Engadget : Technology

In the last decade social media has gone from silly dog lenses to over the top beauty filters. The latter is at the core of a new initiative from TikTok — the company currently being sued in 14 US states for negatively impacting young people's mental health.

Engadget : Economy

Bloomberg reports that Uber has started farming out independent contractors for data-labeling services as well as coders-for-hire.

Engadget : Business

Google is running a short test in Germany, Belgium and Estonia that removes more detailed results from Google Search when users look for hotels and lodgings in these countries. Results will instead appear in a simple “blue link” that older users may recall from years past. The primary reason behind this test is pressure from the European Union, which is calling for more Google compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Engadget

Google is conducting a “test” that will omit results from EU-based news publishers.

Engadget

Meta has long been at loggerheads with European Union officials over its approach to targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. The company is hoping to placate regulators with some changes to its ad model in the bloc, which includes lowering the price of its ad-free subscription.

Engadget

The latest version of Matter, the open smart home standard that largely hasn’t yet lived up to its lofty promises for seamless device-agnostic integration, is now available. Hardware makers and platforms can integrate Matter 1.4 into their products on Thursday. The new version’s biggest feature may be Enhanced Multi-Admin, which aims to improve interoperability between different device ecosystems.

Engadget

The Mozilla Foundation has made steep cuts to its team. The 30 percent staff reduction will completely eliminate the nonprofit's advocacy and global programs divisions, according to an internal email sent by Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed.

Engadget

Meta is opening up its Llama AI models to government agencies and contractors working on national security, the company said in an update.