Facebook outlines its advertising policies, begging users to believe their privacy is respected
Facebook is accustomed to criticism, and it's no different when it comes to advertising. There's been a lot of talk about advertising on the social network recently, not least because of concerns about Russian ads being used to influence the outcome of the US election.
In its latest attempt to calm fears that may have built up around its advertising platform, Facebook has today set out its advertising principles. This sees the company explaining the ethics behind ads, as well as seeking to reassure users that their privacy is protected and respected at all times.
Facebook is developing a tool to let users know if they interacted with Russian troll accounts
Russia's use of Facebook and other social media to try to influence the outcome of elections around the world has been the subject of investigation for some time now. Millions of Facebook users were exposed to divisive ads placed by Russia, and the social networking site is doing what it can to be transparent about what happened.
Having admitted that Russia bought ads on the site, Facebook is now developing a tool that will enable users to determine if they interacted with the Internet Research Agency -- the propaganda company also known as the Trolls from Olgino.
Facebook explains its creepy-sounding anti-revenge porn plan
Facebook has revealed more details about how its test program for combating revenge porn works. The social network has been trialing a system which allows users to upload naked images of themselves to Facebook so the company can look out for and block others from sharing them.
People were rather shocked at this idea, but even more so when it transpired that the uploaded nudes would be reviewed by Facebook employees. Keen to calm the storm that has whipped up around the issue, Facebook's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, has penned a blog post explaining that "we want to be clear about how it works."
If you send nudes to Facebook for revenge porn protection, the photos will be checked by humans
Facebook caused more than a little eye-rolling with its anti-revenge porn program which requires users to upload the naked images of themselves that they would like to protect. It had been assumed that the entire process would be automated, making use purely of algorithms to analyze images and protect privacy. This assumption was wrong.
Facebook says that in actual fact an employee -- an actual human being -- will have to review the nude images that are sent in.
Facebook: send nudes and we'll protect you against revenge porn
Revenge porn is one of the latest online problems, and it's one to which it would seem difficult to come up with a solution. Facebook, however, thinks it has the answer. If you're willing to share your nude photos with the social network, it will use them to protect you against revenge porn attacks.
It's an idea that sounds like utter madness, but Facebook is at pains to convince users that it's actually a brilliant solution. Compromising images that are shared with Facebook will be hashed to create a digital fingerprint which the company can then use to identify the same images if they are uploaded by someone else.
Transparency: Facebook to force political ads to disclose funding sources
Ads on Facebook have been something of a controversial subject for some time now -- particularly with suggestions of Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the US presidential election. In its latest attempt to have a more transparent ad platform, the social network has announced a series of measures that will help people understand more about advertising.
All ads -- not just political ones -- are to be subject to extra transparency, with a new View Ads link making it possible to view all the ads a particular advertiser has placed. Political advertiser will face more stringent requirement. They must not only verify their identity, but also publicly disclose the source of funding for their ads.
Does Facebook listen in via your microphone to tailor your ads?
It's something that has been rumored for years -- that Facebook is using the microphones on smartphones and computers around the world to listen in on conversations. Is it that the social network is particularly interested in hearing what everyone has to say? Sort of -- rumor has it that the company wants to know what you're talking about so it can deliver carefully targeted ads.
A surprising number of Facebook users believe that Facebook is listening to them. They say that following conversations about a topic, they then see ads related to it. But is this really because of Facebook?
Facebook Workplace Chat gets a desktop app
Facebook has expanded its Workplace enterprise suite with the launch of a real-time desktop comms offering called Workplace Chat.
Even though it is called Workplace Chat, the PC app offers much more than just text-based communication. It also offers video chat with a co-worker or a group, screen sharing and file sharing.
Facebook launches dedicated used car Marketplace section, complete with Kelley Blue Book pricing
Facebook Marketplace has been with us for a little while now, giving users of the social network a handy place to buy and sell goods in the same place they chat with friends and post holiday photos. The company today announced a series of changes designed to make it easier to buy cars through Marketplace.
A year after the launch of the platform, used cars now have their own dedicated Marketplace section. More than this, it is possible -- in the US at least -- to filter vehicles in a variety of ways to home in on the perfect car, as well as seeing valuations from Kelley Blue Book.
Facebook asked to investigate Russian influence on EU referendum
It is now widely accepted that Russia -- at least to some degree -- tried to influence the outcome of the US presidential election through the use of ads placed on Facebook.
Attention now turns to Europe, where the UK's digital, culture, media and sport committee is asking Mark Zuckerberg to investigate potential interference in the UK general election, as well as the EU referendum that led to Brexit.
Facebook offers (some) clarification about newsfeed changes amid panic from page owners
Changes to the Facebook newsfeed are generally somewhat controversial, not least because many people wish Facebook would just stop buggering around and leave things as they are for a while. But the latest change that's being tested has some people -- page owners and publishers in particular -- worried.
Facebook is testing splitting the newsfeed in two: one half for posts from friends, and the other half from pages. There is an exception, however: promoted posts from pages can appear in the personal newsfeed. This has caused concern because smaller publishers and business fear their posts will disappear and not be seen, while those with big budgets remain visible. But Facebook is trying to calm anxieties.
Now you can PayPal people in Facebook Messenger
Building on an existing partnership, Facebook and PayPal are now making it easier than ever to send and receive money online. If you're in the US, it is now possible to make PayPal payments in Facebook Messenger.
In addition to announcing the new payment option, PayPal has also beefed up its Messenger chat bot. Users will now be able to get access to customer service by chatting with the bot.
Facebook is testing a temporary profile status feature
Facebook has confirmed that it is currently testing a feature that enables its users to setup a self-destructing status. It's something that's in a similar vein to the temporary profile image option that's already available.
There's something of a nostalgic feel to the feature as it harks back to the earlier days of Facebook when users were invited to share their status rather than being asked "what's on your mind?"
Facebook taps into teen market with acquisition of anonymous feedback app tbh
Facebook's desperation to appeal to the teenage market is well known, and its latest attempt to tap into it sees the social network acquiring tbh. The anonymous feedback app has proved to be a huge hit on iOS since its launch in August. An Android version is still in the pipeline.
With tbh, despite the anonymity, there's a strong focus on positive polls -- questions like "who has the best smile?" crop up, for instance -- and over a billion pieces of feedback have been given in a matter of weeks. It's not clear whether Facebook will keep the service truly anonymous, or will make use of the data it could undoubtedly gather through the app.
Facebook to manually review ads that target people based on 'politics, religion, ethnicity or social issues'
Advertisers are to face increased scrutiny from Facebook as the social network attempts to clamp down on questionable and controversial ads. The move comes in the wake of the revelation that 10 million Americans saw ads during the run up to the election that had been bought by Russia.
In an email to advertisers, Facebook says that any ads that target people based on "politics, religion, ethnicity or social issues" will be subject to a manual review process.
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