Tag:

WhatsApp

Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down
Moderation Mess: Meta Admits Harmless Content Often Gets Taken Down Meta is admitting that harmless content gets taken down amid criticism for its handling of moderation. “Too often, harmless content gets taken down, or restricted, and too many people get penalized unfairly,” the company's president of global affairs, Nick Glegg, told reporters on Monday, Dec. 2, according to a report in The Verge. Meta's platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. Despite advancements in AI moderation, Clegg acknowledged there is still “work to do” in ensuring fair and accurate enforcement, the report said. Meta has promised to refine its…
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents'
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Millions of teenage Instagram users are being forced into private accounts with enhanced security features aimed at limiting their exposure to harmful content. Meta, the social media platform’s parent company, unveiled its “Teen Accounts” feature on Tuesday, Sept. 17, automatically placing anyone under the age of 18 into a default private account. Teens with a private account must accept new followers and people who don’t follow them can’t see their contact or interact with them. It also comes with strict messaging settings, making it so they can only receive messages from people they foll…
Mass. Man Caught Watching Child Porn On Plane, Arranging To Have Sex With 5-Year-Old: DA Mass. Man Caught Watching Child Porn On Plane, Arranging To Have Sex With 5-Year-Old: DA
Mass. Man Caught Watching Child Porn On Plane, Arranging To Have Sex With 5-Year-Old: DA A 74-year-old passenger aboard a JetBlue flight was caught by someone sitting near him exchanging child sexual abuse material of children as young as toddlers and having text conversations on how much it would cost to rape them, authorities said.  Jed Cohen, 74, of Dartmouth, is charged with possession of child pornography, disseminating photographs of sexual or intimate parts of a child, and paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, the Suffolk County District Attorney said.  A judge ordered him held on a $10,000 bond. He must wear a GPS-monitoring device and remain i…
Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General
Beware Of 'Pig Butchering' Online Romance Schemes In NY: Attorney General New York Attorney General Letitia James urged New Yorkers to be on high alert for increasingly common online romance scams that lead to the victims making fraudulent investments. Also referred to as “pig butchering” schemes, the perpetrators of such crimes will work to gain trust with their victims, “fattening” them up so they willingly provide the scammer money, James said in a Thursday, June 6 press release. Victims are usually targeted via dating websites and apps, social media, and unsolicited text messages. Earlier report - NY Resident Loses $341K In 'Pig Butchering' Scheme: …
SEXTORTION: Out-Of-State Fugitive Freed After NJ Senior Looking For Love Loses $20,000 SEXTORTION: Out-Of-State Fugitive Freed After NJ Senior Looking For Love Loses $20,000
Sextortion: Out-Of-State Fugitive Freed After NJ Senior Looking For Love Loses $20,000 A fugitive from Maryland charged with sextorting a New Jersey senior out of $20,000 online after getting him to take compromising selfies was immediately freed by a judge after surrendering to police. Posing as a woman, Ali H. Maman, 59, of Frederick, MD, communicated with an elderly Glen Rock resident through Instagram and WhatsApp, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. The victim was convinced to share the risqué photos, then was contacted by someone else who demanded a $20,000 bank wire transfer in exchange for not posting them online, Ackermann said. The victim wired the money last July to…
Convicted Lakewood Sex Offender Who Shared Child Porn On WhatsApp Sentenced: Prosecutors Convicted Lakewood Sex Offender Who Shared Child Porn On WhatsApp Sentenced: Prosecutors
Convicted Lakewood Sex Offender Who Shared Child Porn On WhatsApp Sentenced: Prosecutors A Lakewood man will spend several years in prison after admitting to sharing child pornography, authorities said. Matthew Robles, 32, was sentenced on Friday, May 3 to seven years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Monday, May 6. He pleaded guilty on Monday, May 15, 2023, to distribution of child pornography and failure to register as a Megan's Law offender. Investigators said Robles was working at a Brick Township business without registering as a sex offender or notifying any law enforcement agencies. Since 1994, Megan's Law has …
Private Pics Cost Glen Rock 'Sextortion' Victim $20,000, Police Pursue Fugitive Cyberthief Private Pics Cost Glen Rock 'Sextortion' Victim $20,000, Police Pursue Fugitive Cyberthief
Private Pics Cost Glen Rock 'Sextortion' Victim $20,000, Police Pursue Fugitive Cyberthief An elderly lonely heart from Glen Rock was “sextorted” out of $20,000 after sending compromising photos to a scammer he thought was a woman -- and was about to hand over another 20 grand when his bank mercifully refused, authorities said. Online romance scammer Ali H. Maman, 59, of Frederick, MD (photo above), has so far eluded authorities, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said this week. Posing as a woman, Maman communicated with the Glen Rock senior through Instagram and WhatsApp, the chief said on Wednesday, April 10. The victim was convinced to share the risqué photos, then w…
Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds
Convicted Sex Offender Coerces Hudson Valley Girl To Send Him Explicit Photos, Videos: Feds A convicted sex offender was deported from Mexico and brought back to the United States to face charges in connection with his alleged sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old Hudson Valley girl, federal officials said. Former Oregon resident Kennedy Carter, age 27, was deported from Mexico and presented in San Francisco federal court after allegedly coercing a 12-year-old Putnam County girl into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos over the internet, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced on Friday, March 22.  According to federal officials, b…
Virginia Pediatric Doctor Busted At Motel With Child He Met On Grindr: Police Virginia Pediatric Doctor Busted At Motel With Child He Met On Grindr: Police
Virginia Pediatric Doctor Busted At Motel With Child He Met On Grindr: Police A children's doctor in Virginia has been arrested after police found him at a hotel with a teen he met on Grindr, they said. Deepak Dahyabhai Patel, 56, has been charged with one count of felony Solicitation of Sexual Acts with a Minor by Electronic Means and two counts of misdemeanor Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor via Sexual Acts, authorities in Culpeper County said. Trouble began around 4 a.m. Dec. 12, 2023, when Culpeper police officers were called by the parents of a juvenile teen who'd gone missing, authorities said. Police were ultimately led to hotel in the 800 bloc…
NY Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme NY Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme
NY Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme A private pilot from New York has admitted to taking part in an insider trading scheme involving his billionaire boss. Albany County resident Patrick O’Connor, age 67, of Preston-Potter Hollow, pleaded guilty to securities fraud in Albany federal court on Monday, Feb. 26. O’Connor worked as a personal pilot to billionaire Joseph Lewis, a British businessman and investor who is the principal owner of the Tavistock Group, an international private investment organization. According to prosecutors, Lewis, age 87, was regularly given material, non-public information about various companies for …
'The Money Is Ready': Phone Scammer Steals Over $6K From CT Victim, Police Say 'The Money Is Ready': Phone Scammer Steals Over $6K From CT Victim, Police Say
'The Money Is Ready': Phone Scammer Steals Over $6K From CT Victim, Police Say An elaborate phone scam duped a Connecticut victim into forking over more than $6,000 and almost cost them thousands more, police said. Waldy Santiago, age 25, of Providence, Rhode Island, turned himself in at a State Police facility in Westbrook in Middlesex County on Wednesday, Oct. 25, in connection with the alleged scheme, according to Connecticut State Police. Investigators were initially contacted by a Middlesex County resident in Killingworth on Friday, Aug. 25, reporting an elderly scam. The 80-year-old victim told detectives that a man identifying himself as their grandson, who wa…
They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy
They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy It's heartbreaking to discover that someone you've become enamored with online isn't into you, but it’s even worse to realize that person just made off with $3,500 of your money. That’s what happened to a Glen Rock resident who ended up wiring the dough to a sweet talker in the Dominican Republic. Suffice to say: It wasn’t coming back. Although $3,500 is a significant sum to some, it’s couch cushion change compared with the $450,000 in crypto lost last year by another romance scam victim from Glen Rock. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a staggering $1.3 BILLION was lost by 70,000…
17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI 17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI
17-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Charged For Talking With Al-Qaida Affiliate: FBI A teenager from Pennsylvania was arrested by FBI agents on Friday, Aug. 11 after authorities say he had been in contact with an al-Qaida-affiliated terror group.  The unnamed 17-year-old boy was taken into custody at his Wynnefield residence after an investigation by Bureau agents, Philadelphia police, and various federal agencies, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner's Office.  Authorities said that an Instagram account connected to the West Philly teen had communicated with an account affiliated with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ). The State Department has s…
Boston Man Paid For Girl's Birthday Party After Family Member Made Porn Of Her: Feds Boston Man Paid For Girl's Birthday Party After Family Member Made Porn Of Her: Feds
Boston Man Paid For Girl's Birthday Party After Family Member Made Porn Of Her: Feds A 39-year-old Boston man has admitted to a laundry list of disturbing allegations featuring children as young as 9 and 14 years old, federal authorities said. The most heinous of which is he told a teenager that he would help pay for a little girl's birthday party if they produced pornographic material featuring the child.  Robinson Alberto Baez-Nova, of Jamaica Plain, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of distribution of child pornography, and two counts of possession of child pornography, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Federal age…
Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos
Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos A 43-year-old Passaic man apparently thought he could traffic more than 450 child pornography videos on Google and WhatsApp without being caught, authorities said. Jorge Avilavelez was arrested earlier this week following an investigation by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crime Against Children Task Force in tandem with the county prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit. He's remained held in the Bergen County Jail, charged with three various counts of child endangerment and two counts of obstruction. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik jointl…
Convicted Sex Offender Admits Sharing Child Pornography On WhatsApp: Prosecutor Convicted Sex Offender Admits Sharing Child Pornography On WhatsApp: Prosecutor
Convicted Sex Offender Admits Sharing Child Pornography On WhatsApp: Prosecutor A convicted sex offender has admitted to sharing child pornography WhatsApp, authorities said. Matthew Robles, 32, of Lakewood, also pleaded guilty to failing to report his current work address in Brick Township, a requirement under Megan's Law, they said. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Unit revealed that Robles has been employed at a local business in Brick without registering or notifying any law enforcement agencies, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Since 1994, Megan’s Law requires certain offenders…
Jealous Boyfriend’s Accomplice Sentenced For Helping Kill Long Island Man On His 34th Birthday Jealous Boyfriend’s Accomplice Sentenced For Helping Kill Long Island Man On His 34th Birthday
Jealous Boyfriend’s Accomplice Sentenced For Helping Kill Long Island Man On His 34th Birthday An accomplice who helped a jealous Long Island man murder a 34-year-old victim on his birthday will spend nearly two decades in prison for his role in the killing. Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Abanao, age 23, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Feb. 28. It followed his guilty plea to second-degree attempted murder in the killing of Marco Grisales, of East Hampton, in Riverhead in November 2020. Earlier Report: Jealous Boyfriend Who Killed East Hampton Man On His 34th Birthday Sentenced Prosecutors said Hernandez Abanao was recruited by 42-year–old Al…
50,000 Pills: Feds Hold Accused Fentanyl Trafficker From Mexico In Bergen Jail After NYC Bust 50,000 Pills: Feds Hold Accused Fentanyl Trafficker From Mexico In Bergen Jail After NYC Bust
50,000 Pills: Feds Hold Accused Fentanyl Trafficker From Mexico In Bergen Jail After NYC Bust Federal authorities kept an accused fentanyl trafficker in custody at the Bergen County Jail after they said they caught her selling 50,000 potentially fatal fentanyl pills in Manhattan. Agari Reyes-Sillero, a 34-year-old Mexican national, got into a cooperator’s car in with the multi-colored pills packed into four protein powder containers on Feb. 5, 2023, a complaint signed by a DEA agent alleges. She expected to be paid $400,000 in return, the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan says. Members of a task force comprised of DEA agents, the NYPD and the New Yo…
Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn Tried To Traffic Minor For Sex Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn Tried To Traffic Minor For Sex
Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn Tried To Traffic Minor For Sex UPDATE: A now-former New Jersey child services worker who was busted on child porn charges at Newark Airport nearly a year ago also tried to traffic a minor for prostitution, federal authorities said they've learned. Trent Collier, a 56-year-old onetime "family service specialist" for the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, had arrived on a flight from the Dominican Republic last October when images of child pornography were found on his cellphone, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. "One image depicts a fully nude prepubescent boy and fully nude prepubescent girl on…
Lakewood Man Arrested For Sharing Child Pornography Via WhatsApp: Prosecutor Lakewood Man Arrested For Sharing Child Pornography Via WhatsApp: Prosecutor
Lakewood Man Arrested For Sharing Child Pornography Via WhatsApp: Prosecutor A 31-year-old man from Lakewood has been arrested for possessing and sharing child pornography, authorities said. Matthew Robles was charged with the offenses on Monday, Aug. 8, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Robles had previously been charged with failure to register as a sex offender on Friday, Aug. 5, Billhimer said. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Unit revealed that Robles – a Megan’s Law Registrant under the supervision of the New Jersey Division of Parole- has been employed at a local business establishme…
Facebook Rebrands Company Name Facebook Rebrands Company Name
Facebook Rebrands Company Name Facebook users, welcome to the "Metaverse." CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday that Facebook will be changing its name to "Meta." "The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection," Meta's website says. "Our company’s vision is to help bring the metaverse to life, so we are changing our name to reflect our commitment to this future." The platform will combine its apps and technologies under the new, singular company brand, Facebook said in a statement.  Corporate structure will not be changing, but its financials will, Facebook officials said. The company will begin trad…
FBI Arrests Philadelphia Police Officer On Child Pornography Charges FBI Arrests Philadelphia Police Officer On Child Pornography Charges
FBI Arrests Philadelphia Police Officer On Child Pornography Charges The FBI arrested a Philadelphia police officer on charges of transportation and possession of child pornography, authorities said. William Watts, Sr., 55, downloaded multiple files of child pornography from the instant messaging app "WhatsApp,’" which included content of "prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts, some with adults," according to the U.S Department of Justice. He was arrested Thursday morning after FBI agents served a search warrant at his home, authorities said. “As alleged in the Criminal Complaint, the defendant sought out videos of children being abused for…
Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn At Newark Airport Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn At Newark Airport
Feds: NJ Family Services Caseworker Busted With Child Porn At Newark Airport A New Jersey child services worker was busted on child porn charges following a search of his cellphone and laptop at Newark Airport, federal authorities said. Trent Collier, a 55-year-old "family service specialist" for the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, had arrived on a flight from the Dominican Republic last week when his luggage was searched, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said. "Law enforcement" officers conducting forensic searches of both devices found "at least two images of child pornography depicting the genitals of prepubescent children," according to a co…
Facebook, Instagram Go Down For Users Throughout World Facebook, Instagram Go Down For Users Throughout World
Facebook, Instagram Go Down For Users Throughout World This story has been updated. Some of the most used social media sites and apps around the world were down for around six hours. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger all went down just before noontime Monday, Oct. 4. All four platforms are owned by Facebook and have a combined three billion users. The issues with the platforms were first reported around 11:45 a.m. Monday and they were back up just before 6 p.m. Facebook's only comment on the outage so far came in a Tweet posted at 12:10 p.m. by one of its senior communications executives, Andy M. Stone, who said, "We’re a…
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Down Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Down
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Down Looks like we're all going to have to be productive today: Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram were down globally since 11:41 a.m. Monday. It was not immediately clear what was causing the outage, or how long until it would be fixed. BREAKING: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all down in a massive outage for Facebook services. Looks like it’s a DNS problem https://t.co/AhebBXBeo0 pic.twitter.com/uEOdex2XcZ — Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 4, 2021 “We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products," Facebook communications exec Andy Stone said on Twitter…
Suspect At Large After Long Island Woman Scammed Out Of $16,500, Police Say Suspect At Large After Long Island Woman Scammed Out Of $16,500, Police Say
Suspect At Large After Long Island Woman Scammed Out Of $16,500, Police Say Police on Long Island are cautioning residents to be wary after a woman was bilked out of thousands of dollars by a fraudster posing as an FBI agent. The Nassau County Police Department is currently investigating an alleged grand larceny that saw a 36-year-old woman in Oceanside scammed out of $16,500. Police said that the woman was instructed to purchase several gift cards, and then take photographs of them for a purported member of the FBI. Those pictures were then sent to a suspect using the WhatsApp application. The initial scam took place at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, and the victim alerted…
Long Island Woman Admits To Attempting To Hire Hitmen To Kill Ex-Husband's Family Long Island Woman Admits To Attempting To Hire Hitmen To Kill Ex-Husband's Family
Long Island Woman Admits To Attempting To Hire Hitmen To Kill Ex-Husband's Family A Long Island woman has pleaded guilty for conspiring to hire hitmen to kill her ex-husband’s mother. Elsy Rodriguez-Garcia, age 25, of Huntington Station, pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 11, to conspiracy and is expected to be sentenced to two to six years in prison, said District Attorney Timothy D. Sini.  “This is a shocking and disturbing case,” Sini said. “The defendant’s intentions were very clear that she wanted this person murdered, and she was ready and willing to pay for it.” In July 2019, Rodriguez-Garcia contacted a co-conspirator via WhatsApp to orchestrate the mur…
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Experiencing Outages Worldwide Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Experiencing Outages Worldwide
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Experiencing Outages Worldwide Millions of users of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp have been experiencing outages throughout the world. Those outages were first reported just before 7 a.m. Sunday, April 14. The main Facebook.com domain remained unavailable just before 9 a.m. WhatsApp messages aren’t being sent or received, and the Instagram app is not updating. A month ago, on March 14, Facebook experienced its worst outage ever, with outages lasting up to 24 hours. Users of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp headed to Twitter to share that they’re having issues, with the hasthtag #FacebookDown trending.…
Ocasio-Cortez Slams Trump Administration For Overriding Dozens Of Security Clearance Denials Ocasio-Cortez Slams Trump Administration For Overriding Dozens Of Security Clearance Denials
Ocasio-Cortez Slams Trump Administration For Overriding Dozens Of Security Clearance Denials Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took President Donald Trump’s administration to task over the overrides of dozens of security clearance denials. The 2007 Yorktown High School graduate expressed her outrage at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday, April 2, calling for subpoenas for White House staffers because the administration is not cooperating with lawmakers. A White House whistleblower stated that no less than two dozen members of Trump’s administration were initially denied security clearance, but have since seen that decision overturned. The reported override…
The Last Word On 'Momo Challenge': It’s A Cruel Hoax Playing On Your Paranoia, Mom The Last Word On 'Momo Challenge': It’s A Cruel Hoax Playing On Your Paranoia, Mom
The Last Word On 'Momo Challenge': It’s A Cruel Hoax Playing On Your Paranoia, Mom You know what some say is worse than a bogus video called "The Momo Challenge" that encourages children to harm themselves or others? A viral social media explosion that scares the pants off their parents. Yes, teen suicide continues to plague the U.S. But in a country of nearly 326 million, there hasn’t been a single reported incident of a child responding to "The Momo Challenge” by taking pills, stabbing someone or harming themselves, authorities said this week. “Please be aware that many trusted sources say IT IS A HOAX,” said Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo, one of the top l…
Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks New Warning Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks New Warning
Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks New Warning An ongoing suicide “game” involving a person dubbed “Momo" targeting teens on a prominent messaging app is sparking a new warning. “Momo” has become a viral challenge that first asks people to add a contact on the WhatsApp app, and they are then encouraged to commit self-harm or suicide. The “game” has spread nationwide. The challenge has since evolved to include other apps and social media platforms. According to Fox News, police in Mexico say that “Momo” started in a Facebook group, where people are encouraged to make contact with an unknown telephone number. “Computer Crime Investigator…