author

 
 

Meta

Katie Paul
For Katie Paul's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Meta has said it will bar political advertisers from using Facebook's generative AI tools.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2023
Meta to restrict use of generative AI tools in political adverts
The move may limit campaigns' access to tools lawmakers have warned could turbocharge the spread of election misinformation.
A graphic pro-Israel advert was displayed within mobile phone video games in Britain, France, Austria, Germany and Holland.
WORLD
Oct 31, 2023
Graphic pro-Israel ads displayed in children’s mobile phone games
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the video was a government-promoted ad but said they had "no idea" how it ended up inside games.
Mark Zuckerberg speaks onstage during the Meta Connect Developer Conference in Menlo Park, California, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
Meta unveils AI assistant and Facebook-streaming glasses
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the products as bringing together the virtual and real worlds while emphasizing lower costs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 19, 2023
Meta makes open source Llama AI model available for commercial use
The move by the social media giant threatens to upend early dominance established in the nascent market for generative AI software by other providers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 8, 2023
Meta's 'friendly' Threads collides with unfriendly internet
Mark Zuckerberg has pitched Meta's Twitter copycat app, Threads, as a 'friendly' refuge for public discourse online. Maintaining that idealistic vision for Threads is another story.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 26, 2023
Inside Meta's scramble to catch up on AI
Despite high-profile investments in AI research, Meta had been slow to adopt expensive AI-friendly hardware and software systems, hobbling its ability to keep pace with innovation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 1, 2022
Meta slashes hiring plans and girds for 'fierce' headwinds
In addition to reducing hiring, the company is leaving certain roles unfilled in response to attrition and 'turning up the heat' on performance management to weed out weaker staffers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2022
Meta Platforms' Sheryl Sandberg to leave Facebook operator after 14 years
Sandberg's departure marks an end of an era for the firm after years of scandals over privacy abuses and the spread of conspiratorial content on its platforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
May 14, 2022
Do spam bots really comprise under 5% of Twitter users? Elon Musk wants to know.
Independent researchers have said the number of spam bots could be as much as 15% of users, a discrepancy that could affect the Tesla chief's $44 billion deal for the social media company.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2022
‘Take the money … and run’: Elon Musk's quick deal for Twitter highlights weaknesses
Directors lacked confidence in new CEO Parag Agrawal's ability to deliver a higher return than what Musk offered, clearing the way for the decision to sell.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 12, 2022
Propaganda around Russian invasion of Ukraine reveals failings in Meta's moderation
The social media giant's content policies and enforcement mechanisms have enabled pro-Russian propaganda, according to those that moderate its services.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 30, 2021
GameStop's 'Reddit rally' puts scrutiny on social media forums
Social media services restrict discussions about weapons, drugs and other illegal activity, but their rules do not specifically mention another lucrative regulated good: stocks.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 21, 2021
'No plan, no Q, nothing': QAnon followers reel as Biden inaugurated
In one Telegram channel with more than 18,400 members, QAnon believers were split between those still urging others to 'trust the plan' and those saying they felt betrayed.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 17, 2021
Law enforcement scrutiny drives U.S. extremists into internet's dark corners
Officials warn that online chatter could include early warning signals of planned attacks around the inauguration of Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 9, 2021
Facebook and Twitter crackdown around U.S. Capitol siege is too little, too late
For weeks, content on big tech platforms Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as upstart fringe social networks foretold the storming of the U.S Capitol.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2020
Reddit bans 'The_Donald' forum amid broad social media crackdown
Social media site Reddit on Monday shut down r/The_Donald, a forum which long served as a popular online home base for fans of President Donald Trump, saying it violated the site's hate speech rules.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores