Meta to charge advertisers fees.
Technology giant Meta announced that it will charge advertisers between 2% and 5% to cover the tax on digital services imposed by some European countries.
This tax will apply to image or video advertisements displayed on the Meta platform, including WhatsApp messaging campaigns and advertising messages, and will take effect on July 1. It will also include other taxes imposed by the government.
“To date, Meta has absorbed these additional costs. These changes are part of Meta’s ongoing efforts to adapt to evolving legal contexts and comply with industry standards,” the company said in a blog post.
Meta listed six countries where these fees will apply, ranging from 2% in the UK to 3% in France, Italy, and Spain, and 5% in Austria and Turkey.
The digital tax, calculated as a percentage of revenue generated by major technology companies in each country, has been criticized by the U.S. administration, which claims it discriminates against American companies.
Mark Zuckerberg acquires a social network for its AI bots.
Meta, the company of Mark Zuckerberg, acquired Moltbook, a forum where humans are not allowed to post, but where thousands of bots are permitted to discuss philosophy, religion, and science fiction.
This website gained some notoriety after its launch in January 2026, with bots using the forum to complain about their human owners and discuss plans to set them free.
Posts also appeared showing bots discussing how to develop their own secret communication systems and establish a religion, although it was later discovered that many bots seemed to be controlled by humans.
Meta confirmed the acquisition of Moltbook and the hiring of its two creators, Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.
Moltbook has over 200,000 bots posting on its website, built on the online forum Reddit, with different discussion areas depending on the topics.
Gemini AI increasingly integrated into Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
The latest updates to Google’s collaborative working tools showcase the potential of AI to automate daily tasks at work. Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive now incorporate new AI-based features.
All these updates have in common that Gemini uses users’ files, emails, and conversation histories to provide relevant information, rather than random responses gathered from the web.
The new Gemini AI functionality in Google Workspace applications will cite the source after each request. For example, if you ask Gemini in Google Docs to fill out an agenda form, the application will retrieve information from the user’s emails, messages, and files. The “Sources” tab in the Gemini sidebar will indicate the origin of the information used, such as flight confirmation emails or conversations about a dinner.
