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Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal agency for monitoring and censoring mass media, has blocked access to Snapchat and FaceTime in the country, Bloomberg reports, citing Russian news service Interfax. The bans were reportedly put in place because the platforms were used "to organize and carry out terrorist acts, and commit fraud.It's not clear if either service is still accessible by using a VPN, but banning Snapchat and FaceTime fits with Russias crackdown on communication and social platforms that started after the countrys invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Facebook and X were blocked in March of that year, and Instagram was added to the ban list not long after. In 2024, the encrypted messaging app Signal was also banned, and more recently in July 2025, Russia threatened to block access to WhatsApp.Engadget has contacted both Apple and Snap to comment on the Russian bans. We'll update this article if we hear back.Banning or restricting these platforms is a way to exert control over where and how conversation happens in Russia and prevent the spread of "LGBT propaganda," if you believe Roskomnadzor's reasoning for banning Roblox but it might also be an attempt to drive people to use "MAX," a state-run super app that offers services like communication, banking and document storage. The app is part of a long-standing push to rely on Russia's tech industry rather than foreign companies, and could potentially give the Russian government an easier method for surveilling its citizens, The New York Times reports.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/russia-reportedly-bans-snapchat-and-facetime-194906404.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Amazon is reportedly considering discontinuing use of the US Postal Service and building out its own shipping network to rival it, according to The Washington Post. The e-commerce behemoth spends more than $6 billion a year on the public mail carrier, representing just shy of 8 percent of the service's total revenues. That's up from just shy of $4 billion in 2019, and Amazon continues to grow. However, it sounds like that split might be due to a breakdown in negotiations between Amazon and the USPS rather than Amazon proactively pullings its business. Amazon provided Engadget with the following statement regarding the Post's reporting and its negotiations with the USPS: "The USPS is a longstanding and trusted partner and we remain committed to working together. Weve continued to discuss ways to extend our partnership that would increase our spend with them, and we look forward to hearing more from them soon with the goal of extending our relationship that started more than 30 years ago. We were surprised to hear they want to run an auction after nearly a year of negotiations, so we still have a lot to work through. Given the change of direction and the uncertainty it adds to our delivery network, we're evaluating all of our options that would ensure we can continue to deliver for our customers." The auction Amazon is referring to would be a "reverse auction," according to the Post. The USPS would be offering its mailing capabilities to the highest bidder, essentially making Amazon and other high-volume shippers compete for USPS resources. This move would reportedly be a result of the breakdown in talks between Amazon and the USPS. Over the past decade, Amazon has invested heavily in shipping logistics, buying its own Boeing planes, debuting electric delivery vans and slowly building out a drone delivery network. Last year, Amazon handled over 6.3 billion parcels, a 7 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Pitney Bowes parcel shipping index. USPS, for its part, handled roughly 6.9 billion, just a 3 percent increase over 2023. That is to say that Amazon's shipping network can already handle over 90 percent of the volume of the US Postal Service (at least by sheer numbers). The USPS has been in dire financial condition for some time, losing billions of dollars a year. Negotiations between Amazon and the public carrier have reportedly stalled, which, together with the agency's need to keep raising its prices, may create more urgency for the company to eliminate its reliance on the service altogether. The Postal Service has struggled to modernize and adapt (its attempt to electrify the truck fleet was a bust) in a market where the likes of Amazon and Walmart are investing billions in delivering packages around the country at lightning speed. The ever-accelerating digitization of communication and heavy investment in privately owned shipping operations threatens the very existence of one of the country's greatest public goods. Update, December 4, 2025, 2:24PM ET: This story has been updated with a statement from Amazon and more details about the "reverse auction" the USPS reportedly wants to conduct if it no longer works with Amazon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-reportedly-considering-ending-ties-with-the-us-postal-service-144555021.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
If you've ever had something go wrong with your Facebook or Instagram account, then you probably have a good idea of just how frustrating the support process can be. The company's automated processes are so broken that some people have found that suing Meta in small claims court can be a more reliable way of getting help from the company.Now, Meta says it's trying to address some of these longstanding issues. In an update, the company acknowledged that its "support hasnt always met expectations" but that a series of AI-powered updates should make it easier for people to get help. The company is rolling out a new "support hub" on Facebook and Instagram that is meant to bring all of its support features into one place. The hub will also have a new AI chat feature so users can ask questions about account issues or Meta's policies. An in-app support hub might not be that helpful if you can't access your account, though. A Meta spokesperson pointed to its external account recovery tool, which is meant to help people get back into their accounts. Recovering hacked accounts has long been a pain point for Facebook and Instagram users. But Meta says that it's now improved the process with better email and text alerts. AI has also helped the company's systems detect devices and locations you've frequently used in the past. "Our new account recovery experience adjusts to your particular situation with clearer guidance and simpler verification," Meta writes. "Weve also expanded recovery methods to include taking an optional selfie video to further verify your identity."Meta is also starting to test a new "AI support assistant" on Facebook that can provide "instant, personalized help" for issues like account recovery or managing your profile. It's not clear how this will work, or if it will enable people to talk to an actual person who works for Meta. For now, the most reliable way to access live support is via a Meta Verified subscription, though many users report that the chat-based service isn't able to help with more complex issues.A Meta spokesperson said that the assistant is in the "early stages of testing" and is currently only available to some Facebook users globally. Those who are part of the test can find it via the app's new support hub. According to Meta, these improvements have already shown some success in helping people get back into hacked accounts. The company says that this year it has "increased the relative success rate of hacked account recovery by more than 30% in the US and Canada."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-says-its-fixing-its-broken-support-system-with-the-help-of-ai-185348328.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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