Lawsuit Unveils Meta's Alleged Pursuit of Under-13s, Questions Age Policy Enforcement

The digital landscape is a wild frontier, often lawless and uncharted. This is especially true when it comes to the world of social media and its youngest explorers. Recently, a lawsuit against Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, has thrown a spotlight on a disturbing trend. It's not just a rumbling undercurrent anymore; it's a loud wake-up call.

This lawsuit, brought forth by 33 states, uncovers a startling truth. It alleges that Meta isn't just aware of the fact that children under 13 are navigating its platforms; it's actively pursuing them. Imagine, for years, Instagram, a jewel in Meta's crown, has been a playground not just for teens and adults but for kids barely out of elementary school.

But here's the catch. While Meta's policies clearly state you need to be at least 13 to join, the reality is a stark contrast. The digital world doesn't have a foolproof age gate. Kids, with a little fib about their birth year, can waltz right in. And Meta, according to this lawsuit, hasn't done much to stop this. When over a million reports of underage Instagram users surfaced, only a handful saw their accounts disabled. The rest? They continued to swim in a sea of content, with Meta quietly collecting their data.

This isn't just a minor slip-up. It's a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, a law designed to safeguard young netizens. But beyond the legal breaches, there's a deeper, more insidious impact. These platforms, the lawsuit argues, are shaping young minds in unhealthy ways. From promoting unrealistic body images to exposing them to harmful content, the digital world can be a treacherous terrain for the young.

• Also read: How are freelancers adapting their workflows to include AI technologies?

Meta's response? They expressed disappointment when the lawsuit first came to light. They believe in creating a safe online experience for teens. But actions speak louder than words. Just this month, they proposed a new approach – putting more onus on parents. Why not make it mandatory for parents to approve app downloads for kids under 16? A step in the right direction, perhaps, but is it enough?

The digital world is evolving, and our young are growing up in its embrace. It's high time we ask: Are we doing enough to protect them? Or are we letting them wander into a maze with no exit in sight? This lawsuit against Meta isn't just about one company; it's a mirror reflecting a broader issue in the social media space. It's about shaping a future where the internet is a safe haven for all, especially the most vulnerable – our children.

Photo: DIW - AI-gen

Read next: The Hidden Cost of Convenience: New Study Exposes the Most Data-Hungry Personal Finance Apps
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

eCommerce Report: Retailers use these strategies to win end-of-year sales

Ecommerce businesses are finding themselves in one of the busiest times of the year. With Cyber Monday, and other end-of-year sales events just around the corner, it's important for advertisers to stay ahead of the curve. They can do this by understanding what trends are shaping the online retail landscape. As these busy sales roll around, what eCommerce trends can advertisers expect to see in retail sectors?

First, it’s valuable to take a look back at the transition from 2022 to 2023 to see how it compares to how 2023 played out. According to the Multichannel Marketing Report 2023 by DataFeedWatch, there was a 14% year-over-year increase in the number of discounted products during that time. But since 2023, that number has remained stable at 30.66%. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any significant changes in 2023.

With holiday shopping season poised to amass even more sales than the record breaking 9.12 billion in 2022, retailers are making strategic choices to take up as big of a portion of that share as possible. This includes what kinds of products they’re adding discounts to and how big or small those discounts are. Taking a closer look at product categories and online retailers’ inventory sizes reveals the reasons behind these decisions that fill retailers’ Q4 playbooks.

Which product categories have the highest number of products on sale? In Q2 of 2023, the Furniture category had 48.51% of products on sale. In second place came Food, Beverages, & Tobacco with 41%, and Apparel & Accessories came in third at 35.75% of its products on sale.

November opens with changes in discount strategies

Now, as of the first week of November 2023, the categories with the most products on sale have shifted. Luggage & Bags have 53.17% of products on sale, Home & Garden has 48.39%, and in third place is Furniture with 47.32%. This shift shows that advertisers in these categories have decided that increasing the number of sales they offer is the best course of action at this point in the game.

Changes have also been made on a subcategory level, showing that retailers are getting as specific as possible with their discounts. Retailers advertising Household Supplies have increased the value of their discounts by 41.94% in Q4, while the discount percentages applied to Jewelry have increased by 28.38%.

But not every subcategory has seen increases at the end of the year. Retailers advertising Linen & Bedding products had the opposite strategy and instead decreased their discount values by 17.28%.

The rankings for discount values stayed the same as recorded in November 2023, but each category has slightly increased their discount values. It now stands at Electronics with 41.31%. Media with 38.68%, and Apparel & Accessories with 38.39%.

Retailers choose between two main discount methods

Speaking of discount strategies, a product category with a higher number of sales doesn’t necessarily mean that the discounts will be higher. As of Q2 2023 the three categories with the highest discounts applied to products are Electronics with 38.02%, Media with 39.7% and Apparel & Accessories with 37.71%.

These numbers give us a glimpse into the reasoning that advertisers are putting behind their strategies. To work within their budgets and resources, retailers are typically choosing between one of two main tactics. Either they are discounting a wider variety of products, or discounting fewer products but making the value of those discounts higher. Both can be effective at enticing customers to visit their online shop and improve the chances of an increase in cart value for the end-of-year sale season.

Either way, retailers should make sure that the discounts they apply are in line with their business goals and capabilities. To offset a more aggressive discount strategy, retailers can do things like reduce their overall marketing costs, invest in cost-saving technologies, and put a bigger emphasis on customer retention.

Inventory size impacts discount strategies

The size of stores also seems to have an effect on discount strategies. As it stands in November of 2023, stores with over 200k products in their inventories had a noteworthy decrease in discount values, dropping by 30.86%. On the other hand, stores with 25-50k products increased their discount values during the same time period by 9.17%.

These changes perhaps point to retail giants waiting to discount their products until Black Friday and Cyber Monday are closer in order to have a larger impact during those sales. They may also be more concerned about the changes of perceived value by consumers that longer-lasting discounts will have on their brand.

At the same time, mid-size stores may be increasing their discount values earlier to remain competitive among similarly-sized stores. If other retailers in their size bracket have sales all November long, then they might conform to not lose out on business.

Succeeding in a competitive market

If retailers in specific product niches or inventory brackets aren’t able to offer the same size or variety of discounts as their competitors, not all hope is lost. Other methods, like enhancing product feeds, can push their listings to the top of the SERP, even if another company is offering a lower price.

One of the most common ways to improve product feeds is through custom labels. They allow advertisers to segment products into any kind of category they wish to, like seasonal items, price margins, and best sellers. The main benefit is having greater control over how advertising budgets are spent. For example, advertisers can boost their ROI through placing all the products they have on sale in one group. In fact, 17.91% of custom labels are set up this way, making it the most popular method.

The takeaway

So, how can online retailers use this information to their advantage? By using this data as a benchmarking tool, advertisers can evaluate where they stand at a global level based on what type of products they sell, and the size of their inventories. Then they can adjust the way they position themselves in the market to have a successful 4th quarter.

Read next: The Hidden Cost of Convenience: New Study Exposes the Most Data-Hungry Personal Finance Apps
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

The Hidden Cost of Convenience: New Study Exposes the Most Data-Hungry Personal Finance Apps

In the digital age, personal finance apps have become indispensable, offering convenience and efficiency. However, beneath their user-friendly interfaces lies a hidden appetite for personal data.

So, what’s more important? Convenience or privacy? These are the questions that inspired this latest study by the research team at Merchant Machine. It uncovered the number of personal data types users must consent to when signing up for the most personal finance apps, then listed them all to find the most (and least) data-hungry apps.

Here's a breakdown of the study results.

The hungriest personal finance apps

Trading and investment platform Robinhood is the hungriest app of all, according to the Merchant Machine research. This greedy piece of software gobbles up over 25 data segments from users, including information on their location, search history, financial info, and purchases.

The app from online shopping firm Klarna is almost as greedy. It eats 24 pieces of your personal data as soon as you sign up. Klarna knows your online habits, your user content history, and even information on your general health and fitness levels.

Third place belongs to a major player in the personal finance space: Paypal. The online payment provider tracks 23 different data segments.

Apps that don't care about your data

But not every personal finance app has an insatiable appetite for data. There are a handful of apps that know almost nothing about their users. For example, the online banking app GO2bank is only interested in two data segments.

And while Paypal collects over 20 data segments, its smaller rival, Paysend, collects only 2 segments.

If you want an easy way to invest in stocks without giving away every single piece of online information, then ditch your Robinhood trading account for TD Ameritrade; this online broker only wants 5 of your data segments, none of which include sensitive information or browsing history.

Banking apps that collect the most data

Fintech start-up Chime offers a range of banking services with no monthly fees or overdraft fees. Sounds great. But you will have to pay for the service with your data. The US banking app requires users to consent to hand over 23 pieces of information. (That's probably the same number of people who read the terms & conditions regarding Chime's data policy.)

Chase Bank is one of the biggest banks in the USA, and it has a massive appetite for its customer data. It collects over 20 different customer data segments, including usage data and diagnostics.

UK finance apps with a hunger for data

Monese and Virgin Money top the table for UK finance apps that want their customer data. Monese collects 18 segments, while the Virgin App analyzes 17 data segments.

Many of the big-name UK banks feature on the list, including Halifax, Natwest, and Bank of Scotland, which collects the fewest segments of all (11).

This table reveals a notable difference between UK and USA-based personal finance apps. While UK apps still have a noteworthy hunger for data, on average, they collect nowhere near as much customer information as their US counterparts.

The buy now, pay later apps

You can buy now and pay later thanks to a range of innovative fintech apps, including Klarna, Sezzle, Zip, and the aptly named Afterpay. But there's something that you'll need to give all of these financial providers up front: your data.

Every single buy now, pay later app featured in the study collects at least 10 segments of customer data, with Klarna (24) and Sezzle coming out on top (23). It just proves that there really is no such thing as free in today's digital economy. Remember, if an app doesn't ask for a fee upfront, then you're paying for that service with your data.

Most invasive investment apps

The Robinhood app takes data from its customers and keeps it all to itself.

And it's not the only investment app that wants to grab packets of customer data. There's a distinct pattern within this sector, with all the major players collecting 15 data segments or more. Some names you'll recognize include JP Morgan Mobile, eToro, Cash App, and Fidelity Investments.

Schwab Online is the only investment app which, relatively speaking, is not that interested in customer data. It only collects 11 segments, which is tiny compared to all the other investment apps out there.

Coupon and cashback apps

Coupon and cashback apps are great ways to pick up some cheap deals. But again, there's a price to pay if you want to get your hands on the latest discounts and offers. And once again, that price is your personal information.

Groupon, one of the biggest and most famous coupon companies, collects 21 segments of data. It shares the number one spot with GoodRX Prescription Saver and Ibotta, a North American mobile technology company offering real cash back on your everyday purchases.

Money management apps

A look at popular money management apps rounds off this latest study from Merchant Machine.

And while they're very different from the apps we've looked at so far, it's the same old story when it comes to data collection. Apps like Mint, Albert, Wise, and PocketGuard can help you manage your monthly budget and track your money better, but you'll pay for it in data. Sign up for any of these services, and you're handing over access to your location, browsing history, and other online habits.

Summary: The 21st Century Trade-off

The trade-off between sharing personal data and app convenience is very real.

As users, we provide data to apps in exchange for personalized services, seamless experiences, and free access. However, this exchange raises concerns about our privacy, data security, and how companies might exploit personal information.

Essentially, the convenience gained from apps comes at the potential cost of losing control over our personal data, which can be used for targeted advertising, influencing behavior, or, in worst-case scenarios, identity theft.

Users must navigate this balance, deciding how much convenience is worth the potential risks associated with data sharing. So how much is convenience worth in data terms? That's up for each of us to decide for ourselves.

Read next: The Most Popular Working Destination For Ex-Apple Employees Is Google, New LinkedIn Analysis Reveals
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Navigating the New Normal — 73% of Freelancers Integrating AI into Their Workflows

Freelancers are quickly adapting, not just surviving in the dynamic gig economy. Freelancer.com's recent survey sheds light on this very adaptability. It's not just about finding gigs anymore; it's about how artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a staple in their toolkit.

Of the 8,100 freelancers surveyed globally, a striking 73% are integrating generative AI into their workflow. But it's not all-in for everyone. Around 31% are occasional explorer, tapping into AI when needed, while 21% are all in, relying on AI consistently. A small group, about 14%, haven't boarded the AI train yet.

The tools of choice? ChatGPT leads the pack. It's the go-to for 64% of freelancers worldwide. Following are Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing Chat, Github Copilot, and visual AI tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Dall-E. This diverse toolkit reflects a broader trend: freelancers are not just writers or illustrators anymore. They're stepping up as editors, directors – roles that demand a broader vision.

Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer.com, isn't surprised. He sees freelancers as trendsetters, using AI to reshape their roles and workflows. His vision? A near future where AI integration is the norm, not the exception, in every business and job.

But what about automation? How much of freelance work is AI-driven? The survey shows over a third of freelancers use AI to handle 1-25% of their tasks. The next tiers – 25-50% and 50-75% – both sit at 16%. A small but notable 9% are automating 90-100% of their work with AI.

• Also read: The Most Popular Working Destination For Ex-Apple Employees Is Google

Underneath these numbers lies a mix of excitement and apprehension. Less than half (48%) express strong concerns about AI replacing them. The rest are either somewhat concerned or not worried at all. Looking forward, freelancers are optimistic. About 28% see new opportunities emerging, 20% expect boosted productivity, and 19% foresee improved accuracy in their work.

The recent survey by Freelancer.com reveals interesting regional variations in the adoption and perception of AI tools among freelancers. In the United States, a notable 75% of freelancers are incorporating AI into their work, a slightly higher rate compared to the 71% observed in Europe. When it comes to how frequently these tools are used, the contrast becomes more evident: In the U.S., a third of freelancers (33%) use AI tools all the time, while in Europe, the proportion is significantly lower, with only 17% using AI consistently in their work.

The preference for specific AI tools also varies by region. In the Asia-Pacific region, an overwhelming 82% of freelancers rely on ChatGPT, compared to 77% in Latin America, indicating a strong but slightly varied preference for this tool. Perhaps the most striking regional difference emerges in attitudes towards the potential of AI to replace jobs. In the United States, a high 58% of freelancers express significant concern about AI taking over their jobs. In contrast, European freelancers appear less apprehensive, with less than a third (29%) expressing a high level of concern. These statistics not only underscore the growing influence of AI in the freelance world but also highlight how its impact and reception can differ greatly depending on the region.

This survey is more than mere numbers; it's a glimpse into an evolving world where freelancers wield AI as skillfully as artists use pens or paintbrushes. They're not just surfing the crest of change; they're guiding it, sculpting their careers and the essence of freelancing itself.

Read next: Bill Gates' Forecast for a New Work Paradigm
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Bill Gates' Forecast for a New Work Paradigm

Let's have a real talk about the future of our workweek. Imagine only clocking in for three days. Sounds like a daydream, doesn’t it? But guess what? Bill Gates, yes, the tech mogul himself, sees this as our possible future. He spilled these thoughts on Trevor Noah's podcast, "What Now?". The big question they chewed over: will artificial intelligence (AI) snatch our jobs? Gates has a different spin. He sees a time where artificial intelligence (AI) could lighten our workload. Three days of work a week? That's not so outlandish, he suggests.

Think about it. Machines doing the grunt work isn't about stealing our roles. It's more like handing us the gift of time. Time to live more, work less. Gates isn't talking about a lazy future, but a balanced one. A world where our lives don't revolve solely around work.

Here's what Gates said in his own words:
"If you zoom out, you know the purpose of life is not just to do jobs, so if you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week or something, that's probably okay if the machines can make all the food and the stuff, and we don't have to work as hard. There are displacements, and if they come slow enough, they're generational. You could have had a grandfather who thought the only real job was being on a farm, and then a father who did some farm work and some other work, and now this generation, only 2% of Americans are involved in farming in any way. And that's okay, even though Grandpa would think, 'Oh, that's awful, you're not getting your hands dirty.' So if it proceeds at a reasonable pace and the government helps those people who have to learn new things, then it's all good. It's, you know, the aging society, it's okay because the software makes things more productive. But eventually, you know, if you free up human labor, you can help elder people better, have small class sizes. The demand for labor to do good things is still there if you match the skills to it. And then, if you ever get beyond that, okay, you have a lot of leisure time, and we'll have to figure out what to do with it."

But hold on, it's not all rosy. Gates, wise as he is, warns about AI's pitfalls. He's not shy about it either. In a recent blog post, he mulls over AI's impact. He likens it to the dawn of personal computers. They didn't kill office jobs; they reinvented them. It's all about adapting, shifting with the times.

And guess what? Gates isn't the only big shot talking about this. Jamie Dimon from JPMorgan is on the same page. He's betting on a 3.5-day work week for future generations, all thanks to AI.

Here's a fun fact: Gates, who once saw sleep as a waste of time, is now singing a different tune. He's gone from a Microsoft-obsessed workaholic to someone who sees life as more than just a job. That's quite a turnaround, isn't it?

What's really cool is companies are already testing these waters. They're trying out four-day workweeks. And guess what they're finding? Happier, more efficient teams. It's like we're starting to live in the future Gates is talking about.

So, what's the real deal here? It's not about fearing the rise of machines. It's about embracing a new way of life. A life where we work to live, not live to work. This three-day workweek idea? It could be just the change we need. A breath of fresh air, a chance to balance our scales of life and work. Who knows, it might be closer than we think.

Photo: Bill Gates / YT

Read next: The Unstoppable Surge of Cyber Week Online Shopping
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

The Most Popular Working Destination For Ex-Apple Employees Is Google, New LinkedIn Analysis Reveals

Have you ever wondered where former employees working at Apple end up after leaving the company? Well, thanks to a new survey analysis, it’s Google that’s been named as their next top spot for employment.

And it’s not surprising to see that the opposite stands true as well. So that means Google employees are just as likely to end up at Apple! But it was interesting to see how the results displayed that most people working at the Cupertino firm arose from the likes of Microsoft, Intel, as well as Amazon.

The analysis conducted by Switch on Business mentioned how they got the findings after exploring all kinds of profiles of employees through the LinkedIn app. This was done after narrowing down selected tech firms to enroll in their research.

For starters, the workforce figures were noted at top tech giants like Nvidia, Amazon, Google, IBM, Netflix, Apple, Salesforce, Uber, Tesla, Meta, Adobe, Microsoft, and Oracle.

After that, researchers looked for workers currently employed in each of the companies listed above as well as those who worked for the organizations enlisted.

Soon, it was calculated to see the figure as well as the percentage of currently enrolled workers at every company that worked at the other big-shot firms. This provided a complete breakdown of the common links among the various companies.

As far as Apple is concerned, the study showed how most workers were previously working at Intel, Google, Nvidia, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Meta, Tesla, and Adobe.

Intel is leading the pack in terms of the majority of workers hired by Apple. And it makes sense considering how the iPhone maker spent billions to purchase the firm’s smartphone business in 2019 with hopes of creating its solo radio chips.

All of those individuals who happen to be bidding farewell to tech giant Apple were nearly twice as likely to head in Google’s direction while Amazon stood second on the list in terms of popularity. This was followed up by Facebook’s parent firm Meta, software giant Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s Tesla who rounded up the top five workplace destinations.

Nvidia, Salesforce, Adobe, and Intel, followed up closely behind with Oracle closing up the top ten most popular employment places list for Apple employees.

Is there a distinct overlap that cannot be missed? Absolutely, and we’re not surprised one bit! But what was a little astonishing is that the total percentage of workers in Apple that were recruited from other leading tech giants stood at just 5.7%. And when you end up comparing those results to that seen with Meta, Google, and Salesforce, the difference is major. The corresponding percentages in order are as follows: 26%, 25%, and 20.7%. That’s nearly four to five times greater than what Apple prefers.

Hence, it’s obvious that when you’re working for a large-scale organization that’s stable, as a job seeker, you’re bound to move to another similarly scaled firm with stability to avoid the risks and associated stress that may come along the way.

Take a look at the infographics below for more insights on which technology companies (including Meta, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and more) attract the most talent from competitors.

Read next: Black Friday's Global Spread and the Evolution of Consumer Habits
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Maps’ New Look Gets Harsh Criticism From GPS Users Including Its Former Designer

In case you didn’t know, Google Maps has been revamped but not everyone is loving the new design.

This includes GPS users and the platform’s former designer who refuses to understand why a change was made in the first place when the old one was so much better. Hence, many people did not hesitate one bit to express their criticism on the matter and how irritated they were with the latest design.

The company announced the news through its blog post last week where they happened to share details regarding the change that was coming soon. Google also spoke about a few updates that would be included for both iPhone and Android users in the next few weeks.

This included detailed directions regarding public transit as well as address details for places where users can have their electric vehicles charged. With that came the news about an innovative feature that gave your close contacts the chance to share popular destinations amongst other things.

While the rest may be loved and appreciated, not everyone sees eye to eye with the fact that there’s a color upgrade on Maps and the latest color scheme has people talking for not some great reasons.

The latest facelift has new coding for roads that are gray while the hue for water has gone from a darker shade of blue to a lighter one that represents the clearest of skies. Other features included parks and public spots being represented in the shade green.

Elizabeth Laraki says she takes great pride in the app’s design and aesthetics that arose 15 years back. And it’s safe to say that she’s disappointed with the latest outcome that the company has made in the name of a revamp. She continues to make use of it on a daily basis and calls it a feature that’s very close to her heart.

But she is not loving it right now, referring to the change as one that’s unrelatable, less human, and lacking the warmth that it was once famous for. She similarly deemed it less useful as it lost that touch of accuracy that was visible in the past.

Image: Elizabeth Laraki / X

Laraki was joined by another partner to help design Google Maps in 2007 and her reviews through her social media account on X speak volumes of her dismay. She failed to understand the logic behind some of the drastic conditions.

Seeing hues blend together and the color palette appearing like it was made by a machine instead of humans was just the start of her rant. But in case you’re wondering, she’s not the only one who was left less than impressed.

The reviews from other top users similarly echoed her thoughts and critique regarding the latest color scheme as many kept scratching their heads as to why Google would roll out an unappealing design despite the old one being loved.

Other people directly asked Google to respond to their queries after tagging it on the X thread which soon went viral. And it was disheartening to see how the change was trashed soon after the launch. Moreover, others were just shocked at how they could no longer relate or recognize it after the updates.

Another fan went on about their dismay and how they literally failed to recognize it after the latest change. Thankfully, some were optimistic and did fairly review the update. They did not slam all of the changes regarding the design.

Features they loved included seeing roads, trails, and even areas with congested traffic standing out better than before with the new colors. And then some praised the company for making the effort to try and make it simpler to use. What about you?

Read next: The Unstoppable Surge of Cyber Week Online Shopping
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World