GoKawiil
Tech News
Google, Meta and other major tech companies are resisting sweeping requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for user data, as the agency seeks information tied to immigration-related speech on their platforms. The companies are reportedly contesting the scope of these demands rather than complying automatically.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company may postpone implementation of controversial new business terms beyond their current November 20 start date, pending a full consultation with publishers and industry groups. The terms, already delayed once from an original October 30 date, would let Meta use automated scraping tools on the websites of businesses that use Facebook. Meta has not changed the actual wording of the terms despite the planned consultation.
Court filings in an ongoing lawsuit against Meta have surfaced internal documents, after a judge ruled they were not protected by attorney-client privilege despite the company routing related correspondence through lawyers. The documents reportedly reveal internal plans and research touching on how Meta's products affect young users, adding to litigation alleging the company's products harm minors.
Xreal announced the Aura smart glasses at Google's Android Developer Summit, built on the Android XR platform and Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite chip. The glasses connect via a wired puck device for processing rather than computing on-device, use a Sony Micro-OLED display at 1200p/120Hz with a 95-degree field of view, Bose audio, and support Gemini along with various Google Play apps and XR experiences at launch.
On October 17, Meta suspended the Instagram account of the No Kings Coalition for roughly four hours while nearly 3,000 events were underway nationwide to encourage early voting before the November 3 midterms. Meta first attributed the suspension to excessive posting activity, then a day later said its systems had flagged automated software using Claude AI scanning profiles and hashtags at four times normal speed. The account's visibility was restored after about 90 minutes, but organizers could not post again until 5:33pm Eastern.
Google and Xreal have launched the Aura smart glasses in the US, Canada and South Korea at $1,099 for the 12GB/256GB model, down from the $1,279 preorder price announced last month. A 16GB/512GB version costs $1,299, with shipping expected mid-November and a Japan launch set for November 2nd; customers who already preordered at the higher price will get an automatic refund of the difference.
Meta has quietly released Waddle World, an app combining a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet with AI, on iOS and Android in the Philippines, as spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. The app lets users hatch and care for a pixel pet, journal their day via text or voice, play short mini-games, and receive weekly AI-generated summaries, with Meta explicitly stating it is not a chatbot or productivity tool and restricting it to users 18 and older.
Meta communications head Andy Stone said the company's updated ads and business terms, originally set for October 30th and already pushed to November 20th, could be delayed again if consultations with publishers extend past that date. Until a new policy is finalized, Meta's existing terms will remain in effect.
A new risk index from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, prepared by the China Strategic Risks Institute, ranks trans-Pacific undersea cables by vulnerability to 'gray zone' sabotage. The September 2026 report finds cables owned by US firms like Google and Meta among the most exposed, citing factors such as cable depth, shipping traffic, ownership, and proximity to China's territorial claims and Taiwan. It follows reports of Chinese research vessels spending unusual amounts of time near cable routes and Chinese commercial ships being investigated for cable-cutting incidents in European and Asian waters.
Meta has released Waddle World, a Tamagotchi-style mobile game where users hatch and raise a virtual pet that responds to journal entries with AI-generated text and illustrations. The app, available since late September on the App Store and Google Play, is currently limited to the Philippines and includes mini-games for earning points to buy food and toys for the pet.
Court filings in litigation over Meta's teen safety claims reveal internal 'Well-being Meeting' notes from March 2023 describing a 'Whisper strategy' aimed at turning other academics against social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, a vocal critic linking social media to teen mental health problems. The notes, dated around a Substack post by Haidt, appear informal and typo-ridden, and it remains unclear whether Meta ever acted on the ideas discussed.
Meta has quietly launched Waddle World, a 16-bit style app featuring a virtual pet that chats with users and draws doodles based on conversations, described in its store listing as a daily journal disguised as a pet game. The app is currently free but restricted to adults in the Philippines, according to its Apple and Play Store listings spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. Meta has also released a separate AI fashion app called Style Sketch, reportedly limited to Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.