YouTube now lets you turn off Shorts
YouTube now lets you turn off Shorts YouTube’s time management settings now have an option to put a zero-minute time limit on Shorts, effectively removing them from your app in Android and iOS. The option is an update to the Shorts timer YouTube originally announced in October; the lowest previous option was 15 minutes. The […]
Mastodon is about to launch its take on Bluesky’s starter packs
Mastodon is about to launch its take on Bluesky's starter packs Mastodon is preparing to roll out “Collections” in the next few weeks, a feature that allows you to find and create lists of accounts worth following, according to an announcement on Thursday. Collections, which take inspiration from Bluesky Starter Packs, will come with the […]
Flipboard just launched Surf, its new social app and feed reader
Flipboard just launched Surf, its new social app and feed reader Surf’s main idea is about feeds. Everything is feeds. | Image: Flipboard Surf is a slightly hard app to explain. It’s sort of three things: a client for fediverse apps like Bluesky and Mastodon; a feed reader that lets you subscribe to almost any […]
A jury says Meta and Google hurt a kid. What now?
A jury says Meta and Google hurt a kid. What now? Today on Decoder, we’re talking about the landmark social media addiction trials that just resulted in two major verdicts against Big Tech. There’s one case in New Mexico against Meta, and another in California against both companies, which have said they plan to appeal. […]
Bluesky’s new app is an AI for customizing your feed
Bluesky's new app is an AI for customizing your feed The latest app from the team behind Bluesky is Attie, an AI assistant that lets you build your own algorithm. At the Atmosphere conference, Bluesky’s former CEO, Jay Graber, and CTO Paul Frazee, unveiled Attie, which is powered by Anthropic’s Claude and built on top […]
Meta’s court losses could be just the beginning
Meta's court losses could be just the beginning Social media companies have long seemed impervious to legal threats. Meta, YouTube, Snap, and the rest have long waved off criticism of their platforms on free speech and Section 230 grounds. But twice this week, juries rendered verdicts against the platforms, not because of some bad videos […]
Reddit accounts with ‘fishy’ bot-like behavior will soon need to prove they’re human
Reddit accounts with 'fishy' bot-like behavior will soon need to prove they're human Reddit is taking new steps to identify bots on the platform – a process that may require some users to confirm that they’re human. In a post on Wednesday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman writes that the company will introduce a labeling system […]
Instagram and Facebook are about to be filled with affiliate content
Instagram and Facebook are about to be filled with affiliate content Instagram and Facebook content will soon have shopping links baked into posts, essentially cutting out third-party “link in bio”-style tools. Meta announced Tuesday that it’s adding commerce features on the two platforms, though the functionality will be slightly different for each. On Facebook, content […]
An automated moderation error left Tumblr users panicked
An automated moderation error left Tumblr users panicked Tumblr users were left scrambling on Wednesday after dozens of accounts were banned in the same afternoon by an automated system. Numerous users contacted The Verge about the incident, claiming that the wave of bans disproportionately seemed to impact accounts run by users who identify as trans […]
The mysterious case of the DHS white supremacist memelord
The mysterious case of the DHS white supremacist memelord Department of Homeland Security. | Image: The Verge Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter that takes Verge subscribers into the smoke-filled back rooms of Washington as they become the Zyn-filled back rooms of Washington. (Although Tucker Carlson’s ALP is more popular among a certain set.) […]