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♨️ Instagram makes more money from ads than YouTube does, and it has for years #News #Insta 🔵Meta's court filing in an FTC case shows that in 2021 Instagram's ad revenue topped $32 billion, compared to $28.8 billion for YouTube. In a motion Meta filed on Friday to try and get the FTC's monopoly claims dismissed, it includes details of how much advertising revenue Instagram brought in over the last few years. 🔵At $32.4 billion for 2021 alone, that's even more than YouTube, which pulled in $28.8 billion in the same year. Business Insider previously pointed out the lead it has over Google's video unit, and mentions that YouTube gives up 55 percent of each advertising dollar it makes to content owners who upload videos while Instagram coughs up a lot less. 🔵The gap is also there even if you look further back. In 2020 and 2019, Meta lists Instagram's ad revenue as $22 and $17.9 billion, respectively, while YouTube's ad revenue is listed in its annual report (PDF) as $19.7 and $15.1 billion for the same years. 🔵According to Bloomberg, the figures show the share of Meta's revenue that comes from Instagram has jumped from 26 percent in 2020 to almost 30 percent in the first six months of 2022. The figures from the filing give more insight than Meta's quarterly earnings reports, which don't break out Instagram, but now we have a much clearer idea about how much Adam Mosseri's section means to Meta. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

🚨TikTok is getting closer to launching an Instagram rival #News #Insta ⚡️ TikTok is planning to release a new photo-sharing app that could take on Instagram. In a notification sent to users, TikTok says it's launching "a new app for photo posts" called TikTok Notes, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. ⚡️ The notification says it will share "existing and future public TikTok photo posts" to TikTok Notes while also giving users the ability to opt out. A new photo.tiktok.com URL (archived version) spotted by TechCrunch also briefly appeared online with a prompt to open a post in the TikTok Notes app. ⚡️ Judging by the image included on the site, it looks like you'll be able to write a caption alongside your photo, too. In a statement to TechCrunch,

TikTok says it's "exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats"

but didn't say when it plans to release the app. The Verge reached out to TikTok with a request for more information but didn't immediately hear back. We first heard about the possibility of a TikTok photo-sharing app last month, when TheSpAndroid dug up code within the app that suggested it was working on an app called TikTok Photos. ⚡️ But now, it looks like that app is getting closer to an official launch — and it could be a serious competitor to Instagram. TikTok Notes will likely come prepopulated with all of the photos TikTok users have already shared (given that most users opt in), which will save it from having to draw in an initial user base. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

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Facebook and Instagram’s ‘pay or consent’ ad model violates the DMA, says the EU #News #Insta 💻 The EU has formally charged Meta with violations of its Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking its second such charge in as many weeks.

The European Commission writes in a preliminary ruling that the "pay or consent" advertising model that launched last year for Facebook and Instagram users runs afoul of Article 5(2) of the DMA by not giving users a third option that uses less data for ad targeting but is still free to use.

💻 Regulators found in their investigation that Meta gives users a "binary choice" that forces them to either choose to pay a monthly subscription fee to get the ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram or consent to the ad-supported version. Where Meta runs afoul of its rules, it says, is by not letting users opt for a free version that

"uses less of their personal data but is otherwise equivalent to the 'personalised ads' based service" and by not allowing them to "exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data." "Our preliminary view is that Meta's advertising model fails to comply with the Digital Markets Act," wrote Margrethe Vestager, who leads the region's competition policy. "And we want to empower citizens to be able to take control over their own data and choose a less personalised ads experience."

💻 The commission explains the part of the DMA it believes Meta has violated:

Under Article 5(2) of the DMA, gatekeepers must seek users' consent for combining their personal data between designated core platform services and other services, and if a user refuses such consent, they should have access to a less personalised but equivalent alternative. Gatekeepers cannot make use of the service or certain functionalities conditional on users' consent. "Subscription for no ads follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA," Meta spokesperson Matthew Pollard told The Verge in an email. "We look forward to further constructive dialogue with the European Commission to bring this investigation to a close."

💻 The commission says that it has informed Meta of its charges and has the opportunity to respond to its findings. If Meta is ultimately found to be in violation when the investigation concludes next year, the EU could fine it as much as 10 percent of its total worldwide revenue, which, for Meta, could be as much as $13.4 billion based on its results for 2023. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

🍦Instagram's 'Made with Al' label swapped out for 'Al info' after photographers' complaints #News #Insta 💻 On Monday, Meta announced that

it is"updating the 'Made with Al' label to 'Al info' across our apps, which people can click for more information," after people complained that their pictures had the tag applied incorrectly.

Former White House photographer Pete Souza pointed out the tag popping up on an upload of a photo originally taken on film during a basketball game 40 years ago, speculating that using Adobe's cropping tool and flattening images might have triggered it.

"As we've said from the beginning, we're consistently improving our Al products, and we are working closely with our industry partners on our approach to Al labeling," said Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin.

💻 The new label is supposed to more accurately represent that the content may simply be modified rather than making it seem like it is entirely Al-generated. The problem seems to be the metadata tools like Adobe Photoshop apply to images and how platforms interpret that. 💻 After Meta expanded its policies around labeling Al content, real-life pictures posted to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Threads were tagged "Made with Al." However, Adobe points the finger at Meta and its decisions about how to present that metadata.

"We know millions of users use Al today to perform the same aesthetic improvements to content as they did before Al. That's why when it comes to labeling Al, we believe platforms labeling content as being made with or generated by Al should only do so when an image is wholly Al generated," said Andy Parsons,

💻 Adobe senior director of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), in a statement emailed to The Verge.You may see the new labeling first on mobile apps and then the web view later, as McLaughlin tells The Verge it is starting to roll out across all surfaces. Once you click the tag, it will still show the same message as the old label 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

👽 Instagram’s co-founders are shutting down their Artifact news app #News #Insta 🔺 Artifact, the news app created by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, is shutting down just a year after lunch. The app used an AI-driven approach to suggest news that users might like to read, but it seems it didn’t catch on with enough people for the Artifact team to continue making the app.

“We have built something that a core group of users love, but we have concluded that the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way,” CEO Kevin Systrom says in a blog post.

🔺 The app is beginning to wind down today. Users can no longer add new comments or posts, and Artifact will still let you read news “through the end of February.” Since launching at the end of January 2023, Artifact has added a bunch of new and interesting features, like Al-powered article summaries, the ability to comment on articles within Artifact, and the ability to mark articles as clickbait (and then rewrite them using Al). 🔺 It’s broadened from just focusing on news by letting people post links to share cool stuff on the web and a Twitter-like posts feature. However, Systrom says features like comments and posts required “a fair amount of moderation and oversight” that it doesn’t have the staff to support. 🔺 Systrom says the team of eight people working on Artifact “will go our separate ways.” He adds that he’s “personally excited to continue building new things” and says that the opportunities for new ideas in the realm of AI “seem limitless.” 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

💔 Instagram and Facebook knowingly platform parents who sexually exploit children for profit, say reports #News #Insta 💻 Investigations into “child influencer” accounts on Facebook and Instagram have found that Meta is knowingly allowing parents who sexually exploit their children for financial gain on the platform — and in some cases, using Meta’s paid subscription tools to do so. According to separate reports published by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Facebook and Instagram have become a potentially lucrative endeavor for parents who run social media accounts for children — mostly girls — who aren’t old enough to meet the platforms’ minimum 13-year-old age requirements. 💻 Several of the “parent-managed minor accounts” investigated sold materials to their large audiences of adult men, including photos of their children in revealing attire, exclusive chat sessions, and their children’s used leotards and cheer outfits.

According to The Wall Street Journal, while these parent-run accounts don’t feature illegal content or nudity, staff at Meta discovered that some parents were knowingly producing material of their children that pedophiles would find sexually gratifying.

💻 Meta staff also were allegedly aware that the company’s algorithms promoted subscriptions for accounts that feature child models to suspected pedophiles and that some parents offered additional content of their children on other platforms. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge. 💻 Recommendations made by Meta staff to tackle the issue — such as requiring accounts that sold child-focused subscriptions to register themselves for monitoring or banning subscriptions to such accounts entirely — were apparently not pursued by the company. Instead, Meta focused on building an automated system for preventing likely pedophiles from subscribing to parent-run accounts, though this proved to be unreliable and easily evaded by creating a new account, says the Journal. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

🖕 Meta will hide suicide and eating disorder content from teens as government pressure mounts #News #Insta 💻 Meta is restricting teens from viewing content that deals with topics like suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, the company announced today. The content, which Meta says may not be “age appropriate” for young people, will not be visible even if it’s shared by someone a teen follows.

If a teen searches for this type of content on Facebook and Instagram, they’ll instead be directed toward “expert resources for help” like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, according to Meta.

💻 Teen users also may not know if content in these categories is shared and that they can’t see it. This change is rolling out to users under 18 over the coming months. In addition to hiding content in sensitive categories, teen accounts will also be defaulted to restrictive filtering settings that tweak what kind of content on Facebook and Instagram they see. 💻 The sweeping updates come as Meta and other tech companies are under heightened government scrutiny over how they handle children on their platforms. In the US, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — along with a roster of other tech executives — testified before the Senate on child safety on January 31st. The hearing followed a wave of legislation across the country that attempts to restrict kids from accessing adult content. 💻 For years, there have been reports about how teens’ feeds are flooded with harmful content, for example. But blocking all material besides what platforms deem trustworthy and acceptable could prevent young people from accessing other educational or support resources. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

😯 Samsung’s Galaxy S24 is first to be able to upload HDR photos to Instagram #News #Insta 💻 Instagram will be able to display HDR photographs taken with Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 phones, the two companies have announced.

“Every photo and video you take, or view, will be shown in its full range of color and contrast, from the moment you snap the content, to the moment you post,” said Samsung’s VP of Intelligent Imaging, Dr. Hamid Sheikh, onstage at the S24 launch event. “In fact the Galaxy S24 series will be the first ever to have HDR enabled for photos on Instagram.”

The app already supports HDR videos. 💻 HDR support was one of a handful of social media photography-focused features Samsung announced for its new phones, the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra. The smartphone manufacturer also announced that Instagram, as well as rival Snapchat, would be able to make use of Samsung’s native camera features when taking photos directly from the social media apps. 

These features include low-light “Nightography” photographs, “Super HDR,” and video stabilization.

💻 While more of Samsung’s camera features will be available through Instagram and Snapchat’s third-party cameras with the Galaxy S24, Engadget notes that you’ll still want to stick to the phone’s first-party apps to benefit from their AI-focused editing features, which can add background blur, remove reflections, and even move subjects around a frame. 💻 The Galaxy S24 might not be the only device that’s able to view and post HDR photos, however. Meta spokesperson Cullen Heaney tells

The Verge that the platform is “working with additional Android partners (and iOS) to expand the availability of the feature” and allow other users to view photos in HDR.

💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

✌ Instagram and Threads will stop recommending political content #News #Insta 💻 It’ll soon be easier to avoid seeing political content across Instagram and Threads unless users explicitly choose to have it recommended to them. In a blog post published on Friday, Meta announced that it’s expanding a existing Reels policy that limits political content from people you’re not following

“Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person’s appetite for it,“ said Instagram head Adam Mosseri, announcing on threads that the changes will be applied over the next few weeks.

💻 Facebook is also expected to roll out these new controls at a later, undisclosed date. Users who still want to have content “likely to mention governments, elections, or social topics that affect a group of people and/or society at large” recommended to them can choose to turn off this limitation within their account settings. The update won’t change how users view content from accounts they choose to follow. 💻 For creators, Meta says that

“if your account is not eligible to be recommended, none of your content will be recommended regardless of whether or not all of your content goes against our recommendations guidelines.”

When these changes do go live, professional accounts on Instagram will be able to use the Account Status feature to check if posting political content is impacting their eligibility for recommendation. 💻 Professional accounts can also use Account Status to contest decisions that revoke this eligibility, alongside editing, removing, or pausing politically related posts until the account is eligible to be recommended again. 💻 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures