Weather Channel app accused of opaquely selling users' location data
The Weather Channel app holds the accolade of being the most popular mobile weather app, but it is also facing accusations of misleading users into agreeing to allow the company to sell their location data to third parties.
A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles this week alleges that the operator of the IBM-owned app -- TWC Product and Technology LLC -- sold user data to at least a dozen companies and failed to make details of this clear to users. The lawsuit says that the data was used to delivered targeted advertising and also to analyze consumer behaviour.
You can now watch full blockbuster movies on YouTube for free... thanks to ads
With little fanfare, YouTube has started to offer ad-supported, feature-length movies, giving visitors the opportunity to watch Hollywood titles for free.
As reported by AdAge, it seems that YouTube introduced this option last month, but gave it something of a stealth launch. It has been possible to purchase movies from YouTube for some time, but until now there has been no (legal) way to access movies for free. And if you are concerned that free might mean that poor quality, you should be reassured to see titles such as The Terminator and Agent Cody Banks in the library of free-to-watch, ad-supported movies.
Microsoft could be about to hit users of Windows 10's Mail app with ads -- unless they pay up
Ads in your inbox. Sounds like something you'd expect from the likes of Google or Yahoo, but Microsoft appears to be about to get in on the act as well.
And we're not talking about online ads in your Outlook.com account -- we're talking about ads in the Mail app that's included with Windows 10. A new report says that Microsoft is currently testing ads with Windows Insiders, so it could be just a matter of time before they spread wider.
Fighting mobile ad fraud with artificial intelligence
The mobile advertising market is massive, around $75 billion worldwide according to Forbes, and that makes it an attractive target for fraudsters.
Fraud rates have almost doubled over the past year and companies are under increasing pressure to monitor data for clients, allowing them to identify and prevent the risk of fraud hurting campaign performance.
WhatsApp is getting ads in the Status section
It had to happen eventually. Ads are coming to WhatsApp.
The monetization of the messaging app through advertising has been talked about for years, and the acquisition by Facebook served only to make it more likely. Now the company's vice president Chris Daniels has confirmed that ads are arriving in WhatsApp's Status section.
Facebook says it could use data from Portal devices to target users with ads
When Facebook unveiled its Portal and Portal+ video calling hardware last week, there were immediate concerns voiced about the privacy implications of the social network's new devices.
Facebook has been insistent that Portal is "private by design", and the company said no data -- such as call logs and app usage information -- would be used to target users with ads. Now the company has changed its mind and says that actually it could be hitting users with targeted ads.
Transparency: Facebook to reveal who pays for political ads in the UK
In recent years there have been concerns about the influence it is possible to exert over election results through social media. As well as fears relating to fake news and misinformation, there have also been calls for greater transparency when it comes to revealing the funding of political advertising.
To address some of these concerns, Facebook has announced that any ads running in the UK that make reference to political figures will have to publicly reveal the identity of the organization or individual that paid for them. The new rules about transparency will apply to both Facebook and Instagram.
Walmart teams up with MGM to create content for Netflix alternative Vudu
Walmart has partnered with movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer to help boost content for its video-on-demand platform Vudu.
Vudu -- which Walmart bought eight years ago -- has failed to attract a userbase anything close to that of rival Netflix, but by teaming up with MGM, there is clearly a push to change this. MGM will create original content based on its library of film and TV franchises. Walmart is also planning to introduce a new "shoppable" video ad format.
Almost 80 percent of people dislike content recommendation widgets
We've all seen them on news websites, at the bottom of pages or lurking in side bars, those 'Promoted stories' with cheesy headlines like, 'What she looks like now will amaze you!'
Well, it perhaps won't surprise you to learn that most people don't like them. A study by interactive content specialist Arkadium shows that 79 percent of those surveyed disapprove of sites using content recommendation widgets.
Google is able to track your offline purchases thanks to a secret deal with Mastercard
It's no secret that Google -- and other companies -- track your online purchases; it's one of the reasons you see the ads you do, for instance. But a secret deal between Google and Mastercard means that it is also possible for the internet giant to track your offline purchases.
Google offers a service called Store Sales Measurement that makes it possible for advertisers to determine whether their online ads results in offline sales. A report from Bloomberg reveals that this was all made possible because of the deal between Google and Mastercard in the US-- one that raises serious privacy questions.
YouTube alternative Facebook Watch rolls out globally
Following a successful launch in the US a year ago, Facebook is launching its Watch service globally. Competing directly with the likes of YouTube, Facebook Watch is the social network's platform for original video content, including Major League Baseball games and entertainment news.
Just 12 months after launching in the US, the service enjoys 50 million monthly viewers and Facebook will be hoping to continue this success in other parts of the world. The company is pushing the social aspect of Facebook Watch as a major draw.
Privacy: Yahoo still scans your emails... and wants to sell data to advertisers
Oath -- the owner of Yahoo -- is in talks with advertisers, promoting a service that scans the content of emails and provides a wealth of information about users.
The service would give advertisers access to data contained in over 200 million Yahoo Mail inboxes. Email scanning would also apply to AOL Mail inboxes, also owned by Oath. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, Oath is now the only major US email provider than scans emails in this way -- and the way to opt out is well-hidden.
Starting next month, even if you pay for Twitch Prime you will see ads
One of the incentives to pay for a service -- from Spotify through Duolingo to YouTube Premium -- is the pleasure of an ad-free experience. Advertising exists in the free versions to help pay for the services, so it only seems fair that those who decide to pay a monthly fee aren't pestered by ads.
Twitch doesn't agree. Starting next month, even if you pay for a Twitch Prime subscription you will still be subjected to ads. The reason? Money, of course.
Facebook relaxes its ban on cryptocurrency ads
There has been a spate of bans on cryptocurrency ads in recent months, but Facebook has had something of a change of heart and has decided that some such ads are permissible on its platform.
It is important to note that this is just a relaxation of the ban Facebook introduced back in January, not a complete lifting of it. There are various caveats here, including the fact that advertisers will have to be "pre-approved".
Google rebrands its advertising line-up -- bye bye to AdWords and DoubleClick, hello to Google Ads
Google has acknowledged that its array of ad products has caused "a lot of confusion", and after listening to feedback has decided to roll out a rebrand. On the face of it, this is just a name change that sees AdWords and DoubleClick laid to rest, but there are also new tools being introduced.
Let's get the name changes out of the way first. AdWords has been rebranded to Google Ads; DoubleClick Digital Marketing and Google Analytics 360 now come under the Google Marketing Platform umbrella; and DoubleClick Ad Exchange and DoubleClick for Publishers are now called Google Ad Manager. But there's more.
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