Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Meta has begun deprecating the desktop version of its Messenger app, confirming that users on Windows and Mac computers will no longer be able to access the service through a standalone application.&nbsp;According to Meta, the Messenger app for Windows is being phased out as part of a deprecation process. Once the process is complete, users will no longer be able to log into the app and will be automatically redirected to use Facebook&rsquo;s desktop platform or the web-based version of Messenger for messaging.&nbsp;Meta said users can continue all their conversations through Facebook&rsquo;s desktop app or web platforms, with the same features previously available on the Messenger desktop app, including desktop calling.&nbsp;Will users be notified about the change?Meta said users of the Messenger desktop app will receive in-app notifications once the deprecation process begins.&nbsp;Users will have 60 days to continue using the Messenger desktop app before it is fully disabled. After the 60-day period, access to the app will be blocked.&nbsp;&ldquo;We encourage you to delete the app since it will no longer be usable,&rdquo; Meta said in its Help Center guidance.&nbsp;When did the app become unavailable?While Meta has not publicly announced a specific shutdown date, media reports, including by TechCrunch, indicate that the Messenger desktop app became unavailable earlier this week.&nbsp;Attempts to download the Windows version now redirect users to Facebook.com or Messenger.com. Meta has not provided an official explanation for discontinuing the standalone desktop app.&nbsp;Will chat history be saved?Meta has assured users that their chat history will remain intact, provided certain steps are followed.&nbsp;Users who have not enabled secure storage in Messenger are advised to turn it on and set up a PIN through the desktop app before transitioning to the web version. Once secure storage is enabled, chat history will be accessible across platforms after logging into Facebook.com or Messenger.com.&nbsp;Meta said users can check secure storage by navigating to Settings, then Privacy &amp; Safety, followed by End-to-end encrypted chats, and Message storage.&nbsp;What about Messenger-only users?Meta clarified that users who use Messenger without a Facebook account will continue to have access to the service.&nbsp;Such users will be redirected to Messenger.com, where they can log in without creating a Facebook profile.&nbsp;The change affects only users who relied on the standalone Messenger application on desktop computers. Messenger will remain available through web browsers and on mobile devices.

Gadgets

According to Meta, the Messenger app for Windows is being phased out as part of a deprecation process.

Meta discontinues Messenger app for Windows and Mac

SYDNEY: Australia banned young teenagers from social media on Wednesday, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.&nbsp;A raft of the world&#39;s most popular apps and websites face US$33 million fines if they fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16.&nbsp;Australia becomes one of the first nations to so forcefully push back against tech titans wielding immense political power.&nbsp;The government says unprecedented measures are needed to protect children from &quot;predatory algorithms&quot; filling phone screens with bullying, sex and violence.&nbsp;&quot;Too often, social media isn&#39;t social at all,&quot; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ahead of the ban.&nbsp;&quot;Instead, it&#39;s used as a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.&quot;&nbsp;The laws came into effect after midnight local time across Australia.&nbsp;Hundreds of thousands of teenagers will wake up to find themselves locked out of apps they once scrolled for hours each day.&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t think the government really knows what they&#39;re doing and I don&#39;t think it&#39;s going to have any impact on children of Australia,&quot; said 15-year-old Layton Lewis ahead of the ban.&nbsp;BlacklistedFacebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit are forbidden from creating or keeping accounts belonging to users in Australia under 16.&nbsp;Streaming platforms Kick and Twitch are also on the government&#39;s blacklist, as are message boards Threads and X.&nbsp;The ban is a godsend for parents sick of seeing children stuck to their phones.&nbsp;Mia Bannister blamed social media for the suicide of her teenage son Ollie, who killed himself last year after he was bullied online.&nbsp;He was also being served endless dieting videos that fuelled an eating disorder, she said.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m sick of the social media giants shirking responsibility,&quot; she told AFP in the lead up to the ban.&nbsp;&quot;The problem is we hand them a phone, and we hand them the greatest weapon we could hand them.&quot;&nbsp;A growing body of research suggests too much time online is taking a toll on teen wellbeing.&nbsp;But it is hard to draw firm conclusions that separate phone use from other lifestyle factors.&nbsp;Father-of-five Dany Elachi said the restrictions were a long-overdue &quot;line in the sand&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;We need to err on the side of caution before putting anything addictive in the hands of children,&quot; he told AFP.&nbsp;Really distractedTech-savvy teenagers the world over have already taken an interest in Australia&#39;s ban.&nbsp;&quot;Students nowadays, they are really distracted,&quot; said Nigerian high-schooler Mitchelle Okinedo, 15.&nbsp;&quot;Social media today is very important for expressing yourself, no matter how old you are,&quot; said Santiago Ramirez Rojas, 16, from Mexico City.&nbsp;Meta, YouTube and other social media giants have lined up to condemn the ban, which robs their platforms of masses of dedicated users.&nbsp;While most have begrudgingly agreed to comply, for now, legal challenges are in the wind.&nbsp;Online discussion site Reddit said Tuesday it could not confirm local media reports that said it would seek to overturn the ban in Australia&#39;s High Court.&nbsp;An Australian internet rights group has already launched its own bid to have teenagers re-instated to social media.

Artificial Intelligence

Australia has banned under-16s from using major social media platforms, enforcing strict age checks and heavy fines to protect children from harmful content. Tech giants object, while parents welcome the move and legal challenges are expected. 

Australia bans under-16s from social media in world-first crackdown

Syed Maisam Ali

ISLAMABAD: Meta has rolled out Instagram Map in Pakistan, introducing an immersive way for users to discover stories, reels, posts, and notes tagged to local spots. From bustling caf&eacute;s to concerts, all while keeping privacy controls firmly in place. The new feature helps people &ldquo;find what friends and favorite creators are sharing from local hangouts,&rdquo; according to a statement via Media Matter, the PR agency representing Meta in Pakistan, on Saturday. Importantly, location sharing is turned off by default, with users able to share their last active location only with selected friends, close friends, or no one at all. A clear indicator at the top of the map shows when location sharing is active, while reminders appear when adding tags. Meta has also refined the Instagram Map experience by removing profile photos from map content, making it clearer when location is off, and adding preview options for tagged posts. Parents, too, are given tools to supervise teens, ensuring safer sharing practices.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/d85c92fa-07cd-44c7-85b7-6460d74dab2c-PR Image 2 (1).png" alt="PR Image 2 (1).png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> The launch comes at a time when Pakistan has become one of Meta&rsquo;s fastest-growing markets.&nbsp; Facebook currently reaches an estimated 49 million users across the country, while Instagram has around 19 million active users, making it a key platform for both youth culture and emerging digital businesses, according to the DataReportal&rsquo;s Digital 2025: Pakistan report. WhatsApp, however, remains the undisputed leader: the messaging app is used by over 52 million Pakistanis, reflecting its dominance as the country&rsquo;s primary tool for communication. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/937963de-49a2-47b1-bd58-751d7d11faab-PR Image 1 (1).png" alt="PR Image 1 (1).png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> These numbers highlight not just Meta&rsquo;s deep penetration in Pakistan&rsquo;s digital ecosystem but also the enormous potential for features like Instagram Map, which blend social discovery with real-world connections.

Nearly 19 million Pakistanis use Instagram, making it one of Meta’s fastest-growing platforms in the country. To deepen engagement, Meta has launched Instagram Map, helping users explore location-tagged content with strict privacy protections.

Instagram Map debuts in Pakistan, connecting 19M users to local moments

MADRID: Facebook owner Meta on Wednesday defended its advertising model in a 550-million-euro trial in Spain over alleged breaches of EU data protection rules brought by more than 80 Spanish media organizations.&nbsp;EU rules oblige companies to obtain users&#39; consent to create personalized advertising from their data.&nbsp;Spain&#39;s main media association AMI says the US tech giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, created &quot;unfair competition&quot; by &quot;systematically&quot; breaking the law between May 2018 and July 2023.&nbsp;The association launched a lawsuit alleging unfair competition in digital advertising sales and is seeking 551 million euros ($647 million) in compensation.&nbsp;&quot;This isn&#39;t a case that affects only AMI&#39;s outlets, it has implications for media worldwide,&quot; AMI director general Irene Lanzaco told reporters before entering the Madrid commercial court where the trial will run until Thursday.&nbsp;&quot;What&#39;s at stake is the very survival of news media, which is being threatened by the predatory behaviour of a platform like Meta, acting with no regard for our legal framework.&quot;&nbsp;Meta has denied any damage or violation of EU rules, saying in a statement sent to AFP the AMI lawsuit &quot;is not based on any evidence regarding the alleged harm.&quot;&nbsp;AMI is &quot;deliberately ignoring the evolution of the advertising industry over the past few years,&quot; Meta added.&nbsp;&quot;Meta complies with all applicable laws and has provided clear options, transparent information, and a wide range of tools for users to control their experience on our services.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&#39;Huge investment&#39;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meta executives told Wednesday&#39;s hearing that user data mattered less than algorithms to generate the personalized advertising.&nbsp;&quot;We have invested a huge amount&quot; so that advertising reaches the consumer, unlike traditional media, said Beltran Seoane of Facebook Spain, responsible for relations with advertising agencies.&nbsp;Tools developed by Meta &quot;are just as important or more so than the data per se&quot;, added Facebook representative David Saez.&nbsp;Expert reports and closing arguments are expected on Thursday.&nbsp;Media groups represented by AMI include Prisa, owner of Spain&#39;s top-selling daily newspaper El Pais; Godo, publisher of the Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia; Vocento, which publishes the conservative daily ABC; and Unidad Editorial, whose titles include El Mundo and sports daily Marca.&nbsp;Spanish radio and television stations have launched a separate lawsuit against Meta for the same reasons, seeking 160 million euros in damages.&nbsp;A similar lawsuit has also emerged in France, where around 200 media groups, including major television networks and leading newspapers, filed legal action against Meta in April.

Meta faces a €550m trial in Spain after 80+ media outlets accused it of unfair competition and breaching EU data rules in ad sales. Meta denies wrongdoing, citing compliance, transparency, and evolving advertising industry practices.


Articles tagged with "FACEBOOK"

Meta discontinues Messenger app for Windows and Mac

Australia bans under-16s from social media in world-first crackdown

Instagram Map debuts in Pakistan, connecting 19M users to local moments

Meta defends ads model in 550-mn-euro data protection trial