Oswaldo Royett

  A campaign from Meta-owned WhatsApp says iMessage is less secure, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushing incorrect claims about the Apple messaging service. An advertisement displayed above Penn Station is making the rounds with heads of Meta and WhatsApp pushing the message. It suggests that WhatsApp is a more secure and private alternative to iMessage. The advertisement shows text bubbles models after Apple's Messages app, one in green and one in blue. A third bubble shows "private bubble" suggesting that WhatsApp is a truly private platform. Mark Zuckerberg posted an image of this advertisement on his Instagram with text calling WhatsApp "a far more private and secure" platform. Cross-platform encrypted messaging with Android and disappearing chats are the reasonings behind his claim. The post also calls out Apple's iCloud backups containing iMessage encryption keys. However, it incorrectly suggests that iPhone users do not have an option for end-to-end encry...

  Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) is readying plans to introduce virtual tokens and cryptocurrencies to its family of apps with an aim to use such virtual tokens for rewarding creators and lending and other financial services, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The move, which is reported to be in its early stages, comes as Meta grows its focus on services centered around the metaverse, a virtual environment where people interact, work and play. If implemented, it could also give Meta a new revenue channel and control over transactions in its suite of apps and services, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and the Meta Quest virtual reality platform. Meta's cryptocurrencies, internally dubbed "Zuck Bucks", are intended for the metaverse and may not be based on blockchain, the FT report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Meta could introduce in-app tokens that would be centrally controlled by the company, the report said, and such tokens could be used t...

Sales of real estate in the metaverse topped $500 million last year and could double this year, according to investors and analytics firms. “There are big risks, but potentially big rewards,” said Janine Yorio, CEO of Republic Realm, a metaverse real estate investor and advisory firm. So far, real estate sales have been concentrated on the “Big Four” — Sandbox, Decentraland, Cryptovoxels and Somnium. Sales of real estate in the metaverse topped $500 million last year and could double this year, according to investors and analytics firms. Real estate sales on the four major metaverse platforms reached $501 million in 2021, according to MetaMetric Solutions. Sales in January topped $85 million, the metaverse data provider said. It projects that at this pace sales could reach nearly $1 billion in 2022. The recent surge in sales was sparked by Facebook’s Oct. 28 announcement that it was rebranding as Meta to focus on the metaverse. Real estate sales surged nearly ninefold, to $133 million,...

Paris court reiterates order requesting details from Twitter Six organizations that sued Twitter say they’ve had no details Twitter Inc. still hasn’t properly explained what resources it’s put in place in France to combat the spread of hate speech on its platform despite two consecutive court orders to do so, according to anti-racism and anti-homophobia organizations. The Paris court of appeals on Thursday confirmed a prior ruling that had required Twitter provide the associations with information on the number of people working on treating reports from French users, where those staff were located, their nationality and languages they spoke as well as data on the amount of offensive tweets removed following reports. While the initial July ruling gave Twitter two months to communicate the details, the platform still hasn’t fully complied, according to Stéphane Lilti, a lawyer for the Union of French Jewish Students. He says the data would be used to initiate damages proceedings. Social ...