Meta Threatens To Pull Facebook And Instagram Out Of Nigeria Over $290 Million Fine According to Rest of the World, a major confrontation between Meta and the local authorities in Nigeria is currently taking place: "Local authorities have fined Meta $290 million for regulatory breaches, prompting the social media giant to threaten pulling Facebook and Instagram from the country." Techdirt reports: As with earlier EU fines imposed on the company, the sticking point is Meta's refusal to comply with local privacy laws [...]. The fine itself is small change for Meta, which had a net income of $62 billion on a turnover of $165 billion in 2024, and a market capitalization of $1.5 trillion. Meta's current revenues in Nigeria are relatively small, but its market shares are high: "According to social media performance tracker Napoleoncat, Meta has a massive presence in the country, with Facebook alone reaching about 51.2 million users as of May 2024, more than a fifth of the population. Instagram had 12.6 million Nigerian users as of November 2023, while WhatsApp had about 51 million users, making Nigeria the 10th largest market globally for the messaging app." Since many Nigerians depend on Meta's platforms, the company might be hoping that there will be public pressure on the government not to impose the fine in order to avoid a shutdown of its services there. But it is hard to see Meta carrying out its threat to walk away from a country expected to be the third most populous nation in the world by 2050. In 2100, the population of Nigeria could reach 541 million according to current projections. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Meta+Threatens+To+Pull+Facebook+And+Instagram+Out+Of+Nigeria+Over+%24290+Million+Fine%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2226214%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2226214%2Fmeta-threatens-to-pull-facebook-and-instagram-out-of-nigeria-over-290-million-fine%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Meta Threatens To Pull Facebook And Instagram Out Of Nigeria Over $290 Million Fine - Slashdot
According to Rest of the World, a major confrontation between Meta and the local authorities in Nigeria is currently taking place: &#34;Local autho...
 at Slashdot.
Meta Threatens To Pull Facebook And Instagram Out Of Nigeria Over $290 Million Fine - Slashdot
According to Rest of the World, a major confrontation between Meta and the local authorities in Nigeria is currently taking place: &#34;Local autho...
Google Wants To Make Stolen Android Phones Basically Unsellable Google is enhancing Android's Factory Reset Protection (FRP) to make stolen phones virtually unusable by detecting setup wizard bypasses and requiring a second factory reset until ownership is verified. Android Authority reports: You can factory reset an Android phone in several ways. However, triggering a reset through the Android recovery menu or Google's Find My Device service activates Factory Reset Protection (FRP). During setup after such a reset, the wizard requires you to verify ownership by either signing into the previously associated Google account or entering the device's former lock screen PIN, password, or pattern. Failing this verification step blocks setup completion, rendering the device unusable. [...] Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a valuable feature that discourages theft by rendering stolen Android phones useless to potential buyers if wiped improperly. However, FRP isn't foolproof; thieves have discovered numerous methods over the years to circumvent it. These bypasses typically involve skipping the setup wizard, allowing someone to use the phone without entering the previous owner's Google account details or screen lock. During The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google announced plans to "further harden Factory Reset protections, which will restrict all functionalities on devices that are reset without the owner's authorization." While the company didn't elaborate much, a screenshot it shared suggests that Android will likely detect if someone bypasses the setup wizard and then force another factory reset, preventing unauthorized use until the user proves ownership. [...] Google stated this FRP improvement is coming "later this year." Since the stable Android 16 release is coming soon, this timeline suggests the feature won't be part of the initial launch. It might arrive later in one of Android 16's Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), but that remains to be seen. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Google+Wants+To+Make+Stolen+Android+Phones+Basically+Unsellable%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2056206%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2056206%2Fgoogle-wants-to-make-stolen-android-phones-basically-unsellable%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Google Wants To Make Stolen Android Phones Basically Unsellable - Slashdot
Google is enhancing Android
 at Slashdot.
Google Wants To Make Stolen Android Phones Basically Unsellable - Slashdot
Google is enhancing Android
Nextcloud Cries Foul Over Google Play Store App Rejection Nextcloud has accused Google of sabotaging its Android Files app by revoking the "All files access" permission, which the company says cripples functionality for its 824,000 users and forces reliance on limited alternatives like SAF and MediaStore. The Register reports: Nextcloud's Android Files app is a file synchronization tool that, according to the company, has long had permission to read and write all file types. "Nextcloud has had this feature since its inception in 2016," it said, "and we never heard about any security concerns from Google about it." That changed in 2024, when someone or something at Google's Play Store decided to revoke the permission, effectively crippling the application. Nextcloud was instructed to use "a more privacy-aware replacement." According to Nextcloud, "SAF cannot be used, as it is for sharing/exposing our files to other apps ... MediaStore API cannot be used as it does not allow access to other files, but only media files." Attempts to raise the issue with Google resulted in little more than copy-and-pasted sections of the developer guide. "Despite multiple appeals from our side and sharing additional background, Google is not considering reinstating upload for all files," Nextcloud said. The issue seems to stem from the Play Store. While a fully functional version is available on F-Droid, the Play Store edition is subject to Google's imposed limitations. Regarding the All files access permission, Google's developer documentation states: "If you target Android 11 and declare All files access, it can affect your ability to publish and update your app on Google Play." Nextcloud is clearly aggrieved by the change, as are its users. "This might look like a small technical detail but it is clearly part of a pattern of actions to fight the competition," it said. "What we are experiencing is a piece of the script from the big tech playbook." [...] Are there nefarious actors at play here, an automated process that auto-rejects apps with elevated access requirements, or is it just simple incompetence? "Either way," Nextcloud said, "it results in companies like ours just giving up, reducing functionality just to avoid getting kicked out of their app store." "The issue is that small companies -- like ours -- have pretty much no recourse," it added. Nextcloud went on to criticize oversight processes as slow-moving, with fines that sound hefty but amount to little more than a slap on the wrist. "Big Tech is scared that small players like Nextcloud will disrupt them, like they once disrupted other companies. So they try to shut the door." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Nextcloud+Cries+Foul+Over+Google+Play+Store+App+Rejection%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2045258%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F2045258%2Fnextcloud-cries-foul-over-google-play-store-app-rejection%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Nextcloud Cries Foul Over Google Play Store App Rejection - Slashdot
UPDATE: In an update to their blog post, &#34;Nextcloud wrote that as of May 15, Google has offered to restore full file access permissions,&#34; r...
 at Slashdot.
Nextcloud Cries Foul Over Google Play Store App Rejection - Slashdot
UPDATE: In an update to their blog post, &#34;Nextcloud wrote that as of May 15, Google has offered to restore full file access permissions,&#34; r...
USENIX Sunsets Annual Technical Conference After 30 Years New submitter Synonymous Homonym writes: This year's USENIX ATC will be the last, but other USENIX conferences will keep happening.Since USENIX's inception in 1975, it has been a key gathering place for innovators in the advanced computing systems community. The early days of meetings evolved into the two annual conferences, the USENIX Summer and Winter Conferences, which in 1995 merged into the single Annual Technical Conference that has continued to evolve and serve thousands of our constituents for 30 years.USENIX recognizes the pivotal role that USENIX ATC has played in the shaping of the Association itself as well as the lives and careers of its many attendees and members. We also realize that change is inevitable, and all good things must come to an end: The last ATC will include both a celebration of USENIX's 50th anniversary on the evening of Monday, July 7, and a tribute to USENIX ATC on the evening of Tuesday, July 8. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=USENIX+Sunsets+Annual+Technical+Conference+After+30+Years%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1839205%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1839205%2Fusenix-sunsets-annual-technical-conference-after-30-years%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
USENIX Sunsets Annual Technical Conference After 30 Years - Slashdot
New submitter Synonymous Homonym writes: This year
 at Slashdot.
USENIX Sunsets Annual Technical Conference After 30 Years - Slashdot
New submitter Synonymous Homonym writes: This year
Google Says Over 1 Billion RCS Messages Sent in the US Daily An anonymous reader shares a report: During the Android Show leading up to Google I/O, Google on Tuesday offered a brief update on the adoption of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol, an upgrade to SMS that offers high-resolution photos and videos, typing indicators, read receipts, improved group chat, and more. The company shared that the messaging standard now supports over a billion messages per day in the U.S. This metric is based on an average of the last 28 days, Google noted. The stat is notable because Google fought for years to get Apple to adopt support for RCS on iOS, allowing for better communication between Android and Apple devices. Previously, iPhone users who received texts from friends on Android had to deal with blurry videos and images, and couldn't as easily manage group chats when their green-bubbled friends joined. Unlike with iMessage, group chats with Android users couldn't be renamed, nor could people be added or removed, and you couldn't exit when you wanted. Emoji reactions also didn't work properly, leading to annoying texts to let you know how an Android user reacted, instead of just displaying their emoji reaction directly. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Google+Says+Over+1+Billion+RCS+Messages+Sent+in+the+US+Daily%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1835253%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1835253%2Fgoogle-says-over-1-billion-rcs-messages-sent-in-the-us-daily%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Google Says Over 1 Billion RCS Messages Sent in the US Daily - Slashdot
An anonymous reader shares a report: During the Android Show leading up to Google I/O, Google on Tuesday offered a brief update on the adoption of ...
 at Slashdot.
Google Says Over 1 Billion RCS Messages Sent in the US Daily - Slashdot
An anonymous reader shares a report: During the Android Show leading up to Google I/O, Google on Tuesday offered a brief update on the adoption of ...
Office Apps on Windows 10 No Longer Tied To October 2025 End-of-Support Date Microsoft has quietly extended support for Office applications running on Windows 10 well beyond the operating system's October 14, 2025 end-of-support deadline. Microsoft 365 subscribers will now receive updates through October 2028, while perpetual license versions will follow their standard lifecycle policies -- Office 2021 until October 2026 and Office 2024 until October 2029. Windows Defender malware definitions will also continue "through at least October 2028" despite Windows 10's imminent retirement. This reverses Microsoft's previous stance that all Office applications would become unsupported when Windows 10 reaches end-of-life. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Office+Apps+on+Windows+10+No+Longer+Tied+To+October+2025+End-of-Support+Date%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F177238%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F177238%2Foffice-apps-on-windows-10-no-longer-tied-to-october-2025-end-of-support-date%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Office Apps on Windows 10 No Longer Tied To October 2025 End-of-Support Date - Slashdot
Microsoft has quietly extended support for Office applications running on Windows 10 well beyond the operating system
 at Slashdot.
Office Apps on Windows 10 No Longer Tied To October 2025 End-of-Support Date - Slashdot
Microsoft has quietly extended support for Office applications running on Windows 10 well beyond the operating system
Intel Certifies Shell Lubricant for Cooling AI Data Centers Intel has certified Shell's lubricant-based method for cooling servers more efficiently within data centers used for AI. From a report: The announcement on Tuesday, which follows the chipmaker's two-year trial of the technology, offers a way to use less energy at AI facilities, which are booming and are expected to double their electricity demand globally by 2030, consuming as much power then as all of Japan today, according to the International Energy Agency. So far, companies have largely used giant fans to reduce temperatures inside AI data centers, which generate more heat in order to run at a higher power. Increasingly, these fans consume electricity at a rate that rivals the computers themselves, something the facilities' operators would prefer to avoid, Intel Principal Engineer Samantha Yates said in an interview. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Intel+Certifies+Shell+Lubricant+for+Cooling+AI+Data+Centers%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F165215%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F165215%2Fintel-certifies-shell-lubricant-for-cooling-ai-data-centers%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Intel Certifies Shell Lubricant for Cooling AI Data Centers - Slashdot
Intel has certified Shell
 at Slashdot.
Intel Certifies Shell Lubricant for Cooling AI Data Centers - Slashdot
Intel has certified Shell
Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers Microsoft is laying off 3% of employees across all levels and geographies, the company said Tuesday. "We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace," a spokesperson told CNBC. Microsoft had 228,000 employees worldwide at the end of June, meaning that the move will affect thousands of employees. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Microsoft+is+Cutting+3%25+of+All+Workers%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1432232%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1432232%2Fmicrosoft-is-cutting-3-of-all-workers%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers - Slashdot
Microsoft is laying off 3% of employees across all levels and geographies, the company said Tuesday. &#34;We continue to implement organizational c...
 at Slashdot.
Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers - Slashdot
Microsoft is laying off 3% of employees across all levels and geographies, the company said Tuesday. &#34;We continue to implement organizational c...
Apple Wants People To Control Devices With Their Thoughts Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices. From a report: The company is taking early steps to enable people to control their iPhones with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. It could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people who can't use their hands because of severe spinal cord injuries or diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. [...] Historically, humans interacted with their computers mechanically, using keyboards and mice. Smartphones introduced touch, a behavioral input, but still an observable physical movement. The new capability means Apple devices won't need to see the user make specific movements, the devices can detect user intentions from decoded brain signals. Apple has worked on the new standard with Synchron, which makes a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein atop the brain's motor cortex. The device called the Stentrode has electrodes that read brain signals. It translates the signals into selecting icons on a screen. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Apple+Wants+People+To+Control+Devices+With+Their+Thoughts%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1216217%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F13%2F1216217%2Fapple-wants-people-to-control-devices-with-their-thoughts%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
Apple Wants People To Control Devices With Their Thoughts - Slashdot
Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with the...
 at Slashdot.
Apple Wants People To Control Devices With Their Thoughts - Slashdot
Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with the...
The Stealthy Lab Cooking Up Amazon's Secret Sauce Amazon's decade-old acquisition of Annapurna Labs has emerged as a pivotal element in its AI strategy, with the once-secretive Israeli chip design startup now powering AWS infrastructure. The $350 million deal, struck in 2015 after initial talks between Annapurna co-founder Nafea Bshara and Amazon executive James Hamilton, has equipped the tech giant with custom silicon capabilities critical to its cloud computing dominance. Annapurna's chips, particularly the Trainium processor for AI model training and Graviton for general-purpose computing, now form the foundation of Amazon's AI infrastructure. The company is deploying hundreds of thousands of Trainium chips in its Project Rainier supercomputer being delivered to AI startup Anthropic this year. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who led AWS when the acquisition occurred, described it as "one of the most important moments" in AWS history. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=The+Stealthy+Lab+Cooking+Up+Amazon's+Secret+Sauce%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F12%2F2124207%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F25%2F05%2F12%2F2124207%2Fthe-stealthy-lab-cooking-up-amazons-secret-sauce%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
The Stealthy Lab Cooking Up Amazon
Amazon
 at Slashdot.
The Stealthy Lab Cooking Up Amazon
Amazon