The Register Kettle

We're feeling pretty anti about these social networks

Episode Summary

Meta faces personal info processing ban, needs to Thread the trademark needle in the UK, and Musk loses out...

Episode Notes

Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.

On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.

With KETTLE Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.

On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.

Then of course there's Elon Musk, who was bizarrely interviewed by the British Prime Minister at the UK's AI Summit this week. Figures out this week showed the value of his social media network has dropped from $44 billion to just $19 billion - a rocketeer who sure knows how to make things crash and burn, it seems.

Discussing the news, clockwise from top left in the thumb: Chris Williams, Brandon Vigliarolo, Thomas Claburn, and Iain Thomson.