Facebook delays the launch of its dating app in Europe over privacy concerns
The Data Protection Commission (DPC), an independent consumer protection agency, announced it was “very concerned” about Facebook Dating.
Facebook hires Reuters to fact-check posts, but politicians can still lie in ads
Facebook is trying to fight fake news and misinformation on its platform by hiring Reuters to fact-check, but it’s still not fact-checking political ads.
Facebook removes some Russian, Iranian accounts for spreading fake memes
Facebook removed fake accounts, pages, and groups originating from Russia, Iran, Vietnam, and Myanmar because of what it calls coordinated inauthentic behavior.
WhatsApp follows Facebook and YouTube to over 2 billion monthly users
Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp announced in a blog post that its 11-year-old app now hosts over 2 billion monthly users -- up from 1.5 billion in 2017.
Instagram may finally let influencers make money off their IGTV videos
Instagram may finally share a piece of its $20 billion ad revenue with creators. The social network is found to be testing a monetization platform for IGTV.
WhatsApp fixes bug that could have allowed hackers to read your desktop files
WhatsApp patched a security loophole in its desktop apps last month that could have potentially allowed hackers to access your computer’s local files.
Facebook teaches us all how web privacy works with Messenger Kids
Facebook Messenger Kids wants to help young users understand online privacy through in-app education. The in-app pop-up joins additional tools for the kids messaging app, including more parental controls and the ability for parents to download their child's data.
WhatsApp ends support for millions of smartphones around the world
WhatsApp no longer supports smartphones on Android versions 2.3.7 and older, and iOS 8 and older. Affected people will have to upgrade their OS or their device.
Zuckerberg spins Facebook’s indifference to truth as a commitment to ‘freedom’
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a defiant stand against his critics, saying the site would stand up for free expression, even if it pissed people off. Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it would not ban political ads that lie to voters, in what was seen as an abdication of responsibility.
After years of scandals, Facebook is finally starting to feel the fallout
After a mixed earnings report and huge drop in share price, it looks like Facebook’s rocky past might finally be catching up to the social network in real ways.
Facebook forced to pay $550 million settlement over facial recognition lawsuit
Facebook has to pay Illinois members as part of a settlement. The company violated Illinois biometric privacy laws in its photo tagging using facial recognition.
Digital Trends Live: Facebook’s off-activity tool, Super Bowl players talk tech
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Luke Larsen dive into the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including Facebook’s “Off-Facebook Activity” tool, Ring’s data sent to third parties, the UK allows Huawei 5G, Atari’s video game-themed hotels, and more.
The Off-Facebook Activity tool lets you take control of your shared data
Facebook is hoping to be more transparent about your data and activity by expanding a new privacy feature to the U.S. and the rest of the world. The Off-Facebook Activity tool allows users to see and control their personal data that other apps and websites share with the social network.
Latest beta update brings dark mode to WhatsApp; here’s how to try it yourself
At long last, WhatsApp is embracing the dark side. The Facebook-owned instant messaging app, after months of testing, has begun rolling out a dark mode toggle to Android users on the beta channel. The new black theme works across the entire app and even overhauls the backdrop of the settings menu.
Another partner backs out of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
Yet another partner of Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency known as Libra has backed out of the deal. The British telecommunications operator Vodafone announced its departure from Facebook’s Libra Association on Tuesday. In total, eight companies have now backed out of Libra.
5 alternatives to Instagram and Facebook for photographers
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter changed the way we share our photographs. But as photographers become more frustrated with algorithms and ads, it might be time to consider some alternatives.
WhatsApp will be ad-free because Facebook has a better plan to make money off it
Facebook has shelved its plan to bring ads to WhatsApp Status. However, the decision was unlikely to have been driven by a moral call. Instead, Facebook has apparently found a more lucrative and scalable monetization route than ads. Here's what seems to have motivated the decision.
WhatsApp: Facebook shelves plan to fill app with ads, report claims
Facebook has reportedly backpedaled on plans to bring ads to WhatsApp. The social networking giant has apparently disbanded the team that was working on the idea, and removed code from the app. The founders of the messaging app, who quit a couple of years ago, always said they never wanted to see ads on the service.
Mayor Pete thinks Zuckerberg is too powerful and it’s time to break up Facebook
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg criticized Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, saying that he has too much power and that the social network should be broken up. In a new interview with the New York Times editorial board, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, voiced his concerns over Facebook.
Apple rejects U.S. Attorney General request to unlock another phone
The question of privacy vs law enforcement's access to our data looms large again, as U.S. Attorney General William Barr asks Apple to unlock the phone of another alleged shooter. But as the government insists on having backdoor access to our phones, tech companies say that's not how encryption works.
Mark Zuckerberg says he’s not making any more New Year’s resolutions
For years now, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has gone public with his New Year’s resolutions. But in a message posted online this week, the Zuck said that while he’s been happy to set himself new challenges at the start of each year, it’s now time to do things a little differently.
Facebook won’t ban political ads that lie to voters ahead of the 2020 election
Facebook has decided not to back down from its policy that allows political ads containing false or misleading information ahead of the 2020 U.S. election, choosing instead to allow users to see fewer political ads in their feed.
Digital Trends Live: Day 2 from the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show
It’s day 2 of the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, which means another special edition of Digital Trends Live. Join hosts Greg Nibler and Maude Garrett as they bring you a full day of coverage, highlights, and other trending tech stories, including Samsung’s bezel-less 8K display, Facebook's deepfakes ban, and more.
Why a deepfake ban won’t solve Facebook’s real problems
Facebook leaves a large loophole in its deepfake policy in the form of satire and parody. This will be hard to enforce, from an operational and enforcement standpoint. In addition, if Facebook is serious about combating misinformation, deepfakes are not where it should be focusing, experts say.
You’ve got a privacy problem, FTC commissioner tells Apple and Facebook
Privacy today is untenable, argues Rebecca Slaughter, a commissioner with the Federal Trade Commission. It sounds apparent to you and I, but it was something of a slap in the face to the other folks on a Tuesday panel at CES 2020: Privacy execs from both Facebook and Apple.
Snopes says ex-partner Facebook is ‘not committed’ to fighting fake news
Snopes used to partner with Facebook on its fact-checking operation. After Facebook removed a web of fake user profiles following a Snopes report on the problem, Snopes says Facebook is not taking fighting fake news seriously. Snopes has launched an independent crowdfunding campaign to support its fact-checking work.
Digital Trends Live: Boeing misses orbit, Facebook data leak, Star Wars
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Caleb Denison break down the biggest tech topics of the day, including a Boeing spaceship ends up in the wrong orbit, Elon vs. Bezos in the space race, another Facebook data leak, the final Star Wars, and more.
Facebook faces another huge data leak affecting 267 million users
More than 260 million U.S. Facebook users’ IDs, phone numbers, and names were exposed to an online database that could potentially be used for spam and phishing campaigns. Comparitech reports that before the database was taken down, it was found on a hacker forum as a downloadable file.
Digital Trends Live: Samsung flip phone, Facebook games, YouTube’s top earners
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest topics in tech, including a first look at Samsung’s foldable flip phone, Facebook goes gaming, kids top YouTube’s highest-paid list, the new Mars rover, Californians now can have their groceries delivered by autonomous vehicles, and more.
How to set up a Facebook Portal
Setting up your new Facebook Portal is a super easy process that will take you just a few minutes. Here's how to get started using your Portal.
Why have Americans turned a cold shoulder to messaging giant WhatsApp?
It's one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, yet Americans barely know it exists. Why is WhatsApp still so unpopular in the U.S. when it dominates the markets in places like India and Germany?
Digital Trends Live: Decentralizing social media, Pirate Bay streams, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Drew Prindle discuss the biggest trending topics in tech, including Facebook denying backdoor access, Dorsey wants decentralized social media, Pirate Bay allows streaming, cow manure energy, a junk-collecting space robot, and more.
Digital Trends Live: Black Friday recap, Cyber Monday coverage
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, it's our special Cyber Monday super show, where we discuss the top tech news, including a recap of Black Friday, A.I. cameras to catch Australian drivers, Facebook’s photo portability tool, the new Social Media Network, and extensive Cyber Monday coverage.
Digital Trends Live: Cybertruck reveal, a new Half-Life, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Nick Mokey dive into the biggest trending news stories in tech, including Tesla’s Cybertruck reveal, Facebook may address political ads, Half-Life Alyx release date, a drone gets launched from a cannon, and more.
Facebook says white supremacists ‘cannot have a presence’ on the social network
Facebook has removed more than 200 white supremacist organizations from its platform for violating both terrorism and hate speech community standards, a Facebook representative told Digital Trends, part of a broader crackdown on harmful content.
Sen. Ron Wyden wants to protect your data from Big Tech, if Congress lets him
Sen. Ron Wyden's latest bill, the Mind Your Own Business Act, could fix a lot of the privacy problems that internet users currently face. The only problem? It's probably not going to move forward until we have another major privacy disaster, Wyden said in an exclusive Digital Trends interview.
Prophet or puppet-master? Meet the man behind the Zuckerberg deepfake
Bill Posters is a former street artist based in the U.K. You may not know his name, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve likely seen his work. The videos that Posters makes are intentionally fabricated to illustrate a political point, but indicate to a growing online problem.
Digital Trends Live: Facebook rebrands, Superman on glass, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Hanif Jackson discuss the biggest trending topics in tech, including hacking voice assistants with lasers, Facebook rebrands, Xiaomi’s smartphone, new data from Voyager 2, Microsoft archives Superman on glass, and more.