Meta is deleting links to Pixelfed, a decentralized Instagram competitor. On Facebook, the company is labeling links to Pixelfed.social as “spam” and deleting them immediately. 

Pixelfed is an open-source, community funded and decentralized image sharing platform that runs on Activity Pub, which is the same technology that supports Mastodon and other federated services. Pixelfed.social is the largest Pixelfed server, which was launched in 2018 but has gained renewed attention over the last week.

Bluesky user AJ Sadauskas originally posted that links to Pixelfed were being deleted by Meta; 404 Media then also tried to post a link to Pixelfed on Facebook. It was immediately deleted. 

Pixelfed is experiencing a surge in user signups in recent days, after Meta announced that it would loosen its rules to allow users to call LGBTQ+ people “mentally ill” amid a host of other changes that shift the company overtly to the right. Meta and Instagram have also leaned heavily into AI-generated content. Pixelfed announced earlier Monday that it is launching an iOS app later this week. 

Pixelfed said Sunday it is “seeing unprecedented levels of traffic to pixelfed.social.”

Over the weekend, Daniel Supernault, the creator of Pixelfed, published a “declaration of fundamental rights and principles for ethical digital platforms, ensuring privacy, dignity, and fairness in online spaces.” The open source charter, which has been adopted by Pixelfed and can be adopted by other platforms, contains sections titled “right to privacy,” “freedom from surveillance,” “safeguards against hate speech,” “strong protections for vulnerable communities,” and “data portability and user agency.” 

“Pixelfed is a lot of things, but one thing it is not, is an opportunity for VC or others to ruin the vibe. I've turned down VC funding and will not inject advertising of any form into the project,” Supernault wrote on Mastodon. “Pixelfed is for the people, period.”

Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

Ahead of schedule, Asus has just revealed that its Zenfone 12 Ultra is set to be announced on February 6.

There’s still time to secure a FREE $50 credit ahead of the Galaxy S25 launch this month, but there are some notable deals to scope out today as well. Folks who prefer to get into the Google Pixel ecosystem are in luck, as much of the hangover holiday deals on Pixel 9 devices are now live again at Amazon including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at $300 off. We also have the first straight up cash deal on the new 256GB Meta Quest 3S VR headset bundle, an Amazon all-time low on Chipolo’s waterproof ONE Google Find My item tracker, the return of doorbuster pricing on LG’s 55-inch 120Hz B3 4K OLED Smart TV, and more. Scope it all out down below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. 

At CES last week, BMW unveiled a major revamp to its iDrive infotainment system, built on the new “BMW Operating System X.” The revamp brings a new “BMW Panoramic Vision” design with infotainment that stretches around, described as “high tech meets highly intuitive operation.”

The good news is that the new iDrive system still supports Apple CarPlay. The bad news, however, is that BMW has done the bare minimum to integrate CarPlay – and it’s actually a downgrade in some ways.

While we are still tracking a chance to land some wildly low prices on the official Apple Watch braided and silicone Solo Loops, a fresh batch of Apple gear deals are now live to kick the week off. After months waiting for a solid price drop on the new iPad mini 7, today is the day. Just about every configuration, color, and storage capacity is now seeing a straight up $100 price drop with deals kicking off from $399 shipped. Apple’s AirPods 2 are still down at $180 in new condition, but Best Buy certified refurbished units have now dropped to $150 for today only alongside the return of all-time low pricing on the 2024 Alpine Loops for Apple Watch Ultra 2. All of that and more awaits down below. 

At a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown that the whims of one person can upend an entire social network, Mastodon’s CEO and creator, Eugen Rochko, is heading the opposite direction. In a blog post published today, the Mastodon team announced its intention to let a new nonprofit organization take over the company. In other words, Rochko is voluntarily handing over the reins to the service he founded almost a decade ago.

The company took some actions towards forming a US-based non-profit itself a year ago, and that entity will continue to exist as a "fundraising hub." However, the company as a whole will continue to headquarter its operations overseas. "We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe," the company wrote, "Then we will determine which other (subsidiary) legal structures are needed to support operations and sustainability." Mastodon says the restructuring will take place within the next six months.

Rochko has made his stance against Musk clear. He told Musk to “get off the internet” two years ago. He has also called the recent Meta moderation changes “deeply troubling.” While Mastodon has not been as obvious a player in terms of raw user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X restructuring of social media, Mastodon might still find the most moral path forward.

The world of fashion is moving at a faster pace each year. Most retailers introduce new styles each season, and fast-fashion companies like Shein, H&M and Zara update their collections continuously.  To keep pace with the rapid demand for new styles, brands and manufacturers have been turning to tech to accelerate their design process. Raspberry […]

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At 24 years old, Pryce Yebesi already has one exit: selling his crypto invoicing company Utopia Labs to Coinbase for an undisclosed amount.  Some founders don’t just have one company in them. On Monday, Yebesi announced the launch of his new company, OpenLedger, which embeds automated accounting software into products enterprises and small businesses already […]

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Clearwater Analytics, a company developing accounting, compliance, and risk reporting tools for asset managers, said on Monday it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire investment management platform Enfusion for $1.5 billion. Clearwater, which says it has obtained an $800 million loan to fund the transaction, along with a $200 million revolving line of […]

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With a week left in office, President Joe Biden introduced a new set of guidelines and restrictions for exporting U.S.-made AI chips. On Monday the administration announced its Interim Final Rule on AI diffusion. This ruling is meant to “provide clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI” and streamline […]

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Samsung has confirmed that its Galaxy Ring health wearable is getting two new sizing options alongside added features and an expansion to more markets.

Apple last updated its Apple TV 4K set-top box in late 2022. So when is the next model coming? According to a new report, here’s when to expect the new Apple TV 4K to launch.

Amid signs of a stagnating economy, the UK is going all-in on AI. On Monday, British Minister Keir Starmer announced a new AI Opportunities Action Plan. At the center of the initiative are “AI Growth Zones,” which the government plans to establish in de-industrialized areas throughout the country.

In these areas, the Labour government will fast-track planning approvals for data centers and offer better access to the national energy grid. Starmer said the UK’s first AI Growth Zone would be established in Culham, Oxfordshire, home to the country’s Atomic Energy Authority. More zones will be announced in the summer.

At the same time, Starmer’s government plans to increase state-owned compute capacity by a factor of 20, starting with the “immediate” construction of a new supercomputer with “enough AI power to play itself at chess half a million times a second.” As of November 2024, the UK has 14 supercomputers on the TOP500 list, putting it behind — by a significant margin — the US and China.

Additionally, the plan will see the government establish a National Data Library, which it says will make the country more attractive to investors by allowing private industry to “safely and securely unlock the value of public data.” Finally, a new AI Energy Council will work with energy companies to meet the power demands of the AI industry in a way that’s in line with the government’s clean energy strategy.

“Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people,” Starmer said. “But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by.”

Over the next 10 years, Starmer’s government estimates that its strategy could generate as much as £47 billion ($57 billion) in annual economic growth. The announcement comes after the UK economy failed to grow in the third quarter of last year. From that perspective, making the country more attractive to outside investment isn’t the worst idea — especially with companies like Microsoft planning to spend $80 billion on new data centers this year.

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to decide whether to block lawsuits that Honolulu filed to seek billions in damages from oil and gas companies over allegedly deceptive marketing campaigns that hid the effects of climate change.

Now those lawsuits can proceed, surely frustrating the fossil fuel industry, which felt that SCOTUS should have weighed in on this key "recurring question of extraordinary importance to the energy industry" raised in lawsuits seeking similarly high damages in several states, CBS News reported.

Defendants Sunoco and Shell, along with 15 other energy companies, had asked the court to intervene and stop the Hawaii lawsuits from proceeding. They had hoped to move the cases out of Hawaii state courts by arguing that interstate pollution is governed by federal law and the Clean Air Act.

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