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Pabst Blue Ribbon announced on Instagram that thieves stole roughly 40,000 pounds of its beer, turning the theft into a public marketing moment rather than a quiet internal matter. The move mirrors a growing trend of brands, like KitKat previously, openly acknowledging cargo thefts and using them to generate social media buzz.
Instagram announced it will mandate a visible 'AI-generated profile' label on accounts run by synthetic influencers, replacing the vaguer 'AI creator' tag that could be confused with human creators using AI tools. The label must appear in the bio header as well as on individual posts, Reels and Stories, and accounts that fail to add it will have their reach restricted. As of Monday afternoon, popular AI personas like Lil Miquela, Imma and Aitana Lopez had not yet been labeled, and Instagram hasn't clarified whether labeling will be automatic or manual.
Instagram is renaming its 'AI creator' tag to 'AI-generated profile' and will limit the visibility of accounts featuring AI-generated people who fail to disclose it. Creators who add the new label won't face any reach penalty, but the rule only applies to profiles built around a fully AI-generated person, not those simply using AI tools for editing or captions.
Instagram is rolling out a mandatory 'AI-generated profile' label for accounts that portray a fictional AI person as if it were a real human. Accounts that fail to add the label risk having their content's reach reduced, the company said. This replaces the previous optional 'AI creator' tag with a more specific designation aimed squarely at synthetic personas rather than all AI-assisted content.
In a wide-ranging interview, New York Governor Kathy Hochul discussed her positions on AI, teen social media restrictions tied to Meta's multistate settlement, ghost gun bans challenged by activist Cody Wilson, Flock surveillance cameras, and a one-year moratorium on data center construction signed in July. She argued AI development needs stronger guardrails and pushed back on critics who say her policies face legal or technical loopholes.
Instagram is renaming its 'AI creator' label to 'AI-generated profile' to more clearly flag accounts featuring synthetic humans. The platform will also reduce visibility for accounts that fail to self-label as AI-generated, blocking their posts from being recommended to non-followers in Reels and Explore, though owners can appeal.
Meta reached a settlement with attorneys general from 47 states who had sued the company for allegedly manipulating children's attention through its algorithms. The deal could cost Meta as much as $17 billion, though the company admitted no wrongdoing, and the Wall Street Journal reported it spent over $2 billion on legal defense in a single quarter of 2026 alone.
A developer describes overriding a self-imposed website blocker for 444 minutes and using it as the turning point to rebuild his relationship with distracting apps. Rather than quitting YouTube, Reddit and LinkedIn, which he considers genuinely useful, he redesigned his phone to strip away addictive design cues, including switching the display to grayscale and forcing browser use instead of apps.
Mike Moore, the former Mississippi attorney general who helped broker the 1998 $246 billion tobacco settlement, is now advising state attorneys general pursuing similar action against social media firms. This follows Meta's roughly $17 billion settlement this week over claims it misrepresented how Facebook and Instagram harm children's mental health, a deal that included usage limits, age verification tools and parental controls. Moore, co-leading a nonprofit called Attention Initiative, wants a broader settlement covering more companies including TikTok and YouTube.
A YouGov survey found that 34 percent of U.S. adults under 30 belong to at least four group chats, with 3 percent managing more than 20 separate threads across text and messaging apps. The report frames this as evidence that group chats have become the default tool for organizing nearly every social interaction, from book clubs to family reunions.
Retro, a friend-focused photo-sharing app founded by former Instagram engineers Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, closed a Series A round of more than $21 million in December, according to an SEC filing spotted by Business Insider. The filing was made under the startup's legal name, Lone Palm Labs, and Pitchbook now pegs the company's valuation above $100 million.
Meta announced new restrictions for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook, including a default 2-hour daily time limit, a night mode blocking content from midnight to 6 a.m., and a school mode muting notifications during class hours. The changes come as part of a settlement in an $18 billion lawsuit, though Meta denies any wrongdoing and did not admit liability.