WEATHER ALERT
TikTok let through disinformation in political ads despite its own ban, Global Witness finds
Read full article: TikTok let through disinformation in political ads despite its own ban, Global Witness findsJust weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok still approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads.
Independent in key House race suspends campaign, saying he was 'pawn' in election fraud scheme
Read full article: Independent in key House race suspends campaign, saying he was 'pawn' in election fraud schemeA congressional candidate who says he was tricked by Democrats into running as a spoiler in a competitive House race in Minnesota is suspending his campaign and endorsing his Republican rival.
Facebook, YouTube and TikTok users in Europe get forum to challenge social media content decisions
Read full article: Facebook, YouTube and TikTok users in Europe get forum to challenge social media content decisionsSocial media users across the European Union will soon have a new forum to challenge decisions by platforms to remove posts and videos for breaking their rules or leave up others that may violate them.
Austrian activist Schrems wins privacy case against Meta over personal data on sexual orientation
Read full article: Austrian activist Schrems wins privacy case against Meta over personal data on sexual orientationThe European Union’s top court has said that social media company Meta can’t use public information about a user’s sexual orientation obtained outside its platforms for personalized advertising under the bloc’s strict data privacy rules.
A secretive group recruited far-right candidates in key US House races. It could help Democrats
Read full article: A secretive group recruited far-right candidates in key US House races. It could help DemocratsSeveral little-known pro-Trump candidates are running for Congress in key races as independents, and an Associated Press review finds they were recruited and backed by the same shadowy group.
The legend of the Port Bolivar dog who was adopted by fishermen after being found swimming with dolphins
Read full article: The legend of the Port Bolivar dog who was adopted by fishermen after being found swimming with dolphinsIf you love dogs, dolphins or feel-good stories, we have just the thing for you!
How Texas parents can navigate Meta’s extra security features, oversee children’s social media use
Read full article: How Texas parents can navigate Meta’s extra security features, oversee children’s social media useMeta's new security features include the ability to see how much time their teen spends on Facebook and Messenger, set time limits and whether or not their teen can make payments on certain listed products.
Bryan firefighters thought a dog died in apartment fire; luckily, they were wrong
Read full article: Bryan firefighters thought a dog died in apartment fire; luckily, they were wrongBryan Fire Department crews stepped in with lifesaving measures for a dog they first thought was dead, after an apartment fire.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims government pushed for COVID censorship during pandemic
Read full article: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims government pushed for COVID censorship during pandemicMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic.
Zuckerberg says the White House pressured Facebook over some COVID-19 content during the pandemic
Read full article: Zuckerberg says the White House pressured Facebook over some COVID-19 content during the pandemicMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic.
Major crash in North Harris County shuts down T.C. Jester Blvd
Read full article: Major crash in North Harris County shuts down T.C. Jester BlvdOne driver was trapped inside their vehicle but was safely extricated by Fire and EMS teams. The other driver sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a local hospital.
Texas Attorney General reaches settlement with Meta over alleged data capturing
Read full article: Texas Attorney General reaches settlement with Meta over alleged data capturingTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton has reached a settlement of over $1.4 billion with the social media company Meta (formerly known as Facebook).
Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with Texas in privacy lawsuit over facial recognition
Read full article: Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with Texas in privacy lawsuit over facial recognitionOfficials say Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission.
Violent clashes erupt between police and protesters in Dhaka even after 6 die during campus protests
Read full article: Violent clashes erupt between police and protesters in Dhaka even after 6 die during campus protestsSeveral major universities in Bangladesh have agreed to shut their doors after at least six people died in violent campus protests.
SCAM ALERT: How to spot fake missing person posts
Read full article: SCAM ALERT: How to spot fake missing person postsSocial media, particularly Facebook, has become a crucial tool in the search for missing people but is also exploited by scammers who post fake missing child alerts using recycled photos.
Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden on the social media site
Read full article: Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden on the social media siteFacebook has lifted restrictions imposed on Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Political ads on social media rife with misinformation and scams, new research finds
Read full article: Political ads on social media rife with misinformation and scams, new research findsA deep dive into political ads on Facebook by researchers at Syracuse University has revealed a sprawling web of advertisements that contain misleading information or scams.
Affidavit: Fort Bend County candidate facing criminal charges may have also impersonated a judge on Facebook
Read full article: Affidavit: Fort Bend County candidate facing criminal charges may have also impersonated a judge on FacebookAn up-and-coming political star in Fort Bend County is facing additional allegations of pretending to be someone else on the internet.
‘Sure looks like a nerd,’ Whitmire teases Hidalgo in since-deleted comment about her fiancé
Read full article: ‘Sure looks like a nerd,’ Whitmire teases Hidalgo in since-deleted comment about her fiancéWe all say things in bad taste we later regret, and sadly our Mayor fell victim to that when he jokingly said in a deleted comment about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's fiance that he "looks like a nerd."
How this Texas law was used to charge a Fort Bend Co. Commissioner candidate with faking social media attacks
Read full article: How this Texas law was used to charge a Fort Bend Co. Commissioner candidate with faking social media attacksA law that was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2009 has helped play a roll in the arrest of Democrat Taral Patel, who is accused of portraying himself as someone he is not over the internet.
Galveston residents may see discoloration in their water caused by ‘disruption to water line system’
Read full article: Galveston residents may see discoloration in their water caused by ‘disruption to water line system’The city of Galveston is giving residents a heads-up after some have reportedly experienced discoloration in their drinking water.
Supreme Court will take up Meta's bid to end lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal
Read full article: Supreme Court will take up Meta's bid to end lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica privacy scandalThe Supreme Court has agreed to consider shutting down a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
Spain proposes law to improve online safety for children, including virtual restraining orders
Read full article: Spain proposes law to improve online safety for children, including virtual restraining ordersSpain’s government has proposed a law to protect children from online threats that includes virtual restraining orders for felons and a higher age for opening social media accounts.
What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in Haiti
Read full article: What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in HaitiA spokesperson for the families of a young missionary couple from the U.S. says their bodies are going to be transported to Missouri this week.
Sam Butcher, artist who created Precious Moments figurines of teardrop-eyed children, dies at 85
Read full article: Sam Butcher, artist who created Precious Moments figurines of teardrop-eyed children, dies at 85The artist who created the Precious Moments figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed children has died.
Facebook and Instagram face fresh EU digital scrutiny over child safety measures
Read full article: Facebook and Instagram face fresh EU digital scrutiny over child safety measuresThe European Union opened fresh investigations into Facebook and Instagram over suspicions that they’re failing to protect children online, in violation of the bloc’s strict digital regulations for social media platforms.
Democratic officials criticize Meta ad policy, saying it amplifies lies about 2020 election
Read full article: Democratic officials criticize Meta ad policy, saying it amplifies lies about 2020 electionSeveral Democrats serving as their state’s top election officials have sent a letter to the parent company of Facebook, asking it to stop allowing ads that claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Meta under fire from European Union for not doing enough about election disinformation
Read full article: Meta under fire from European Union for not doing enough about election disinformationThe European Union says it’s investigating Facebook and Instagram for suspected violations of the bloc’s digital rulebook, including not doing enough to protect users from foreign disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections.
Meta more than doubles Q1 profit but revenue guidance pulls shares down after-hours
Read full article: Meta more than doubles Q1 profit but revenue guidance pulls shares down after-hoursFacebook and Instagram parent company Meta says its first-quarter profit more than doubled, boosted by higher advertising revenue and a 6% increase on the average price of ads on its platforms.
Meta's newest AI model beats some peers. But its amped-up AI agents are confusing Facebook users
Read full article: Meta's newest AI model beats some peers. But its amped-up AI agents are confusing Facebook usersGenerative AI is advancing so quickly that the latest chatbots available today could be out of date tomorrow.
Two tribal nations sue social media companies over Native youth suicides
Read full article: Two tribal nations sue social media companies over Native youth suicidesTwo tribal nations are accusing social media companies of contributing to high rates of suicides that disproportionately affect Native American youth.
Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back news and political content
Read full article: Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back news and political contentMeta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the U.S. and Australia as the platform further deemphasizes news and politics.
Reddit poised to make its stock market debut after IPO prices at $34 per share amid strong demand
Read full article: Reddit poised to make its stock market debut after IPO prices at $34 per share amid strong demandReddit will enter a new era as a publicly traded company with a market value of $6.4 billion.
Supreme Court weighs how far federal officials can go to combat controversial posts on hot topics
Read full article: Supreme Court weighs how far federal officials can go to combat controversial posts on hot topicsThe Supreme Court is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics like COVID-19 and election security.
House Republicans move ahead with TikTok vote even as Trump voices opposition to possible ban
Read full article: House Republicans move ahead with TikTok vote even as Trump voices opposition to possible banHouse Republicans are moving ahead with a bill that would require Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States even as former President Donald Trump is voicing opposition to the effort.
Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds
Read full article: Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey findsNearly three-quarters of U.S. teens say they feel happy or peaceful when they don’t have their phones with them, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.
State AGs send letter to Meta asking it to take 'immediate action' on user account takeovers
Read full article: State AGs send letter to Meta asking it to take 'immediate action' on user account takeoversA group of 40 state attorneys general have sent a letter to Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta expressing concern over what they say is dramatic uptick of consumer complaints about account takeovers and lockouts.
Facebook, Instagram issues? Here are some other ways to spend your time on Tuesday morning without social media
Read full article: Facebook, Instagram issues? Here are some other ways to spend your time on Tuesday morning without social mediaSome folks say that disconnecting from social media can be a refreshing break. Some of us, aren't doing so well 😅
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outage
Read full article: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outageA technical issue had caused widespread login issues for more than an hour across Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday.
Facebook, Instagram outage reported; Have you been impacted?
Read full article: Facebook, Instagram outage reported; Have you been impacted?Hundreds of social media users are left twiddling their thumbs after both social media giants, Facebook and Instagram were reportedly down Tuesday. #SocialMediaOutage #FacebookDown #InstagramDown
Brazoria County authorities really want to arrest your awful ex on Valentine’s Day
Read full article: Brazoria County authorities really want to arrest your awful ex on Valentine’s DayRunning into a really terrible ex-partner can be the worst sometimes, especially on Valentine’s Day. That’s why the Brazoria County Constable’s Office made a post on Facebook asking for those terrible exes to be turned into authorities.
‘It didn’t seem like anything bad’: KPRC 2 anchor Sofia Ojeda almost falls victim to scam
Read full article: ‘It didn’t seem like anything bad’: KPRC 2 anchor Sofia Ojeda almost falls victim to scamSofia Ojeda, KPRC 2 news anchor, was almost caught in a scam! 😱 Find out how she narrowly escaped and hear her story on the latest episode of Ask Amy.
Oversight board urges Meta to rethink its policy on manipulated media in high-stakes election year
Read full article: Oversight board urges Meta to rethink its policy on manipulated media in high-stakes election yearAn oversight board is criticizing Facebook owner Meta's policies on manipulated media as “incoherent” and insufficient to address online disinformation in a major election year.
Police investigate suspected illegal marijuana growing operation near Bellaire
Read full article: Police investigate suspected illegal marijuana growing operation near BellaireBellaire Police stated via Facebook they were part of the team investigating a suspected illegal marijuana operation and that arrests were pending.
Mark Zuckerberg's long apology tour: A brief history
Read full article: Mark Zuckerberg's long apology tour: A brief historyMark Zuckerberg has accumulated a long history of public apologies, often issued in the wake of crisis or when Facebook users rose up against unannounced — and frequently unappreciated — changes in its service.
Suspect in killing of 8 people in suburban Chicago has fatally shot himself in Texas, police say
Read full article: Suspect in killing of 8 people in suburban Chicago has fatally shot himself in Texas, police sayA man suspected of shooting and killing eight people in suburban Chicago fatally shot himself after a confrontation at a gas station with law enforcement officials in Texas.
Save money and benefit local businesses with the Bay Area Houston Food Lovers Card
Read full article: Save money and benefit local businesses with the Bay Area Houston Food Lovers CardHouston Life welcomes Jennifer Lopez-Fuller! She started "Bay Area Houston Food Lovers" to connect hundreds of local businesses to the community. Now, over 60-thousand people are part of the movement. We caught up with her on how this venture started and how you too can shop, eat and save.
Court documents underscore Meta's 'historical reluctance' to protect children on Instagram
Read full article: Court documents underscore Meta's 'historical reluctance' to protect children on InstagramNewly unredacted documents from New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta underscore the company’s historical reluctance to keep children safe on its platforms.
Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens' Instagram and Facebook feeds
Read full article: Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens' Instagram and Facebook feedsMeta says it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social media
Read full article: A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social mediaA federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law that would require children under 16 to get parental consent to use social media apps.
A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids' use of social media
Read full article: A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids' use of social mediaA trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies has sued Ohio over a pending law that requires children to get parental consent to use social media apps.
Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds
Read full article: Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study findsA study from Harvard says social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year.
Meta's initial decisions to remove 2 videos of Israel-Hamas war reversed by Oversight Board
Read full article: Meta's initial decisions to remove 2 videos of Israel-Hamas war reversed by Oversight BoardA quasi-independent review board has ruled that Facebook parent company Meta should overturn two decisions it made this fall to remove posts “informing the world about human suffering on both sides” of the Israel-Hamas war.
Pew survey: YouTube tops teens' social-media diet, with roughly a sixth using it almost constantly
Read full article: Pew survey: YouTube tops teens' social-media diet, with roughly a sixth using it almost constantlyTeen usage of social media hasn’t dropped much, despite rising concerns about its effects on the mental health of adolescents.
Chinese navy ships are first to dock at new pier at Cambodian naval base linked to Beijing
Read full article: Chinese navy ships are first to dock at new pier at Cambodian naval base linked to BeijingChinese naval vessels have become the first ships to dock at a new pier at a Cambodian naval base that the United States and some international security experts say is destined to serve as a strategic outpost for Beijing’s navy.
Facebook parent sued by New Mexico alleging it has failed to shield children from predators
Read full article: Facebook parent sued by New Mexico alleging it has failed to shield children from predatorsNew Mexico's attorney general is suing the parent company of Facebook and Instagram claiming it failed to protect underage users from exposure to child sexual abuse material and let adults solicit pornographic imagery from them.
Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practices
Read full article: Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practicesA Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection.
Facebook parent Meta sues the FTC claiming 'unconstitutional authority' in child privacy case
Read full article: Facebook parent Meta sues the FTC claiming 'unconstitutional authority' in child privacy caseThe parent company of Instagram and Facebook has sued the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to stop the agency from reopening a 2020 privacy settlement with the company that would prohibit it from profiting from data it collects on users under 18.
Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024
Read full article: Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024Meta says it has found and disabled thousands of fake Facebook accounts linked to China that were used to spread politically partisan content in the United States before next year’s election.
‘It was ruined’: Families disappointed after Deer Park caterer doesn’t deliver on Thanksgiving feasts
Read full article: ‘It was ruined’: Families disappointed after Deer Park caterer doesn’t deliver on Thanksgiving feastsDozens of families say their Thanksgiving was ruined because a caterer they hired didn’t deliver, and despite pre-paying, many of them still haven’t seen their turkey.
TikTok and Meta challenge Europe's new rules that crack down on digital giants
Read full article: TikTok and Meta challenge Europe's new rules that crack down on digital giantsTikTok and Meta are filing legal challenges against new European Union rules designed to counter the dominance of digital giants and make online competition fairer by giving consumers more choice.
Meta rolls out paid ad-free option for European Facebook and Insta users after privacy ruling
Read full article: Meta rolls out paid ad-free option for European Facebook and Insta users after privacy rulingFacebook and Instagram users in Europe are getting the option to pay for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.
Facebook parent Meta posts sharply higher profit in 3Q thanks to increase in ad revenue
Read full article: Facebook parent Meta posts sharply higher profit in 3Q thanks to increase in ad revenueFacebook parent Meta has posted sharply higher earnings for the third quarter, boosted by an increase in advertising revenue and lower expenses after it laid off thousands of workers.
Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely
Read full article: Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerelyThe lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators based in Kenya who have sued the site's parent company, Meta, over working conditions and pay has told the judge that Meta was not sincere in trying to reach an out-of-court settlement as agreed in the last court session.
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe could get ad-free subscription option, WSJ reports
Read full article: Facebook and Instagram users in Europe could get ad-free subscription option, WSJ reportsMeta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicks off developer conference with focus on AI, virtual reality
Read full article: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicks off developer conference with focus on AI, virtual realityMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the tech giant’s Connect developer conference on Wednesday with a focus on virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
UK's new online safety law adds to crackdown on Big Tech companies
Read full article: UK's new online safety law adds to crackdown on Big Tech companiesBritish lawmakers have approved an ambitious but controversial new internet safety law with wide-ranging powers to crack down on digital and social media companies like TikTok, Google and Facebook and Instagram parent Meta.
3 men who attempted to sell stolen commercial generators on Facebook Marketplace arrested
Read full article: 3 men who attempted to sell stolen commercial generators on Facebook Marketplace arrestedThree men accused of stealing commercial generators and then reselling them on Facebook Marketplace have been arrested and charged, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
Supreme Court pauses order curbing Biden administration efforts to block social media posts
Read full article: Supreme Court pauses order curbing Biden administration efforts to block social media postsThe Supreme Court has temporarily blocked enforcement of a lower court order curbing Biden administration efforts to combat controversial social media posts.
Equine humane society asking for help with fosters after large intake of horses related to Brazoria County cruelty case
Read full article: Equine humane society asking for help with fosters after large intake of horses related to Brazoria County cruelty caseA non-profit equine welfare organization is asking for help to care for a large number of horses the organization has taken in related to an animal cruelty case in Brazoria County.
EU targets Apple, Amazon, Meta and other Big Tech in next phase of digital crackdown
Read full article: EU targets Apple, Amazon, Meta and other Big Tech in next phase of digital crackdownThe European Union is targeting six Big Tech companies including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft under new digital rules aimed at reining in the market power of online companies.
Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policy
Read full article: Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policyElon Musk says his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform.
Kids and social media: What parents should consider before saying no to screen time
Read full article: Kids and social media: What parents should consider before saying no to screen timeAre you tired of your kids spending too much time on social media? A Houston area psychiatrist is handing out some healthy tips and explaining how the use of social media could be beneficial to some kids.
Thailand threatening to shut down Facebook, alleging it doesn't screen ads well enough
Read full article: Thailand threatening to shut down Facebook, alleging it doesn't screen ads well enoughA Thai Cabinet minister is threatening to try to shut down Facebook in the country, saying the social media platform does not do enough to screen the advertisements it runs, leaving people vulnerable to costly scams.
Europe's sweeping rules for tech giants have kicked in. Here's how they work
Read full article: Europe's sweeping rules for tech giants have kicked in. Here's how they workGoogle, Facebook, TikTok and other Big Tech companies operating in Europe must comply with one of the most far-reaching efforts to clean up what people see online.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire news
Read full article: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire newsCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Facebook of putting profits over people’s safety during Canada’s wildfire emergencies.
Needville Little League wins first game against Mid-Atlantic during Little League World Series
Read full article: Needville Little League wins first game against Mid-Atlantic during Little League World SeriesNeedville Little League defeated their first opponent Wednesday to advance in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
For Mark Zuckerberg's Threads, the real rival is still TikTok -- not the former Twitter
Read full article: For Mark Zuckerberg's Threads, the real rival is still TikTok -- not the former TwitterThreads, the simple, bare-bones text-based social network created by Facebook owner Meta, burst onto the scene during a particularly bad week for the rival then still known as Twitter.
Ask Amy: You may be sharing scams on social media without knowing it
Read full article: Ask Amy: You may be sharing scams on social media without knowing itA lot of us love sharing stories and content on social media. But we’ve got a warning: you may be sharing scams with your friends without even knowing it. Fraudsters are tricking people into sharing their suspicious links and scams.
Needville Little League punches ticket to the 2023 Little League World Series
Read full article: Needville Little League punches ticket to the 2023 Little League World SeriesThe Needville Little League baseball team punched their ticket to Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and are crowned the Southwest Regional champions.
Georgia kids would need parental permission to join social media if Senate Republicans get their way
Read full article: Georgia kids would need parental permission to join social media if Senate Republicans get their wayChildren in Georgia would need their parents' permission to create social media accounts if some top Republicans in the state get their way next year.
Musk teases MMA fight but also says he needs surgery; Zuckerberg says, ‘I’m ready’
Read full article: Musk teases MMA fight but also says he needs surgery; Zuckerberg says, ‘I’m ready’The grudge match between the titans of U.S. social media may be headed for the real world as both men say they've been training for victory.
Facebook owner Meta carries out threat to block news in Canada. Google plans to do the same
Read full article: Facebook owner Meta carries out threat to block news in Canada. Google plans to do the sameFacebook and Instagram parent company Meta is keeping its promise to block news content in Canada on its platforms in response to a new law that requires tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.