Mastodon, the decentralized social media platform, announced plans to roll out new features aimed at attracting creators and making the app more user-friendly, according to a blog post co-authored by Mastodon's technical director, Renaud Chaput, and product designer, Imani Joy. The announcement comes as tech giants like Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google-owned YouTube face lawsuits alleging their platforms have harmed teens' safety and mental health. Meanwhile, Apple released the first developer betas for iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS 26.4, and Microsoft Research unveiled Project Silica, a glass-based data storage system designed to last for 10,000 years.
Mastodon's expansion plans follow the growth of its core development team over the past 18 months, which now includes individuals with experience in web, mobile, and back-end development, as well as a dedicated designer. The platform, part of the fediverse – a decentralized social web operating on the ActivityPub protocol – gained renewed attention after Elon Musk's acquisition of X.
In the realm of legal challenges, several bellwether cases are set to go to trial this year, with executives like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify. These lawsuits, unlike previous legal battles, have overcome attempts by social media companies to dismiss them based on Section 230, which protects online platforms from liability for user speech. The cases accuse the tech companies of designing their platforms in ways that harm children.
Apple's latest beta releases, typically released between major iOS updates, include a new Playlist Playground feature for Apple Music subscribers, allowing them to generate playlists with text prompts. Native support for video podcasts is also coming to the Podcasts app.
Microsoft's Project Silica, detailed in the journal Nature, offers a potential solution for long-term data storage. The system etches data into glass, a material known for its physical and chemical stability. The goal is to create a storage medium that is dense, stable for centuries, and energy-efficient when not in use.
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment