In this week’s episode, Graham investigates the mysterious Iberian Peninsula blackout (aliens? toaster? cyberattack?), Carole dives in the UK legal aid hack that exposed deeply personal data of society’s most vulnerable, and Dinah Davis recounts how Instagram scammers hijacked her daughter’s account – and how a parental control accidentally saved the day.
Category: Instagram
Apps, Creators, edits, Global Security News, Instagram, Social, videos
Instagram Edits topped 7M downloads in first week, a bigger launch than CapCut’s
Instagram Edits, Meta’s newly released video creation app, had a bigger debut than its direct competitor, ByteDance’s CapCut, once did. The new app, which today helps users craft videos for Instagram reels, stories, and other social posts, was downloaded an estimated 702,900 times on iOS devices during its first two days on the market. That’s…
ad tech, Ads, Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, Threads
Meta’s Threads opens up ads to global advertisers
Months after first testing ads in select markets, including the U.S., Meta on Wednesday announced that its Instagram Threads app would now expand ads to all advertisers worldwide. The expansion will allow eligible advertisers to reach Threads’ over 320 million monthly active users, and it will include access to an inventory filter to control the sensitivity level…
AI, Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, parents, Social, Teens
Instagram is using AI to find teens lying about their age and restricting their accounts
Meta is using AI technology to search for kids who are lying about their age on Instagram in order to bypass safeguards, the company announced on Monday. When Meta finds an account that it suspects belongs to a teen, the platform will enroll them into a restricted Teen Account, even if the account lists an…
Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Social
Read what Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook execs said about Instagram before buying it
The first week of the Meta antitrust trial brought new revelations about how the company formerly known as Facebook approached the competitive threat posed by Instagram in the early 2010s. The U.S. government is accusing Meta of violating competition laws by acquiring companies like Instagram and WhatsApp that threatened the Facebook monopoly. If lawyers for…
Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Instagram Reels, Social, TikTok
Instagram’s new Blend feature creates a custom reels feed for you and your friends
Instagram on Thursday announced that it’s rolling out Blend, a new feature that lets you create a custom, personalized reels feed for you and your friends. Blends are invite-only and can be created with a singular friend or with a group chat. The custom feeds are refreshed with new content each day. The launch doesn’t…
Apps, Facebook, FTC, Global Security News, Instagram, Social, TikTok
Mark Zuckerberg says TikTok slowed Meta’s growth
In Meta’s antitrust trial on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that TikTok’s success was a risk to Meta’s business, saying the short-form video app was a “top priority” and a “highly urgent” competitive threat when it arrived in 2018, according to Bloomberg and other outlets. The reports come from a packed first week of…
Adtech, advertising, Apps, Congress, Facebook, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Instagram, Meta, Sarah Wynn-Williams, Social, Teens, whistleblower
Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams says company targeted ads at teens based on their ‘emotional state’
Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former director of Global Public Policy for Facebook and author of the recently released tell-all book “Careless People,” told U.S. senators during her testimony on Wednesday that Meta actively targeted teens with advertisements based on their emotional state. This claim was first documented by Wynn-Williams in her book, which documents…
Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Social, social media
Instagram tests locked reels that can be accessed with secret codes
Instagram appears to be quietly testing locked reels that viewers would have to unlock with a code and a provided hint. The feature is a simple way to increase engagement with the creator’s content, but it could also offer creators and celebrities a way to share exclusive reels with their most dedicated fans, who are…
Apps, gen z, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, social media, TikTok
Instagram is beefing up its search to compete with TikTok
Instagram head Adam Mosseri says the company is looking to improve the app’s search functionality, admitting this is an area where Instagram could do more to compete. The remarks, made on a recent episode of the “Build Your Tribe” podcast, come at a time when younger Gen Z users often turn to social apps like…
Apps, Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Messenger, Meta, Social
Meta introduces restricted Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger
Meta is introducing Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The feature, which automatically enrolls young users into an app experience with built-in protections, will be available on these platforms in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada before expanding to additional regions in the future. Teen Accounts first rolled out to Instagram last September after Instagram…
Apps, Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Messenger, Meta, Social
Meta introduces restricted Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger
Meta is introducing Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The feature, which automatically enrolls young users into an app experience with built-in protections, will be available on these platforms in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada before expanding to additional regions in the future. Teen Accounts first rolled out to Instagram last September after Instagram…
Global Security News, Government & Policy, Instagram, Meta, North America, Social, White House
You might be following Second Lady Usha Vance on Instagram now
Starting Wednesday, Meta says it will begin combining the Instagram accounts of the Second Lady of the United States, Usha Vance, and the former Second Gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff. As a result, the 1.2 million people who were previously following the Instagram account of Kamala Harris’s husband, @secondgentleman46archive (recently archived by the…
Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Social, TikTok, tiktok notes
TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor TikTok Notes
TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year. The company is notifying TikTok Notes users of its decision to retire the app and is directing them to ByteDance-owned Lemon8, which isn’t surprising given that the apps are quite…
Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Instagram Reels, Social, TikTok
Instagram now lets you speed up reels just like on TikTok
Meta-owned Instagram is copying yet another feature from TikTok. This time, it’s the ability for users to play a reel at 2x speed by long pressing on the right or left side of their screen. When TikTok first launched, videos could only be 15 seconds long. As the years passed and TikTok rose in popularity,…
evergreens, Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Outlook, Security, signal, Twitter, WhatsApp
How to tell if your online accounts have been hacked
This is a guide on how to check whether someone compromised your online accounts.
Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Social, teen safety
Instagram partners with schools to prioritize reports of online bullying and student safety
Instagram on Tuesday announced a new school partnership program aimed at expediting the handling of moderation reports submitted by verified school accounts. The program is currently available to all middle and high schools in the U.S. It allows schools to report posts or student accounts that may violate the app’s guidelines directly to Instagram. These…
AI, Apps, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, social media
Meta spotted testing AI-generated comments on Instagram
In recent years, Meta has introduced many AI features and capabilities to its apps, even going so far as experimenting with AI-generated characters complete with unique profiles and personalities, before scraping them after they were deemed creepy and unnecessary. In yet another move that may not be received well among users, Meta wants to use…
Apps, Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, North America, Social
Meta is launching Community Notes in the US next week
Next week, Meta will begin one of the company’s most significant overhauls ever for how it fact-checks information on its platforms. On March 18, Meta will start releasing its version of Community Notes for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads users in the United States. The program copies a crowdsourced fact-checking system that Twitter unveiled in 2021…
Apps, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Instagram Threads, Meta, Social, Threads
What is Instagram’s Threads app? All your questions answered
Twitter alternatives — new and old — have found audiences willing to try out a newer social networks since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill and T2 are some of the social media platforms people are among them. So is Meta’s Threads platform. What is Threads? How do you create…
Apps, Bluesky, flashes, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Social
Bluesky-based Instagram alternative Flashes launches publicly
Instagram alternative Flashes publicly launched its Bluesky-based photo-sharing app on the App Store this week, gaining nearly 30,000 downloads in its first 24 hours. The app offers a classic Instagram-like experience, allowing users to upload up to four photos and videos of up to a minute in length. Built by Berlin-based developer Sebastian Vogelsang, Flashes…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Instagram Reels, Meta, Social
Meta fixes error that exposed Instagram users to graphic and violent content
Meta has fixed an error that caused some users to see a flood of graphic and violent videos in their Instagram Reels feed. The fix comes after some users saw horrific and violent content despite having Instagram’s “Sensitive Content Control” enabled. “We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, reels, Social, TikTok
Instagram may spin off Reels into a separate app
Meta is mulling launching a standalone app for short-form videos, The Information reported, citing an anonymous source who heard Instagram head Adam Mosseri talking about the project to staff. The project is reportedly code-named Project Ray that aims to improve recommendations for new users and existing users in the U.S., and feature more three-minute videos,…
Apps, community notes, Facebook, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, Threads
Meta starts accepting sign-ups for Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
Meta announced on Thursday that it’s now accepting sign-ups for its Community Notes program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The announcement follows Meta news last month that it’s going to end its third-party fact-checking program and is instead moving to a Community Notes model similar to the one at X. In a blog post, Meta…
Apps, dms, Global Security News, Instagram, Messaging, messaging apps, Social, TC
Instagram upgrades DMs with music-sharing, message scheduling, translation and more
Instagram is upgrading its direct messages, also known as DMs, with a handful of new features that make its messaging system more competitive with alternatives, like Apple’s iMessage and other third-party apps. On Wednesday, Instagram users globally will gain access to tools to translate messages across 99 languages, tools to schedule and pin messages to…
adam mosseri, Apps, dislike, downvote, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram
Instagram tests a ‘dislike’ button for comments
After users noticed a new button on Instagram to downvote or dislike comments, the company confirmed that it is testing a way for users to signal that they either didn’t like the comment or don’t think it’s relevant. The feature will appear across both Feed posts and Reels. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a…
Apps, evergreens, Facebook, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Social, Threads
How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise. People who are angry with the decision accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of cozying up to the Trump administration at the expense of…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, India, Instagram, teen safety
Instagram is introducing teen accounts with new safety features in India
Instagram said Tuesday that the platform is introducing its teen accounts feature, which has extra protective measures for safety for users in India, one of its biggest markets with over 350 million users. The company introduced Teen Accounts last year in The U.S., U.K, Canada, and Australia. Meta migrated accounts of Instagram users who are…
Apps, Bluesky, evergreens, flashes, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, open social web, photo sharing, pixelfed, Social
These apps are building Instagram alternatives on open protocols
Consumer demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s social apps is heating up. Alternative social networks like Bluesky and Mastodon are gaining traction with people looking to leave X, while others are building ban-proof TikTok alternatives on open protocols. Similarly, many independent developers are also working on open, decentralized alternatives to Instagram, Meta’s flagship photo-sharing app…
Apps, atproto, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, photo sharing, photos, Social, social network
Flashes, a photo-sharing app for Bluesky, opens beta
Flashes, an Instagram alternative built on top of the Bluesky social network, is now opening its doors to beta testers. Announced just weeks ago, the app offers people a means of exiting Meta’s social networking empire for a more open alternative, while also attracting new users who may not have been interested in using Bluesky’s…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social
Instagram gives creators more insight into their reels’ performance
Meta continues to target creators in the days following the U.S. TikTok ban. In addition to paying TikTok creators big bonuses to publish reels, Instagram announced on Wednesday that it’s introducing new ways for creators to better understand how their short videos are performing. The platform is introducing additional metrics that allow creators to see…
Apps, federated apps, fediverse, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, loops, Meta, open social, open social web, open source, pixelfed, Social, social media, Sup, TikTok
Open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp raise funds on Kickstarter
The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, respectively, is now raising funds on Kickstarter to fuel the apps’ further development. The trio is part of the growing open social web, also known as the fediverse, powered by the same ActivityPub protocol used by X alternative Mastodon. The…
Apps, evergreens, Facebook, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Social, Threads
How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise. People who are angry with the decision accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of cozying up to the Trump administration at the expense of…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, reels, Social, tiktbon ban, TikTok
Meta lures TikTok creators with $5K bonuses, content deals, free verification
Meta is luring TikTok creators over to its platforms with the promise of cash bonuses, content deals, and support to grow their communities. The company announced on Tuesday that eligible TikTok creators will be able to earn “up to” $5,000 in bonuses over three months for posting Reels on Facebook and Instagram. These creators will…
Apps, Facebook, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, WhatsApp
Meta will soon let you link your WhatsApp account with Instagram and Facebook
Meta announced on Tuesday that users will soon be able to add their WhatsApp account to their Accounts Center, a hub where users can manage connected experiences across their Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Quest accounts. With this integration, users will be able to cross-post their WhatsApp Status as Stories on Instagram and Facebook, getting rid…
Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Media & Entertainment, Meta, Social
Meta confirms it will keep fact-checkers outside the U.S. ‘for now’
Meta says it plans to keep its fact-checking program in place outside the U.S. for the time being, though it could eventually expand it elsewhere. “We’ll see how that goes as we move it out over the years,” Meta’s head of global business Nicola Mendelsohn told Bloomberg in a report from Davos on Monday. “So…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta
Meta announces a new video editing app called Edits amidst TikTok and CapCut ban
Meta today announced a new video editing app called Edits, after ByteDance’s video editing app CapCut was removed from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store as part of the TikTok ban. Instagram head Adam Mosseri (pictured above) said on Threads that the app will launch next month on iOS, with an Android version…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, social media, TikTok Ban
Instagram Reels rolls out new features for U.S. users as TikTok is banned
Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning, alongside the news that the Supreme Court upheld the law that will ban TikTok in the U.S. on January 19. The update, says Meta, will make it easier for users to discover the content that friends and followers are liking on the platform…
Apps, Bluesky, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, iOS apps, photo sharing, Social, social media, Social networks
Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes
More good news for those looking to exit Meta’s social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. The soon-to-launch app is powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky, the AT Protocol, and has been built using code from the developer’s…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, pixelfed, Social, social media, TC
Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed launches mobile apps
Pixelfed, a decentralized alternative to Instagram, has launched its official mobile apps. The service today runs on the same ActivityPub protocol that powers an open source X alternative Mastodon, a YouTube competitor PeerTube, and other decentralized social apps, including now Meta’s Threads and Flipboard (plus its newer app, Surf), that are part of a growing…
content moderation, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Instagram, Meta, Social, TC, Threads, Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta’s latest pivot in three-hour Joe Rogan interview
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his decision to scale back Meta’s content moderation policies in a Friday appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Zuckerberg faced widespread criticism for the decision, including from employees inside his own company. “Probably depends on who you ask,” said Zuckerberg when asked how Meta’s updates have been received. The key updates…
Apps, Facebook, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Social, Threads
How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise. People who are angry with the decision accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of cozying up to the incoming Trump administration at the expense…
Apps, Facebook, fact checking, Global IT News, Global Security News, Google Search, google trends, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Media & Entertainment, Meta, meta content moderation, Social, social media, Threads, trends
Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking
Google searches for how to cancel and delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts have seen explosive rises in the U.S. since Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will end its third-party fact-checking system, loosen content moderation policies, and roll back previous limits to the amount of political content in user feeds. Experts see…
Apps, Creators, Exploits, Global Security News, influencers, Instagram, Telegram
Investigation exposes pedophilia in the child-influencer industry
A New York Times investigation found that dozens of potential pedophiles have prolifically exploited the child influencer industry. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Apps, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social
Instagram tests a way to show you Story Highlights you didn’t get a chance to see
Instagram is testing a way for you to see content from friends that you might have missed. The social network has started displaying unseen Story Highlights from a user’s mutual followers at the end of the Stories tray, which is the area at the top of your feed where you see Stories from your friends.…
AI, Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social
Instagram teases AI tools for editing appearances, backgrounds in videos using prompts
Instagram head Adam Mosseri is teasing upcoming generative AI features for the social app that will allow creators to “change nearly any aspect” of their videos using text prompts. The editing tools will be powered by Meta’s Movie Gen AI model, and are expected to launch on the social network sometime next year, Mosseri said…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, scheduling, Social, Threads
Threads is testing a post scheduling feature
Meta’s social network Threads is experimenting with a feature that will let you schedule posts, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said. Users who will get to test this feature won’t be able to schedule replies. “We want to balance giving people more control to plan their Threads posts while still encouraging real-time conversations,” he said. People…
Apps, direct messages, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Social
Instagram now lets you schedule DMs
Instagram has quietly rolled out the ability for users to schedule direct messages. The Meta-owned social network confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday that the new feature is rolling out to all users globally. The option to schedule DMs will be especially useful for creators and brands that want to schedule outreach messages at optimal times.…
Apps, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Instagram Threads, Meta, Social, Threads
What is Instagram’s Threads app? All your questions answered
Twitter alternatives — new and old — have found audiences willing to try out a newer social networks since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill and T2 are some of the social media platforms people are among them. So is Meta’s Threads platform. What is Threads? How do you create…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, TikTok, YouTube
Nearly half of US teens are online almost constantly, Pew study finds
Nearly half of teens in the U.S. are online almost constantly, and the platform they’re using the most is YouTube, a new study from the Pew Research Center has found. The center reports that 46% of teens say they’re online “almost constantly,” and 90% of teens it surveyed said they use the Google-owned video platform,…
2FA, data breach, Data loss, Global Security News, Instagram, Law & order, Podcast, Smashing Security, Snowflake
Smashing Security podcast #397: Snowflake hackers, and under the influence
A Canadian man is arrested in relation to the Snowflake hacks from earlier this year – after a cybersecurity researcher managed to track his identity, and a cryptocurrency-trading Instagram influencer is in trouble with the law. All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham…