Facebook expands Marketplace across Europe


Looking to compete with the likes of eBay and Craigslist, Facebook's Marketplace serves as a place for people to go to buy and sell locally. Following on from success in the US, UK, Australia and other countries, the social network is expanding the exchange further into Europe.
In total, Facebook's Marketplace is spreading to 17 European countries, meaning that it is now available in a total of 24 countries.
Facebook launches Watch, a new platform for original shows


Facebook has launched its new Watch platform which will be used to show original video content. The social networking giant says that the time has come for a dedicated home for episodes of shows, and Watch will feature both live and recorded video.
Facebook will be working with a number of partners to come up with content for Watch, and advertising revenue will be shared 55:45, with Facebook keeping the smaller share. Of course, the video output has a social element to it, with Facebook encouraging viewers to make use of Reactions, and also highlighting shows that are being watched by people you are connected to on the social network.
Facebook clamps down on address cloaking to protect users from spam and porn


Facebook has introduced a ban on address cloaking, a technique used to bypass review procedures and display content that violates the social network's policies.
Cloaking is used to disguise the true nature of posts and ads from reviewers, so they will see different contents to real-world users when they click through. Facebook says that it will be working with other companies to find ways to fight cloaking and implement punishments. AI will be called upon to do some of the legwork.
Intel to launch 8th generation 'Coffee Lake' Core processors on Facebook Live


There has been a lot of excitement in the processor market lately, but unfortunately for Intel, it has largely been an AMD affair. Don't misunderstand me; I am not saying Intel has been absent -- quite the contrary. What I mean to say is, as consumers awaited substantial news from Intel, the excitement has been focused on Threadripper.
This focus may shift soon, however, as today, Intel announces that its 8th generation Core processors are on the way. In fact, the company plans to officially launch the next-gen chips on August 21 -- the same day as the upcoming solar eclipse. The video platform on which the processors will be unveiled is interesting too -- Intel is leveraging Facebook Live.
Facebook uses neural networks to translate posts


Facebook has revealed it is harnessing the power of AI to support its growth across the world.
The social media giant, which has over two billion users worldwide, is now using neural networks for to automatically translate content in foreign markets.
Facebook Messenger chatbots help companies boost sales


Chatbots on Facebook's Messenger have helped companies increase their sales more than expected, meaning the technology could soon become widespread.
The news was announced during Facebook's F8 keynote, with its VP of messaging products David Marcus discussing a number of big-name brands such as Sephora, SnapTravel and Tommy Hilfiger.
Facebook buys AI startup Ozlo to improve Messenger


Facebook has acquired an AI start-up as it aims to strengthen the artificial intelligence capabilities of its Messenger platform.
The start-up in question is called Ozlo. It is based in Palo Alto, California, and has roughly 30 employees, the majority of which will be joining Facebook in either Menlo Park, California, or Seattle, Washington.
Report: Free Basics by Facebook is creepy, limited, and violates net neutrality


It's been a little while since we heard anything about Free Basics by Facebook -- the successor to its Internet.org project which aims to provide access to a number of online services, free of charge, in developing countries (63 in total) -- but a new report slams the service.
On the face of it, this is a good thing, but Free Basics from Facebook has certainly not been without its controversies: the service was banned in India and Egypt, for example. Now a report from Global Voices -- a "global anti-censorship network of bloggers and activists dedicated to protecting freedom of expression online" -- has published a damning report about the service.
Russia tried to spy on Macron campaign using fake Facebook accounts


This is why you never accept Facebook friend requests from people you don't know, kids.
Reuters has reported that Russian agents created two dozen fake Facebook accounts to try and infiltrate and spy on campaign officials working for Emmanuel Macron during his presidential campaign.
WhatsApp has 1 billion daily users


WhatsApp is slowly but surely strengthening its position in the messaging space, now boasting one billion daily users. It joins a very select club that includes parent company Facebook.
WhatsApp has also seen a significant increase in the number of monthly users. It has 1.3 billion monthly users, 300 million more than early last year when it broke the one billion monthly users mark.
Europe says Facebook, Twitter and Google need to improve user terms or face fines


Facebook, Twitter and Google have failed to impress EU authorities with their proposed revisions to user terms. The three companies have been under pressure to amend their terms to bring them in line with European law.
The European Commission and consumer protection authorities wrote to the tech giants last month, giving them until July 20th to submit proposals about their respective social networks. The companies have until September to implement changes that satisfy Europe, or fines could be handed out.
Facebook acquires Source3 to help prevent video piracy because its own tools aren't up to the job


Any online platform must contend with the problem of piracy and intellectual property rights, and Facebook is no different. The social network gives content owners the opportunity to monetize their videos, but in order for this to work, owners' rights need to be protected; this is why Facebook introduced its Rights Manager tool a couple of years ago.
But it seems that Facebook's own weapons in the fight against piracy and content theft have not been as effective as the company -- and content owners -- would have hoped. As such Facebook is taking Source3 under its wing. The startup develops tools for tracking intellectual property to allow for the monitoring of unauthorized sharing.
Facebook rolls out Explore Feed, a new way to discover posts and content


Over the years Facebook has done plenty of tinkering with the News Feed -- and not always for the better. Like Google, the social network frequently experiments with new ideas, and groups of users are often used to beta test features. One such recent experiment saw the arrival of a new version of the timeline for some users via a rocket icon in the Facebook app.
Now this new option is rolling out on a wider scale. Known as Explore Feed -- and retaining the rocket icon from beta testing -- the idea is to encourage Facebook users to look at more content on the network rather than just the post of their friends and pages they follow. You'd be forgiven for missing the option as it's not entirely obvious.
Now ads are coming to Facebook Messenger in global beta test


Following a more limited testing phase in Thailand and Australia, Facebook is rolling out ads globally in Facebook Messenger. The beta program is being extended meaning that Facebook is now able to target Messenger's 1.2 billion monthly users.
When users click or tap an ad in Messenger, they will either be transported to the advertiser's website, or taken to a chat with the company in question. Facebook's latest ad drive is the company's attempt to squeeze money from its Messenger platform.
Shut the hell up about Facebook friend requests from Jayden K Smith


If you use Facebook at all, you have almost certainly seen warnings recently that make reference to Jayden K Smith. You've probably not only been warned about this "hacker" but also been advised to make everyone you know aware of the danger they pose.
"Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept Jayden K. Smith friendship request. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it," reads the message. It is -- of course -- utter nonsense, yet it is being shared far and wide. Stop it. Stop it this instant.
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