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26/01/2023
The Morning After: Donald Trump is getting his Facebook and Instagram accounts back
It's already been over two years since Meta extended former President Donald Trump's "indefinite" suspension from Facebook. Now, the company has reinstated his account. In a statement, Meta said Trump would be able to access his Facebook and Instagram accounts in the "coming weeks," but there would be "new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses."Trump's campaign had reportedly pushed for the former president to be allowed back on Facebook ahead of the upcoming presidential primaries. This decision from Meta comes just months after Elon Musk restored the former president's Twitter account. Trump has so far declined to restart his Twitter habit – he's been a Truth Social user since last year.Another reason he's back could be Meta's handling of Trump's initial suspension, which it quickly extended from a 24-hour ban to an "indefinite" suspension. It was heavily criticized, even by its own Oversight Board, which chastised Meta for not following its own rules and trying to "avoid its responsibilities." Trump was initially booted from Facebook for publicly praising the rioters in the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missed
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23/01/2023
Facebook Messenger encrypted chats now include more of the features you expect
You no longer have to give up the privacy of end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger just to get the creature comforts you take for granted. Meta is bringing several common features to encrypted chats. You can now choose themes, set profiles for group conversations and use custom emoji as well as reactions. Active status and web link previews now work in this more secure mode, while the Android crowd can take advantage of floating Bubbles to talk while they're using other apps.You're more likely to use encrypted chats, too. Meta is expanding tests that make encryption the default for Facebook Messenger. You'll see the changes to some conversation threads in the "next few months," the company says. If you're part of the test, you'll get a notification in a relevant thread.Meta started testing default encryption last August. At the time, it said it hoped to roll out the Facebook Messenger upgrade sometime in 2023. The social media firm didn't provide an updated timeline, but the feature expansion takes Meta considerably closer to that goal — there's considerably more parity with unencrypted chats. Encrypted Messenger caught up on some features at the start of 2022, but was still well behind its less secure counterpart.Not everyone will be happy. Officials in the US, UK and elsewhere have attacked end-to-end encryption. They're concerned criminals could use encrypted chats to discuss plans beyond the reach of law enforcement and surveillance agencies. Politicians, such as former US Attorney General Bill Barr, have called on Meta to weaken encryption by creating "backdoors." Meta has refused to back down, though, and it's evident that the company is determined to bolster privacy across its products.

25/01/2023
Facebook Is Bringing Back Trump
Facebook says Trump's account no longer poses the same "serious risk to public safety" as it did when he was banned in the days after the Capitol riot.