Threads embraces ‘fediverse' as Meta adds new search and cross-platform post visibility
The fediverse allows users to stay in one platform to look at cross-platform content — which means Meta gets to keep users on their product to view content posted to Mastodon or other participating platforms, and vice versa.
Meta also added the ability to search for profiles at platforms in the fedivserse from within the Threads app.
'Our new search feature and dedicated fediverse feed help you discover more perspectives from people outside of Threads,' Meta said in a blog post.
'You don't have to miss out on anyone's posts just because they happen to post on different platforms.'
Threads embraced the fediverse about a year ago, allowing users to see posts from accounts they follow at other connected platforms, such as Mastadon, Bookwyrn, WriteFreely and others.
'This allows you to see a broader range of views, no matter where they're posted,' Meta said, adding 'and we hope others will join as time goes on.'
Threads was among the social networks that took interest in being more open as Twitter users sought alternatives after billionaire Elon Musk bought that platform in late 2022.
Meta described the fediverse as an open global network of interconnected, yet independent, social media servers, each with its own users, content and rules.
Meta compared it to the way people using different email services are able to message one another because platforms conform to common protocols behind the scenes.
Unlike email, though, shared posts are public.
'The new fediverse feed and the ability to search for fediverse users in Threads are one more step in our journey to make this social platform fully interoperable,' Meta said.
'We'll continue to collaborate with developers and policymakers to make progress in this space.' — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Tesla tops Chinese rivals in assisted driving tests
BEIJING: Billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla outperformed Chinese rivals including BYD, Xiaomi and Huawei in a test of assisted driving technologies on China's highways, according to results published by TikTok owner Bytedance's auto unit Dcar. State television CCTV and Dcar jointly tested the level 2 advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) from more than 20 electric vehicle brands in China and rated their performance in a series of scenarios with higher risks of accidents on highways and urban traffics. The test videos posted by Dcar went viral on Chinese social media. Tesla scored the best in the highway test among 36 models, with its Model 3 and Model X passing five out of six scenarios, while BYD's Denza Z9GT and Huawei-backed Aito M9 failed in three scenarios. Xiaomi's SU7 passed in one of six. In a Weibo post on Friday, HIMA, the Huawei-led auto alliance, said it declined to comment on the 'so-called test.' BYD and Xiaomi didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. 'Due to laws against data export, Tesla achieved the top results in China despite having no local training data,' Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on his X account on Friday. Tesla has been caught in what Musk described as a 'quandary', as the U.S. doesn't allow its AI software to be trained in China, while the automaker has been seeking approval from Chinese regulators to transfer data saved locally in Shanghai back to the United States for algorithm training. Domestic brands should face up to the gap with Tesla in autonomous driving, Wang Yao, deputy chief engineer of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told an auto forum in Shanghai earlier this month. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, in remarks after a Tesla Model Y delivered itself from an Austin, Texas factory to its owner in the area roughly 30 minutes away, said 'we will continue to learn' from Tesla which has led industry trends. The test came amid growing safety concerns in China about the ADAS after a highway accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 killed three people in March. State media have blamed misleading promotions for resulting drivers' improper uses of the technologies and the authorities have banned the uses of terms such as 'smart driving' and 'autonomous driving' for marketing driving assistance features. The public security ministry said this week that the country will set out legal responsibilities related to the technology that has yet achieved true autonomous driving. Drivers face safety and legal risks if they are distracted in accidents when assisted driving is turned on, the ministry warned. Xiaomi had seen a slump in new EV orders as a consumer backlash began in April following the fatal trash, but the impact seems short-lived, with its new electric SUV receiving exceptionally strong initially orders after it went on sale last month. Tesla's sales of its China-made electric vehicles edged up 0.8% in June from a year earlier, snapping an eight-month losing streak, but they continued to fall on a quarterly basis in the face of lower-cost new models from its Chinese rivals. Tesla's assisted driving suite is available in China for nearly $9,000, while the technology from its local rivals including Xiaomi and BYD is without extra cost, pressuring the U.S. automaker's self-driving future. Tesla's technology approach relies solely on cameras as sensors and artificial intelligence while most Chinese peers including BYD use lidar (light detection and range sensors) additionally to ensure performance. ($1 = 7.1624 Chinese yuan renminbi) - Reuters
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
US stock futures largely steady after record run for S&P 500, Nasdaq
NEW YORK: Wall Street futures were largely unchanged on Friday, as investors caught their breath after record closes for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq and looked for clarity on US trade talks before the August 1 tariff deadline. At 6.50am ET, Dow E-minis were up 68 points, or 0.15 per cent, S&P 500 E-minis were up 8.25 points, or 0.13 per cent, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 10.5 points, or 0.04 per cent. The blue-chip Dow fell 0.7 per cent in Thursday's session, but remained close to its all-time high, last hit in December. All three major indexes were poised to cap the week on a high note, as fresh signs of progress emerged on deals between the United States and its trading partners including Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, which helped propel markets to new highs. Hopes for an agreement with the European Union were building, while negotiations with South Korea gathered steam ahead of the fast-approaching August 1 deadline. Investors are hoping for a resolution by that date which could sidestep hefty US import tariffs. The markets' record run was also aided by a wave of upbeat second-quarter earnings. Of the 152 companies in the S&P 500 that reported earnings as of Thursday, 80.3 per cent reported above analyst expectations, according to data compiled by LSEG. However, there were a few setbacks this week. Heavyweights Tesla and General Motors stumbled and were on track for their steepest weekly declines in nearly two months. Tesla's slide followed CEO Elon Musk's warning of tougher quarters ahead as US EV subsidies dwindle, while General Motors took a hit after absorbing a US$1.1 billion blow from President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs in its second quarter earnings. Intel dropped 7.8 per cent in premarket trading on Friday after the chipmaker forecast steeper third-quarter losses than Wall Street had estimated and announced plans to slash jobs. "Tariff headlines are driving market risk sentiment fuelling a risk-on mood this week. However, some volatility near the August 1st deadline remains possible," a group of analysts led by Adam Kurpiel at Societe Generale said. All eyes will be on the US Federal Reserve next week when policymakers gather for a closely watched meeting. Wall Street is betting they will hit the pause button again on interest rates while sizing up tariff-fueled inflation. But the central bank isn't just facing economic headwinds — politics is also increasingly in the mix as Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign for lower rates after a rare visit to the Fed's headquarters on Thursday. A frequent critic of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Trump has openly floated the idea of replacing him with someone more dovish — a stance that analysts noted is nudging investors to start pricing in looser monetary policy. According to CME's FedWatch tool, traders now see a nearly 60 per cent chance of a rate cut as soon as September. Among other stocks, Newmont added 2.1 per cent after the gold miner surpassed Wall Street expectations for second-quarter profit. Health insurer Centene posted a surprise quarterly loss, sending its shares tumbling 10 per cent. Paramount Global rose 1.3 per cent after US regulators approved its US$8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Meta to halt political advertising in EU from October, blames EU rules
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Meta Platforms will end political, electoral, social issue advertising on its platform in the European Union in early October because of the legal uncertainties due to EU rules targeting political advertising, the U.S. social media company said on Friday. Meta's announcement echoed Alphabet unit Google's decision announced last November, underscoring Big Tech's pushback against EU rules aimed at reining in their power and making sure that they are more accountable and transparent. The European Union legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation and which will apply from Oct. 10, was triggered by concerns about disinformation and foreign interference in elections across the 27-country bloc. The EU law requires Big Tech companies to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much as well as which elections are being targeted or risk fines up to 6% of their annual turnover. "From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU," Meta said in a blog post. "This is a difficult decision - one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties," it said. Meta said TTPA obligations create what it said is an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU. It said the EU rules will ultimately hurt Europeans. "We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse," Meta said. "Regulations, like the TTPA, significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting effectiveness of advertisers' outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information," the company added. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)
