logo
Meta trial on privacy scandal begins with tech, politics A-list

Meta trial on privacy scandal begins with tech, politics A-list

Behind-the-scenes details of an agreement between Facebook and US privacy regulators in 2019 emerged in a Delaware court, during a trial on investor claims the settlement cost them at least $US7 billion ($11 billion).
A company director at the time, Jeffrey Zients, who was later former US president Joe Biden's chief of staff, said the board asked its lawyers to approach the Federal Trade Commission with a proposal. The company, now known as Meta, was willing to pay billions of dollars to settle allegations related to a privacy scandal but would not accept any settlement that held founder Mark Zuckerberg personally responsible.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Aussies hilariously slam ATO's ‘joke' tax return demands
Aussies hilariously slam ATO's ‘joke' tax return demands

Perth Now

timea day ago

  • Perth Now

Aussies hilariously slam ATO's ‘joke' tax return demands

It's that time of year when tax accountants are at their busiest, and income earners their most inconvenienced. As Aussies slowly get around to lodging their tax returns, the Australian Taxation Office's Facebook account — yes, they're on social media — has attempted to remind Aussies that they're legally required to lodge every last dollar raked in from the previous financial year. But unsurprisingly, it hasn't gone down so well with the working man. 'Make sure you report all extra income you earned this year!' a post from the ATO on Tuesday read, which has since disabled further comments. Here are some of the funniest responses: 'What about my daughter's lemonade stall?' one person asked. Another said, 'What's the point of cash in hand, if we just gonna tell you about it'. 'Every smart**** here is getting audited,' one person wrote. The account sought to define exactly what 'extra $$$' referred to. Cash-in-hand work, online activities, and interest on investments were among the key income-earning streams that Aussies 'need to report in your tax return!' 'Love how OnlyFans is described as 'online activities' haha,' one person said in response. 'Construction workers, barbers laughing, contractors laughing at this joke,' another chimed in. 'Why?? My marketplace selling is just a hobby!!!' one added. 'Will I be audited if I pick up a 10c off the ground and don't declare it?,' asked another. Aussies are not so keen on the ATO reminding them to lodge all extra income earned during the previous financial year. Credit: ATO / FB What about pokie winnings? The page confirmed, 'You don't need to declare your gambling winnings as income. You'll only need to declare your gambling winnings or losses as income if you're a professional gambler carrying out a business of betting or gambling.' Tips earned through hospitality? Unfortunately... 'Yes, cash tips that you receive, regardless of whether from your employer or direct from customers, must be declared,' the ATO stated. While many of the account's 327k followers said they'd been waiting up to two weeks to receive their refunds, others suggested the ATO should spend less time monitoring the little guy. 'Your main focus should be on big businesses, those who don't pay a single penny,' one person wrote. Another inquisitive income earner, tongue-in-cheek of course, asked the ATO exactly how it would go about proving someone didn't declare all of their additional earnings. 'How do you plan on proving that I didn't? Hypothetically', they asked. For more tips on lodging your tax return, head to For more laughs, head here.

We've all dated a guy who could ruin Coldplay for you
We've all dated a guy who could ruin Coldplay for you

Herald Sun

time2 days ago

  • Herald Sun

We've all dated a guy who could ruin Coldplay for you

Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. We've all got one. That one song, that one band, that one album that now tastes like heartbreak. Maybe it was playing in the background when he broke up with you. Maybe it was your song - the one he sang in the car with his whole chest before he blew up your life. Or maybe it was Coldplay. For the wife of Andy Byron - the tech CEO now going viral after appearing on the Coldplay kiss cam with his alleged HR-chief mistress - it's going to be Coldplay. Forever. And that's not just cruel. That's psychological warfare. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. A tech CEO was busted on the kiss cam with his HR exec mistress. Image: TikTok/@instaagraace The kiss cam moment that blew up the internet Last week, at a Coldplay concert in Boston, the band's kiss cam panned to a couple cuddling in the crowd. As the audience cooed and Chris Martin smiled, the man - later identified as Byron - ducked out of view like a panicked meerkat while the woman beside him, HR executive Kristin Cabot, frantically turned away and shielded her face. From the stage, Chris Martin joked, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Turns out, it was the former. TikTok detectives quickly linked the couple to a billion-dollar AI company called Astronomer, where Byron is CEO and Cabot is his HR hire. Since then, their names have been blasted across headlines and hashtags, dissected on Reddit threads, and framed in reaction memes like a tech-industry telenovela. Internet users pointed out that Byron's wife quietly removed her married name from social media. Her Facebook was eventually deleted altogether - presumably to avoid the thousands of comments flooding in from strangers watching her marriage unravel in real time. The wife didn't just lose her husband - she lost her soundtrack The internet is having a field day. And yes, from a distance, it's deliciously messy. The kiss cam. The cringey scramble. The 'f***ing hell, it's me' vibe of the footage. If the goal was to cheat discreetly, attending a concert with literal stadium-wide cameras was… bold. But here's the thing: behind the LOLs and the gossip and the Chrissy Teigen-level memes is a woman. A wife. Possibly a mother. And she's now the unwitting protagonist of a viral cheating saga, her life detonated in surround sound. And it wasn't just detonated. It was scored. With Coldplay. RELATED: My husband's affair baby turned up after his death Coldplay is everywhere - supermarkets, lifts, hold music. Image: Instgram/Coldplay You can't escape Coldplay - and now she can't escape the pain This is the part that gets me - the music. Because Coldplay isn't niche. It's not like her ex ruined an obscure Swedish doom-metal band. Coldplay is everywhere. It's in supermarkets, shopping centres, airport lounges, elevators, hold music. You can't even watch a rom-com trailer without Fix You or The Scientist playing behind a montage of heartbreak and rain. Every time this woman goes to buy groceries, or waits on hold to cancel a joint phone plan, or orders a cab that's tuned into Smooth FM, there's a solid chance Chris Martin will be there, whisper-singing directly to her trauma. RELATED: How Ashley Madison convinced 37mil people to have an affair From the stage, Martin joked, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Image: Instagram/Coldplay Music is memory - and heartbreak has a playlist That's the thing about music and memory - they attach themselves to each other. Songs are time capsules. Emotional landmines. And when a betrayal happens in stereo, you don't just lose your partner. You lose your playlists. There's something especially brutal about discovering your husband is cheating via jumbotron. But what breaks me is the thought of this woman turning on the radio and being gut-punched by Clocks. Because we've all been there. Maybe not at the scale of a viral tech scandal, but we've all had someone ruin a song. A cafe. A park bench. A scent. A suburb. Love has a way of soaking into the fibres of everyday life - and when it's ripped away, those fibres turn to razor wire. She didn't ask for this spotlight Right now, this woman is probably living in shock. She's probably fielding calls and deleting apps and wondering if anyone's told the kids. She's not laughing at the kiss cam. She's not scrolling TikTok for takes. She's staring at a house that feels different now. At a man she doesn't recognise. At a future she didn't see coming. And while the world jokes about mistresses and HR policies and bad life choices scored by soft rock, she's in mourning. Not just for her marriage - but for everything that used to feel safe. Including Coldplay. From viral gossip to a personal tragedy So yes, we're all laughing at the kiss cam couple. But maybe - quietly, tenderly - we could also spare a thought for the woman whose heart just broke in four million pixels. The woman who didn't ask to be part of the show. The woman who'll never be able to hear Yellow again without feeling sick. Because we've all dated a guy who could ruin Coldplay for you. And once they do, there's no getting it back. Originally published as We've all dated a guy who could ruin Coldplay for you

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store