5 Things to know

1. Burning Man: Attendee Dies on the First Day of the festival

2. Trumpster Fire. Truth Social Executive Sells Stock as Price Plummets

3. Disneyland. Is This the Priciest Place on Earth? Families Spend a Small Fortune

4. Millennials Rejoice: Snapchat Finally Launches iPad App

5. Lyft: Introduces Rider Verification to Enhance Safety.

Mark Zuckerberg
UNDER PRESSURE

On August 26, House Judiciary Chair Jeff Jordan shared a letter on the official X account.

In the letter, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his regret for kissing the ring to alleged pressure from the Biden administration during the pandemic. Despite his immense fortune, Zuckerberg revealed that he was swayed by political peer ‘pressures’ when navigating the US government to censor posts about Covid on Facebook and Instagram during the Covid pandemic.

During the pandemic, Facebook tried to fight Covid misinformation. Remember when they'd flag posts with fake Covid info? They also axed content trashing vaccines or saying the virus came from a Chinese lab. In the 2020 election, Biden went after Facebook, saying they were "killing people" by letting vaccine misinformation spread. Looking back, Zuckerberg admitted Meta wouldn't make the same calls with hindsight.

The Meta founder wrote: “Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure.

He also added: “I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction—and we’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”

“I know that some people believe this work benefited one party over the other,” Zuckerberg said. “My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another — or to even appear to be playing a role. So I don’t plan on making a similar contribution this cycle.”

Pavel Durov
ARRESTED

Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old CEO of Telegram, has been arrested at an airport near Paris. French news outlets report he was taken into custody at Le Bourget Airport after arriving from Azerbaijan.

The arrest is part of a larger investigation into illegal activities on Telegram. The messaging app, used by nearly a billion people globally, has faced criticism for its approach to moderation. Prosecutors have highlighted issues like fraud, drug trafficking, and unregistered encryption services.

This development marks tipping point challenge for Telegram, which has built its reputation on secure and private communications. Durov's detention could have major changes for the platform's future.

Here’s what to know:

• Durov and his brother Nikolai launched the messaging and social media app in 2013. With nearly 1 billion users, it has become immensely popular but also controversial.

• Supporters view Telegram as a bastion of free speech, while critics argue it's a haven for criminals, extremists, and conspiracy theorists.

• Telegram defended its moderation practices and CEO in an X post today, stating they abide by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, and that moderation is within industry standards and improving.

• The company added that Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.

• French President Emmanuel Macron released a statement on X saying, "I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov."

Burning Man

Tragedy struck the opening of this year's Burning Man festival when a woman died on the first day in Black Rock City. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident but won't release the victim's name until her next of kin are notified.

• This incident echoes a a grim tragedy last year when 32-year-old Leon Reece of Truckee, California, died after being found unresponsive on the festival grounds. Authorities suspected drug intoxication.