Instagram boosts privacy with ‘teen accounts’, Meta bans Russian state media
Instagram is overhauling the way it works for teenagers, promising more “built-in protections” for young people and added controls and reassurance for parents. The new “teen accounts”, for children aged 13 to 15, will force many privacy settings to be on by default, rather than a child opting in. Teenagers’ posts will also be set to private – making them unviewable to people who don’t follow them, and they must approve all new followers. These settings can only be changed by giving a parent or guardian oversight of the account, or when the child turns 16. BBC
One of the biggest concerns about switching to electric cars is the longevity of their batteries, with some even fearing they could need to be replaced at a high cost. But a new report has attempted to quash these fears by stating batteries in new EVs are good for 20 years or longer. In fact, the investigation based on 5,000 real-life modern EVs says batteries show slower signs of degradation than components used in internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. ThisIsMoney
Instagram and Facebook owner Meta is banning RT and other Russian state media networks from its platforms over claims they carried out covert operations to influence social media users. The ban, which was announced on Monday, will globally block the accounts from Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads users over the coming days. “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets,” said Meta, which already restricted activity from the accounts. Sky News
Amazon said on Monday it would require employees to return to the office five days a week, effective 2 January. “We’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID. When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant,” Andy Jassy, the CEO, said in a note sent out to employees globally. The e-commerce giant’s previous office attendance requirement for its workers was three days a week. Guardian
Elon Musk’s sprawling empire — spanning everything from electric vehicles and social media to space rockets and miniature brain implants — may soon make him the world’s first trillionaire. Musk’s business success has made him one of the most influential — and controversial — people in the world. The Tesla boss is already the richest person on the planet, with a fortune estimated at nearly $250 billion. Now, Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire, a milestone that Informa Connect Academy says he’s on track to hit by 2027. CNN
iOS 18 officially rolled out yesterday to users around the world and we’ve gathered up all of the supported iPhones that are eligible for the software update. The oldest supported iPhones on the list are the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max which launched six years ago, back in September of 2018.
As long as you have an iPhone launched in 2018 or later, you will see the big new update inside your settings. You can head to Settings -> General -> Software Update and check if the iOS 18 update is available. GSM Arena
Broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) has revealed that 18% of respondents to one of their consumer surveys still “break the golden rule” by switching their Hub (router) off overnight. This might save a tiny bit of electricity, but it may also “prevent overnight software updates” (e.g. router firmware or other devices) from being applied – that could have unintended consequences. Generally speaking, network operators and other software distributors often time important software updates to be released and applied during off-peak periods, such as late at night. ISPreview
