan to replace Sandberg’s role directly within the company’s existing structure.

Sandberg said that she will continue to serve on Meta’s board after leaving the company in the fall.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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WhatsApp Reactions to Start Rolling Out Today, Mark Zuckerberg Reveals

WhatsApp Reactions will start rolling out today, finally seeing the instant messaging platform catch up with rivals such as Telegram and iMessage, besides productivity apps such as Slack, and even sister company Instagram. The feature will allow users to quickly react to messages with an emoji, and in the initial stage, there will be six – like, love, laugh, surprise, sad, and thanks – though in the future all emojis will be available, testing has tipped.

The Meta-owned brand made the announcement via a Instagram story by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who had last month teased the feature as coming soon in the company’s big reveal about WhatsApp Communities. As we mentioned, there will initially only be six WhatsApp Reactions, something Zuckerberg also highlighted in his story – seen below.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram Story announcing the feature’s rollout
Photo Credit: Instagram/ Mark Zuckerberg

 

A future update however, may just allow WhatsApp Reactions users to utilise any emoji, GIF, or sticker in the messenger, a recent report tipped citing evidence in a development build. The latest version spotted in testing looks set to give access to the entire emoji keyboard when users tap the plus button. For now though, the wider emoji reaction palette is not yet available even to beta testers.

The WhatsApp Reactions feature has been in testing since as far back as 2018, but initially, sticker reactions were planned, before it took something closer to its final form in testing last year. The feature has been referred to as Emoji Reactions, Message Reactions, and Quick Reactions in the past.

In its big reveal last month, WhatsApp had said Communities will bring several features over and above WhatsApp Groups, including enabling admins with new tools, such as ability to send a single message to everyone and control over which groups can be included in a particular community.

WhatsApp had also teased more upcoming updates, including increased file sharing limit (up to 2GB) and the ability to enable group audio calls for up to 32 people simultaneously, of which so far only the latter has been rolled out.



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