BARBARA ORTUTAY

AP Technology Writer

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in historic antitrust trial

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced questions about his intentions in acquiring Instagram on the first day of a historic antitrust trial.

Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook's former director of Global Public Policy, arrives to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Former Facebook executive tells Senate committee company undermined US national security with China

Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former executive at Meta and author of an explosive insider account of her time at the social media giant, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, accusing the company of undermining national security and briefing China on U.S. artificial intelligence effort

Venezuelan migrant Yender Romero shows the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app on his cell phone, which he said he used to apply for asylum in the U.S. and is waiting on an answer, at a migrant tent camp outside La Soledad church in Mexico City, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, the inauguration day of U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

US immigration officials look to expand social media data collection

U.S. immigration officials are asking the public and federal agencies to comment on a proposal to collect social media handles from people applying to benefits such as green cards or citizenship, to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump.

Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Elon Musk sells X to his own xAI for $33 billion in all-stock deal

Elon Musk has sold social media site X to his own xAI artificial intelligence company in a $33 billion all-stock deal, the billionaire announced on Friday.

This March 25, 2025 photo shows a 23andMe saliva collection kit in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Barbara Ortutay)

23andMe has filed for bankruptcy. What does this mean for your DNA data privacy?

The genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, prompting people who’ve used the service and sent in DNA samples to be analyzed to wonder what will happen to their genetic data.

Meta to start testing crowd-sourced fact-checking, based on X example, next week

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc. says it will launch its crowd-sourced fact-checking program, called Community Notes, on March 18. It will initially based on a ratings system used by Elon Musk’s X.

Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Elon Musk claims X being targeted in ‘massive cyberattack’ as service goes down

Hours after a series of outages that left X unavailable to thousands of users, Elon Musk is claiming that the social media platform is being targeted in a “massive cyberattack.”

Alexis Ohanian poses for a photo on the red carpet at the Women's Sports Foundation's Annual Salute to Women in Sports, Oct. 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Digg to relaunch with focus on ‘humanity and connection’

Before Reddit there was Digg, which popularized up- and down-votes on online posts. Now the founders of both platforms — social media veterans Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian — are relaunching the early Reddit rival with a focus on “humanity and connection” they hope will be boosted by the use of arti

Judge denies Elon Musk’s request to block OpenAI for-profit conversion but welcomes trial

A federal judge has denied Elon Musk’s request for a court order blocking OpenAI from converting itself to a for-profit company. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said late Tuesday she could expedite a trial to consider Musk’s claims.

Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

Judge says Elon Musk’s claims of harm from OpenAI are a ‘stretch’ but welcomes possible trial

Elon Musk’s lawyers faced off with OpenAI in court Tuesday as a federal judge weighed the billionaire’s request for a court order that would block the ChatGPT maker from converting itself to a for-profit company. U.S.

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Elon Musk creates confusion about IRS’ Direct File — but the free tax program is still available

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on his social media site that he has “deleted” 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS’s Direct File program.

Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Meta posts sharply higher Q4 profit, revenue, topping Wall Street’s expectations

Meta Platforms Inc. posted sharply higher profit and revenue for its fourth quarter on Wednesday, thanks to higher ad revenue on its social media properties.

People are hawking TikTok-loaded phones for thousands on eBay, Facebook

People are listing phones preloaded with TikTok for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other online storefronts. But it is not clear if there are many buyers at those prices.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

From backing a ban to being hailed as a savior: Inside Trump’s TikTok shift

During his first term as president, Donald Trump led the effort to ban TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing site he said posed threats to U.S. national security.

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

SEC sues Elon Musk, saying he didn’t disclose Twitter ownership on time before buying it

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued billionaire Elon Musk, saying he failed to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock in a timely manner in early 2022, before buying the social media site.

Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Meta rolls back hate speech rules as Zuckerberg cites ‘recent elections’ as a catalyst

It wasn’t just fact-checking that Meta scrapped from its platforms as it prepares for the second Trump administration.

Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Meta eliminates fact-checking in latest bow to Trump

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta says it’s scrapping its third-party fact-checking program and replacing it with “community notes” written by users similar to the model used by Elon Musk’s social platform X.

(AP Illustration/Jenni Sohn)

Insider Q&A: High hopes for Australia social media ban and channeling parental ‘fury’ over tech

Julie Scelfo started MAMA — Mothers Against Media Addiction — earlier this year to help parents fight back against the harms of social media on children.

Mikael Makonnen, 18, a freshman at American University, poses for a photo in Washington, D.C, on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Almaz Abedje, file)

Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds

Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online “constantly,” despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health. That’s according to a new report published Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

A teenage girl uses her phone in Sydney, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Australia is banning social media for people under 16. Could this work elsewhere — or even there?

It is an ambitious social experiment of our moment in history. Experts say it could accomplish something that parents, schools and other governments have attempted with varying degrees of success — keeping kids off social media until they turn 16.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at the convening of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes at the Golden Gate Club at the Presidio in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

US gathers allies to talk AI safety as Trump’s vow to undo Biden’s AI policy overshadows their work

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden’s signature artificial intelligence policy when he returns to the White House for a second term. What that actually means for the future of AI technology remains to be seen.

Employees work behind an evaluation board, foreground, in a lab at the d-Matrix office in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Nvidia rivals focus on building a different kind of chip to power AI products

FILE - Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

You may have blocked someone on X but now they can see your public posts anyway

Elon Musk’s X has been modified so that accounts you’ve blocked on the social media platform can still see your public posts. X updated its Help Center page over the weekend to explain how blocking now works on the site.

FILE - Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Report says crowd-sourced fact checks on X fail to address flood of US election misinformation

X’s crowd-sourced fact-checking program, called Community Notes, isn’t addressing the flood of U.S. election misinformation on Elon Musk’s social media platform.

FILE - Mark Zuckerberg wears a pair of Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Meta’s third-quarter profit surges 35% reflecting strong ad revenue and its AI push

Meta Platforms Inc. has posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter results fueled by its advertising revenue growth and its push to incorporate artificial intelligence.

TikTok let through disinformation in political ads despite its own ban, Global Witness finds

Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok still approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads. That’s according to a report by the nonprofit Global Witness.

FILE - An ad by Valor media shows a photo of Elon Musk at a shopping center in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Elon Musk’s X is back in Brazil after its suspension, having complied with all judicial demands

The social media platform X is returning to Brazil after remaining inaccessible for more than a month following a clash between its owner, Elon Musk, and a justice on the country’s highest court.

FILE - An ad by Valor media shows a photo of Elon Musk at a shopping center in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Musk’s X to be reinstated in Brazil after complying with Supreme Court demands

The Brazilian Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday authorized the restoration of social media platform X´s service in Brazil, over a month after its nationwide shutdown, according to a statement posted on the court’s website.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a press conference announcing a bipartisan coalition of attorney generals filing lawsuits against TikTok for violation of state consumer protection laws Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Minh Connors)

TikTok is designed to be addictive to kids and causes them harm, US states’ lawsuits say

More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok. They are alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms young people’s mental health.

FILE - The icon for Snapchat is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Details from New Mexico’s lawsuit against Snap show site failed to act on reports of sextortion

Snapchat has failed to act on rampant reports of child grooming, sextortion and other dangers to minors on its platform. That’s according to a newly unredacted complaint against the company filed by New Mexico’s attorney general.