Facebook privacy: judge dismisses case surrounding tracking of logged out users
A privacy case against Facebook has been thrown out of court by a judge in the US District Court, Northern District of California. The case surrounded Facebook's tracking of users via Like buttons on other sites even when they were not logged into their accounts.
Plaintiffs said that Facebook violated wiretapping and privacy laws, but District Judge Edward Davila ruled that there was no evidence that the social network had illegally "intercepted" communications. She said that plaintiffs had failed to show "realistic" economic harm or loss, adding that they could have taken steps to maintain the privacy of their browsing histories.
Facebook disappoints Christians by refusing to introduce a cross reaction
Facebook's reactions have long been a source of disappointment for users. When they were first introduced people were upset by the lack of a Dislike option. There was also dissatisfaction with the fact that Facebook merely logs reactions as an interaction rather than taking into account the meaning behind them.
In addition to the main reactions, Facebook has introduced special, temporary additions over the months -- flowers for Mother's Day, a mask for Halloween, and a rainbow flag for Pride month to "celebrate love and diversity." Conservative Christians, however, have been told that a cross reaction is not in the pipeline.
Post too much to Facebook and it will be assumed that you're spreading fake news
Facebook's ongoing battle against fake news continues, and the social network has a new weapon in its arsenal. To cut down on the amount of spam and fake news appearing in News Feeds, users who post a lot each day will have their visibility reduced.
The thinking behind this is that there are some Facebook users who "routinely share vast amounts of public posts per day," and the company has found that the content shared tends to be spammy or fabricated stories. Facebook says that the change could mean that even legitimate publishers find that their reach is reduced, however.
Facebook's Find Wi-Fi rolls out to Android and iPhone users around the world
Modern takes on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (jokingly) refer to a wireless internet connection as being a necessity. While Wi-Fi may not be -- in the strictest sense of the word -- necessary, it's certainly true that it has become the prey that we now hunt for.
To make the search a little easier, Facebook is now rolling out its Find Wi-Fi tool globally. What previously started as a small-scale test is now available around the world for Android and iPhone users, so anyone looking to minimize data usage will be able to find an easy way online.
Facebook celebrates 2 billion users by thanking people when they do something nice
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier today that the social network now has 2 billion users.
In celebration of that milestone, Facebook also shared some other interesting snippets of information, such as that over 800 million people Like something on Facebook every day, and 175 million people share a Love reaction. In addition, more than 1 billion people use Groups every month.
Europe guts Google, and that's just wrong
Today the European Union gave Apple a great gift to celebrate iPhone's 10th anniversary (on June 29th): The ridiculous, record $2.7 billion fine, and associated sanctions, against Google that once again demonstrates the EU's small-minded oversight that wrongly regulates evolving technologies in a big world. The adverse antitrust ruling finds that the online titan favored its own online shopping services (and paying customers) over rivals.
In February 2010, with the EU Competition Commission's preliminary investigation starting, I rightly called "Google a dangerous monopoly". Seven years later, the competitive landscape has dramatically changed, and rapidly evolves. The Commission's action is too much, too late, and in the short-term can only benefit rivals like Apple that will dominate online activities and commerce as what we knew as traditional web search becomes something else.
Facebook Messenger video chats get a little sexier with new masks, filters and reactions
Facebook Messenger today receives a boatload of visual updates as the social networking company tries to appeal to a younger audience with video chat. The update sees Facebook continuing its expansion of reactions so they can now be used in video chats, but there are also other ways to spice up conversations.
The existing collection of masks has been bolstered with new additions -- complete with Easter eggs -- and there is also a range of filters to choose from.
Facebook and Twitter have secret Harry Potter Easter eggs to celebrate 20 years of the Sorcerer's Stone
Today is the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone depending on where you are in the world). To celebrate, Facebook has hidden a Potter-related Easter egg on the site, and Twitter is getting in on the action as well.
As Harry Potter is all about magic, it should come as little surprise that in order to unlock the Easter egg, you need to use the right magic words. Here's what you need to do...
Facebook launches Online Civil Courage Initiative to fight extremism in the UK
Facebook today launches its latest attempt to tackle online extremism in the UK with its new Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI). It is part of an education drive which finds the social network trying to inform charities and local organizations how to fight hate speech and extremism online.
The OCCI is being launched with involvement from a number of partners, including the Jo Cox Foundation and Imams Online, and it has a UK focus. Facebook users are encouraged to head over to the OCCI pages to share ideas using the hashtag #civilcourage.
Facebook's new mission statement: 'give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together'
Mark Zuckerberg has announced a new mission statement for Facebook. The social network is no longer interested in making the world "more open and connected," now it wants to "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."
The change of direction will set Facebook's course for the next decade, and it was revealed at the Facebook Communities Summit. At the summit Facebook also revealed a new batch of tools for group admins to help drive the sense of community and make groups easier to manage.
Facebook uses India as a testing ground for profile picture protection features
It's a common belief that anything that appears online is fair game for downloading and sharing, and this idea extends to Facebook profile pictures. Facebook has found that in India in particular there is great concern from users -- particularly woman -- about uploading a profile picture in case it is download and shared elsewhere.
Responding to this, the social network is trialling features that will grant users more control over their profile pictures. Facebook is not only introducing a new profile picture guard, but also encouraging people to add a design layer to their images to discourage misuse by others. If the trial proves successful, the feature will enjoy a wider rollout.
Happy birthday to the GIF... and welcome to Facebook comments!
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the GIF. The humble file format has -- after protracted arguments about how to pronounce the word -- come a long way. After years irritating people in the format of flashing animated ads, the images are now used to adorn messages with pithy memes and pertinent video clips.
GIFs in their current incarnation are supported by messaging tools and social platforms left, right and center, and after including a dedicated GIF button in Facebook Messenger, the social network is now rolling out the same feature in comments.
Facebook expands Safety Check with fundraising and more
Facebook's Safety Check feature has become one of the easiest ways of checking up on loved ones when disaster strikes. It also gives people in the affected area the opportunity to let friends and family know that they're OK, and today Facebook is adding a number of new options, including fundraising.
Starting off in the US, people will now be able to start a fundraiser from within Safety Check to help raise money for those in need. These can be for personal or charitable causes, and the feature makes it easy for others to make donations. There are also other changes that make Safety Check more useful.
Google and Facebook celebrate Pride month with event maps and rainbow reaction
June is Pride month, and two of the biggest names in tech are getting involved in the celebrations. Google and Facebook are both showing their support for LGBTQ communities around the world.
Facebook has introduced a new, temporary, "reaction" in the form of a rainbow flag, while Google Maps is highlighting Pride events in cities around the world -- so you can either navigate to them to take part, or avoid the crowds if you're heading elsewhere.
EU proposals could grant police direct access to US firms' cloud data
The European Union is seeking ways to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to gather evidence from US tech firms. The European Commission has three proposals that could form the basis of future legislation, and one of them involves granting direct access to individuals' data stored in the cloud.
While the proposals are unlikely to prove popular with the public -- particularly when the UK is already subject to the invasive Investigatory Powers Act -- they are being pushed as a tool in the fight against terrorism.
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