Meta content moderation contractor cuts over 2,000 jobs in Spain: union
Canadian tech firm Telus International, tasked by
Meta
to moderate content on its social media networks Facebook and Instagram, will slash over 2,000 jobs in Barcelona, a Spanish union said Monday.
During a meeting on Monday morning the company, which operates locally as Barcelona Digital Services, said it had terminated the contracts "of all workers who were performing
content moderation
tasks" for Meta, affecting 2,059 people, local union CCOO said in a statement.
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Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Meta's $14.8 billion scale AI deal latest test of AI partnerships
By Jody Godoy Facebook owner Meta 's $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI and hiring of the data-labeling startup's CEO will test how the Trump administration views so-called acquihire deals , which some have criticized as an attempt to evade regulatory scrutiny. The deal, announced on Thursday, was Meta's second-largest investment to date. It gives the owner of Facebook a 49% nonvoting stake in Scale AI, which uses gig workers to manually label data and includes among its customers Meta competitors Microsoft and ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Unlike an acquisition or a transaction that would give Meta a controlling stake, the deal does not require a review by U.S. antitrust regulators. However, they could probe the deal if they believe it was structured to avoid those requirements or harm competition. The deal appeared to be structured to avoid potential pitfalls, such as cutting off competitors' access to Scale's services or giving Meta an inside view into rivals' operations - though Reuters exclusively reported on Friday that Alphabet's Google has decided to sever ties with Scale in light of Meta's stake, and other customers are looking at taking a step back. In a statement, a Scale AI spokesperson said its business, which spans work with major companies and governments, remains strong, as it is committed to protecting customer data. The company declined to comment on specifics with Google. Alexandr Wang, Scale's 28-year-old CEO who is coming to Meta as part of the deal, will remain on Scale's board but will have appropriate restrictions placed around his access to information, two sources familiar with the move confirmed. Large tech companies likely perceive the regulatory environment for AI partnerships as easier to navigate under President Donald Trump than under former President Joe Biden, said William Kovacic, director of the competition law center at George Washington University. Trump's antitrust enforcers have said they do not want to regulate how AI develops, but have also displayed a suspicion of large tech platforms, he added. "That would lead me to think they will keep looking carefully at what the firms do. It does not necessarily dictate that they will intervene in a way that would discourage the relationships," Kovacic said. Federal Trade Commission probes into past "aquihire" deals appear to be at a standstill. Under the Biden administration, the FTC opened inquiries into Amazon's deal to hire top executives and researchers from AI startup Adept, and Microsoft's $650 million deal with Inflection AI. The latter allowed Microsoft to use Inflection's models and hire most of the startup's staff, including its co-founders. Amazon's deal closed without further action from the regulator, a source familiar with the matter confirmed. And, more than a year after its initial inquiry, the FTC has so far taken no enforcement action against Microsoft over Inflection, though a larger probe over practices at the software giant is ongoing. A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on Friday. David Olson, a professor who teaches antitrust law at Boston College Law School, said it was smart of Meta to take a minority nonvoting stake. "I think that does give them a lot of protection if someone comes after them," he said, adding that it was still possible that the FTC would want to review the agreement. The Meta deal has its skeptics. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who is probing AI partnerships involving Microsoft and Google, said Meta's investment should be scrutinized. "Meta can call this deal whatever it wants - but if it violates federal law because it unlawfully squashes competition or makes it easier for Meta to illegally dominate, antitrust enforcers should investigate and block it," she said in a statement on Friday. While Meta faces its own monopoly lawsuit by the FTC, it remains to be seen whether the agency will have any questions about its Scale investment. The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, led by former JD Vance adviser Gail Slater, recently started looking into whether Google's partnership with chatbot creator was designed to evade antitrust review, Bloomberg News reported. The DOJ is separately seeking to make Google give it advance notice of new AI investments as part of a proposal to curb the company's dominance in online search.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
G7 leaders want to contain Israel-Iran conflict, as Donald Trump calls for talks between countries
The Group of Seven summit began in Canada on Monday (June 16, 2025) with world leaders scrambling to contain the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, with U.S. President Donald Trump reiterating his call for the two nations to start negotiating. 'They should talk, and they should talk immediately,' he told reporters. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said all G7 leaders agree they 'have to find a way to de-escalate the situation' in the Middle East because the Israel-Iran conflict risks inflaming the 'tinderbox' of Gaza and hurting the global economy. Mr. Starmer said he'd spoken to Trump about the issue, adding "the risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications, not just for the region but globally, are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters on Monday (June 16, 2025) ahead of the summit beginning in the Canadian Rocky Mountains that Germany is planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that 'Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.' But as Mr. Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he also stressed it was a mistake to remove Russia from the organisation in 2014 and doing so had destabilised the world. He also suggested it would be a good idea to add China to the G7. The U.S. president also seemed to put a greater priority on his planned emphasis on addressing his grievances with other nations' trade policies. 'Our primary focus will be trade,' Mr. Trump said of his talks with Mr. Carney. This year's G7 summit is full of combustible tensions, and it's unclear how the gathered world leaders can work together to resolve them. Trump already has hit several dozen nations with severe tariffs that risk a global economic slowdown. There is little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and now a new conflict between Israel and Iran. Add to all of that the problems of climate change, immigration, drug trafficking, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and China's continued manufacturing superiority and chokehold on key supply chains. "We're gathering at one of those turning points in history," Mr. Carney said. "The world's more divided and dangerous.' But as the news media was escorted from the opening session, Mr. Carney could be heard as he turned to Trump and referenced how his remarks about the Middle East, Russia and China had already drawn attention to the summit. 'Mr. President, I think you've answered a lot of questions already,' Carney said. Trump wants to focus on trade, though he may have to balance those issues with the broader need by the G7 countries — which also include France, Italy and Japan — to project a united front to calm down a world increasingly engulfed in chaos. Asked if he planned to announce any trade agreements at the G7 as he left the White House on Sunday, Mr. Trump said: 'We have our trade deals. All we have to do is send a letter, 'This is what you're going to have to pay.' But I think we'll have a few, few new trade deals." Also at stake might be the survival of the G7 itself when the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about whether the president will attend the November Group of 20 summit in South Africa. The German, U.K., Japanese and Italian governments have each signalled a belief that a friendly relationship with Trump this year can help to keep any public drama at a minimum, after the US president in 2018 opposed a joint communique when the G7 summit was last held in Canada. Going into the summit, there was no plan for a joint statement this year, a sign that the Trump administration sees no need to build a shared consensus with fellow democracies if it views such a statement as contrary to its goals of new tariffs, more fossil fuel production and a Europe that is less dependent on the US military. 'The Trump administration almost certainly believes that no deal is better than a bad deal,' said Caitlin Welsh, a director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank who was part of Trump's team for the G7 in Trump's first term. The White House has stayed decidedly mum about its goals for the G7, which originated as a 1973 finance ministers' meeting to address the oil crisis and evolved into a yearly summit meant to foster personal relationships among world leaders and address global problems. The G7 briefly expanded to the G8 with Russia as a member, only for Russia to be expelled in 2014 after annexing Crimea and taking a foothold in Ukraine that preceded its aggressive 2022 invasion of that nation. Mr. Trump will have a series of bilateral meetings during the summit with other world leaders while in Canada. Beyond Mr. Carney, he's also expected to have bilateral meetings or pull-aside conversations with Mr. Starmer, Merz, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy said one of the topics for discussion will be a 'defence package' that Ukraine is ready to purchase from the US as part of the ongoing war with Russia. The U.S. president has imposed 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos, all of which have disproportionately hit Japan. Trump is also charging a 10 per cent tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire. The United Kingdom reached a trade framework with the US that included quotas to protect against some tariffs, but the 10 per cent baseline would remain as the Trump administration is banking on tariff revenues to help cover the cost of its income tax cuts. Canada and Mexico face separate tariffs of as much as 25 per cent that Trump put into place under the auspices of stopping fentanyl smuggling, through some products are still protected under the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed during Trump's first term. Merz said of trade talks that 'there will be no solution at this summit, but we could perhaps come closer to a solution in small steps.' The Trump administration has insisted that its broad tariffs will produce trade agreements that box out China, though it's unclear how antagonising trade partners would make them want to strengthen their reliance on the US Carney has been outspoken in saying Canada can no longer look to the US as an enduring friend. That might leave Trump with the awkward task of wanting to keep his tariffs in place while also trying to convince other countries that they're better off siding with the US than China.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Woman loses Rs 17.8 lakh in stock market, job scams
Mangaluru: A woman allegedly fell prey to an online stock market scam and later an overseas job scam, losing a total of Rs 17.8 lakh. On Dec 17, 2023, an advertisement related to stock trading appeared on woman's Facebook account, according to a complaint by her. Upon clicking the link, she was added to a WhatsApp group managed by Marilena and Jonathan Simon. The woman was instructed to download an app from Play Store and told that she could earn an average daily profit of 18%. Between Jan 4, 2024, and March 4, 2024, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 15.5 lakh to multiple bank accounts. She also joined a Facebook group named Japan Export and Import, and on July 16, last year, a person identified as Paulson Augustine sent a friend request after viewing her profile, which the complainant accepted. Paulson discussed food exports and claimed he had numerous contacts in Dubai, including an acquaintance with Yousuf, a friend of the Ajman royal family, and could arrange investment opportunities in Dubai. He said two of his friends worked with a company in Saudi Arabia for the past 35–40 years and that there were job vacancies available. He told the complainant that Rs 2.5 lakh was required for each job application. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Recibirás alertas gratuitas sobre acciones con este nuevo algoritmo TradeTrend Más información Undo The complainant then shared the documents of job applicants and made transfers of Rs 1 lakh on Aug 9 to a UPI number, and between Aug 10 and Aug 25, 2024, transferred Rs 2.3 lakh to the same number. When there was no update regarding the visa, the complainant asked for a refund but was met with excuses and harassment. Eventually, the complainant had to refund Rs 1 lakh on her own to the candidates. A case was registered at the Mangaluru south police station.
