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Social Synopsis: TikTok, Twitter, and Meta

Congress is putting pressure on TikTok, Musk is putting new limits on verification, and Meta is putting VR controllers aside.
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Social Synopsis: TikTok, Twitter, and Meta

The US Congress put TikTok in the hot seat last week as it grilled CEO Shou Zi Chew about the potential risks caused by the platform, such as unauthorized data-sharing and personal privacy. Chew sought to quell the growing national security concerns, but lawmakers didn’t seem convinced.

Snapchat and Facebook rejoice. TikTok’s competitors saw a significant jump in their shares after Chew’s testimony last week. We imagine Zuck is watching this unfold with a big bowl of popcorn and a wide, lifeless grin.

Elon Musk announced on Friday further details about which users would be allowed to keep their blue checkmarks once they begin restructuring the feature in April. Any Twitter accounts linked to a verified organization will be automatically verified, and those verified organizations can nominate any individuals or entities associated with them. However, each new user will cost an extra $50/month on top of the $1K/month Verified Organization subscription fee. Individuals not connected with a verified organization can keep their blue tick by purchasing their own subscription for $8/month.

April Fools? Musk is known for trolling, and the fact that he plans on rolling out these new features on April 1st has everyone wondering if this is just another one of Mr. Twitter’s pranks.

Meta's new Quest 2 VR headset will soon make it feel like you're actually touching and grabbing objects in the virtual world without a controller. As part of their new experimental feature “direct touch,” the headset will use its external-facing cameras to follow your hands, and they appear in your headset as hand-like shadows. From there you can make “contact” with things in the virtual world. While there are still some kinks to work out and accuracy to be improved, this just might be the next new wave in VR advancement.

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