Facebook to ask all users to review privacy settings
With the recent scandals involving Facebook coupled with the impending arrival of GDPR in Europe, there has been a lot of talk about privacy recently. Now the social networking giant is to start asking all of its users to review information about privacy and "how to control their experience".
The company says that it introduced updated data policies and made privacy settings easier to find, as well as making other changes, in Europe, and now is rolling out the same things to the rest of the world.
Facebook asks British users to submit their nudes as protection against revenge porn
Following on from a trial in Australia, Facebook is rolling out anti-revenge porn measures to the UK. In order that it can protect British users from failing victim to revenge porn, the social network is asking them to send in naked photos of themselves.
The basic premise of the idea is: send us nudes, and we'll stop others from seeing them.
Zuckerberg's appearance in front of the EU was an utter joke
Yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in front of members of the European Parliament to answer questions and to address concerns that the EU has about the social network in general, and its use of private data in particular -- thanks largely to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
At least that was the idea. What actually happened was nothing short of a farce, with Zuckerberg smugly sitting back and choosing which questions to answer, neatly avoiding any he was uncomfortable with. It was little more than a PR-cum-damage-limitation exercise for the Facebook founder... and it didn't really go very well.
Watch Mark Zuckerberg's testimony to the EU in a livestream
Having previously refused to answer questions in the UK, last week Mark Zuckerberg agreed to appear in front of the EU parliament to speak about Facebook's use of data.
The Facebook chief is due to appear in front of MEPs tomorrow, Tuesday, and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has announced that the appearance will be livestreamed. So, if you fancy tuning in to see what Zuckerberg has to say and how he is able to "clarify issues related to the use of personal data", you will be able to do just that.
Mark Zuckerberg agrees to appear in front of EU parliament to answer questions about Facebook's use of data
After refusing to answer questions in the UK, Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to face questions in front of the EU Parliament. The grilling comes in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
The Facebook CEO could answer questions about the social network's use of data very soon, with the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, saying that "hopefully" it could happen next week.
WhatsApp update brings Slack-style group messaging features and new admin controls
The latest update rolling out to WhatsApp users heralds the arrival of a batch of new group messaging features.
Available to both iOS and Android users, the new features include a Slack-style "group catch up" option, and it is also possible to add a description to group chats, and search for individual participants.
Facebook launches Youth Portal to tell teenagers how it uses their data
Facebook has launched a new Youth Portal with the aim of educating its teenage users about using the social network safely.
The portal also reveals to teens how Facebook uses their data, and is packed with tips about using the service and translates the site's Data Policy into a more understandable form.
Facebook copies Snapchat's Bitmoji and creates personal, customizable Avatars
Never afraid to steal an idea or two from its competitors, Facebook is at it once again, this time "borrowing" Bitmoji from Snapchat. The yet-to-be-released feature is called Facebook Avatars and it will let users create personalized cartoon images of themselves to use as stickers or emoji.
The Avatars feature has not even been announced by Facebook yet, but references to it were found hidden deep in the code of the social network's Android app. The company has, however, confirmed that the feature is in development.
If Facebook had been GDPR compliant would things have been different?
For almost a decade, most of us using Facebook have trusted it with our personal data. We shared pictures, locations of fun places we visited, friends --old and new -- with whom we connected, 'liked' activities, and much more.
And we did this not knowing our personal information was being used in ways beyond anyone's comprehension. As we watch the Facebook story unfold, we may wonder whether this crisis could have been avoided had personal data privacy and governance been better handled. Such initiatives could be complex and expensive for any company, but is it fair to say there are no shortcuts to this approach? How prepared is any company that relies on personal data?
Facebook's new Clear History privacy tool will let you stop third-party tracking and delete collected info
At its F8 conference today, Facebook revealed details of an upcoming tool it is working on --- Clear History. The tool will let Facebook users not only see which sites and apps gather information about usage, but also let users delete this information.
The privacy-centric tool comes as the social network slowly comes to the realization "that people want more information about how Facebook works and the controls they have over their information". The ability to delete browsing histories from Facebook appears to be a direct response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which private data was shared without consent.
There's still no 'dislike' option, but Facebook is testing upvote and downvote buttons with many users
The Like button is synonymous with Facebook, and ever since its inception people have been clamoring for its nemesis to be added to the site. The arrival of 'reactions' two years ago pleased some people, as it gave them the opportunity to express a negative response to something -- but there was still no Dislike button.
The social network is currently testing a feature which is a step closer to the option people have been asking for for so long. Currently being trialed is a comment voting system that lets users upvote or downvote comments left by others.
Following Apple's lead from 2016, Microsoft, Facebook and Google replace gun emoji with water pistol
It is now two years since Apple decided that an image of a gun had no place as an emoji. The company replaced the handgun icon with an image of a water pistol, leading to a debate about whether it was the right thing to do.
With further serious shootings and gun crimes bringing firearms into the spotlight time and time again, more technology companies decided to follow suit. The latest names to follow Apple's lead are Microsoft, Facebook and Google, all of whom plan to kill the gun emoji and replace it with a water pistol.
WhatsApp raises minimum user age to 16 in Europe and announces data download tool
With new privacy laws due to roll out around Europe next month, WhatsApp has increase its minimum age from 13 to 16.
The Facebook-owned messaging tool has made the change in order to comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which comes into force on May 25. To continue to use WhatsApp, users must now confirm that they are at least 16 years old and agree to the privacy policy and terms of services of the newly-created WhatsApp Ireland Limited.
Facebook publishes its internal Community Standards guidelines and introduces appeals process
Facebook faces lots of criticisms and questions, and while much of this is focused on privacy and security, there are also lots of queries about what is permitted on the platform. To help users to understand what's allowed and what's not, the company has published its Community Standards for everyone to read.
As well as making it clear exactly what sort of content is likely to attract the attention of censors, Facebook is also introducing a new appeals process, giving people the ability to fight back if their content is removed.
What information do Facebook advertisers know about me?
This is the question Facebook poses and (sort-of-but-not-really) answers in the latest addition to its Hard Questions series. It's the social network's latest attempt to claw back some respect and trust from its users in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, and it sees the company insisting that "you are not the product".
Whether this is believed or not is neither here nor there. That the company is now having to go to such extraordinary lengths to appear transparent, to try to prove that nothing untoward is going on, is simply indicative of the massive level of suspicion leveled at Facebook.
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.