Facebook's new AI research lab opens in Montreal
Facebook is opening another AI research lab as it looks to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities.
The company's fourth dedicated AI lab is following the footsteps of Google and Microsoft by being located in Montreal, Canada.
Facebook tests Snooze function that lets you temporarily mute your friends
While you may be friends with someone on Facebook, it doesn't mean that they're not going to annoy you. Stoking the fires of annoyance is, after all, one of the (albeit probably unintentional) functions of social media.
If a friend upsets you, you might consider unfriending them. It's a somewhat extreme reaction, but it's something that happens regularly. Should you feel that this is indeed something of an over-reaction, Facebook's testing of a Snooze function may appeal to you, as it lets you put your irritating friends on a timeout.
Facebook updates ad targeting policies after anti-Semitic 'Jew haters' campaigns
Facebook has been forced to amend its ad targeting policies after an investigation by ProPublica found that the social network was permitting advertisers to target individuals with anti-Semitic beliefs.
The New York-based news organization found that advertisers were able to use a number of categories such as "Jew hater," "How to burn Jews," "History of 'why jews ruin the world,'" and "Hitler did nothing wrong." All of these categories were created by users -- rather than Facebook or advertisers -- as they self-reported their education and employment history with offensive terms and labels.
Facebook launches Crisis Response, a portal to find out about crises around the world
Facebook has today launched Crisis Response, a central hub that provides access to its various crisis response tools such as Safety Check. Over the years, the social network has gradually added more and more tools that serve to help those caught up in a disaster, and those who know them, and the new center pulls all of these into one place.
As well as serving as a central hub, Crisis Response on Facebook is also being bolstered by links to articles and videos posted on the site so users can be kept better informed about a given crisis.
Facebook introduces monetization limitations and new advertiser controls
Today Facebook introduces new limitations on what sort of content can be monetized on its network. It's a move that is designed to keep the social network relatively family friendly, and Facebook also wants to address advertiser concerns about the type of content their ads appear next to.
The company is not only clamping down on what can be monetized, it is also doing more to keep advertisers happy, including using third-party verification to measure ad performance. On top of this, Facebook is seeking accreditation from the Media Rating Council for Instagram, Facebook and Audience Network.
Want to unsend WhatsApp messages? Delete For Everyone feature is being tested
WhatsApp users have many requests for new features that would improve the way the app works for them. One that is most frequently requested is the ability to unsend messages that have been fired off in haste, or contain mistakes.
Users of the Facebook-owned messaging tool will be pleased to hear that the unsend option -- also known as Delete For Everyone -- is undergoing testing, and could be on the verge of rolling out to all.
Facebook removes Instant Articles from Messenger
Facebook's self-hosted Instant Articles have been dropped from Facebook Messenger. The faster-loading, mobile-optimized versions of articles will still be available in the main Facebook app, just not in the company's messaging tool.
While Facebook launched Instant Articles promising much, publishers have failed to see the income they would have hoped for from articles presented in this way. This has been blamed on it being much harder to track Instant Article Content.
Facebook tests Instant Video downloading over Wi-Fi to save your data
Facebook has managed to effectively reduce page loading times for its users with the Instant Articles feature. Now the social network is looking to do something similar with video content.
The feature is called Instant Videos, and it works by automatically downloading videos when there is a Wi-Fi connection available so they can be watched later without having to use a data connection. Instant Videos is undergoing testing with a limited number of users at the moment ahead of a possible wider rollout.
Facebook hit with €1.2 million fine for Spanish privacy violations
That Facebook is causing ripples when it comes to privacy will come as little surprise to anyone. Like Google, the social network and its users have an interesting relationship with privacy. Facebook is facing a particular problem in Europe, and the latest installment of the saga sees the company being fined €1.2 million ($1.44 million) by the Spanish data regulator AEPD.
After an investigation into Facebook, the regulator found that the company had gathered sensitive personal data without consent, and this constituted a very serious infringement of data protection laws. The investigation also identified two "serious" violations, including tracking users through the use of Like buttons embedded in non-Facebook pages.
Facebook uses World Suicide Prevention Day to highlight the support it offers
This Sunday -- September 10 -- is World Suicide Prevention Day. Facebook is using the global event to draw attention to the help it offers to those contemplating suicide.
The social network is planning to run ads in users' newsfeeds throughout the month, highlighting the supportive groups and suicide prevention tools that are available. Facebook is also launching a new Online Well-being portal which features advice about suicide prevention and how to resolve problems.
Facebook says it is likely Russia paid for polarizing political ads during US election
Speculation about Russian interference in the US election that saw Donald Trump propelled to presidency has been rife for months. Now Facebook has conceded that it's likely that a group operating out of Russia was responsible for taking out $100,000 worth of advertising that "focus[ed] on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum."
The ads appeared between 2015 and 2017, and touched on polarizing topics such as gun rights, LGBT issues, race and immigration. Facebook is quick to point out that the advertising related to "inauthentic" accounts and Pages and that these have now been closed down, and the social network continues to help with federal inquiries into attempts to control the outcome of the 2016 election.
Facebook is overestimating its ad reach
Facebook ad metrics are facing scrutiny after it transpired the social network is overestimating the potential audience advertisers can expect to reach. A senior analyst from Pivotal Research Group points out that Facebook's Adverts Manager tool suggests demographic figures that exceed official numbers.
For example, advertisers are told that they could hit up to 41 million 18- to 24-year-olds in the US, but according to recent census data only 31 million 18- to 24-year-olds live in the US. The discrepancy is not isolated, as there are similar instances of inflated potential reach suggestions for various age groups in the US, UK and Canada.
Facebook offers millions to music industry to avert copyright crisis
Facebook is said to be offering hundreds of millions of dollars to music publishers and record labels to avoid having to take down user-generated videos that feature copyrighted music.
Bloomberg cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying Facebook's payments will allow for the legal use of songs in uploaded videos. At the moment rights holders can tell Facebook to remove any videos that feature copyrighted music, and the social network is keen to create a frictionless experience for users if at all possible.
Facebook Watch is now available right across the US
Facebook Watch may sound like it's going to be a cheap alternative to the Apple Watch, but it's really just Facebook's latest jump into video. Launched a month ago, Facebook Watch is now available to everyone in the US.
The initial launch was a limited one, and just last week the rollout expanded to a wider group of users. But now everyone in the US is able to see the Watch tab on desktop and mobile platforms, giving access to original video content.
Facebook has mapped the location of millions of people down to 5-meter accuracy
If you've ever thought that Facebook knows a little too much about you, here's something that's going to do nothing to dislodge that fear from your mind. Using a combination of government census information and data from satellites, the social networking giant has mapped the location of people in 23 countries around the world.
In all, Facebook knows where millions of people live down to an accuracy of 5 meters. All of this has been made possible by a mapping technology developed by Facebook to help it see how people are distributed across the globe to determine how best to supply internet to different parts of the world.
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