WhatsApp will start featuring ads. Here's what it means for you

'These days companies know literally everything about you, your friends, your interests, and they use it all to sell ads … Remember, when advertising is involved, you, the user, are the product.'
These words were published in 2012, under the headline 'Why we don't sell ads'. The company that put its name to them? WhatsApp, the instant-messaging app that was then run by co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, and charged users an annual fee of 99 cents.
Two years later, they sold their business to Mark Zuckerberg's ad-funded social media behemoth, Meta, which already owned Facebook and Instagram. And for the past decade, the question has been 'when' not 'if' WhatsApp would reverse its founding principle.
Last week, as leaders from the tech and media world gathered on the south coast of France for the annual Cannes Lions advertising festival, Zuckerberg's team made its move.

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Times

4 hours ago

• Times

WhatsApp will start featuring ads. Here's what it means for you

'These days companies know literally everything about you, your friends, your interests, and they use it all to sell ads … Remember, when advertising is involved, you, the user, are the product.' These words were published in 2012, under the headline 'Why we don't sell ads'. The company that put its name to them? WhatsApp, the instant-messaging app that was then run by co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, and charged users an annual fee of 99 cents. Two years later, they sold their business to Mark Zuckerberg's ad-funded social media behemoth, Meta, which already owned Facebook and Instagram. And for the past decade, the question has been 'when' not 'if' WhatsApp would reverse its founding principle. Last week, as leaders from the tech and media world gathered on the south coast of France for the annual Cannes Lions advertising festival, Zuckerberg's team made its move.

Daily Record

4 hours ago

• Daily Record

UK households given urgent warning to move Wi-Fi router during heatwave

Brits are being urged to check their router immediately or face a internet blackout. While the heatwave was an unexpected surprise for many, it gave most of us an excuse to head outdoors and meet up with friends and family. With the sunshine bringing with it lots of joy and laughter, it can also wreak havoc for your broadband. For those who still have to work during the glorious weather and depend on a stable internet connection to do so, warm weather can also bring more trouble than expected. If exposed to too much heat, Wi-Fi routers run the risk of slowing down and even shopping off completely. ‌ If you don't want your internet to suddenly cut out while you are working, in the middle of your latest binge watch, or facetiming family and friends, it is crucial that you move your router. ‌ This is especially important if it sat at a window or in direct sunlight, reports the Express. Virgin Media explained: "Although we test our Hubs carefully at a range of temperatures, they are better off out of bright sunlight, just like your phone or laptop. "If the Hub gets too hot, it could slow down your connection or even grind to a halt altogether." However, the move isn't just as simple as stuffing the router somewhere dark and cold as this can have similar consequences. While you may think it is a good idea to stash the machine in a cupboard or behind the TV, this can still hinder your connectivity. ‌ This is because router's are stubborn machines that hate having their signal blocked. Instead they should be placed out in the open for the best speeds. Virgin Media said: "Good placement of the Hub could also mean greater WiFi reach. Don't stick the Hub in a cupboard or hidden behind your TV either." ‌ There are also other factors that can mess with your router, such as cordless phones, baby monitors and even fish tanks. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. So in order to make sure you have constant Wi-Fi whizzing around your home, it is important to keep your router as high up as possible, don't let it get too hot and don't block the signal. ‌ If after following these steps the router still isn't working, it is suggested to get the hub a reboot. This should clear any issues and bring the router back to optimal speeds. For the best internet speeds, it is suggested: "The firmware in your Hub monitors the security for your network, so it's good to reboot your router once a month to make sure it's running with all the security patches and updates it needs." However, it should be noted that after a reboot it can take up to five minutes for the Wi-Fi to start working again. Therefore, it is probably best to wait to reboot the device when no one has any important calls or work to be done.

The Guardian

6 hours ago

• The Guardian

Do electric vehicles make people more carsick?

With electric cars skyrocketing in popularity around the world – in 2024, 22% of new car sales worldwide were electric vehicles, compared with 18% in 2023 – a growing body of studies and an increasing number of people have found that they feel more motion sick riding in EVs than in traditional petrol or diesel cars. Anecdotes of feeling sick in the passenger or back seat of electric cars litter social media, as do questions from wary prospective buyers. There is a scientific explanation behind why a person might feel more sick in an EV, though, according to multiple academic studies. 'Greater sickness in EVs can be attributed to a lack of previous experience, as both a driver and as a passenger, where the brain lacks accuracy in estimating the motion forces because it relies on previous experience in other types of cars,' said William Emond, a PhD student researching car sickness at the Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard in France. Though EVs are becoming more popular, combustion cars still dominate. Riders have a longer history with gas cars and so have had more time to adapt to their specific cues. If a person has spent most of their life driving a combustion engine car, their brain anticipates acceleration after the rev of the engine, a warning that they are about to experience a change in speed. In a battery-powered car, the electric motor makes no such noises. In addition to general unfamiliarity, research has found links between specific features common to electric vehicles and motion sickness. One 2024 study concluded that there were strong correlations between motion sickness severity and the seat vibrations of electric vehicles, while a 2020 study found that the lack of engine sound in an EV might be a major contributing factor to increased feelings of carsickness. 'If we are accustomed to traveling in non-EVs, we are used to understanding the car's motion based on signals such as engine revs, engine vibrations, torque, etc. Yet, traveling in an EV for the first time is a new motion environment for the brain, which needs adaptation,' Emond explains. Additionally, the regenerative braking technology used in EVs – where the motor converts the slowing car's kinetic energy into electricity that then is stored in the battery – results in low-frequency deceleration, meaning that the vehicle slows down gradually and steadily, over a relatively longer period, rather than rapidly or in quick pulses. Such low-frequency deceleration tends to be associated with higher levels of motion sickness. A 2024 study suggested the feature acted as one of the main triggers of motion sickness in electric vehicles. The study's authors wrote: 'Our results confirmed that higher levels of RB [regenerative braking] can induce MS [motion sickness].' Motion sickness is thought to be caused by a mismatch between various sensory signals the brain simultaneously receives about the body's movement. Specifically, it happens when the inner ear, which helps control balance, the eyes, and the body send conflicting information to the brain. 'Better knowledge on self-motion allows us to anticipate motion forces, which is crucial for motion sickness. Yet, when the motion forces as estimated or anticipated by the brain differ from what actually is experienced, then the brain interprets this 'neural mismatch' as a situation of conflict,' Emond said. 'If this conflict persists over time, it may surpass a threshold for triggering autonomic reactions of the body such as symptoms apparent to 'motion sickness'.' Being able to anticipate the movement of a vehicle appears to be integral to the experience of motion sickness, which is why people who are driving a car don't tend to experience symptoms. They know what is coming. The interplay between anticipation of motion and actual motion experienced may be why EVs are associated with worse motion sickness, as these vehicles provide fewer clues regarding upcoming movements. 'When discovering a new motion environment, the brain needs to habituate because there is no knowledge of previous experience in such a context. This is, for example, why almost everyone becomes sick in zero-gravity environments,' Emond says. As EV ownership continues to increase, some researchers are already looking into a solution for the cars' specific type of nausea. Several research papers have suggested that motion sickness in autonomous EVs could be treated by using visual signals, such as interactive screens and ambient lighting, or vibrational cues to allow a passenger's brain to anticipate motion changes, alleviating the lurching feeling in the back of an electric taxi.