Meta CEO Says His Future Goal Is The Commitment To Creating Everything Open Source

Tech giant Meta’s CEO is sharing his insights about the company and a major future goal.

Mark Zuckerberg shared how he plans to make everything open source and ensure they win in terms of offering the best services. The goal was outlined to be for the next decade but no exact time frame was revealed in this regard.

Many do remember Zuckerberg as an ambitious leader who has similarly made a lot of promises including the metaverse for the future. While that may not have gone exactly as planned, the tech billionaire seems to be more confident in this approach.

The news comes after the owner of Facebook’s parent firm revealed to the world his ideology of push and pull wars between open and closed-source tech apps. We’ve seen tech giant Meta roll out several open-source models including Llama and this got a lot of criticism and accreditation.

The podcast was held recently in the city of San Francisco last week. This is where Zuckerberg mentioned how Meta’s biggest competition was an ideological battle over the models. He added how the company does face so much competition across the board.

So much confusion remains in terms of whether apps will be closed integrated models which tech giant Apple has sworn by. Remember, today’s PC era has Windows being the leader in terms of serving the best in an open ecosystem.

However, experts argue that closed models are more secure than all others. This has to do with the fact that source codes of these modes aren’t easily accessible in public. On the other hand, open-source models can assist tech development at a faster pace and transform into something more democratic in nature due to the source code publicly available. These can be modified and then redistributed.

Zuckerberg also mentioned more details about how his future plans for the next 10 to 15 years will entail a new generation of platforms. These will win in terms of popularity and innovation.

As it is, Zuckerberg has made a lot of headwaves in this direction. We saw the tech giant roll out Llama 2 which is mostly open sourced. It slowly but surely transformed into a hit in the tech sector.

The matter does not come without risks. Remember, open-source models can be hacked by threat actors. Similarly, we can see the Llama 2 provides users with detailed instructions on dangerous tasks that cause harm to the world. This has already been a subject of great debate in the past where Zuckerberg argued that similar data can be found elsewhere as well.

Two months back, Zuckerberg won so many accolades and received a lot of props throughout the tech world. This was when it rolled out its open-sourced Llama 3.1 model. In case you did not know, many experts in the industry call this a huge or incredible gift during the time of its launch.

Image: Acquired

Read next: Do People Still Use Tumblr? New Stats Raise The Curtain On The Social Media App
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Do People Still Use Tumblr? New Stats Raise The Curtain On The Social Media App

The term Tumblr has been used time and time again when discussing social media networks.

The age-old platform is one that didn’t seem to get too much success in the past but you’ll be amazed to learn that it’s doing better than before.

Thanks to the ban on X for Brazilians, many turned to Tumblr as their next best alternative. Moreover, the app reported a massive 350% rise in usage and those are some serious statistics worth considering.

Looking at the history, the parent firm of WordPress bought Tumblr and took it under its wings in 2019. The goal was to keep it alive and functioning. Now the question on people’s minds is how great is it doing today. Is it still enough to make the app a functional platform?

As per stats shared by App Intelligence, the platform is still struggling in terms of carving its niche in the market. The struggle is on and very real. Now we can’t help but wonder if the app is making enough revenue or not through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The answer is yes but to a bare minimum. I mean it’s enough to keep it functional but nowhere near to other arch-rivals in the industry. As per estimates, the niche platform earned just over $97,000 last month from the App and Google Play Stores. This is net revenue which is what’s left when Apple and Google take out their shares.

The X app earns so much money that it could cover the revenue that Tumblr makes in just seven hours. Meanwhile, Snapchat earns a similar amount in nearly two hours.

When we look closely at trends, it appears that revenue is not growing too much but instead, it’s slowing down to a massive amount. The estimates showed how the app earned more revenue each month and hit the 152,000 mark in November, which is the peak.

In terms of what the app is selling, it’s a combo of premium offerings. This also includes means to better visibility and also the addition of badges. It’s a great collection and it should be earning more than that. This leaves many experts to believe the app is struggling with engagement. It might be that people are still using the app but not to a great extent like others.

The app just likes to stick to microblogs and that reason why is simple. The app has yet to evolve since the good old days. It’s tough out there when the competition is so fierce and other modern platforms are present with better offerings. Moreover, badges will never fix such things.

If the app does indeed wish to come back and compete with the market, a lot of reinvention is required. This includes redesigning the platform. Moreover, both engagement and revenue will continue. We don’t expect this will take place. That trend has been an age-old tale where abandoned apps cannot compete with other leaders of the tech industry. They will be purchased and squeezed for all sorts of in-app purchases seen in the past few years. The results however will rarely be positive but we do hope the app beats all others in this regard.

For now, we’re hoping for the best and a lot of Tumblr’s success in the past few days does go to Elon Musk and his X app. If it were not for their downfall in Brazil, users wouldn’t be searching for an alternative like they’ve done here.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

YouTube Premium Users Get More Bad News As Prices Significantly Increase For Individual And Family Plans

YouTube Premium users are not going to be happy after the company just decided to raise pricing for both family and individual plans. That too by a huge amount.

This is called out as the most recent rise in prices from the Android maker as many nations saw a similar price jump months back. Amongst those was the US in summer. This time, the price hike seems to be more centered on the EU.

As mentioned in a recent post published on Reddit, some of the prices have gone up by close to 40%. And that is seriously a lot when you come to think of it.

Users were quick to share the news from all over the globe and how the changes would impact every nation differently.

Google’s email to users with alerts regarding price rises made its way out today. The company promised the service would be even better with an enhanced array of features. They also vowed to show greater support to both artists and creators across the app.

Over time, we’ve seen several increases in prices in the US, and it’s said to be greater for those who signed up for Premium subscriptions through Apple. For instance, one Swedish user spoke about a 60% rise in prices.

But this does seem to be a tax for paying via Apple instead of directly via Google. The price rise for users who don’t make use of Apple is still lower. For whatever reason, a tax is added if you make the payment through Apple.

If users do cancel the subscriptions via Apple and then opt to resubscribe via Google, they’ll still be paying a bigger amount. Moreover, as one would assume, most of the threads are full of individuals who no longer wish to keep this subscription. They have chosen to cancel it.

One user went as far as to call out YouTube as the world’s most costly streaming service. They compared it to others like Amazon Prime, HBO, and Netflix as a whole.

For now, we’re going to have to wait a while to see how it all goes for search engine giant Google. This includes what point in time the firm will fix prices at a level that will make it hard for anyone to afford.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Experts Believe that Using Blue Light Glasses Cannot Help You With Your Eye Problems But Adopting Some Simple Habits Can
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Experts Believe that Using Blue Light Glasses Cannot Help You With Your Eye Problems But Adopting Some Simple Habits Can

Most people opt for blue light glasses if they feel their eyes are hurting from staring at the screen too much. Blue light refers to higher energy visible light that often streams from the sun and from your phones, TVs and laptops too. As people are spending more time looking at their screens, the concerns about blue light have increased. Many eyeglasses retailers offer blue light protective glasses which filter the blue light and can cost $50-$100.

But usually blue light is just a minor reason why your eyes are hurting. Doctors have made a “computer vision syndrome” which refers to people who simply cannot look at a screen for long periods of time. According to many expert eye doctors, the biggest reasons why your eyes are hurting can be too much exposure to sunlight, holding your phone too close to your face and looking at the screen for a long time without blinking.

Researchers say that there is no evidence that blue light is the reason why your eyes are hurting. If using blue light glasses isn't the solution, how can people prevent harmful effects to their eyes? The first thing they should do is set their phone screen to warmer tones. Choosing night mode for your phone screen is also a good option. People say that blue light also affects their sleep. In truth, it isn't the blue light that is affecting the sleep, it is the long hours of mobile and social media usage that becomes a barrier in getting a good night's sleep.

Melissa Barnett, director of optometry at the University of California at Davis says that using blue light glasses isn't a bad thing, but it is the greatest thing either. If someone is having problems with their eyes, it is better to visit an optometrist rather than making opticians sell you blue light glasses as a solution to all your problems.

Experts say that blinking can relieve many eye problems. Humans normally blink 15 times a minute but when we are using screens, we blink no more than six times. The 20-20-20 rule is also helpful as it suggests 20 minutes working on the screen, taking a 20 second break to look at something other than the screen at something 20 feet away. If you are having trouble sleeping, try having a phone free hour before bed.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google AI Overviews Show Up More on Signed In Accounts than on Signed Out Accounts

According to a recent research by BrightEdge, Google AI Overviews show more often for signed in users and show 10-20% less for signed-out users. This percentage is different for each search category but it was most often seen among eCommerce search queries. In eCommerce queries, Google AI Overviews showed 90% less for signed-out users as compared to signed-in users.

Many websites are closely looking at Google AI Overviews because they need to know how it can impact organic search traffic in search results. Many industries and categories are going to have huge effects with Google AI Overviews so it is important to know how it works to make strategies accordingly.

According to BrightEdge, Google AI Overviews appear 21% less for signed out accounts in education category, 17% for B2B tech and appear 16% less for signed out accounts in healthcare category. The BrightEdge findings also showed that there was a 172% increase in apparel-related queries in product carousels. A 42% increase was seen in the use of unordered lists across industries.

Google is also working on having specialized and trustworthy domains instead of consumer focused blogs. It is being strict on healthcare citations and many healthcare blogs are seeing a decline in their citations. BrightEdge’s other AI studies show that their customers are getting less traffic from Perplexity and more traffic from SearchGPT.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Most Americans are Worried About Overwhelming Amount of Misinformation on the Internet Amidst Elections

Adobe did a study about what Americans think of all the misinformation about elections on the internet and social media. Most of the respondents said that they have been fooled by misinformation about elections and now they are frustrated about what to believe and what not to believe. There has been a rise in deep fakes on social media that are spreading misinformation about the 2024 presidential elections in the USA.

95% of the Americans out of 2000 who were surveyed said that they believe that AI and misinformation is going to affect the elections. 85% said that they have seen a rise in misinformation on the internet regarding elections in the past three months and half of them admitted that they have fallen for the misinformation once or twice.

Adobe VP of Global Public Policy Jace Johnson says that they think misinformation has lowered the public trust and they do not have a way to verify information. It will soon be that the public won't believe anything they see and hear online. Generative AI tools have become one of the biggest sources for spreading misinformation on the internet.

87% of the respondents blame AI for eroding their trust on information they see online. Political deep fakes are being used extensively on social media and Americans have stopped believing every image they see on the internet and social media sites. Nearly half of the respondents said that they have stopped using social media because most of the things they see on there are fake.

89% of the US public wants the government to implement strict laws and regulations for spreading misinformation on social media while 74% believe that the US government isn't doing anything to stop the spread of misinformation. Overall, most Americans want transparency that can differentiate fake from real.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Improves Passkey Support On Chrome

Google is making support for passkeys on Chrome simpler. This means signing in without passwords is now going to be easier than before.

The tech giant says it’s rolling out more support for all devices by launching its Password Manager PIN. This ensures users can access securely, save credentials, and even synchronize the passkeys so that they can be used for Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux. All the updates will be present on ChromeOS as a beta too while support for iOS devices is arriving soon.

"In addition to Android devices, you can now save passkeys to Google Password Manager on desktop.", says Google.

The feature is required so that it can be saved onto Google’s Password Manager for Android before the update is rolled out. It would require users to scan QR codes on Android so that it can be accessed on various other apps.

The latest PIN means you no longer have to scan QR codes and need to make sure all saved passkeys stay protected through E2E encryption. This way, not even the Google can access these.

To use the feature, users will first need to unlock Android screens or make use of the Password Manager for unlocking Android screens. Another technique is to use a Password Manager PIN so passkeys can work on any new device.



Read next: How to Create Strong Passwords and Keep Hackers at Bay
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World