Meta has set up an internal task force after reporters and researchers discovered its systems helped "connect and promote a vast network of accounts" devoted to underage-sex content, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Unlike forums and file transfer services, Instagram not only hosts such activities but promotes them via its algorithms. The company acknowledged enforcement problems and has taken actions including restricting its systems from recommending searches associated with sex abuse. 

"Child exploitation is a horrific crime," Meta told the WSJ in a statement. "We’re continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behavior."

Along with the task force, Meta told reporters that it is working on blocking child sexual abuse material (CSAM) networks and taking steps to change its systems. In the last two years, it has taken down 27 pedophile networks and is working on removing more. It has blocked thousands of related hashtags (with millions of posts for some) and took action to prevent its systems from recommending CSAM-related terms. It's also trying to stop its systems from connecting potential abusers with each other.

However, the report should be a wakeup call for Meta, the company's former security chief Alex Stamos told the WSJ. "That a team of three academics with limited access could find such a huge network should set off alarms at Meta," he said, noting that the company far better tools than outside investigators to map CSAM networks. "I hope the company reinvests in human investigators." 

Academics from Stanford's Internet Observatory and UMass's Rescue Lab were able to quickly find "large-scale communities promoting criminal sex abuse," according to the report. After creating test users and viewing a single account, they were immediately hit with "suggested for you" recommendations of possible CSAM sellers and buyers, along with accounts linking to off-platform content sites. Following just several recommendations caused the test accounts to be inundated with sex-abuse content. 

“Instagram is an onramp to places on the internet where there’s more explicit child sexual abuse,” said UMass Rescue Lab director Brian Levine. The Stanford group also found that CSAM content is "particularly severe" on the site. "The most important platform for these networks of buyers and sellers seems to be Instagram."

Meta said the company actively seeks to remove such users, having taken down 490,000 accounts violating child safety policies in January alone. Its internal statistics show that child exploitation appears in less than one in 10 thousand posts, it added. 

However, until queried by reporters, Instagram was allowing users to search terms that its own systems know may be associated with CSAM material. A pop-up screen warned users that "These results may contain images of child sexual abuse" that can cause "extreme harm" to children. However, it then allowed users to either "Get resources" or "See results anyway." The latter option has now been disabled, but Meta didn't respond when the WSJ asked why it was allowed in the first place. 

Furthermore, attempts by users to report child-sex content were often ignored by Instagram's algorithms. And Facebook's own efforts to exclude hashtags and terms were sometimes overridden by the systems, suggesting users try variations on the name. In testing, researchers found that viewing even one underage seller account caused the algorithm to recommend new ones. "Instagram’s suggestions were helping to rebuild the network that the platform’s own safety staff was in the middle of trying to dismantle."

A Meta spokesperson said it's currently building system to prevent such recommendations, but Levine said the time to act is now. "Pull the emergency brake. Are the economic benefits worth the harms to these children?" Engadget has reached out to Meta for comment. 

Amazon's Blink doorbells and cameras are an inexpensive way to get into smart home security, and now it's running a sale that makes them significantly cheaper. In one key deal, the Blink Video Doorbell and Sync Module 2 is priced at $57, a savings of 40 percent and one of the lowest prices we've seen. You can also pick up the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera for just $42 (30 percent off), a three-pack of the Blink Mini indoor cam for $54 (45 percent off) and the Blink Outdoor (3rd Gen) for $60 (40 percent off). 

The Blink Video Doorbell offers live video at 1080p resolution with infrared capabilities for nighttime use and two-way audio. You don't need to worry about wires, and it'll run for up to two years on a pair of AA batteries. It's also weather resistant thanks to a seal that offers protection against water, Amazon says. Alexa can manage the doorbell by operating the two-way audio function, arming and disarming the device and giving you chime and motion alerts. You can get a live display on an Alexa-powered device or your smartphone. 

The Sync Module 2, meanwhile, enables users to control Blink devices from the Blink Home Monitor app. Plug a USB storage drive into the Sync Module 2, and you'll be able to save recordings of motion-activated video clips. You'll be able to view the footage via the Blink app or by plugging the flash drive into your computer.

Beyond the Video Doorbell, other notable deals include a three-camera kit of Blink's indoor security cam for $54 and the Blink Outdoor Cam, another pick from our best smart home device guide, for $60 ($99 for a two pack). And if you're looking for a flexible indoor camera, the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt model is on sale for $42, or $18 off the full price. Those are just several of a large number of deals in Amazon's big Blink sale. 

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Google's Slack-like business app Chat, previously known as Hangouts, is getting an AI update on web, the company announced. As with Docs and Gmail, Google is introducing "smart compose," suggesting relevant phrases in context as you write, effectively saving time by reducing repetitive typing. The aim, the company said, is to help you communicate with colleagues quicker "to move conversations or projects forward more efficiently."

Google has notoriously confusing communications around its messaging apps, so as a reminder, Chat is its enterprise chat app originally introduced among a slate of business offerings. It has features similar to the original Hangouts experience, but with upgrades like reactions and reply suggestions. While designed for enterprises, it's available for free to individual users as well. 

Google

Chat got Google's Material Design treatment earlier this year, tying it more closely to Gmail, from where it can be directly launched. Along with new fonts, colors, panel sizing and other aesthetic changes, Google introduced a new topic button designed to make project collaboration easier. 

Since Chat has a lot in common with Gmail, it makes sense to have the smart compose option in both apps. Google notes that it will be turned ON by default and can be disabled by unchecking "Enable predictive suggestions as you compose a message on web and desktop" under smart compose. As mentioned, the update only pertains to the web version — it's now rolling out to rapid release domains, and will arrive to others starting on June 26th. 

Twitter's advertising revenue is down 59 percent during a five week stretch between April 1st and early May compared to the same period last year, The New York Times has reported. It regularly falls short of sales projections, and things aren't likely to change soon (apparently despite the arrival of new CEO Linda Yaccarino), according to Twitter employees and documents seen by the NYT. 

Musk previously said that Twitter was on track to post $3 billion in 2023 revenue compared to $5.1 billion in 2021. Last March, he stated Twitter was worth $20 billion, less than half the $44 billion he paid for it.

In a Twitter Space last week, Musk said "half our advertising" disappeared, blaming advertisers in Europe and North America who have put "extreme pressure" on the company. "They are trying to drive Twitter bankrupt," he added.

However, Twitter's ad sales staff is worried that advertisers have been scared off by a rise in hate speech and pornography, along with a surfeit of ads for things like online gambling and marijuana products. Since Musk took over Twitter, he has taken actions like firing key sales executives and reinstating banned users. That prompted ad agencies and brands including GM and Volkswagen to pause ad spending. 

Other advertisers including Apple, Amazon and Disney have reportedly been spending less on advertising than last year, employees told the NYT. It cited an example of large banner ads used to promote things like events or new movies (that can cost up to $500,000 for 24 hours) going unsold. Six agencies said clients have limited ad spending on Twitter over inconsistent support, confusion over changes and the presence of misinformation and toxic content.

They're also concerned about Musk's tweets, like one that compared billion George Soros — a frequent target of antisemites — to X-Men comic book villain Magneto. Earlier this month, Twitter head of safety and content moderation Ella Irwin left the company after the person previously in that role, Yoel Roth, departed in November of 2022.

It's not all bad news, though, as some large media buyers have recently advised clients to return to Twitter, the report states. When Linda Yaccarino was appointed CEO last month, Musk said that she'll "focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design and new technology." She may also be able to help Twitter smooth over troubled relationships with advertisers and resolve issues around moderation for hate speech, pornography and more. 

"For a period, we weren’t even sure who to get on the phone with to talk to," one media exec told the NYT. "With Linda coming in, that could change that in a big way." At the same time, he acknowledged that it may be a "tall order" for Yaccarino to deal with the volatile environment Musk has created.

If you're ready to pull the trigger on a PS5 and want the popular title God of War: Ragnarok as well, Amazon has them on sale in a bundle at a new all-time low. The PS5 God of War: Ragnarok bundle is currently on sale for $500, or $60 off the usual price. That means you can get the game for just $1, considering the disc version of the console on its own is normally $499. Amazon has a big sale on a number of other games too, including Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 Standard Edition, along with God of War: Ragnarok by itself. 

Sales for Sony's PS5 exploded once supply constraints disappeared, with Sony announcing it sold 19.1 million units in the last year alone, compared to 11.5 million the year before. Still, the console rarely goes on sale, so this is one of the best deals we've seen, effectively giving you both the disc version of the PS5 and God of War: Ragnarok for the price of the console alone. 

Meanwhile, God of War: Ragnarok made Engadget's list of the best PS5 games for 2023. We called it a "massive adventure" and lauded features like an incredible combat experience, greater variety of enemies and more realms to visit. It also provides visuals up to 4K or high 120Hz frame rates, assuming your TV can handle it.

Along with the bundle, Amazon is offering deals on a bunch of PS5 games as part of its Days of Play sale. As mentioned, you can grab significant savings on Horizon Forbidden West ($40 or 43 percent off), Gran Turismo 7 Standard Edition ($40), and God of War: Ragnarok ($50 or $30 percent off). Other titles on sale include Spider Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition ($40), Demon's Souls ($30) and Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut ($30). 

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Google's Pixel 7 is still one of the best value smartphones available and now you can grab one at the lowest prices we've ever seen. Amazon is selling the 128GB Pixel 7 at $200 off for just $499, and throwing in a $100 Amazon gift card, effectively bringing the price down to $399. It's also selling the 256GB Pixel 7 Pro at an all-time low of $699, for a savings of $200 (22 percent) over the regular price. It's all part of a huge Amazon sale on Google Pixel 7 devices, offering discounts on nearly every model, colorway and memory configuration. 

The Pixel 7 offers a lot of refinements over the previous model, making it Google's most polished smartphone to date. It uses the company's own Tensor G2 chip, and while it's not quite as fast as Qualcomm's latest processors, it unlocks some nice AI camera tricks like Super Res Zoom, Photo Unblur and Cinematic Blur features. The 6.3-inch, 90Hz display offers smooth performance, while being small enough to do most things one-handed. It comes with a 50-megapixel main and 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, both among the best in the industry. 

The Pixel 7 Pro, meanwhile, offers 5X telephoto and ultra-wide-angle lens that has a solid macro function. Meanwhile, the 6.7-inch 120Hz display allows for smooth gaming performance. You can also expect modern features like wireless charging, strong water resistance and an improved design.

Best of all for many buyers, both devices offer Google's bloatware-free Android experience with first crack at updates and exclusive features like Clear Calling and a free VPN. The only downside is a slightly laggy fingerprint reader and temperatures that can get a bit warm under load. 

Those aren't the only two models with nice discounts, either. Amazon has slashed prices on nearly every Pixel 7 model as part of a larger sale, including different colors and memory configurations, with and without Amazon gift cards. So if you've been waiting for a deal, now is the time to act. 

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There's no better way to make a dumb TV smart than Chromecast with Google TV, thanks to the breadth of streaming options, Dolby Vision support and relative affordability. Now, you can grab one for even less at Amazon thanks to a new sale. The 4K version is available for just $40 (20 percent off), tied for the lowest price we've ever seen. And if HD resolution is fine, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is just $20, for a savings of 33 percent — also back down to an all-time low.

The Chromecast with Google TV isn't as small as some streaming sticks, but it's still a nice compact (and attractive) solution, and the cable makes it easy to plug into most TVs or projectors. It also comes with a nice remote control that's comfortable in hand offers controls that are pleasant to use. 

The design, along with the solid feature set helped the 4K version earn an 86 score in our Engadget review and top pick in this year's streaming devices buyer's guide. For compatible TVs, it offers support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, along with regular HDR10. It also offers excellent Google Assistant integration that makes voice commands a breeze. And while past Chromecast devices could be laggy, both the 4K and HD versions offer much improved performance. 

The main downside is the lack of Apple TV, but Chromecast with Google TV works just fine with Apple devices. As mentioned, both the 4K and HD devices are down to all-time lows ($40 and $20 respectively), so it's best to act soon if you're interested in buying one.

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Last year, Facebook parent Meta said it may stop Canadians from sharing news content in response to the country's proposed Online Sharing Act. Now, the company has announced that it will begin tests on Facebook and Instagram that "limit some users and publishers from viewing or sharing some news content in Canada," it wrote in a blog post. The testing will take place over several weeks and the "small percentage" of users affected will be notified if they try to share news content. 

"As we have repeatedly shared, the Online News Act is fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work, the preferences of the people who use them, and the value we provide news publishers," the company wrote.

The proposed law, also known as Bill C-18, was introduced by the ruling Liberal government earlier this year. Modeled after a similar Australian law, it aims to force internet platforms like Facebook into revenue-sharing partnerships with local news organizations. It came about, in part, because of Facebook and Google's dominance of the online advertising market — with both companies combined taking 80 percent of revenue.

Last year, Meta said it was trying to be "transparent about the possibility that we may be forced to consider whether we continue to allow the sharing of news content in Canada." The company made the threat after a government panel failed to invite Meta to a meeting about the legislation. Google also temporarily blocked some Canadian users from seeing news content. 

In response, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called the tests "unacceptable," Reuters reported. "When a big tech company... tells us, 'If you don't do this or that, then I'm pulling the plug' — that's a threat. I've never done anything because I was afraid of a threat," he told Reuters. 

Facebook, Google and others eventually agreed to the Australian law, and now pay publishers to post news links with snippets. Before that happened, though, Facebook followed through on its threat to block users from sharing news links in the nation. It later reversed the ban following further discussions, after the government made amendments addressing Facebook's concerns about the value of its platform to publishers.

For now, the test will only affect a small number of users and for a limited time. If it follows the same playbook it used in Australia though, Meta may block news sharing for all users in Canada, possibly as a way to force the government and publishers to the bargaining table.

"As the Minister of Canadian Heritage has said, how we choose to comply with the legislation is a business decision we must make, and we have made our choice," the company wrote. "While these product tests are temporary, we intend to end the availability of news content in Canada permanently following the passage of Bill C-18."

Last year, Rocket Lab announced that it would embark on an ambitious mission to send a small probe to Venus to hunt for organic molecules in its atmosphere. The launch was supposed to happen in May 2023, but now Rocket Lab has confirmed that it's "not imminent," TechCrunch has reported. While company didn't provide a new date, a research paper published in July 2022 states that a "backup launch window is available in January 2025." 

News of the mission flew under the radar, as it were, but it's rather ambitious. Rocket Lab plans to use its Electron booster and Photon spacecraft, sending a small probe into Venus's cloud layer about 30-37 miles up, where temperatures are Earth-like. (Thanks to the planet's greenhouse effect, temperatures on the surface are greater than 900 degrees F and pressure more than 75 Earth atmospheres.)

Rocket Lab

Once there, the tiny 40 centimeter diameter probe will search for organic molecules or other clues that the atmosphere could support life. Venus came into the news back in 2020 after researchers claimed to spot signs of phosphine, a chemical that's typically produced by living organisms. While controversial, the findings sparked a new interest in the Venus atmosphere as a possible source for life, and Rocket Lab's mission is centered around just that. 

At the same time, it's a way for the company to show off its Photon spacecraft designed to go beyond Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Last year, Rocket Lab successfully launched Photon on NASA's CAPSTONE mission, designed to verify the orbital stability of the planned Lunar Gateway space station. The lunar satellite spent nearly six months in orbit and flew within 1,000 miles of the Moon's North Pole in a so-called near-rectilinear halo orbit. 

BeReal was Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, but buzz around the social media app (that forces you to post daily selfies) has died down of late. Now, the French company has introduced "RealChat" private messaging, allowing it to boast a feature found on most major social media apps, TechCrunch has reported. 

The function is one of the most requested, the company said. You can only message another user if you're friends with them on the platform. For a message to be deleted, both parties have to do so — deleting your own message won't delete it from a friend's app. The chat system will reportedly feature blocking and reporting features. 

BeReal has an interesting and somewhat messy approach to social media. It sends notifications at a different time each day, prompting you to quickly share photos taken with your phone's front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do so, forcing you to share spontaneous moments without spending extra time to make sure the photos are perfect. Friends are notified when you're late or revise a post.

Earlier this year, BeReal refuted an analytics report that engagement on the app had fallen significantly, saying it still had 20 million daily active users. The company admitted that while it's been busy behind the scenes, it hasn't released many new features of late, so "people have been guessing what we've been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately. 

Over the past couple of months, though it has launched an integration with Spotify showing what you're listening to when you post, along with the Bonus BeReal feature that lets you post more than one BeReal if you post on time. As with other social media apps, the RealChat feature looks like a way to boost time spent on the app and allow friends to comment privately on posts.