Microsoft flushes more money down the toilet by killing Mixer
Microsoft has a lot of successes, but also, the company has countless failures. With that said, failing in a business venture isn't entirely a bad thing -- it means you at least tried something. A company like Microsoft needs to take risks, but damn, sometimes it just feels like the company flushes cash down the toilet.
Case in point, back in 2016, Microsoft bought a game-streaming service (a Twitch clone) called "Beam." In 2017, the Windows-maker renamed that service to what it is known as today -- "Mixer." The company even paid millions of dollars to popular video game players to get them to stream elusively on the service. Hell, it was less than a year ago that Microsoft signed popular player "Ninja" for more than $20 million! And now, in 2020, Microsoft has killed Mixer, essentially burning many millions of dollars. Yup, the company announces that it will shutter Mixer on July 22 and then move all of its users to the Facebook Gaming platform.
Facebook removes Nazi Trump ads while Twitter flags up 'racist baby' tweet
The Trump administration has been dealt a double blow on social media after Twitter flagged a tweet from the president as "manipulated media" and Facebook remove election ads that featured a Nazi symbol and called for Antifa to be declared a terrorist organization.
On Twitter, Trump retweeted a video labelled as depicting a "racist baby" and made to look like a CNN news clip. In the case of Facebook, an ad that violated the company's policies against organized hate was taken down.
Facebook buys GIF service GIPHY and will integrate it with Instagram
Facebook has acquired GIPHY, the GIF-making and sharing service. Although full details have not been officially revealed, the deal is estimated to have cost the social networking giant in the region of $400 million.
The main plan for Facebook is to integrate GIPHY into Instagram, but there will also be further integration into other Facebook services such as WhatsApp and Messenger.
Traumatizing content and towering heights: America's three worst tech jobs
What is the worst job in the tech industry? Even in the United States, where Occupational Health and Safety (OSHA) rules are intended to protect workers from dangerous or inhumane working conditions, there are a few tech jobs in which the cons of the position appear to significantly outweigh the pros.
Here are three of the very worst jobs in technology.
Facebook launches Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Zoom
While Zoom has been taking numerous steps to address various security and privacy concerns that have arisen in recent weeks, there are still plenty of people seeking alternatives to the video conferencing platform. Now Facebook is trying to make its Messenger tool a viable option.
With Facebook Messenger Rooms, the social media giant is giving people the option of conducting video chats with up to 50 people at a time. Unlike the free version of Zoom, there is no time limit on chats in Messenger Rooms, and as an added bonus there is no need to have a Facebook account to use it.
Facebook and Carnegie Mellon University launch COVID-19 symptom map
Facebook, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, has launched a new interactive map to help people keep up to date with the spread of coronavirus across the US.
For now, the map is based on surveys carried out around the country and it enables you to see how many people are experiencing symptoms associated with the disease. The map only covers the US at the moment, but there are plans to expand it to cover other countries soon.
Australia to force Google and Facebook to pay for news content
Facebook and Google both make huge amounts of money through advertising, and the Australian government feels this money should be shared with the smaller players the companies benefit from.
Specifically, digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will be required to pay news outlets for the content they produce. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told the government that initial plans for a voluntary code of conduct were unlikely to work, hence the move to a mandatory code. The move by the Australian government could well lead to similar moves in other countries.
Facebook Gaming app launches today
Facebook is now a multi-faceted beast, and the latest weapon in the social network's growing arsenal is a dedicated gaming app.
The company is launching Facebook Gaming today, providing users with an app to livestream game content. Reports says that the app will also include "casual games and access to gaming communities". Competing with Amazon's Twitch, Google's YouTube and Microsoft's Mixer, the app lands on Android today, and is also due on iOS pending approval from Apple.
Facebook will let you know if you've been reading nonsense about coronavirus
As the world struggles to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, there is another battle taking place online -- the battle against misinformation. Well-aware that its platform is being used to spread false and misleading information about the disease, Facebook is taking action to try to stem the flow.
The social media giant, like other technology companies, has already taken steps to ensure people have access to reliable information, but now it is going further. Facebook will now retroactively alert people who have interacted with "harmful misinformation about COVID-19".
New 'quiet mode' option lets you silence Facebook
Social networks are a blessing and a curse, simultaneously making it easier to keep in touch with people, while bombarding us with endless notifications about what's going on in the world. Now, at last, Facebook has come up with something of a solution.
The company has introduced a new Quiet Mode option that makes it possible to silence notifications so you can get on with life without being constantly pestered. But is it enough?
Facebook releases a messaging app that's for couples only
With no fanfare whatsoever, Facebook has launched a new messaging app -- one with a difference. Coming from its New Product Experimentation team, Tuned is an iPhone-only messaging app designed with couples in mind.
Tuned finds itself vying for attention in an already-saturated messaging market, so just what's the point? Is there any reason for anyone to consider using Tuned?
Zoom teams up with security experts, including Facebook's former Chief Security Officer, to address privacy and safety
The privacy and security scandals that have blighted Zoom have already caused some users to look for alternatives, but the company seems serious about trying to address the issues that have sparked concern.
Having already issued an apology to users, Zoom CEO Eric S Yuan has now revealed that his company is collaborating with numerous big-name CISOs (chief information security officers) to ensure the implementation of security and privacy best practices. He also says that Facebook's former Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, is joining the company as a security advisor.
Hands-on with Facebook's relaunched Messenger for Windows and Mac
As the world goes into lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, staying in touch with loved ones both near and far has never been more important. The explosion in popularity for video chatting makes it entirely appropriate that Facebook should relaunch Messenger on the desktop platform with support for video group calling.
In addition, brand new versions of Facebook Messenger for Windows and Facebook Messenger for Mac finally bring all Messenger features to the platform along with some major new video-chat features.
Now it's easier to see just what data Facebook and Instagram are collecting about you
It's no secret that Facebook gathers staggering amounts of information about its users across its various products. This is something that many people just accept, but there is a slight discomfort in not knowing quite what is being collected.
To add a little balm to this aching fear, Facebook has announced updates to its Download Your Information tool on Facebook and Download Your Data tool on Instagram. The updates mean that while you can do little to stop Facebook from tracking you, you can at least download and see what data it is collecting about you.
Zoom apologizes for Facebook privacy fiasco and updates app to stop data sharing
After an investigation by Motherboard's Vice, video-conferencing app Zoom was found to be sharing user data with Facebook. Data was being sent from iPhones to Facebook, regardless of whether users had Facebook accounts or not, and the fact that data was being shared was not made apparent in privacy policies.
Zoom's popularity has skyrocketed recently, with more and more people looking for remote working solutions during coronavirus lockdowns. Now the company has apologized for the secretive data sharing, saying that it takes privacy extremely seriously. There's also a new version of the app available that doesn't use the Facebook SDK.
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