Facebook could use blockchain technology to overhaul its business model, giving users more control over how their data is used, said Joseph Lubin, the founder of the crypto platform Ethereum.
Using a decentralized ledger would allow Facebook users to “store their own personal data in encrypted form” and decide which companies have access to their information, Lubin said. Giving users more control over their information could increase the quality of Facebook's data.
“If you know that this data is protected well, you can put it on data markets and Facebook can potentially participate in those sorts of data markets,” Lubin said Monday in an interview with Cheddar.
A new Ethereum-based system, uPort, is already providing this service. Users can store all of their data in a secure "wallet" that can be used to log in to other apps and make digital transactions.
Last week, Cheddar [reported](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-plans-to-create-its-own-cryptocurrency) that Facebook may be building its own cryptocurrency, part of the social media company's exploration of how to use blockchain technology.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/ethereum-co-founder-joseph-lubin-2).
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Parents of teenagers who died by suicide after interacting with AI chatbots are set to testify before Congress.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
