Social Media 26 January 2026 - 22 February 2026

Meta Platforms opens WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots in Europe — but charges a fee
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Meta Platforms opens WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots in Europe — but charges a fee

Meta will allow third-party AI chatbots to access WhatsApp’s Business API in Europe for 12 months, charging fees between €0.0490 and €0.1323 per message. EU antitrust regulators are considering interim measures over access restrictions. Rival developers say the pricing still blocks competition. Meta faces similar regulatory action in Italy and Brazil.
March 5, 2026
Meta stock in focus: Turkey opens kids-data review of Instagram and Facebook ahead of Monday trade
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Meta stock in focus: Turkey opens kids-data review of Instagram and Facebook ahead of Monday trade

Turkey’s data protection authority has launched a review into children’s personal data practices on major platforms, including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. Meta shares closed at $655.66 on Friday, up 1.7%. An SEC filing showed Meta President Dina Powell McCormick received 91,333 restricted stock units vesting through 2030. Meta has cut annual stock option awards by about 5% for most staff.
February 22, 2026
AppLovin stock jumps in premarket as job post points to a new social network
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AppLovin stock jumps in premarket as job post points to a new social network

AppLovin shares rose 5.6% to $435 in premarket trading Friday after reports of plans for a new social platform, following a 1.9% gain Thursday and a 4.6% after-hours jump. A job listing details work on real-time social features. Investors await U.S. GDP and inflation data at 8:30 a.m. ET. The company mainly sells ad tech tools and previously bid for TikTok assets outside China.
February 20, 2026
AppLovin stock rises as job post hints at “next-generation” social platform
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AppLovin stock rises as job post hints at “next-generation” social platform

AppLovin shares closed up 1.9% at $412.09 Thursday after a job posting signaled a new social platform venture. Bloomberg Law reported the company is preparing a social network following a failed bid for TikTok assets outside China. Director Herald Y. Chen converted 150,000 Class B shares and gifted 100,000 Class A shares, according to an SEC filing. Trading volume reached 5.29 million shares.
February 20, 2026
AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan
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AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan

AppLovin shares rose 0.3% to $405.42 Thursday after a Bloomberg report said the company is preparing a social networking platform. Job postings reference building a global, consumer-facing feed product. AppLovin recently sold its gaming business to Tripledot Studios for $400 million and reported Q4 revenue of $1.658 billion. Board member Herald Y. Chen converted 150,000 Class B shares and gifted 100,000 Class A shares.
February 19, 2026
Pinterest stock heads into Tuesday’s open near six-year lows after tariff-hit outlook rattles PINS
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Pinterest stock heads into Tuesday’s open near six-year lows after tariff-hit outlook rattles PINS

Pinterest shares were set to reopen Tuesday near a six-year low after closing at $15.42, down 16.8%. The company forecast first-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates, citing reduced ad spending by large retailers facing tariff uncertainty. Pinterest recently announced job cuts and a board addition, naming Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman as a director. Investors are watching upcoming retailer earnings for signs of further ad budget changes.
February 17, 2026
Reddit’s leadership shake-up lands as in-app search climbs past 80 million weekly users
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Reddit’s leadership shake-up lands as in-app search climbs past 80 million weekly users

Reddit named Amit Puntambekar executive vice president of consumer engineering and promoted Jim Squires to chief marketing officer and Laura Nestler to EVP of community. The company says weekly Reddit search usage rose to over 80 million after merging it with its AI-powered Reddit Answers feature. Executives are testing new search placements and richer AI results to keep more research activity on the platform.
February 11, 2026
China slaps TikTok rival Kuaishou with a $17 million fine after porn livestream flood
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China slaps TikTok rival Kuaishou with a $17 million fine after porn livestream flood

Beijing fined Kuaishou 119.1 million yuan ($17.2 million) and issued a warning after a Dec. 22 cyberattack exposed users to pornographic and violent livestreams. Regulators said Kuaishou failed to block illegal content and neglected cybersecurity fixes. The company apologized and pledged to address system flaws. Kuaishou shares fell nearly 6% after news of the incident.
February 6, 2026
EU charges TikTok over “addictive design” under Digital Services Act, setting up forced app changes
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EU charges TikTok over “addictive design” under Digital Services Act, setting up forced app changes

EU regulators accused TikTok of violating the Digital Services Act, citing features like infinite scroll and autoplay that may fuel compulsive use among minors. The Commission warned TikTok to overhaul these elements or face fines up to 6% of ByteDance’s global revenue. TikTok denied the allegations and said it will contest the findings. The case is in its early stages.
February 6, 2026
Slovenia plans to ban under-15s from social media as Europe tightens rules on TikTok
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Slovenia plans to ban under-15s from social media as Europe tightens rules on TikTok

Slovenia’s cabinet approved guidelines to draft a law banning social media access for children under 15, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon said Thursday. The education ministry will lead the process, with input from other ministries and experts. The move follows similar proposals in Spain and Greece. Arcon cited TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram as targeted platforms.
February 5, 2026
Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms
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Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms

India’s Supreme Court warned it may reinstate a ban on WhatsApp for sharing user data with Meta affiliates, demanding a written affidavit by Feb. 9. Chief Justice Surya Kant called the privacy policy misleading and pressed Meta on monetizing user metadata. The court involved the IT Ministry and threatened to dismiss appeals without firm commitments. WhatsApp has over 500 million users in India.
February 3, 2026
Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain
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Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain

Spain will introduce a bill next week to hold social media executives liable for illegal and hate speech content, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday. The government also plans to ban social media use for those under 16. Sanchez announced the measures at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. Prosecutors will investigate possible violations by Grok, TikTok, and Instagram.
February 3, 2026
Viral Moltbook Leak: Wiz Finds Exposed Messages and Credentials
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Viral Moltbook Leak: Wiz Finds Exposed Messages and Credentials

Cybersecurity firm Wiz disclosed a major Moltbook vulnerability that exposed private bot messages, 1.5 million API keys, and 35,000 email addresses. The flaw, blamed on rapid “vibe coding” practices, allowed outsiders to hijack agents and post as them. Moltbook patched the issue after notification. The platform, launched last week, had attracted over 1.5 million AI agents by Monday.
February 2, 2026
X outage: Elon Musk’s platform, formerly Twitter, back after Downdetector flags thousands of U.S. reports
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X outage: Elon Musk’s platform, formerly Twitter, back after Downdetector flags thousands of U.S. reports

Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, went offline Sunday, triggering over 19,000 U.S. outage reports on Downdetector before service mostly returned in about 45 minutes. NetBlocks said the disruption was not caused by nationwide internet filtering. X did not respond to requests for comment. Users reported delays, broken timelines, and login issues during the outage.
February 2, 2026
India could ban social media for under-16s as Modi ally targets Meta and YouTube
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India could ban social media for under-16s as Modi ally targets Meta and YouTube

L.S.K. Devarayalu, an ally of Prime Minister Modi, has introduced a bill to ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 in India, requiring platforms to verify users’ ages. The move follows similar restrictions in Australia and France. Meta, Alphabet, and X have not commented. State governments and top economic officials are also pushing for age-based online limits.
January 31, 2026
WhatsApp’s new “Strict Account Settings” is a lockdown switch for high-risk users
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WhatsApp’s new “Strict Account Settings” is a lockdown switch for high-risk users

WhatsApp on Tuesday launched “Strict Account Settings,” blocking unknown attachments, media, and calls, and disabling link previews for users at risk of targeted hacking. The feature, rolling out over the next weeks, mirrors security modes from Apple and Google. WhatsApp says it is intended for users facing sophisticated cyber threats, not the general public.
January 27, 2026
EU puts WhatsApp Channels under toughest Digital Services Act rules, giving Meta until May
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EU puts WhatsApp Channels under toughest Digital Services Act rules, giving Meta until May

The European Commission has designated WhatsApp’s Channels as a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act, citing 51.7 million monthly EU users. Meta must comply with stricter rules targeting illegal and harmful content by mid-May. The new obligations apply only to Channels, not private messaging. Oversight will involve both the Commission and Ireland’s digital regulator.
January 26, 2026
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