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Meta Lifts Restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram Accounts

FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
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Meta Lifts Restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram Accounts

FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa
FILED - 16 May 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp apps can be seen on the display of a smartphone, in front of the logo of Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa

Meta said Friday it was lifting restrictions on US presidential candidate Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, ending measures put in place after his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in 2021.
It said that "former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties."
Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended indefinitely a day after his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and it was determined he had praised people engaged in violence on social media, reported AFP.
His accounts were reinstated in February 2023 but with a threat of penalties for future breaches -- an additional restriction that Meta lifted on Friday.
"In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis," Meta wrote in a blog post.
It added that US presidential candidates "remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence."
Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from Twitter and YouTube.
While those restrictions were later lifted last year, Trump now mainly communicates on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
His Facebook profile, which has 34 million users, includes messages originally published on Truth Social as well as invitations to rallies and videos from his campaign.

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Technology

Albudaiwi: GCC States Pledge Active Role in Global Digital Security, Stability 

Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Albudaiwi speaks at the Doha Forum on Sunday. (GCC)
Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Albudaiwi speaks at the Doha Forum on Sunday. (GCC)
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Albudaiwi: GCC States Pledge Active Role in Global Digital Security, Stability 

Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Albudaiwi speaks at the Doha Forum on Sunday. (GCC)
Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Albudaiwi speaks at the Doha Forum on Sunday. (GCC)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will remain a proactive and effective partner in supporting international efforts to achieve global and comprehensive digital security, contributing to the enhancement of security and stability in cyberspace, according to Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Albudaiwi.

He made these remarks during his participation in the roundtable event organized by the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) at the 23rd Doha Forum on Sunday.

He highlighted the world's increasing reliance on digital infrastructures that underpin modern economies, essential services, and communications.

He cautioned that any disruption to these systems could lead to instability and the disruption of vital services. This reality mandates that the international community strengthen solidarity and build common frameworks to maintain international digital legitimacy during cyber crises.

He reaffirmed the GCC's commitment, noting that the member states have taken significant strides through the Unified Gulf Strategy for Cybersecurity. This includes massive investments in cloud infrastructure, the development of human capital, the organization of joint cyber exercises that simulate real-world risks, and the development of digital platforms for early warning and coordination during cyber incidents.

He underlined the importance of mutual support between nations when essential digital systems collapse, achieved through technical and operational cooperation frameworks, joint incident response mechanisms, and the temporary utilization of digital infrastructure from neighboring countries when necessary, while strictly respecting national sovereignty and systemic privacy.

Albudaiwi emphasized that several digital sectors must receive stringent international protection to prevent escalation and protect civilian lives, specifically mentioning energy and fuel control systems, telecommunications networks, submarine cables, healthcare and emergency systems, financial networks and digital payment systems, government services, and logistics and transportation networks.

Technology

Meta Reportedly Delays Release of Phoenix Mixed-reality Glasses to 2027

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta is seen at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta is seen at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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Meta Reportedly Delays Release of Phoenix Mixed-reality Glasses to 2027

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta is seen at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta is seen at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Meta is delaying the release of its Phoenix mixed-reality glasses until 2027, aiming to get the details right, Business Insider reported on Friday, citing an internal memo.

The delay from an initially planned release in the second half of 2026 is because the company wants a fully polished device, the report said.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

Meta executives Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns said moving the release date back is "going to give us a lot more breathing room to get the details right," the report added.

The goggles, previously code-named Puffin, weigh around 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and have lower-resolution displays and weaker computing performance than high-end headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro, the Information reported in July.

Mixed reality merges augmented and virtual reality and allows real-world and digital objects to interact.

Meta is expected to make budget cuts of up to 30% for its metaverse initiative, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The metaverse group sits within Reality Labs, which produces the company's Quest mixed-reality headsets, smart glasses made with EssilorLuxottica's Ray-Ban and upcoming augmented-reality glasses.

Technology

Apple, Google Send New Round of Cyber Threat Notifications to Users Around World

The Apple logo is seen in this illustration taken September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen in this illustration taken September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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Apple, Google Send New Round of Cyber Threat Notifications to Users Around World

The Apple logo is seen in this illustration taken September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen in this illustration taken September 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Apple and Google have sent a new round of cyber threat notifications to users around the world, the companies said this week, announcing their latest effort to insulate customers against surveillance threats.

Apple and the Alphabet-owned Google are two of several tech companies that regularly issue warnings to users when they determine they may have been targeted by state-backed hackers.

Apple said the warnings were issued on Dec. 2 but gave few further details about the alleged hacking activity and did not address questions about the number of users targeted or say who was thought to be conducting the surveillance.

Apple said that "to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total."

Apple's statement follows Google's Dec. 3 announcement that it was warning all known users targeted using Intellexa spyware, which it said spanned "several hundred accounts across various countries, including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Angola, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Tajikistan."

Google said in its announcement that Intellexa, a cyber intelligence company that is sanctioned by the US government, was "evading restrictions and thriving."

Executives tied to Intellexa did not immediately return messages.

Previous waves of warnings have triggered headlines and prompted investigations by government bodies, including the European Union, whose senior officials have previously been targeted using spyware.

Threat notifications impose costs on cyber spies by alerting victims, said John Scott-Railton, a researcher with the Canadian digital watchdog group Citizen Lab.

He said they were "also often the first step in a string of investigations and discoveries that can lead to real accountability around spyware abuses."