From “temporary” restoration of X amid court ban in Brazil to Meta using public posts for AI training in the UK, here’s everything we covered at Digital Rights Monitor (DRM) this week.
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BRAZIL: X accessible to many again after comms network update
X, which was blocked in Brazil last month on the orders of the Supreme Court, has become available again in the country after a recent update to its communications network, according to a report by Reuters.
The platform became accessible to many users again after it was blocked following a highly publicised feud between X owner and billionaire Elon Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes. The flaring spat began following official investigations into X’s content moderation practices.
X (formerly Twitter) was accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech in the country and the Supreme Court ordered the platform to block certain accounts. Musk, who used harsh words — including “evil dictator” and “tyrant” — for Justice Moraes, informed his followers on X that the company had been forced to take down the flagged accounts without any justification. The reported accounts were subsequently blocked after X sent out notifications to them about the takedown.
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Instagram launches ‘private’ accounts for teenagers
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms, has launched new designated accounts for teenagers, saying they will allow parents more control over their children’s online activity, according to an official statement.
The accounts, which have been introduced as “Teen Accounts”, will contain built-in privacy protections for users under the age of 18. The privacy feature will be automatic for every user Meta marks “underage” for across its social media platforms.
Teens who are already using Instagram or will sign up on the platform now onwards will be subject to the new privacy and safety protocols, Instagram says. Messages to the Teen Accounts can only be sent or tagged if the sender is on the following list of the recipient.
The development comes as Meta faces intense scrutiny for its business practices — surrounding primarily around algorithmic recommendations — for teenagers. In the United States (US), in particular, state governments have levelled allegations against the popular image-heavy platform that it is fuelling a “youth mental health crisis”.
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PAKISTAN: X restoration claim was ‘mistake’, says telecom regulator
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has admitted in the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the claim made earlier by its lawyer regarding the restoration of X in the country was a “mistake”, according to a report by Dawn.com.
Last week, reports emerged that the PTA had restored X (formerly known as Twitter) after seventh months of its arbitrary suspension. Some people claimed they were able to access the platform without using a VPN (virtual private network). However, a large number of users confirmed they could not access X the regular way, which indicated that the few instances that led to speculation regarding the platform’s restoration might have been a result of X’s prolonged intermittent blocking.
Since the ban imposed on the platform on February 17, 2024, X is occasionally found restored, but turns inaccessible again shortly after.
The reports only convoluted after the lawyers representing PTA gave contradictory statements in the SHC later, where various petitions are being heard against the continuing ban on X and frequent internet shutdowns in the country.
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UK: Meta to start using Facebook, Instagram posts to train AI model
Meta has announced that it will start using public posts from Facebook and Instagram to train its artificial intelligence (AI) system, according to an official statement.
The development comes after Meta initially dropped its plans to use public posts from its social media platforms to train its AI models. The company halted the use of personal data for AI training citing “unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment”.
Meta will now use photos, comments, and captions to train its AI models, the company announced on Friday. The AI trainings will use data only from adults and Meta will not include private messages or other sensitive information from accounts belonging to users aged under 18.
Meta had put a pause to its AI ventures in Europe in June 2024, after the Irish regulator — the Data Protection Commission (DPC) — ordered the company to cease its operations involving the processing of personal data of users from public posts. At the time of halting its AI trainings, Meta had stated that the delay would also allow time for the company to address concerns on the same by Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
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Keep following DRM for updates on internet governance, platform takedowns and internet shutdowns, and corporate accountability from around the world
