Twitter’s feature for tweeting only to close friends is now available to all its users. After nearly four months of testing, Twitter Circle is rolling out for everyone to help people feel “more comfortable tweeting and expressing themselves.”

Twitter Circle is a bit like Instagram’s “close friends” feature.. Meant to be a sort of middle-ground between a public and private account, users can designate some tweets to be viewable only to a smaller “circle” of up to 150 followers. The feature could help address a long-running issue for the company: that many Twitter users simply don’t feel comfortable tweeting that much, either for fear of harassment or simply the pressures associated with public-facing accounts.

Interestingly, Twitter says that its early tests of the feature have shown that users with Circle tweet more overall, and get more likes and replies when tweeting to a smaller group. The company notes that it also reduces the need for users to have a secondary account or switching their accounts back and forth between public and private.

Twitter Circle is the latest way Twitter has tried to create spaces for users to interact with smaller audiences without making their accounts completely private. The company has also experimented with a Facebook Groups-like feature, called Communities, and subscriber-only content for creators with Super Follows. But Twitter Circle, which users can access directly from the tweet composer, is an even more accessible way of controlling the audience for each tweet. That may seem at odds with the “town square” vision of Twitter vaunted by its would-be acquirer, but increased engagement could also help the company’s bottom line.

Snapchat is the latest app to add dual camera functionality. The app is launching the “Dual Camera” recording feature it previewed during its Partner Summit earlier this year. The update enables users to snap photos and video using their phone’s front-facing and rear cameras simultaneously. It’s available now on iOS for iPhone XS and newer (Snap says Dual Camera won’t be available on Android for several more months.)

The company first teased the feature in April, when it said the new video option would be part of a suite of more advanced features for creators called “director mode.” But while director mode hasn’t yet launched — Snap says it’s expected in the coming months — the company opted to roll out Dual camera as a standalone feature in the main Snapchat camera.

Capturing content with both device’s cameras at once isn’t a new concept — the briefly popular app Frontback experimented with it nearly a decade ago — but the concept has become more popular in recent months with the rise of selfie app BeReal. However, Snapchat’s take on the feature is a bit different than those apps, which were more focused on selfies.

With Snapchat’s Dual Camera enabled, users can record video using both cameras at once, and can change up the layout of the two clips. There’s a split-screen version, which places each camera on one half of the screen; a picture-in-picture style; and a cutout mode similar to the effect you might get with TikTok’s green screen. Dual Camera mode also supports Snapchat's signature augmented reality lenses, though for now the effects can only be applied after the fact. 

Snap isn’t the only company experimenting with dual-camera-recording. Instagram is also testing a dual camera setup called Candid Challenges, which the company confirmed last week is currently an “internal prototype.” For now, that feature sounds more like a straight copy of BeReal, but it’s not difficult to imagine the feature could one day make an appearance in Reels as well

Meta is finally addressing a problem that’s long vexed users: its lack of customer support. Bloombergreports that Meta is now planning to build a customer support division, which will be able to help users “who have had posts or accounts removed unexpectedly.”

Meta’s plans are apparently still in “early stages,” so it’s not yet clear when the new services will be available. According to Bloomberg, Meta’s plans were at least partially driven by insight from its Oversight Board, which handles requests from users to appeal the company’s content decisions. The board has repeatedly said that Meta should be more transparent in the way it communicates with users about its decisions.

The addition of customer service representatives who are able to actually speak with users could solve a long-running headache for many. Currently, users who lose access to their accounts — either through hackings or wrongful suspensions — have few options available to get them back. The company has an appeals process, as well as automated tools, but both can be difficult to navigate. The tools are so confusing, and often ineffective, that desperate users sometimes resort to other means, like hiring legal services or even hackers to try and get their accounts back. They often plead with executives and journalists on social media to help them regain their accounts.

But with actual customer support, frustrated Facebook and Instagram users would finally have a Meta-sanctioned resource to turn to. The company didn’t share specifics on how the customer service division would operate or would be eligible for help.

Twitter’s former security chief will testify at a Senate hearing about the company’s security practices. Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, who recently went public with a lengthy whistleblower complaint based on his experiences at the company, will appear at a Judiciary Committee hearing on September 13th.

“Mr. Zatko’s allegations of widespread security failures and foreign state actor interference at Twitter raise serious concerns,” committee chair Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement. “If these claims are accurate, they may show dangerous data privacy and security risks for Twitter users around the world.”

The hearing was announced one day after Zatko went public with claims that Twitter has been “grossly negligent” in its handling of numerous security issues. Some of the most explosive of his allegations, however, surround Twitter’s dealings with foreign governments and government actors, which he has said could threaten U.S. national security.

Twitter previously responded to Zatko’s claims by saying it was “riddled with inaccuracies.” And CEO Parag Agrawal reportedly told Twitter staffers that Zatko was fired for “for ineffective leadership and poor performance,” but the company has yet to publicly address the allegations in detail.

In a whistleblower complaint, Twitter’s former security chief has raised serious questions not just about the company’s security practices, but the potential for foreign governments and entities to influence the company. According to Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, Twitter’s dealings with other countries could be putting the United States’ national security at risk. As reported by CNN, the complaint details specific concerns relating to Russia, China and India.

“A few months before CTO Parag Agrawal was promoted to CEO, Agrawal suggested to Mudge that Twitter should consider ceding to the Russian Federation’s censorship and surveillance demands as a way to grow users in Russia,” the complaint, published byThe Washington Post, states.

The document doesn’t specify what steps Agrawal proposed. As CNN points out, Russia tried to force large tech companies, including Twitter, to open local offices in the country before its invasion of Ukraine. The complaint states that the “suggestion was never pursued or implemented,” but it notes that the mere suggestion is “cause for concern about Twitter’s effects on U.S. national security,” and that it was at odds with Jack Dorsey’s wishes.

Zatko also raises questions about Twitter’s financial relationship with unnamed “Chinese entities.” The complaint states that Twitter is “dependent upon revenue coming from Chinese entities even though the Twitter service is blocked in China.” The money led to “concerns within Twitter that the information the Chinese entities could receive would allow them to identify and learn sensitive information about Chinese users who successfully circumvented the block, and other users around the world.” It goes on to say that “Mr. Zatko was told that Twitter was too dependent on the revenue stream to do anything other than attempt to increase it.”

Regarding Twitter’s operations in India, the complaint alleges that the Indian government “forced” the company to hire at least one government agent who “would have access to vast amounts of Twitter’s sensitive data.” It later says that a U.S. government source warned the company that “one or more particular company employees were working on behalf of another particular foreign intelligence agency.” The document doesn’t specify what country the source was referring to.

Notably, it’s not the first time Twitter has dealt with an employee accused of spying for another country. A former Twitter worker was recently convicted of acting as an agent for Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors alleged the man was paid to turn over sensitive information about dissidents.

Elsewhere in the complaint, Zatko states that Twitter repeatedly caught employees “intentionally installing spyware on their work computers at the request of external organizations” even though it was against the company’s policy to do so. There are no further details provided about what organizations might be making such requests or why employees would comply, but the complaint notes that as a result some “external people or organizations had more awareness of activity on some Twitter employee computers than Twitter itself had.”

Twitter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the claims. The company previously told The Washington Post and CNN the complaint was “riddled with inaccuracies.” Members of Congress, including the Senate Intelligence Committee, have already said they are looking into Zatko’s allegations.

Instagram is testing a new feature called Candid Challenges, which bears a striking resemblance to BeReal, a photo sharing app popular among Gen. Z. The currently unreleased feature was spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi, a developer known for reverse engineering apps and finding early versions of upcoming updates. An Instagram spokesperson confirmed the feature is an "internal prototype," but declined to provide additional details.

According to Paluzzi, Instagram users participating in Candid Challenges will see a notification at a different time each day to snap a photo of their surroundings. Upon getting the prompt, the Instagram camera will also open with both front and rear-facing shooters, and give users a two-minute window to snap a pic. Content shared via the challenges will appear in the Stories tray.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because the functionality sounds nearly identical to BeReal, a selfie app marketed as a more candid and authentic alternative to mainstream social media platforms. The app, which originally launched in 2019, also prompts users to take a photo using their phone’s front and rear-facing cameras at a random time each day. The daily prompts also expire after two minutes, after which users can view all the photos shared by their friends that day.

It's not yet clear if or when Instagram intends to launch the feature. An Instagram spokesperson described the feature as an "internal prototype" that's "not testing externally." But the fact that the company is testing the functionality suggests it's at least considering replicating the app inside of its own service.

BeReal has a big following among Gen. Z, and has been rising in popularity over the last several months. BeReal is currently sitting in the top position in Apple's App Store, ahead of both Instagram (No. 8) and Facebook (No. 18). It's been among the ten most-popular free apps for much of this summer. 

Mark Zuckerberg has said Meta’s future relies on appealing to young adults, who are increasingly spending their time on non-Meta platforms. And while TikTok is currently its top competitor, the company is known to closely monitor its rivals and has often copied features from other services. Instagram also recently added a new "Dual" setting to its in-app camera that mimics the shooting style popularized by BeReal.

Lawyers representing Elon Musk in his battle with Twitter have subpoenaed former CEO Jack Dorsey. The filing is the latest development as Musk and Twitter prepare for the October trial over Musk’s attempt to bail on his $44 billion deal to buy the company.

It’s not yet clear how Dorsey factors in to Musk's legal strategy. As noted by the Chancery Daily Twitter account, the subpoena refers to “documents and communications reflecting, referring to, or relating to the impact or effect of false or spam accounts on Twitter’s business operations.” It also references documents related to how Twitter uses mDAU or monetizable daily active users as a “key metric.” Interestingly, it also requests “documents relating to incorporating mDAU into executive or director compensation.”

Dorsey isn't the only former Twitter executive subpoenaed by Musk. Twitter’s recently ousted product chief Kayvon Beykpour and former head of revenue Bruce Falck have also received subpoenas.

Musk has claimed that Twitter has misled him and the public about the number of bots and fake accounts on the platform. Twitter’s lawyers have argued that Musk has repeatedly broken the terms of his agreement with the company. A five-day trial is scheduled to begin October 17th.

Dorsey previously endorsed Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, saying that “Elon is the singular solution I trust,” and that he was ““getting the company out of an impossible situation.” Dorsey hasn’t publicly weighed in on the ongoing legal battle or Musk’s claims about bots and fake accounts.

Mark Zuckerberg says that Meta has “major updates” planned for its VR graphics after previously sharing an image of his own VR avatar that was widely mocked. He said the company would share more details about the changes at its upcoming Connect conference.

Zuckerberg’s update comes several days after a screenshot from Horizon Worlds, the company’s social VR environment, went viral on Twitter. 

The images were originally shared last week alongside an announcement that Horizon Worlds was launching in France and Spain. The screenshot showed a nearly featureless Zuckerberg avatar in front of a VR Eiffel Tower and Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia. The image quickly took on a life of its own on Twitter as people mocked the low-res and amateur-looking graphics. In particular, many questioned why Zuckerberg’s avatar was so flat and lifeless when the company has spent billions of dollars and staked its future on the success of the metaverse.

Though Zuckerberg didn’t directly address the critiques, he acknowledged the image he had previously shared was “pretty basic,” and promised improvements. His latest post included two new, much more detailed and lifelike renders: his avatar and an outdoor scene depicting ancient ruins.

“I know the photo I posted earlier this week was pretty basic — it was taken very quickly to celebrate a launch,” Zuckerberg wrote. “The graphics in Horizon are capable of much more — even on headsets — and Horizon is improving very quickly.”

A firm contracted by Meta recently told dozens of its workers that their work for Facebook “was soon being taken away,” according to a new report from Insider. The cuts affect about 60 employees of Accenture, a firm that oversees teams of Facebook moderators and other contractors.

The reasons for the cuts are unclear as workers were not given an explanation for the changes. According to Insider, workers were informed of the news during a hastily scheduled video call during which nameless Accenture representatives told the contractors they had been selected “at random” via an algorithm.

Facebook declined to comment to Insider and an Accenture rep denied that “layoff actions” had taken place. Affected workers were reportedly told they could reapply and interview for new roles within the firm.

The cuts come as Meta faces unprecedented challenges to its business amid an economic downturn and hits to its advertising business. The company, which recently reported shrinking revenue for the first time in its history after losing billions of dollars on its virtual reality division, has already drastically cut hiring plans and told managers to weed out low performers. The company also cut back some of its famously extravagant employee perks, like onsite laundry service, earlier this year. Meta employees are reportedly concerned that the company could slash its workforce by as much as 10 percent, though the company has so far denied it has plans for mass layoffs.

TikTok is the latest social platform to preview its strategy for fighting election misinformation ahead of the November midterms. The company is once again promoting its in-app Elections Center, which connects users with voting resources and information about their local races. TikTok says a link to the Elections Center will appear on all content related to the midterms, as well as all videos from candidates, political parties and official government accounts.

The company will also continue to work with third-party fact checkers to debunk false claims and warn users when a video contains unverified information. Videos with claims that are debunked by fact checkers will also direct viewers to the Elections Center.

While much of this is similar to steps the company took ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Eric Han, the company’s head of US safety, says the company has built on learnings from 2020. For example, TikTok is stepping up its outreach to creators in an effort to ensure they understand the company’s ban on political ads also applies to branded content.

TikTok

The issue has been a challenging one for TikTok. A report last year from Mozilla found that many creators with financial ties to political candidates and organizations were able to easily evade detection on the app. In a briefing with reporters, Han acknowledged that undisclosed branded content is a “challenge” for the company.

He said the company is creating educational videos for creators and agencies to better inform them of TikTok’s rules around such partnerships. He also said the company is working on improving its ability to detect such content, both by monitoring third-party reports, and with internal teams that are “investigating for potential signals where we should be investigating.”

TikTok isn’t the only social platform getting a head start on preparing for the fall midterms. Twitter announced last week that it was reactivating its civic integrity policy and rolling out redesigned fact-checking labels. Meta also recently previewed its strategy to counter misinformation during the midterms, saying it will repeat many of the steps it took ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

But TikTok has come under particular scrutiny for its rapid growth over the last two years and its parent company ByteDance’s ties to China. The company announced this week that Oracle would be auditing its algorithms and moderation practices.

“As part of Oracle's work, they will be regularly vetting and validating both our recommendation and our moderation models,” Han told reporters. “There'll be regular audits of our content moderation processes, both from automated systems … as well as the content that is moderated and reviewed by humans.”