TNB Tech Minute: Meta Ends Fact-Checking on Facebook, Instagram
WSJ Tech News Briefing
Deep Dive
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Here's your TMB Tech Minute for Tuesday, January the 7th. I'm James Rundle for The Wall Street Journal. Meta is ending fact-checking and removing restrictions on speech on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
That's according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who made the announcement in a video. He described the move as an attempt to restore free speech on Meta's platforms. Zuckerberg said the company will instead rely on user feedback to flag inappropriate content, a system similar to that used by Elon Musk's ex. He said Meta will continue to target illegal behavior. The announcement also comes as Zuckerberg looks to align himself and Meta with the incoming Trump administration.
Zuckerberg has attempted to mend fences with President-elect Donald Trump in recent months, including by donating $1 million to his inauguration fund. We're exclusively reporting that artificial intelligence company Anthropic is in advanced talks to raise $2 billion, riding a wave of investor interest in AI startups.
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees, produces generative AI products, including Clawed, a popular chatbot for programmers. The funding round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, would value Anthropic at around $60 billion. The deal would make it the fifth most valuable AI startup in the US, according to data from CB Insights. Much of Anthropic's funding to date has come from its close partner Amazon, which committed $4 billion to the startup in November.
And the UK's antitrust regulator plans to use its powers under new competition laws to launch at least three investigations into big tech this year. The Competition and Markets Authority said it would look into how companies that operate services such as app stores and online advertising platforms conduct their business. It said it will also consult with the industry on possible new conduct rules. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Wednesday's Tech News Briefing podcast.