Facebook parent company Meta has responded to a coordinated series of lawsuits (list of states and the complaint below) which include one filed in Federal court on behalf of 33 states and state Attorneys General, and 9 other related suits each filed in individual states in state court.

Looking to change the images in the block of photos on your Facebook profile sidebar, and getting frustrated trying to figure out how to do it? One of the first things people notice when they visit your Facebook page is the photo block, yet it seems as if Facebook just picks whatever images it wants to display there, without giving you any control over it; and it seems like it because it’s true! But you can change them, and we’re going to tell you how!

Do you wonder how Facebook’s ‘Take a Break’ from a friend feature works? If you Take a Break from a Facebook friend are they blocked? (No) If you invoke Take a Break on a friend, can they still see your profile? (Yes) Are you tired of seeing updates from certain friends on Facebook? (It happens.) Do you need a break from someone’s constant negative posts? (Who doesn’t?) Will they know that you took a break? (No, not if you don’t tell them.) Here’s everything you need to know about Facebook’s Take a Break feature, including how to do it, and as importantly, how to undo it.

This Independence Day was nothing short of explosive for Meta, and not in the festive sense. The tech behemoth, alongside its industry cohorts, got a shocking present from the European Union’s top court. The verdict? A full-frontal attack on the legal framework that supports Meta’s key business model of targeted advertising.

The social media giant, Meta, is on track to expand its boundaries, eyeing a new opportunity in the app distribution domain. This move will pave the way for Meta to potentially rival tech behemoths Google and Apple’s app stores. Specifically, the company is developing plans to allow Facebook users within the European Union to directly download apps via Facebook ads.

In response to the passing of the Online News Act by the Canadian Senate, tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it is preparing to cease the dissemination of news on these platforms within Canada. This decision arises in direct reaction to Bill C-18, a legislative piece that requires tech companies such as Meta and Google to negotiate agreements with news publishers regarding compensation for the usage of their content.

In a worrisome revelation, dozens of mental health crisis center websites across the United States, which are designed to ensure the anonymity of users, have been discovered to discreetly transfer sensitive visitor data to Facebook, according to an investigation by The Markup. These websites, linked to the national mental health crisis 988 hotline, reportedly transmit user data through a tool known as Meta Pixel. This breach of privacy, particularly significant given the sensitive nature of the data involved, exposes users in critical emotional states to potential data misuse.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is escalating its battle with the Canadian government over a proposed bill that would require online platforms to pay publishers and broadcasters for hosting their content. In response to the impending legislation, Meta announced that it will conduct tests on its platforms to limit news access for a small percentage of users in Canada.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is once again flexing its muscles and employing a well-known strategy to combat California’s Journalism Preservation Act, a proposal that would require dominant platforms to pay news outlets for the distribution of their content.

Ah, Facebook and its infamous privacy scandals. Remember the good old days when Cambridge Analytica was mining user data like it was going out of style? Well, after years of legal battles and billions of dollars in fines, you can finally get a piece of the action

In a bold move that is stirring concerns over user privacy, Facebook has reportedly been granted a patent that suggests a desire to observe its users covertly through their webcam or smartphone camera. The technology aims to discern your mood as you interact with the platform, thereby serving tailored content or advertisements that align with your emotions. The somewhat intrusive concept involves analyzing people in real time via their camera as they browse online. The system is designed to identify emotions such as happiness, boredom, or sadness, and deliver advertisements that correspond with your current mood. For instance, if you’re feeling down, the technology could serve an ad designed to uplift your spirits or present products you’ve previously browsed when the timing feels just right. According to the patent application, Facebook’s system could determine user preferences based on their reactions to specific content.

The news and notifications about the 2023 Facebook settlement are legitimate; it’s not a scam. If you used Facebook at any time between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, you are what is called a ‘member of the class’ and entitled to part of the settlement money (that’s how class action lawsuits work). That said, you can be sure that plenty of scams will piggyback on to this Facebook settlement, so only go to the link that you get from Facebook, or that we are giving you here as it’s the same link.

Elon Musk’s recent firing of Twitter’s customer support team and replacement of the support email with a poop emoji has caused quite a stir. If you were hoping to receive help with your Twitter account, you’re out of luck. It’s safe to say that Musk’s behavior was immature, but it’s not the only eyebrow-raising event since he bought Twitter.

Facebook enables abusers. And they know that they do it. In a world full of online stalking, cyber bullying, and intimidation of the abused and traumatized, the fact that Facebook has never given users the ability to turn off Facebook Messenger read receipts may be one of the most egregious hand-offs of power to abusers ever to be perpetrated by a social media platform.

The Facebook App can “surreptitiously” drain battery on your device, a former employee alleges in a lawsuit. This practice, known as “negative testing,” is essentially an app developer running down someone’s device battery, in the name of testing features or issues such as how fast their app runs or how an image might load, according to data scientist George Hayward.