Social media giant Meta is about to start reading users’ conversations, including direct messages (DMs) and chats with its AI, with no option to opt out other than not to use their platforms – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which provides no option to turn its AI off. This data access will start in most of the world from 16 December though in the EU and UK, which have stricter data protection laws, it will start later – apparently from 4 March next year.

PC World Magazine reported:

The initiative will begin starting December 16th, 2025, initially outside the EU and UK where stricter data protection laws will force a later introduction. The data will be used to further personalize advertising and content, and it won’t be possible to opt out.

Meta spying

Industry media analyses have tended so far to focus on the issue of AI chats but Facebook, in a privacy update titled “Your activity and information that you provide” includes DMs in the data it can access, gather and use:

Meta has been known to provide ‘near real-time’ data on its users to the authorities since at least 2021, though previously this has not usually – at least officially – included the content of DMs. A report in Israel’s 972 Magazine and analysis by Tech for Palestine last year revealed that Israel’s ‘Lavender’ AI targeting system was using WhatsApp data to target Palestinians for murder, often based on as little as a ‘target’ being in a WhatsApp group with someone else who had been targeted and killed. One of 972’s sources told the magazine that after Lavender identified a victim, Israel:

bombed them in homes without hesitation, as a first option. It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home. The system is built to look for them in these situations.

Far beyond overreach

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was also murdered in a Saudi embassy after his family’s WhatsApp messages were hacked by Israel’s ‘Pegasus’ spyware, which has also been used to spy on human rights activists, journalists, political opponents and Western government ministers.

Meta denies that its products contain backdoors and that it is (currently) reading messages. However, the company is now being sued in the US by its former head of security, who alleges that it allows thousands of its engineers to access sensitive user data and has not adequately tackled issues allowing the hacking of over 100,000 accounts a day. Complainant Attaullah Baig claims that the company ignored his warnings and sacked him for raising concerns. Meta denies the allegations.

The Meta issue comes on top of wider concerns over online security after digital rights group SMEX revealed that all Samsung mid-range handsets in large parts of the world come pre-installed with ‘unremovable’ Israeli spyware.

The Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto, California, has some of the best real estate in the country, with a charming hodgepodge of homes ranging in style from Tudor revival to modern farmhouse and contemporary Mediterranean. It also has a gigantic compound that is home to Mark Zuckerberg, his wife Priscilla Chan, and their daughters Maxima, August, and Aurelia. Their land has expanded to include 11 previously separate properties, five of which are connected by at least one property line.

The Zuckerberg compound’s expansion first became a concern for Crescent Park neighbors as early as 2016, due to fears that his purchases were driving up the market. Then, about five years later, neighbors noticed that a school appeared to be operating out of the Zuckerberg compound. This would be illegal under the area’s residential zoning code without a permit. They began a crusade to shut it down that did not end until summer 2025.

WIRED obtained 1,665 pages of documents about the neighborhood dispute—including 311 records, legal filings, construction plans, and emails—through a public record request filed to the Palo Alto Department of Planning and Development Services. (Mentions of “Zuckerberg” or “the Zuckerbergs” appear to have been redacted. However, neighbors and separate public records confirm that the property in question belongs to the family. The names of the neighbors who were in touch with the city were also redacted.)

Nothing says "functioning democracy" like "compound."

I had this idea the other day about how the evolution of religion over time seems to correlate directly to the part of the hierarchy of needs that most members of the faith fail to achieve.

God as nature

The first deities belonged to groups of people that were entirely at the whims of their environment. Storms, droughts, floods meant death. This was the time of Animism, where our god's controlled the weather, the crops, the change of seasons. These ancient gods served the physiological needs, ensuring humans ate, had shelter, and survived the winter. These were polytheistic gods.

God as warrior

After this, deities belonged to nations. The Israelites believed Yahweh would lead them into the holy land and defeat their enemies. This was polytheistic in the sense that it was believed other nations gods existed, but were engaging in battle with one another. These gods served safety and security need. Keeping us safe from them.

God as parent

After the ages of war and the movement into global trade, the need failing to be met was community and companionship within our nations. God began to be viewed as the "parent" over all his "children". We are all siblings, so God wants us to all get along. God wants community love and friendship. This serves love and belonging, and is the current state of most religions.

God as power

The resurgence of "witchcraft" displays the desire to build our self esteem. Magic, ritual, and individualist spiritual practice serve the needs of achievement and uniqueness.

God as self?

Eventually, once all needs are met, we will unify God with our own consciousness. We have all our needs met and can experience pure living. Religion will seemingly fade away, and we will deify our own experience of existence.

Summary
After losing his life savings in the crypto crash, Doctor Doom teams up with Kang and Thanos to conduct a sinister plot to steal all the Funko Pops in the world. But will the combined might of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Young Avengers, the New Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Sinister Six, and Deadpool be enough to give The Walt Disney Company a record-breaking quarterly statement?

Director
Anthony and Joe Russo

Writer
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Cast
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Chris Evans
- Scarlett Johansson
- Chris Hemsworth
- Jeremy Renner
- Mark Ruffalo
- Pedro Pascal
- Vanessa Kirby
- Joseph Quinn
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Anthony Mackie
- Sebastian Stan
- Brie Larson
- Elizabeth Olson
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Benedict Wong
- Tom Holland
- Iman Vellani
- Xotchitl Gomez
- Sean Gunn
- Chris Pratt
- Vin Diesel
- Zoe Saldaña
- Bradley Cooper
- Dave Bautisa
- Karen Gilligan
- Paul Bettany
- Tatiana Maslany
- Andrew Garfield
- Tobey Maguire
- Ryan Reynolds
- Hugh Jackman
- Tom Hardy
- Jared Leto
- Dakota Johnson
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- And the rest.

Rotten Tomatoes:
96%

Metacritic:
78

VOD: Delayed to 2027

They don't even wanna "waste money" on depression, and I feel very emotionally vulnerable and have low self esteen when I ask about these things, especially for their financial support.

But I'm honestly just... idk, I'm too broken to even work, I don't have the willpower to do basic survival stuff.

The idea of suicide just keeps coming up.

My parents could afford it, but I'm just gonna keep feeling like a burden if I ask them for help.

But its their fault I even have depression in the first place.

But like... idk...

Don't wanna do this. Its so hard to keep going.

I am absolutely not calling a fucking hotline, don't wanna get locked up, under this [USA] political climate.

I'm honestly just stuck with parents, because the moment I end up homeless, is the moment I'll end up in prison, since... homelessness is de facto outlawed.

Don't even wanna go outside right now tbh.

I just cry all the time, because wtf is this existence. I wasn't even supposed to be born. What the hell.

The last time I was by myself was that ine time I ran away from home as a child. Those memories still haunt me.

And... because of that. I tried college, and even tried to just live on campus once, and I couldn't handle it. Had to withdrawl. I overdosed on antidepressants, idk what I was doing. I actually just have zero self control and did it several times, misusing antidepressants, always ran out before the proper refill date. I have since stopped going to doctors after thr doctor I had think I'm drugseeking and just cut me off, gave sone referrals, then referrals told me they can't help me, I don't know where to look anymore. So many low star rating reviews for these things.

Too much anxiety being alone, probably a remnant of that day in my childhood. I think I have separation anxiety, which is ironic since these are also the same emotionally abusive parents.

So... idk... what to do?

Life is just over.

I'll end up in prison, or a concentration camp, or shot dead on the street.

Idk how to live. I don't have much life skills.

Family is hostile.

Society is hostile.

Government is hostile.

The economy is hostile.

My brain is fighting me.

My physical health is deteriorating. Pre-diabetic, probably diabetic by now, idk, haven't seen a doctor for a while.

My hands just shake if I go like 4 hours without food.

So I'm pretty much dead if I try being independent, wouldn't survive long.

Idk what to do...