EU Accepts Meta’s Updated Ad Model for January 2026 Rollout

EU regulators have accepted Meta’s revised advertising model for Facebook and Instagram, with the company set to present the new options to users in January 2026. The decision removes the immediate risk of daily fines under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The updated pay-or-consent model introduces two choices. Users may allow full data sharing for fully personalised advertising or restrict data use for a more limited form of personalisation. The European Commission noted that this marks Meta’s first time offering such an alternative on its social platforms.

The approval comes after an April 2025 non-compliance decision that included a €200 million fine for violations covering November 2023 to November 2024. Meta subsequently adjusted the proposal’s wording, design, and transparency features while retaining its overall structure.

Meta faced potential daily fines under the DMA framework, up to 5% of average daily worldwide turnover. The Commission's approval eliminates this immediate penalty risk.

After rollout in January 2026, the Commission will assess how the model functions by gathering feedback and evidence from Meta and relevant stakeholders. The Commission restated that EU users "must have full and effective choice", as required under the DMA.

Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next:

• Has OpenAI Sacrificed Morality for Shareholder Profits in Its Ten-Year Journey?

• Replace Doom Scrolling with Microlearning Apps and Boost Focus in 2025
by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Has OpenAI Sacrificed Morality for Shareholder Profits in Its Ten-Year Journey?

Image: DIW-Aigen

As OpenAI marks its tenth birthday in December 2025, it can celebrate becoming one of the world’s leading companies, worth perhaps as much as US$1 trillion (£750 billion). But it started as a non-profit with a serious moral mission – and its story demonstrates the difficulty of combining morality with capitalism.

The firm recently became a “public benefit corporation”, meaning that – in addition to performing some sort of pubic good – it now has a duty to make money for its shareholders, such as Microsoft.

That’s quite a change from the original set up.

Influenced by a movement known as “effective altruism”, a project which tries to find the most effective ways of helping others, OpenAI’s initial mission was to “ensure that artificial general intelligence […] benefits all of humanity” – including preventing rogue AI systems from enslaving or extinguishing the human race.

Being a non-profit was central to that mission. If pushing AI in dangerous directions was the best way to make money, a profit-seeking company would do it, but a non-profit wouldn’t. As CEO Sam Altman said in 2017: “We don’t ever want to be making decisions to benefit shareholders. The only people we want to be accountable to is humanity as a whole.”

So what changed?

Some argue that the company simply sold out – that Altman and his colleagues faced a choice between making a fortune or sticking to their principles, and took the money. (Many of OpenAI’s founders and early employees chose to leave the company instead.)

But there is another explanation. Perhaps OpenAI realised that to fulfil its moral mission, it needed to make money. After all, AI is a very expensive business, and OpenAI’s rivals – the likes of Google, Amazon and Meta – are vast corporations with deep pockets.

To have a chance of influencing AI development in a positive direction, OpenAI had to compete with them. To compete, it needed investment. And it’s hard to attract investment with no prospect of profit.

As Altman said of a previous adjustment towards profit-making: “We had tried and failed enough to raise the money as a non-profit. We didn’t see a path forward there. So we needed some of the benefits of capitalism.”

Capitalist competition

But along with the benefits of capitalism come constraints. What Karl Marx called the “coercive laws of competition” mean that in a competitive market, businesses have little choice but to put profit first, whatever their moral principles.

Indeed, if they choose not to do something profitable out of moral concerns, they know they’ll be replaced by a less scrupulous firm which will. This means not only that they fail as a business, but that they fail in their moral mission too.

The philosopher Iris Marion Young, illustrated this paradox with the example of a sweatshop owner who claims that they would love to treat their workers better. But the cost of improved pay and conditions would make them less competitive, meaning they lose out to rivals who treat their workers even worse. So being kinder to their workers would not do any good.

Similarly, had OpenAI held back from releasing ChatGPT due to worries about energy usage or self-harm or misinformation, it would probably have lost market share to another company. This in turn would have made it harder to raise the investment it needed to fulfil their mission of shaping AI development for good.

So in effect, even when its moral mission was supposedly paramount (before it became a public benefit corporation), OpenAI was already acting like a for-profit firm. It needed to, to stay competitive.

The recent legal transition just makes this official. The fact that a nonprofit board dedicated to the moral mission retains some control over the company in principle is unlikely to stop the drive to profit in practice. Marx’s coercive laws of competition squeeze morality out of business.

Marx and Milton

If Marx is capitalism’s most famous critic, perhaps its most famous cheerleader was the economist Milton Friedman.

But Friedman actually agreed with Marx that business and morals are difficult to mix. In 1971, he wrote that business executives have only one social responsibility: to make profit for shareholders.

Pursuing any other goal would be spending other people’s money on their own private principles. And in a competitive market, Friedman argued, businesspeople will find that customers and investors can quickly switch to other companies “less scrupulous in exercising their social responsibilities”.

All of this suggests that we cannot expect businesses to do as OpenAI originally promised, and put humanity before shareholder value. Even if it tries, the coercive laws of competition will force it to seek profit.

Friedman and Marx would have further agreed that we need other types of institutions to look after humanity. Though Friedman was mostly sceptical about the state, the AI arms race is precisely the kind of case that even he recognised required government regulation.

For Marx, the solution is more radical: replacing the coercive laws of competition with a more co-operative economic system. And my own research suggests that safeguarding the future of humanity may indeed require some restraining of capitalism , to allow tech workers time to develop safe and ethical technologies together, free from the pressures of the market.

Nikhil Venkatesh, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Sheffield

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Replace Doom Scrolling with Microlearning Apps and Boost Focus in 2025 (Promoted)

This post includes links that are either sponsored or affiliated; we disclose this for transparency.

Image: DIW-Aigen

The start of a new year often brings grand resolutions: to learn a new language, master a new skill, focus on health and sport, or finally tackle a complex certification. Yet, these goals are usually swallowed whole by a far more powerful opponent: the endless digital feed. In 2025, the most effective financial and intellectual resolution you can make is about creating a strategic substitution: replace doom scrolling with microlearning apps.

The German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that after learning something new, people quickly forget the majority of it — specifically, we forget about 70% of what we learn within 24 hours unless we actively review the material. This proves that microlearning directly combats this steep forgetting curve by employing spaced repetition. This technique involves reviewing the same small piece of information multiple times over, gradually increasing intervals. Let's see the scientific basis for why microlearning is an effective tool for improving long-term memory.

The Battle for Attention: Why We're Losing Focus

We are all familiar with the hypnotic loop of doom scrolling. Whether you're obsessively consuming negative news or refreshing social media for the latest outrage, the effect is the same: cognitive fatigue. Doom scrolling is a kind of behavioral trap that provides high-dopamine hits from novelty. It delivers almost no constructive value, and actually trains your brain to expect immediate sensory rewards, making it nearly impossible to settle into the deep, focused work required for complex tasks.

This constant state of low-level anxiety and information overload is directly responsible for what many are calling attention decay — the gradual erosion of your ability to sustain focus. By 2025, the difference between people who succeed and those who struggle will increasingly hinge on their ability to manage their attention.

Why Microlearning Works

Microlearning is the perfect method that delivers content in small, highly targeted bursts, often lasting just 3 to 10 minutes. You need to free five minutes before a meeting or while waiting for coffee to learn something new. This method works because it meets your brain where it is: demanding novelty, but getting a quick sense of completion.

Traditional learning methods lead to knowledge overload. Microlearning counters the steep forgetting curve using spaced repetition — reviewing small pieces of information over time — which dramatically improves retention.

Top Microlearning Apps: ​​Transforming Scroll Time into Skill Time

Microlearning apps are designed to be the productive equivalent of a social media scroll. By choosing the right app, you can turn passive consumption into active skill acquisition:

1. Headway: Summarizing Core Knowledge

Headway is a prime example of a microlearning app as it's focused on non-fiction book summaries that you can read or listen to within 10 minutes. It targets users who want to absorb core ideas from bestsellers in leadership, finance, psychology, and more essential niches without committing to an entire book:

• Format: 15-minute text summaries with key insights, which you can also highlight and use gamified experience to test understanding of the main takeaways from each chapter of the book.
• Focus: It helps users quickly grasp the fundamental principles of complex subjects, making it ideal for managers, entrepreneurs, and ambitious readers who need broad knowledge efficiently.
• Why it replaces scrolling: It satisfies the modern brain's demand for speed and variety by presenting a vast library of ideas in a consistent, easy-to-digest mobile format. You can finish a summary on 'Atomic Habits' in the time you used to spend watching random clips.

2. Duolingo and Busuu (The Language Model)

Language apps like Duolingo and Busuu were pioneers in making skill acquisition accessible through gamified bursts. The apps provide 5-minute daily lessons that rely heavily on interactive exercises and streak maintenance:

• It is focused on the Repetitive Skill Building: the apps turn learning a complex skill (language) into a series of rewarding, small victories.
• Why it Replaces Scrolling: They use gamification, points, leaderboards, and progress bars to hook the user's engagement, offering a sense of accomplishment far superior to passively viewing a feed.

3. Dedicated Professional Skill Apps

These apps focus on highly specific, professional knowledge. They are perfect for utilizing those small gaps in the workday:

• SoloLearn (coding): Uses bite-sized coding challenges and quizzes to teach fundamental concepts in languages like Python and JavaScript. It provides a tangible skill gain in five minutes.
• Mimo (coding and design): Presents interactive exercises right on your phone, offering immediate feedback on code, which is highly satisfying and reinforces the active learning necessary for technical skills.

4. Extended Learning Model and Concept Reinforcement

Many platforms, including those similar to microlearning structures, emphasize personalized learning paths. This involves taking the broad concept gained from a summary or reinforcing it through specialized tools, for example:

• Custom Quizzes: The app may test you on concepts you specifically highlighted or struggled with.
• Dedicated Flashcard Features: Such apps use built-in digital flashcards for memorizing content. This function is vital for spaced repetition, requiring you to recall specific facts or definitions at set intervals to aid memory.
• Targeted Knowledge Quizzes: Applications such as Nibble, which focuses on all-around knowledge , use short quizzes to reinforce learning. These tools often test you specifically on concepts you struggled with during the initial micro-lesson, ensuring complete understanding.
• Specialized Brain Training: The app Impulse is dedicated to brain training and uses gamified exercises as a form of reinforcement. These activities help users practice specific cognitive skills like memory and logic directly.
• Skills Application: Skillsta for social skills training, and AddMile for coaching, extend learning into real-world practice. These applications guide the user in applying micro-lessons to life scenarios, which is the strongest form of memory consolidation.

Strategic Adoption: Making the Switch Stick in 2025

To succeed, you have to adopt an actionable plan that exploits the very habits that currently lead to doom scrolling. For example, you can audit and define your micro-goal. You can use your phone's screen time report to identify your worst scrolling habits. This could be the time slot where your fingers automatically open a distracting app. Then, choose a manageable skill you want to learn that can be tackled in 5-10 minute bursts to replace that scrolling.

You can also optimize methods following your brain type. The best microlearning strategy is a personalized one. Apps that use adaptive technology cater content to the individual, recognizing that everyone learns differently.

If you want to optimize your approach and ensure your brief bursts of learning are maximized for efficiency, you should find out how you learn best. You can take an intelligence type test to understand your cognitive strengths, allowing you to choose apps or features tailored to your specific intellectual profile. By making the deliberate, daily choice to replace doom scrolling with microlearning app usage, you are fundamentally changing the nature of your digital engagement!

by Ayaz Khan via Digital Information World

WhatsApp Tests Strict Security Mode and AI Editing Tools in New Android Betas

WhatsApp has released two new Android beta updates that introduce expanded security controls and new AI-driven image tools for selected testers. As per WBI, version 2.25.36.15 includes a feature that groups the platform’s strongest privacy and security measures under a single setting. Version 2.25.36.12 adds Meta AI’s Imagine editing capabilities to status updates.

The strict account security option is designed for users who want tighter control over incoming communication and account protections. When enabled, it blocks media and attachments from unknown senders, disables link previews, and silences calls from numbers not saved in the user’s contacts. The setting also restricts who can add the user to groups, alerts users when a contact’s encryption code changes, and enforces two-step verification. Profile photos, status updates, and last-seen details are limited to contacts, while calls are routed through WhatsApp’s servers to help mask IP addresses. These settings remain locked until the user turns off strict mode. The feature is available through the Privacy > Advanced section and is rolling out to more testers over the coming weeks.

The separate update introduces AI-powered Imagine tools to the status creation flow. Eligible users see an Effects button instead of Filters when selecting an image. The feature offers several style categories, including options that adjust the image’s appearance or generate alternative variations. Users can modify content by adding or removing elements, regenerate scenes through short prompts, or animate the image for more dynamic status updates. This capability is also gradually expanding to additional beta testers.

Both features are currently limited to users running compatible WhatsApp beta versions from the Google Play Store, with availability dependent on server-side rollout.

Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

The Hidden Dangers Lurking in Every Sweet Bite

Between holiday treats and cookies, the end of the year is often packed with opportunities to consume sugar. But what happens in your mouth during those first minutes and hours after eating those sweets?

Image: kaouther djouada / Unsplash

While you’re likely aware that eating too much sugar can cause cavities – that is, damage to your teeth – you might be less familiar with how bacteria use those sugars to build a sticky film called plaque on your teeth as soon as you take that first sweet bite.

We are a team of microbiologists that studies how oral bacteria cause tooth decay. Here’s what happens in your mouth the moment sugar passes your lips – and how to protect your teeth:

An acid plunge

Within seconds of your first bite or sip of something sugary, the bacteria that make the human mouth their home start using those dietary sugars to grow and multiply. In the process of converting those sugars into energy, these bacteria produce large quantities of acids. As a result, just a minute or two after consuming high-sugar foods or drinks, the acidity of your mouth increases into levels that can dissolve enamel – that is, the minerals making up the surface of your teeth.

Luckily, saliva comes to the rescue before these acids can start corroding the surface of your teeth. It washes away excess sugars while also neutralizing the acids in your mouth.

Your mouth is also home to other bacteria that compete with cavity-causing bacteria for resources and space, fighting them off and restoring the acidity of your mouth to levels that aren’t harmful to teeth.

However, frequent consumption of sweets and sugary drinks can overfeed harmful bacteria in a way that neither saliva nor helpful bacteria can overcome.

• Also read: Early Smartphone Use Associated With Sleep Problems and Mental Health Issues in Preteens

An assault on enamel

Cavity-causing bacteria also use dietary sugars to make a sticky layer called a biofilm that acts like a fortress attached to the teeth. Biofilms are very hard to remove without mechanical force, such as from routinely brushing your teeth or cleaning at the dentist’s office.

Microbes form vast communities called biofilms.

In addition, biofilms impose a physical barrier that restricts what crosses its border, such that saliva can no longer do its job of neutralizing acid as well. To make matters worse, while cavity-causing bacteria are able to survive in these acidic conditions, the good bacteria fighting them cannot.

In these protected fortresses, cavity-causing bacteria are able to keep multiplying, keeping the acidity level of the mouth elevated and leading to further loss of tooth minerals until a cavity becomes visible or painful.

How to protect your (sweet) teeth

Before eating your next sugary treat, there are a few measures you can take to help keep the cavity-forming bacteria at bay and your teeth safe.

First, try to reduce the amount of sugar you eat and consume your sugary food or drink during a meal. This way, the increased saliva production that occurs while eating can help wash away sugars and neutralize acids in your mouth.

In addition, avoid snacking on sweets and sugary drinks throughout the day, especially those containing table sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Continually exposing your mouth to sugar will keep its acidity level higher for longer periods of time.

Finally, remember to brush regularly, especially after meals, to remove as much dental plaque as possible. Daily flossing also helps remove plaque from areas that your toothbrush cannot reach.

José Lemos, Professor of Oral Biology, University of Florida and Jacqueline Abranches, Associate Professor of Oral Biology, University of Florida

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Guinness World Records Quietly Paused Israel and Palestinian Applications, Won't Say if Genocide Allegations Influenced Decision

Guinness World Records (GWR) has confirmed to Digital Information World (DIW) that it has not been generally processing record applications from both Israel and the Palestinian territories since November 2023, a policy that has never been publicly announced or documented on any official GWR platform.

The freeze came to light this month after a rejected Israeli application. DIW reached out to GWR to verify the policy and request further clarification.

GWR Confirms the Freeze but Provides No Context

In each response to DIW, GWR provided the same short statement, noting that applications from both regions are not being processed "in the current climate," with exceptions for attempts conducted in cooperation with UN humanitarian agencies. The company added that the policy is reviewed monthly. No additional information was offered.

Digital Information World Asked Whether Genocide Allegations Played a Role — GWR Did Not Address the Question

DIW directly asked whether the pause was related in any way to ongoing genocide allegations concerning Gaza, or to actions by any parties involved in the conflict. GWR did not answer this question or provide a position on whether those factors influenced the policy.

This point is central because the freeze began during a period of intense humanitarian devastation in Gaza, widespread civilian displacement, and international legal scrutiny. Decisions affecting public recognition in such a context typically require higher transparency, especially when they impact populations already under significant hardship.

No Public Policy, Statement, or Documentation Exists

DIW searched GWR's website but found no announcement, policy page, or newsroom update explaining or acknowledging the freeze. There is no available guidance for applicants from either region and no criteria outlining how or why the suspension was enacted.

Requests for Clarification Received Identical Responses

Digital Information World submitted multiple questions seeking clarity on:

• "Whether the policy applies equally across both regions, and how Guinness ensures fairness, consistency, and neutrality in situations involving conflict or humanitarian concerns."
• "Where this information has been officially published, such as on a company blog, newsroom, help page, or other public resource, so readers can access it directly."
• "Whether the policy applies equally across both regions, and how Guinness ensures fairness, consistency, and neutrality in situations involving conflict or humanitarian concerns."
• "What reasons or considerations guided the decision."
• "Is the current pause connected in any way to allegations of genocide, actions by specific parties, or other factors related to the conflict? If not, could you clarify what considerations directly informed the decision?"

GWR did not address any of these questions, instead repeating its initial brief statement each time.

Why Transparency Matters in This Case

Guinness World Records operates globally and plays a role in giving visibility and recognition to individuals and communities. A regional freeze, particularly one affecting a population experiencing severe humanitarian crisis, matters beyond just entertainment, as it affects how communities gain international visibility and recognition, especially during humanitarian crises.

For Palestinians, the decision removes a platform for global acknowledgment during an already unprecedented level of disruption. For Israelis, standard submissions are also restricted unless tied to humanitarian activity. Clear criteria and public communication help maintain trust in GWR's neutrality, especially during conflict.

What Happens Next

Digital Information World remains open to publishing additional clarification should GWR choose to provide it. Until then, the freeze remains in place, undocumented, and without explanation, including on the key question of whether genocide allegations played any role in the decision.

Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Ayaz Khan via Digital Information World

How Small Business Websites Shape Growth in 2025

Small and medium-sized businesses continue to see websites as central to growth in 2025. Among companies that have a website, 63% said it plays a very or extremely important role. The figure drops to 58% for sole proprietors and 52% for businesses with two to 10 employees, but climbs to 78% for firms with 11 to 100 employees. Only 1% of respondents said a website has no importance to their business.

Websites are not just a showcase, as per Wordstream report. Around 70% of SMBs allow customers to buy directly online. That share rises to 85% for larger firms and falls to 66% for solo operators. Mid-sized businesses tend to sell less online, reflecting the prevalence of service-based operations such as home services, which make up 22% of respondents.

Lead generation is another key function. Nearly seven in ten businesses said their website is a significant source of leads. Larger businesses report the highest reliance at 84%, while those with two to 10 employees are at 56%. Tracking conversions may be easier for bigger firms, which could explain the difference.

Despite the benefits, 62% of SMBs said their model could function without a website (surprise, surprise). Mid-sized companies were most confident in this, while roughly half of sole proprietors felt their business would struggle without one.

Driving traffic and converting visitors was the top challenge, cited by 35% of businesses. Other hurdles included keeping content current, design and technical limitations, limited staff or time, and unclear strategy. Social media was the most common source of traffic at 64%, followed by organic search (52%) and referrals (51%). AI sources ranked lowest, though 18% of firms monitor traffic from AI.

The findings suggest that websites remain a key component for sales and leads. At the same time, small businesses face ongoing pressure to maintain visibility and optimize conversions.

Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. 

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by Web Desk via Digital Information World