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Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Business

Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools

  • BARBARA ORTUTAY undefined

Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds? A lawsuit filed against Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. is arguing that a federal law often used to shield internet companies from liability also allows people to use external tools to take control of their feed — even if that means shutting it off entirely. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Meta Platforms on behalf of an Amherst professor who wants to release a tool to let users unfollow all the content fed to them by Facebook's algorithm.

College students are flocking to the Marriage Pact, mostly for fun, but some find lasting love
National

College students are flocking to the Marriage Pact, mostly for fun, but some find lasting love

  • By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer

It's the stuff of movies: Two friends vow to marry each other if they're not hitched by a specified future date or age. Well, the Marriage Pact, an annual matching ritual that has become popular on college campuses around the U.S., has turned that dusty cliche into fun. And a few couples have found lasting love. The pact's founders say the goal is to find people a backup plan for a lifetime match. Unlike dating apps and services, each student gets just one name, a percentage on the quality of the match and an email address to reach out. Questions are meant to look for long-term compatibility. About 500,000 students have participated since the pact first rolled out at Stanford University in 2017.

Scathing federal report rips Microsoft for shoddy security, insincerity in response to Chinese hack
National

Scathing federal report rips Microsoft for shoddy security, insincerity in response to Chinese hack

  • By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer

A Biden administration-appointed review board has issued a scathing indictment of Microsoft corporate security and transparency. The panel says in Tuesday's report that "a cascade of errors" by the tech giant let state-backed Chinese cyber operators break into email accounts last year of senior U.S. officials including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The Cyber Safety Review Board describes what is says is shoddy cybersecurity, a lax corporate culture and a lack of sincerity about the company's knowledge of the targeted breach, which affected multiple U.S. agencies that deal with China. Microsoft said it appreciated the board's investigation. It added that recent events "have demonstrated a need to adopt a new culture of engineering security in our own network."

Tech tip: Change these settings on X to limit calls and hide your IP address
Business

Tech tip: Change these settings on X to limit calls and hide your IP address

  • The Associated Press

Elon Musk's social media platform X has made audio and video calling capabilities available to all users, not just those with paid accounts. But a privacy issue has emerged. The changes have made it so anyone following you on the platform formerly known as Twitter can call and see your Internet Protocol address by default. An IP address lists where your phone or computer lives on the internet — it's how you get messages and load websites. An exposed IP address can make someone more vulnerable to dangers from spam to ID theft to revealing your location.

Disney says in lawsuit that DeSantis-appointed government is failing to release public records
National

Disney says in lawsuit that DeSantis-appointed government is failing to release public records

  • By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, has failed to release documents and properly preserve records in violation of Florida public records law. Disney said in the lawsuit filed last Friday that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has been so slow in fulfilling its public records duties that it has failed to respond completely to a request the company made seven months ago. Disney, DeSantis and the DeSantis appointees are battling for control of the district in two pending lawsuits.

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  • By Michelle Morales Torres

As the clouds begin to roll in there’s always one thing that’s always visible between them — our planet’s satellite — the moon. It will be rea…

Google will start deleting 'inactive' accounts in December. Here's what you need to know
Business

Google will start deleting 'inactive' accounts in December. Here's what you need to know

  • By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer

Have a Google account you haven't used in a while? If you want to keep it from disappearing, you should check on it before the end of the week. Under Google's updated inactive-account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven't been used in at least two years could be deleted. Eligible profiles will start being impacted on Friday. Google attributed its inactive-account update to security concerns. The easiest way to keep your Google account active (and thus prevent it from being deleted) is to sign in at least once every two years. Other actions that fulfill account activity include scrolling through emails, using Google search and watching YouTube videos all while signed into your Google account.