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Scrutiny of Facebook ramps up with flurry of new reports based on leaked documents

A number of major news outlets publish reports focused on the social network’s struggle to contain dangerous content.

The critical spotlight on Facebook intensified this weekend, as several major media outlets published new reports based on the cache of internal company documents leaked by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen.

On Saturday, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal published stories about misinformation and hate speech on Facebook services in India, the company’s largest market. And The Washington Post reported on concern among Facebook employees about the role the site played in the spread of misinformation that helped fuel the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol.

The Post’s report followed stories on Friday by Bloomberg and NBC News that also focused on the spread of misinformation on Facebook in the US, and those reports came on top of similar Friday stories in the Journal and the Times.

In its story about the social network and India, the Times reports that in February 2019, a Facebook researcher opened a new user account in Kerala, India, to get an idea of what site users there would see. The researcher followed the recommendations generated by the social network’s algorithms to watch videos, check out new pages and join groups on Facebook. «The test user’s News Feed has become a near constant barrage of polarizing nationalist content, misinformation, violence and gore,» an internal Facebook report said later that month, according to the Times.

That echoes the findings of a similar 2019 project conducted by a Facebook researcher in the US, who set up a test account for «Carol Smith,» a fictitious «conservative mom» in North Carolina. In two days, NBC News reported, the social network was recommending that she join groups dedicated to the bogus QAnon conspiracy theory. According to NBC, the experiment was outlined in an internal Facebook report called «Carol’s Journey to QAnon,» a document also referenced by the Times, the Journal and the Post.

«The body of research consistently found Facebook pushed some users into ‘rabbit holes,’ increasingly narrow echo chambers where violent conspiracy theories thrived,» the NBC News report reads. «People radicalized through these rabbit holes make up a small slice of total users, but at Facebook’s scale, that can mean millions of individuals.»

The flurry of new reports based on documents leaked by Haugen follows an earlier investigation in the Journal that relied on that same cache of information. The new stories also come after Haugen’s testimony this month before the US Congress as lawmakers in the United States and elsewhere wrestle with whether to regulate Facebook and other Big Tech companies, and if so, how. Haugen is scheduled to testify before the UK Parliament on Monday.

In a broad sense, the issue has to do with whether Facebook can be relied on to responsibly balance business motives with social concerns and do away with the flood of dangerous content that has spread on its various social-networking platforms. The company’s algorithms drive user engagement, but they can also create problems when it comes to misinformation, hate speech and the like. The issue is complicated by the need to respect free speech while cracking down on problematic posts.

Critics say Facebook has already dropped the ball too many times when it comes to policing its platforms and that the company puts profits ahead of people. In her testimony before the US Congress, Haugen alleged that Facebook’s products «harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy.»

Facebook, on the other hand, has said that internal documents are being misrepresented and that a «false picture» is being painted of the social-networking giant. «I’m sure many of you have found the recent coverage hard to read because it just doesn’t reflect the company we know,» CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in an email to employees earlier this month. «We care deeply about issues like safety, well-being and mental health.»

Facebook didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday on the new batch of reports based on documents leaked by Haugen. In a Friday blog post, the head of Facebook’s integrity efforts defended the company’s actions to protect the 2020 US presidential elections and outlined the steps taken by the social network.

In regard to the Times’ report about India, a Facebook spokesman told the news outlet that the social network had put significant resources into technology designed to root out hate speech in various languages, including Hindi and Bengali, and that this year, Facebook had halved the amount of hate speech that users see worldwide.

In regard to its «Carol’s Journey to QAnon» report, a Facebook spokesperson told NBC News that the document points to the company’s efforts to solve problems around dangerous content. «While this was a study of one hypothetical user, it is a perfect example of research the company does to improve our systems and helped inform our decision to remove QAnon from the platform,» the spokesperson told the news outlet.

Technologies

Apple and Amazon Debut Musical Year-End Recaps While You Wait for Spotify Wrapped

Apple’s Music Replay 2025 and Amazon’s 2025 Delivered examine your listening habits for the year.

Spotify has yet to release its 2025 edition of its popular Wrapped year-in-review feature (last year it debuted on Dec. 4), but Apple Music and Amazon Music are here to fill the void with their own versions of the year-end recap (if you use those services).

Apple Music Replay is now live and puts together a playlist of your most-listened to songs as well as shareable videos and images. You’ll be able to see your top artists, amount of time you listened to Apple Music songs and genres. 


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Similarly, Amazon’s 2025 Delivered feature tracks what you listened to across music, podcasts and audiobooks, but this year Amazon’s theme is a music festival, with some of your listening habits presented as badges. It will also generate a festival poster with artists from your listening history.

Even YouTube is getting into the act with a recap of what you watched in 2025.

How to get to Apple Music Replay and Amazon 2025 Delivered

Both Apple Music Replay and Amazon 2025 Delivered are available in their respective apps.

Apple Music Replay is on the homepage of the Music app and under the «New» tab, but can also be found at replay.music.apple.com

For Amazon’s 2025 Delivered, go to the Library page in the Amazon Music app if Delivered doesn’t appear on the home page. It doesn’t appear to be available in the web version of Amazon Music. 

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Technologies

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond on Switch: This Was Worth Waiting For

Come on in, the space desert’s fine.

Winter’s coming, and Nintendo has delivered an epic Switch game to get lost in for the season. After a week of playing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, I know this is the one I’ve been waiting for. It’s full of alien motorbikes, alien relics, psychic powers and a lot of puzzle-solving.

It’s been a long time since I played a Metroid Prime game. I used to huddle around my GameCube in California, playing the first one. I never got sucked too far into 2D Metroid games, but Prime’s mysterious unfolding caverns and worlds felt like exploring space tombs. It’s always had a bit of a 3D Zelda vibe to me. The Prime games felt more powerful, more immersive than the 2D ones, even Dread. (The original Prime is on Switch too, remastered and worth playing.)

With Prime 4, announced more than eight years ago, it took me some time to get back into it. But now it’s all I think about playing. My recommendation is to just go in for the experience. Go in knowing nothing, and maybe even skip everything in this review, or any other review. Mystery is Metroid’s calling card. Your big adventure on the Switch is here. 

If you’re new, here’s the deal: 3D Metroid is a first-person shooter adventure, but with a lot more emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving than straight-up battle. Once again, you play as Samus, the bounty hunter who quietly explores her world. Enemies and bosses do pop up, and they can be hard, but expect challenges similar to boss battles in a Zelda game. Just like all the other Metroid games, your various powers are lost and must be found again, piece by piece. Besides running and jumping and shooting, you can morph into a ball. Or, this time, hop on a Tron-like space bike called Vi-O-La.

I wasn’t sure if Prime 4 would be for me, or if I’d feel lost in lore I’d forgotten or hadn’t absorbed (since I hadn’t finished Prime 2 or 3, and barely remember what happened in Prime). It’s OK. This game assumes you might be coming in clean, though knowing the Metroid series will help.

Hollywood flair, but not too much

It’s also clear that Nintendo is pushing the Metroid series more into the mainstream. With Nintendo making theme parks and films now, Metroid seems like a future candidate for another franchise spin-off. The game’s stellar opening video sequences feel like being propelled into Star Wars, and yes, the new talking side characters are peppered throughout. Some are annoying, some a bit clichéd, but all seem like they’re possibly auditioning for roles in future entertainment to come.

That annoying guy who seemed to always barge in during early game demos a few weeks ago? He doesn’t bother me too much. Definitely a lot of chat at first, but it settles down later. And, good news: So far, hours into playing, these characters don’t bother you all the time. In fact, in most of the maze-like maps, they’re out of communication range, and you’re on your own. Don’t worry, the lonely Samus vibe is still there.

Just enough feelings of getting truly lost

Samus ends up isolated on a new planet, Viewros, which is full of ancient artifacts from a civilization called the Lamorn that need to be awakened. You don’t know why you’re there, and you don’t know where to go. I mean, there are maps, and suggestions, and sometimes the game pings you a specific map goal. But the game doesn’t hold your hand much. I often wondered what to do next, which isn’t a bad thing at all. There are in-game suggestions and clues, and the design also lends itself to further suggestions. 

A semi-open world

And what I’m still wrapping my head around is the vast desert overworld of Viewros, which exists within a mega map where specific regions to visit are scattered throughout. The desert feels largely empty, but there are mysterious things to find in it, some of which can’t even be accessed at first. Underground shrine-like caves. Pieces of rubble. Odd machines.

Also, the motorbike you uncover and ride — Vi-O-La, aka the Zelda Horse of Metroid Prime 4 — adds a nice bit of open-world feel here. Not a massive one so far, but enough to give the game dimension. It’s not Breath of the Wild, but it is a bit like Ocarina of Time’s handling of space. I love riding that Tron bike around, and I want all the Metroid games to add this type of layer. (Would there ever be a spaceship to fly? Is there one later, in this game? I don’t even know yet.)

It’s great (on Switch 2)

I haven’t played Metroid Prime 4 on the original Switch, but just like Pokemon Legends Z-A, it’s both Switch and Switch 2 playable. The Switch 2 version features a silky-smooth 60 frames per second (or 120fps at a lower resolution) and a fun mouse mode with the Joy-Cons, but I barely used it. I just find standard controls perfectly great as they are.

And, you do a lot of scanning of things in this game, using a Psychic Visor mode that sometimes activates relics, or scans and catalogs creatures, items and artifacts. That left trigger is maybe the most-used button in the game. 

The game plays great both docked and handheld, which is good news because I’ll be traveling with this one for a while. I’m nowhere near finishing (sorry, I’m a slow gamer), but this earns the hype, even if it’s not a total reinvention of the control and play style. Now erase your brain of everything I said and dive in. Better you know nothing at all.

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Technologies

Cyber Monday Might Be Gone, but This Record-Low Price on the Google Pixel 9 Is Still Here

Take hundreds off the Google Pixel 9. But hurry, there’s not much time left to score this after-Cyber Monday deal.

If you’re looking to get your hands on one of the best Android phones out there, Google is the best place to look. The company has been producing stellar phones for some time now. But like all great things, it certainly comes with a pretty big price tag. If you’re not eager to get the latest and greatest model, Cyber Monday had some pretty nice deals you can still grab while they hang around a smidge longer. You can save significantly on previous-generation devices if that works for you.

Right now, you can pick up the previous-gen Google Pixel 9 for just $499. This post-Cyber Monday deal brings the phone to its lowest-ever price with a 38% discount. That’s an exceptional price for one of the best phones you can buy, but that also means it’s unlikely to last for very long. So, if you want to pick this one up, we recommend doing so soon before it sells out. 

The Google Pixel 9 is the sweet spot if you’re looking for a compact phone that doesn’t compromise on camera, performance or display specs. It has a 6.3-inch display, a long-lasting battery and is 5G-ready. This previous-gen flagship’s camera system is the same as the bigger model of its series. It also comes equipped with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The phone is available in multiple colors, but the special price isn’t offered for all of them. For that reason, we suggest checking the price of your preferred color before placing your order. Don’t worry if the Pixel 9 isn’t for you, though. 

Not the phone you wanted? We’re rounding up all the remaining Cyber Monday phone deals so you don’t wind up paying more than you need to.

Why this deal matters

This Pixel 9 isn’t the latest that Google has to offer, but it’s still a great option. The Pixel 9 will continue to receive Android feature and security updates for a long time to come. That means you won’t need to replace your Pixel for years, making this deal an even better value. If you’re an Android fan who likes your phones to be as straightforward as possible, Google’s Pixel phones are a great place to start your search. And now that Cyber Monday is behind us, this deal won’t last much longer. 

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