WhatsApp is officially getting ads
WhatsApp is rolling out ads. In an update on Monday, Meta announced that it will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature.
Meta says it will tailor the ads to your interests by using “limited” information, including your country or city, language, the channels you follow, and how you interact with ads on the platform. You can also change your ad preferences from Meta’s Accounts Center.
This isn’t the only change Meta is making to WhatsApp. The company will also start showing promoted channels when you click on the Explore button to find new ones to follow. It’s also rolling out the ability to subscribe to channels to “receive exclusive updates” as well.
WhatsApp is officially getting ads
WhatsApp is getting ads, as Meta has announced that it will now allow businesses to promote their products and services through its status feature.Emma Roth (The Verge)
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fair. Isreal motto seems to be attack, ask for ceasefire and then attack while negotiations are underway. Personally think it's a no brainer for Iran to see through that cover play.
Also agree with the decision to cease proceedings with the US during the period, it's unlikely anything beneficial will come out of the talks while engaging Isreal so it's a waste of effort.
reshared this
WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen
After years of providing free services without any bells attached, WhatsApp is now going to start showing ads on the popular chat app. To be clear, users will only see ads on the Status screen — the app’s take on Instagram’s Stories.So just like you see an ad after watching a few stories on Instagram, you will see ads on WhatsApp after you’ve scrolled through a few Status updates.
The company said that its ad mechanism uses signals like users’ country or city, language, and the channels they’re following, as well as data from ads that users interact with.
Meta said it is not using personally identifiable data, such as users’ phone numbers, messages, calls, and groups to serve targeted ads. If a user has added their WhatsApp account to Meta’s Account Center, the company will use their Account preferences to show ads.
WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen | TechCrunch
After years of not showing any ads, WhatsApp is adding ads to Status updates.Ivan Mehta (TechCrunch)
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Scientists have studied remote work for 4 years and have reached a clear conclusion: working from home makes us happier
Scientists have studied remote work for 4 years and have reached a clear conclusion: working from home makes us happier - Caring Minds United
Scientists have spent four years diving deep into the world of remote work and stumbled upon a powerful truth: working from home genuinely makes usEgna Perez (Caring Minds United)
funny you should mention that (I know you're being sarcastic 😀
Overall, our results suggest that the rise in remote work and TFP growth are positively correlated. From 2019 to 2021, the (weighted) average percentage-point increase in remote workers across industries was 14.9. This suggests that the rise in remote work was associated with an average 1.2 percentage-points increase in industry-level TFP.
bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-13/rem…
The rise in remote work since the pandemic and its impact on productivity
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about dramatic changes in the work environment. Although 6.5 percent of workers in the private business sector worked primarily from home in 2019, the pandemic was the start of a massive experiment in full-time remote wo…Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureaucrat and the Billionaire: Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security
The drama offers a case study in how Elon Musk’s team sought to run a critical government agency through misinformation and social media blasts — and how longtime employees responded.
Strength in numbers: Latin America urges unity in face of Trump tariffs
Strength in numbers: Latin America urges unity in face of Trump tariffs
Latin American leaders at CELAC summit in Honduras call for a united front to tackle US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught.James Grainger (BATimes Newspaper)
Best multi-identity anonymity-focused email client
Hi, I'm looking for a mail client that is well suited for managing multiple identities and can easily handle routing everything over an anonymity network.
I would use Thunderbird, but I think when you take it online, it downloads from all your connected email accounts. I want to "go online" at will toward particular email addresses, in other words I do not want my upstream mail provider to be able to associate my accounts in any way, including access time, assuming there is a large enough other pool of people using the same client/anonymity network.
Are there any that are well made for this purpose? Otherwise I will use the mail frontend over Tor or something, but it would be nice to have a lightweight client-side application too so I can keep my emails downloaded and delete them from the server.
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All details are available on the mozilla website.
support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/p…
Profile Manager - Create and remove Thunderbird profiles | Thunderbird Help
Thunderbird stores your personal information and settings in a profile folder. Learn to work with different profiles on Thunderbird.support.mozilla.org
A Revolutionary Drug for Extreme Hunger Offers Clues to Obesity’s Complexity
A Revolutionary Drug for Extreme Hunger Offers Clues to Obesity’s Complexity - KFF Health News
A new drug is helping families who’ve spent years padlocking fridges, chaining garbage cans, and hiding food as their children with Prader-Willi syndrome deal with unrelenting hunger.KFF Health News
Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle
Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle
Even one night of inadequate sleep can shift your hunger into overdrive, setting off a chain reaction in the brain. But one or two nights of solid sleep can help reset metabolism.The Conversation
Microsoft Tests Removing Its Name From Bing Search Box
Bing Tests Dropping Microsoft Name From Bing Search Box
Microsoft is testing removing its own name from the Bing search results box at the top left of the page. So it just says Bing, with the Microsoft logo next to it, when it normally says Microsoft BingBarry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable)
Microsoft Tests Removing Its Name From Bing Search Box
Bing Tests Dropping Microsoft Name From Bing Search Box
Microsoft is testing removing its own name from the Bing search results box at the top left of the page. So it just says Bing, with the Microsoft logo next to it, when it normally says Microsoft BingBarry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable)
Make America Hate Again
Make America Hate Again ⋆ IREHR
Leland Lehrman, the new director of the MAHA Institute has a history of promoting antisemitic conspiracies and anti-science quackery.Devin Burghart (Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights)
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans
cross-posted from: lemm.ee/post/66980362
cross-posted from: rss.ponder.cat/post/207749
From US news | The Guardian via this RSS feed
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans
Trump order allows VA staff to decline providing healthcare to patients based on political affiliation or marital statusAaron Glantz (The Guardian)
Gazans flee aid distribution site from gunfire
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.m.youtube.com
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans
cross-posted from: feddit.org/post/14277007
DeepL:
„Äußerst beunruhigend und unethisch“: Neue Vorschriften erlauben es Ärzten der Veteranenbehörde, Demokraten und unverheiratete Veteranen die Behandlung zu verweigern.Das Ministerium für Veteranenangelegenheiten erklärt, die Änderungen seien eine Reaktion auf eine Verordnung von Trump zum „Schutz von Frauen“.
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans
Trump order allows VA staff to decline providing healthcare to patients based on political affiliation or marital statusAaron Glantz (The Guardian)
adhocfungus likes this.
Your household smart products must respect your privacy – including your air fryer
Your household smart products must respect your privacy – including your air fryer
From smart speakers and fitness trackers to Wi-Fi fridges and interconnected air fryers, smart products have integrated seamlessly into people’s homes and everyday lives – in fact, research shows that four in five Brits own at least one.*ico.org.uk
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Your household smart products must respect your privacy – including your air fryer
Your household smart products must respect your privacy – including your air fryer
From smart speakers and fitness trackers to Wi-Fi fridges and interconnected air fryers, smart products have integrated seamlessly into people’s homes and everyday lives – in fact, research shows that four in five Brits own at least one.*ico.org.uk
Meta's Llama 3.1 can recall 42 percent of the first Harry Potter book
Meta's Llama 3.1 can recall 42 percent of the first Harry Potter book
New research could have big implications for copyright lawsuits against generative AI.Timothy B. Lee (Understanding AI)
Meta rolled back protections. Now hate is surging - What we're seeing: More hate, more fear, less freedom.
On January 7, 2025, Meta announced sweeping changes to its content moderation policies, including the end of third-party fact-checking in the U.S., and rollbacks to its hate speech policy globally that remove protections for women, people of color, trans people, and more. In the absence of data from Meta, we decided to go straight to users to assess if and how harmful content is manifesting on Meta platforms in the wake of January rollbacks.
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Meta rolled back protections. Now hate is surging - What we're seeing: More hate, more fear, less freedom.
On January 7, 2025, Meta announced sweeping changes to its content moderation policies, including the end of third-party fact-checking in the U.S., and rollbacks to its hate speech policy globally that remove protections for women, people of color, trans people, and more. In the absence of data from Meta, we decided to go straight to users to assess if and how harmful content is manifesting on Meta platforms in the wake of January rollbacks.
Rep. Melissa Hortman, killed in targeted attack, was a champion for Minnesotan families
Rep. Melissa Hortman, killed in targeted attack, was a champion for Minnesotan families
Hortman worked closely with Gov. Tim Walz to enact policies that prioritized children and expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming careGrace Panetta (The 19th)
Riverside, CA No Kings protestor struck in felony hit and run
Riverside ‘No Kings’ protester struck in felony hit-and-run, suspect at large
A woman participating in Riverside’s “No Kings” protest on Saturday night was taken to a hospital after being struck by what police are investigating as a felony hit-and-run.Lily Dallow (KTLA)
Protester shot and killed at 'No Kings' rally in Utah, police say
A man who was believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City shot at a person who was brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, striking both the rifleman and a bystander who later died at the hospital, authorities said Sunday.
Police took the alleged rifleman, Arturo Gamboa, 24, into custody Saturday evening on a murder charge, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said at a Sunday news conference. The bystander was Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, a fashion designer from Samoa.
Detectives don’t yet know why Gamboa pulled out a rifle or ran from the peacekeepers, but they accused him of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo’s death. The Associated Press did not immediately find an attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records.
https://apnews.com/article/utah-no-kings-protest-shot-killed-75c777eeedd59c80c85695c45385c507
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Iran Threatens Nuclear Exit And Oil Choke Point As War With Israel Escalates
Iran Threatens Nuclear Exit And Oil Choke Point As War With Israel Escalates
As Israel escalates strikes on Iranian targets, Tehran is weighing a dramatic response: withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and possibly closing the Strait of Hormuz -- moves that could further destabilize the region and disrupt glo…Kian Sharifi (RFE/RL)
Iran Threatens Nuclear Exit And Oil Choke Point As War With Israel Escalates
Iran Threatens Nuclear Exit And Oil Choke Point As War With Israel Escalates
As Israel escalates strikes on Iranian targets, Tehran is weighing a dramatic response: withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and possibly closing the Strait of Hormuz -- moves that could further destabilize the region and disrupt glo…Kian Sharifi (RFE/RL)
adhocfungus likes this.
My Milford classmate was detained by ICE. I live in fear that it could happen to me. - I invite you to open your mind and try to have empathy for a situation you have never had to experience.
Globe Opinion rarely publishes anonymous op-eds, but we made an exception with this piece to protect the writer, an undocumented high school student whose identity is known to us.
Archived at archive.is/VgV73
Opinion | I'm an undocumented Milford student in fear of ICE
I invite you to open your mind and try to have empathy for a situation you have never had to experience.The Boston Globe
‘Not based on science’: documents show internal government scramble to expand Alberta cougar hunt
Alberta cougar hunting increases ‘not based on science’: docs | The Narwhal
A controversial decision to increase cougar hunting in Alberta was ‘based on direction from [the] minister last year and input from stakeholders’Drew Anderson (The Narwhal)
The 'Superlative' Injunction: India's Pirate Site Blockades Go Next Level
The High Court in New Delhi, India, has granted a new type of pirate site blocking order, dubbed the "superlative" injunction. The blocking order was obtained by Star India, a subsidiary of American entertainment giant Disney. It aims to disrupt IPTV Smarters Pro and related pirate sites and apps in 'real-time', with a temporary carte blanche to add new targets.
"temporary" carte blanche to add new targets
Oh yeah, and we all know that will actually be temporary, and would never ever in the history of ever be abused, right?
Arr, let's welcome more eye patches and peg legs soon!
Monday, June 16, 2025
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
At a Father’s Day celebration, children whose fathers died in the war take part in the ‘Native Angel’ art project in Lviv, Ukraine, June 15, 2025. Business representatives, volunteers, military personnel, dog handlers, police officers, partners from the Red Cross, and children’s groups took part in the celebration. (Olena Znak/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukrainian agents cause millions in damage during secret sabotage operation in Russia, HUR source says. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) ignited an electrical substation during a sabotage operation in the Russian city of Kaliningrad, causing $5 million in damage and cutting electricity to a military production site, a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent.
Russian strike hit Boeing office in Kyiv in deliberate attack on US business, FT reports. “This is not just an attack against Ukraine, but also an attack where American business is being hit,” said Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine.
Russia reports Ukrainian drone attack on drone factory in Tatarstan. The drones were shot down, but the debris fell on a plant in the town of Yelabuga, where Shahed-type attack drones are manufactured, causing a fire.
Another 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainians return home after exchange with Russia. Law enforcement investigations and institutions from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry will examine and identify the bodies in the near future, the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
Russian mass attack hits energy infrastructure in Poltava Oblast. Of the 183 drones Russia launched, Ukrainian air defense neutralized 159, Ukraine’s Air Force said. Ukraine also shot down 2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles and six out of eight cruise missiles.
Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.
Trump says he’s ‘open to’ Putin mediating between Israel, Iran. “Yeah, I would be open to it,” U.S. President Donald Trump said. “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved.”
‘Spit in face’ — Zelensky condemns Russia’s mass attack, dismisses idea of Putin as peacemaker. “This is Russia’s spit in the face of everything the international community is trying to do to stop this war … At the same time as Putin tries to portray himself as a mediator for the Middle East. The level of cynicism is staggering.”
North Korean losses exceed 6,000 in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, UK intelligence reports. North Korea has lost over 6,000 troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast—more than half of its deployed force, according to a June 15 UK defense intelligence report.
Ukraine catches Russian agent secretly filming airfield, Ukrainian Security Service says. If found guilty, the 24-year-old native of Rivne Oblast faces life imprisonment for high treason.
Trump arrives at G7 summit ahead of high-stakes meeting with Zelensky. The anticipated third meeting, scheduled for June 17, will focus on sanctions, peace talks, weapons purchases, and economic relations — and may shed light on the future of U.S. support for Ukraine.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv strikes Russian drone factory, Moscow targets Boeing’s office
Ukraine launched drones at Russia’s Tatarstan region on June 15, targeting a drone factory in Yelabuga that produces Shahed-style attack drones. The site is around 1,500 km from Kyiv.
Photo: Florent Vergnes / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more
With no new US aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia?
“While Ukraine’s dependence on the U.S. has lessened, U.S. aid remains pivotal for maintaining battlefield effectiveness,” Finnish military analyst Emil Kastehelmi said.
Photo: Meduza / Telegram
Human cost of Russia’s war
5 Ukrainians dead in Israel after Iranian missile strike. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry told the Kyiv Independent that the five Ukrainian citizens, including three children, came under fire in an attack on a residential building in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.
Ukrainian actor Yuriy Felipenko killed on the front line. Felipenko was well known for his role in the 2024 series “A Promise to God” before joining the Achilles Strike Drone Battalion, part of Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade, in April 2024.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,003,860 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
International response
EU leaders call for tougher sanctions on Russia at G7 summit. “We must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war. Sanctions are critical to that end,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Russia hits 1 million losses in Ukraine | Ukraine This Week
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EU leaders call for tougher sanctions on Russia at G7 summit
"To achieve peaceful strength we must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war. Sanctions are critical to that end," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.Abbey Fenbert (The Kyiv Independent)
sp3ctr4l
in reply to MazonnaCara89 • • •I forgot WhatsApp existed.
Guess its shittier now.
Mhm. Yup.
100_kg_90_de_belin
in reply to sp3ctr4l • • •cally [he/they]
in reply to MazonnaCara89 • • •