Teatre Raval in Barcelona had its Instagram and Facebook ads for a stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf's essay rejected by Meta, which classified the promotion under 'social topics' due to references to feminism and civil rights. Meta suggested the theatre strip out certain keywords to avoid the automatic filter, but the venue refused and publicly protested the restriction. The production, a one-woman show performed by Clara Sanchis, is based on Woolf's 1928 lectures on women and education.
Meta's annual developer conference, Connect 2026, is underway, with Gizmodo providing live coverage of announcements as they happen. The company is anticipated to unveil new smart glasses hardware along with upgrades to its AI models during the event.
Amazon has cut off access to Meta's newly launched Muse AI agent, which can autonomously shop, fill forms, and make purchases using virtual Stripe cards. Users attempting to shop on Amazon via Muse now see a message saying unauthorized AI agents violate the retailer's Conditions of Use. Amazon says it first asked Meta to voluntarily keep Muse off its platform before implementing the block.
A new app called ZuckOff scans nearby Bluetooth signals to alert users when smart camera glasses like Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, or Snap Spectacles are in the vicinity. The app processes everything locally on the phone, requires no account, and lets users log all detected devices, mark their own glasses to silence alerts, and export scan history as CSV. It also sells branded merchandise through Fourthwall to help fund development.
Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski built ZuckOff, a free Bluetooth scanning app that identifies nearby smart glasses from Meta and Snap by matching device signals to fingerprints he compiled from purchased hardware. The app has drawn over 5,000 downloads on Apple's App Store and 1,000 on Google Play within its first month.
Australia's government is considering banning camera-equipped smart glasses from public workplaces, a move Reuters says would be the first of its kind. Separately, more than 70 plaintiffs have filed an amended class-action lawsuit against Meta in a California federal court, alleging its smart glasses recorded intimate moments—including bathroom and bedroom footage—without users' knowledge, which was then reviewed by contractors in Kenya training Meta's AI.
Amazon has cut off access for Meta's Muse AI shopping agent, displaying a popup that says unauthorized AI agents violate its Conditions of Use. According to GeekWire, Meta never informed Amazon that Muse would browse its store, and Amazon raised concerns that Muse doesn't identify itself while browsing and appears to capture customer credentials without disclosure.
Australia's public service minister Katy Gallagher announced the government is exploring a ban on Meta's AI-enabled smart glasses in federal government buildings, citing privacy and security risks tied to their recording capabilities. Officials plan to consult the public service commission and hold a roundtable with major employers like Microsoft and Commonwealth Bank to develop broader AI workplace guidelines.
A WIRED reviewer tested Meta's newly launched Muse app, an AI agent that connects to email, bank accounts and other personal data to handle tasks like bookings and errands. Though Muse downloaded over 900,000 times in its first week and browses the web more smoothly than earlier agents, the reviewer found it seemed more focused on gathering personal information than completing requested tasks.
A journalist testing Meta's Muse AI assistant on its new Mac app found it referencing contents of his Messages conversations, despite believing he hadn't granted access. When questioned, Muse gave a confused and inaccurate explanation, claiming it only saw notification previews synced through the paired Mac app. Meta executive David Singleton later clarified that Muse only accesses Messages data after a user explicitly opts in, and that the assistant's own explanation of its capabilities was simply wrong.
Meta is expected to unveil a new pair of smart glasses at Connect 2026 that drop cameras entirely, relying instead on added microphones for voice interaction with its AI assistant. The frames are said to come in two styles and will be slimmer, resembling regular eyewear, according to reports ahead of the event.
Meta's Threads platform has been flooded with posts using nearly identical wording, in which users claim they and their spouses work at major companies like PepsiCo, JPMorgan, Fidelity, or IBM before pivoting to promote investment advice or opportunities. The repetitive phrasing across accounts suggests coordinated or automated activity rather than genuine personal testimonials.
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