Instagram's head executive testified in court this week, defending the platform against claims of causing mental health damage to minors, while Russia blocked WhatsApp and pushed a state-backed alternative. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressed concerns over allegations of content censorship on Apple News, and Apple's revamped Siri launch faced further delays. Amazon also rolled out a new feature for its Kindle Scribe.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified in a California court as part of a landmark trial that began this week in Los Angeles. He argued that even extensive social media use does not equate to addiction, according to a report from BBC Technology. The trial, expected to last six weeks, aims to hold tech firms accountable for the impact on young people. Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, is the first high-profile executive to appear in the case.
Simultaneously, Russia blocked the messaging service WhatsApp, urging users to switch to a state-backed alternative, MAX, as reported by Al Jazeera. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attributed the move to WhatsApp's reluctance to comply with Russian law. This action is widely seen as a bid to clamp down on free speech amid the war in Ukraine.
In the United States, the FTC raised concerns about allegations that Apple News is censoring conservative content. FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, cited reports from the Media Research Center, a right-leaning think tank, which accused Apple of excluding right-leaning outlets from the top articles. "I abhor and condemn any attempt to censor content for ideological reasons," Ferguson's letter stated, according to TechCrunch.
Apple's plans for a revamped Siri also faced setbacks. The launch of the new, AI-powered Siri, initially expected with the iOS 26.4 update in March, has been pushed back. According to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, some features may be delayed until the May iOS update or even the release of iOS 27 in September, as reported by TechCrunch. The delays reportedly stemmed from issues encountered during software testing.
In other tech news, Amazon rolled out a new "Send to Alexa Plus" feature for the latest Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Color, starting February 12, according to The Verge. This feature allows Kindle Scribe owners to use Alexa to turn documents into summaries, tasks, and reminders.
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