Disable autoplay and infinite scroll or risk massive fines, EU tells Meta
Disable autoplay and infinite scroll or risk massive fines, EU tells Meta
欧盟警告 Meta：若不禁用自动播放和无限滚动，将面临巨额罚款
The European Union is ramping up pressure on Meta to make big changes to Facebook and Instagram after the European Commission preliminarily found that features like autoplay, infinite scroll, and highly personalized content recommendations were addictive. 欧盟正在加大对 Meta 的施压，要求其对 Facebook 和 Instagram 进行重大调整。此前，欧盟委员会初步认定，自动播放、无限滚动以及高度个性化的内容推荐等功能具有成瘾性。
On Thursday, the EC said its investigation indicated that “Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults.” 周四，欧盟委员会表示，调查显示“Meta 未能充分评估其成瘾性设计对用户（包括未成年人和弱势群体）身心健康的风险。”
“These features fuel the user’s urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode,’ contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use,” the commission said. 欧盟委员会指出：“这些功能助长了用户不断刷屏的冲动，使大脑进入‘自动驾驶模式’，从而导致不健康的习惯和强迫性使用。”
Over the next few months, Meta will have an opportunity to dispute the claims, and it has already taken a defensive stance. Meta’s spokesperson, Ben Walters, told Reuters that Meta disagrees with the commission’s preliminary findings, which supposedly “don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens.” 在接下来的几个月里，Meta 将有机会对这些指控提出异议，目前该公司已采取防御姿态。Meta 发言人本·沃尔特斯（Ben Walters）告诉路透社，Meta 不同意委员会的初步调查结果，称其“未能准确考量我们在保护青少年方面所采取的重要举措”。
“Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control—allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes,” Walters said. 沃尔特斯表示：“自调查开始以来，我们推出了‘青少年账户’，自动保护青少年并赋予家长管理权——允许他们限制青少年在夜间访问 Instagram，并将每日屏幕使用时间限制在 15 分钟以内。”
However, the EC emphasized that Meta’s current mitigation efforts, including time management tools activated by default for teens, “failed to effectively tackle the risks stemming from its addictive design.” Additionally, parental controls were deemed “only effective if parents and guardians possess adequate technical expertise” and dedicated “effort and time to understand them effectively.” 然而，欧盟委员会强调，Meta 目前的缓解措施（包括为青少年默认开启的时间管理工具）“未能有效解决其成瘾性设计带来的风险”。此外，家长控制功能被认为“只有在家长和监护人具备足够的技术专长，并投入精力和时间去有效理解它们的情况下才有效”。
“This undermines the efficiency of such measures in addressing the inherent risks posed by Instagram and Facebook’s addictive design,” the EC said, particularly for minors. 欧盟委员会表示，这削弱了此类措施在应对 Instagram 和 Facebook 成瘾性设计所带来的固有风险方面的有效性，尤其是针对未成年人而言。
At this stage, the EC recommended that Meta consider “disabling key addictive features such as ‘autoplay’ and ‘infinite scroll’ by default, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks,’ and adapting its recommender system to make it less engagement-oriented.” 现阶段，欧盟委员会建议 Meta 考虑“默认禁用‘自动播放’和‘无限滚动’等关键成瘾功能，实施有效的‘屏幕使用休息’机制，并调整其推荐系统，使其减少对用户参与度的过度追求。”
If Meta fails to make changes to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act, the company risks fines up to 6 percent of its global annual turnover when the EC makes its final decision in the coming months. 如果 Meta 未能做出调整以遵守欧盟的《数字服务法案》，那么在未来几个月欧盟委员会做出最终裁决时，该公司可能面临高达其全球年度营业额 6% 的罚款。
“Our starting point is that, based on our findings, this design is too addictive and changes need to be made,” Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s tech chief, told Reuters. “The next step is either that Meta changes its design or a non-compliance decision will follow,” she said, noting in the press release that the EU’s priority is “protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans.” 欧盟科技主管亨娜·维尔库宁（Henna Virkkunen）告诉路透社：“我们的出发点是，根据调查结果，这种设计太容易让人上瘾，必须做出改变。”她表示：“下一步要么是 Meta 修改其设计，要么将面临违规裁决。”她在新闻稿中指出，欧盟的首要任务是“保护欧洲人的身心健康”。
Virkkunen said the EU does not plan to back off the fight if the final decision reiterates the preliminary findings. “The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services,” Virkkunen said. “We are fully committed to enforcing our legislation in Europe.” 维尔库宁表示，如果最终裁决重申了初步调查结果，欧盟不打算在这一斗争中退缩。“《数字服务法案》提供了一个明确的框架，让平台对其服务的成瘾性设计和影响负责，”维尔库宁说，“我们完全致力于在欧洲执行我们的法律。”
Fines could hurt Meta’s AI ambitions
罚款可能损害 Meta 的人工智能雄心
For Meta, scrutiny is intensifying as both the EU and the United States probe whether its platforms are addictive, and many governments have already passed or are working to pass social media bans for minors. 对 Meta 而言，审查正在加剧，欧盟和美国都在调查其平台是否具有成瘾性，许多政府已经通过或正在努力通过针对未成年人的社交媒体禁令。
On Monday, the EC will receive findings from experts that “could help pave the way for a Europe-wide social media ban for teenagers,” the EU Commission’s press release said, threatening to cut Meta off from a huge audience that internal messages showed Meta hoped to engage on its platforms “for life.” 欧盟委员会的新闻稿称，周一，欧盟委员会将收到专家组的调查结果，这些结果“可能为在全欧洲范围内禁止青少年使用社交媒体铺平道路”。这威胁到 Meta 将失去庞大的用户群，而内部消息显示，Meta 希望这些用户能“终身”留在其平台上。
On top of looming fines in the EU, Meta also risks eye-popping penalties if it loses its biggest US fight. Meta recently failed to toss a lawsuit from 29 states that claims its platforms addict kids. That trial begins in August, and states may seek up to $1.4 trillion in penalties if Meta is found guilty, Reuters reported this week. 除了欧盟即将面临的罚款外，如果 Meta 在美国最大的诉讼中败诉，还将面临惊人的惩罚。Meta 最近未能驳回 29 个州提起的诉讼，该诉讼指控其平台让儿童上瘾。据路透社本周报道，该审判将于 8 月开始，如果 Meta 被判有罪，各州可能寻求高达 1.4 万亿美元的赔偿。
That figure is likely uncomfortably “close to Meta’s market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion,” Reuters noted. But California Attorney General Rob Bonta seems to agree it’s appropriate, alleging in a statement to Reuters that “Meta has prioritized profits over the safety of kids and fueled the mental health crisis we see impacting a generation of American children.” 路透社指出，这个数字可能令人不安地“接近 Meta 约 1.5 万亿美元的市值”。但加州总检察长罗伯·邦塔（Rob Bonta）似乎认为这是合理的，他在给路透社的一份声明中指控称：“Meta 将利润置于儿童安全之上，并加剧了我们所看到的正在影响一代美国儿童的心理健康危机。”
As Meta seemingly continues treading water—pointing to screen-time notifications that kids can easily dismiss or default settings that may be changed—the financial pressure to do more to protect kids could threaten its AI ambitions at a crucial time. 尽管 Meta 似乎仍在拖延——仅指出儿童可以轻易忽略的屏幕时间通知或可以更改的默认设置——但在关键时刻，为保护儿童而采取更多行动所带来的财务压力，可能会威胁到其人工智能雄心。
Right now, Meta is spending a fortune, The Information reported, rushing to advance its AI to catch up with rivals. At a recent internal town hall, Meta claimed its upcoming AI model, codenamed Watermelon, had “caught up with OpenAI’s flagship GPT-5.5 model,” sources familiar with the meeting’s agenda told Business Insider. 据《The Information》报道，Meta 目前正投入巨资，竞相推进其人工智能技术以赶超竞争对手。据知情人士向《商业内幕》透露，在最近的一次内部全体会议上，Meta 声称其代号为“Watermelon”的即将推出的人工智能模型已经“赶上了 OpenAI 的旗舰模型 GPT-5.5”。
Meta’s uptick in investments came after struggling to “convince developers and customers that its models belong at the industry’s leading edge,” Business Insider reported. According to The Information, Mark Zuckerberg has already allotted “between $125 billion and $145 billion on capital expenditures for its AI data centers this year, in addition to significantly higher operating expenses, also thanks to AI, on outside cloud services and AI talent.” 据《商业内幕》报道，Meta 增加投资是因为此前难以“说服开发者和客户相信其模型处于行业领先地位”。据《The Information》报道，马克·扎克伯格今年已经拨出“1250 亿至 1450 亿美元用于人工智能数据中心的资本支出，此外，由于人工智能的原因，在外部云服务和人工智能人才方面的运营费用也大幅增加。”
“How much money exactly is Zuckerberg willing to fork over on this quest?” The Information posited, while noting that since 2020, Meta’s Reality Lab division has lost $87 billion chasing metaverse pipe dreams. 《The Information》提出质疑：“扎克伯格到底愿意为这项追求投入多少钱？”并指出自 2020 年以来，Meta 的现实实验室（Reality Labs）部门在追逐元宇宙的空想中已经亏损了 870 亿美元。
Meta’s AI strategy appears to depend on getting as much buy-in as possible for its AI tools. Reports indicate that its plan is to offer models at “dirt cheap” prices to “undercut rivals,” then possibly increase prices once adoption peaks. But Meta’s scramble to make its AI offerings more appealing is clashing with concerns that users already have about its platforms, which allegedly addi… Meta 的人工智能战略似乎取决于尽可能多地让用户接受其人工智能工具。有报道称，其计划是以“极低”的价格提供模型以“削弱竞争对手”，然后在采用率达到顶峰后可能提高价格。但 Meta 为使其人工智能产品更具吸引力而进行的争夺，正与其平台用户现有的担忧发生冲突，这些平台据称具有成瘾性……