Meta and the Internet Society have launched the Connectivity Co-Funding Initiative, a new project aimed at expanding affordable internet connections worldwide.
Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the initiative commits a $30 million investment through 2030 to support infrastructure development in communities that have been overlooked by commercial providers.
The initiative will fund projects designed to improve connectivity in underserved areas, with investments directed toward building locally owned networks, community-centered solutions, and training programs to enhance technical skills in marginalized regions. This effort builds on a longstanding partnership between Meta and the Internet Society, which has previously focused on developing internet exchange points (IXPs) in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
Sally Wentworth, President and CEO of the Internet Society, emphasized the importance of collective action. “This new Connectivity Co-Funding initiative, supported by Meta, is a prime example of collective action that will help provide meaningful access to more than 2 billion people across the world with insufficient or no Internet,” Wentworth said. She expressed hope that the initiative would play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide and fostering a more equitable digital society.
Meta is the first partner in the initiative, and the Internet Society is now calling for additional partners to help grow the fund and extend its impact. The partnership underscores a commitment to leveraging private and non-profit collaboration to address global connectivity challenges and promote economic growth and social inclusion through improved access to the internet.
Meta confirmed to CNBC that an error on Instagram is causing some users’ Reels feeds to display violent and sexually explicit videos that would not normally be recommended by the platform’s algorithms. The company stated it is actively working to resolve the issue and apologized for the mistake.
According to a report by The Information, Meta Platforms is in discussions to build a new data center campus dedicated to its artificial intelligence projects, with potential costs exceeding $200 billion.
Menlo Park, CA, February 17, 2025 – Newly unsealed court documents from the case Kadrey v. Meta shed light on internal discussions among Meta employees about the use of copyrighted materials to train the company’s artificial intelligence models.
Menlo Park, CA, February 17, 2025 – Meta has announced its inaugural LlamaCon, a developer-focused conference dedicated to generative AI, scheduled for April 29.
Menlo Park, CA, February 17, 2025 – Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will now store live videos on its platform for only 30 days. Under the new policy, all live broadcasts older than 30 days will be automatically deleted, with the change taking effect on Wednesday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for March 19th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
South Korean police will deploy 14,000 officers in Seoul on the day of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment ruling, anticipating protests and security threats. The Constitutional Court is set to deliver its verdict soon, with heightened measures in place.
China and Kazakhstan have agreed to deepen cooperation in key areas, including trade, security, and Belt and Road projects. At a high-level meeting in Beijing, officials emphasised stronger political ties, economic collaboration, and cultural exchanges to advance their strategic partnership.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams completed an unexpectedly long 286-day mission on the ISS, returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule after delays caused by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to discuss the progress made by U.S. President Donald Trump in ceasefire talks with Russia, with both leaders emphasising the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The inside of a Herculaneum delicate & ancient scroll, unseen for nearly 2,000 years, has been revealed using Artificial Intelligence.
Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan process, we cannot forget the years of occupation, and we will not forget them, President Ilham Aliyev said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 12th Global Baku Forum.
President Donald Trump has vowed to respond to the European Union's counter-tariffs, escalating tensions over the U.S. steel and aluminum duties that have sparked a trade dispute between the two economic powers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia and Ukraine cease attacking each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days, the Kremlin said following a lengthy phone discussion between the leaders.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams completed an unexpectedly long 286-day mission on the ISS, returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule after delays caused by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
U.S. Commerce Department bureaus have reportedly issued a blanket ban on the Chinese AI model DeepSeek for use on government-furnished equipment, according to sources and a mass email seen by Reuters.
Apple’s current focus on an extensive visual overhaul of iOS 19 and macOS 16—rumored to be inspired by the design language of visionOS—might be distracting the company from addressing a more pressing issue: its long-delayed, underwhelming Siri.
In a sweeping regulatory move aimed at curbing misinformation and enhancing transparency, Chinese authorities have announced new rules requiring all AI-generated content to be clearly labeled.
In early 2025, a new trend dubbed “vibe coding” is reshaping the way software is developed. Coined by computer scientist Andrej Karpathy, vibe coding refers to a paradigm where developers increasingly lean on AI to handle the bulk of the coding work.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for March 19th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
South Korean police will deploy 14,000 officers in Seoul on the day of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment ruling, anticipating protests and security threats. The Constitutional Court is set to deliver its verdict soon, with heightened measures in place.
China and Kazakhstan have agreed to deepen cooperation in key areas, including trade, security, and Belt and Road projects. At a high-level meeting in Beijing, officials emphasised stronger political ties, economic collaboration, and cultural exchanges to advance their strategic partnership.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams completed an unexpectedly long 286-day mission on the ISS, returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule after delays caused by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to discuss the progress made by U.S. President Donald Trump in ceasefire talks with Russia, with both leaders emphasising the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
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