UK hits Facebook with maximum possible fine for Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has penalized Facebook for the Cambridge Analytica data scandal by fining it the maximum amount permissible under law.
But the fine is unlikely to make Facebook break a sweat. At just £500,000 ($645,000) the sum represents a miniscule percentage of the social network's income. There will undoubtedly be arguments that this is little more than a rap on the knuckles for failing to protect the private data of at least a million Facebook users in the UK.
Logitech Capture webcam software enters public beta
With YouTube and social media being so popular these days, it can seem like everyone is sharing photos and videos of themselves online. Heck, there are professional content creators and Instagram models that get paid a lot of money to share media content with followers. It's a weird and wild world, folks.
Webcams are an important tool to vloggers and streamers, but make no mistake -- all cameras are not created equally. In fact, the ones that are integrated into laptops are often terrible. Thankfully, companies like Logitech produce high-end USB webcams for those that don't want to compromise. Apparently, the company was dissatisfied with its webcam software offering, however, as today, it launches a public beta for its successor. Called "Logitech Capture," it aims to step things up for both amateur and professional content creators alike.
Facebook Messenger 4 is simpler and far, far less ugly
After hitting the headlines for falling victim to a hack attack, and then the privacy issues surround its Portal devices, Facebook will be hoping that the rollout of a sleeker, sexier, simplified version of Messenger will do something to get disgruntled users back on side.
The social networking giant has launched Facebook Messenger 4, a neater and tidier version of its messaging app. As well as clearing out the clutter, there is the promise of a dark mode in the future.
How to spot a fake Twitter follower
Earlier this year we covered some research from Duo Security published into the activities of Twitter bots. The company has now followed this with a look at how fake Twitter followers operate.
Traditional fake followers are challenging to detect on an individual level since they have very little (if any) activity other than following other accounts. However, because fakes operate in groups created by the same bot owner they do tend to share characteristics.
Goodbye noisy neighbors, I quit Nextdoor
Six days ago, Facebook notified me that my personal information had been pilfered in a recently revealed hack affecting tens of millions subscribers. Lovely. Why don't you kick me in the head, too, Mark Zuckerberg? Perhaps you would prefer a baseball bat, so you can beat me to death instead? I responded by removing most of the same information from my FB and started a content purge ahead of possible account deletion.
Since then, I have been on a social media account rampage, which turned my sights to Nextdoor, where I joined on Aug. 29, 2017 (my Facebook is 12 years old, for comparison). When checking privacy settings, I discovered that the social network lists your actual address (presumably by default) for locals to see. The only other option is the street where you reside—what I switched to. Do I really want cranky neighbors coming up to my door and rap-rap-rapping? Or provide would-be burglars a place to break into, after observing my habits and schedule online and off? Eh, no! I appreciate that someone had to invite me to Nextdoor, which verified my residence to be part of the local network. But sharing my street or actual address is too public for me. Late yesterday afternoon, I deactivated my account. But reasons are bigger, with the privacy thing being but one.
Facebook says it could use data from Portal devices to target users with ads
When Facebook unveiled its Portal and Portal+ video calling hardware last week, there were immediate concerns voiced about the privacy implications of the social network's new devices.
Facebook has been insistent that Portal is "private by design", and the company said no data -- such as call logs and app usage information -- would be used to target users with ads. Now the company has changed its mind and says that actually it could be hitting users with targeted ads.
Transparency: Facebook to reveal who pays for political ads in the UK
In recent years there have been concerns about the influence it is possible to exert over election results through social media. As well as fears relating to fake news and misinformation, there have also been calls for greater transparency when it comes to revealing the funding of political advertising.
To address some of these concerns, Facebook has announced that any ads running in the UK that make reference to political figures will have to publicly reveal the identity of the organization or individual that paid for them. The new rules about transparency will apply to both Facebook and Instagram.
Privacy: Twitter is under investigation for data collection through its link-shortening system
Twitter is being investigated by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) over concerns about how much data it collects through its t.co link-shortening tool.
The Irish privacy regulator is concerned about the amount of data Twitter is able to collect through the service -- something that was only heightened by the company's refusal to hand over information about link tracking when it was requested.
An Unsend option is coming to Facebook Messenger
Mark Zuckerberg caused controversy around six months ago... nothing strange for Facebook you may think. On this occasion, the founder of the social network managed to upset people when it turned out he had deleted messages he had sent through Facebook Messenger: an option that wasn't -- and isn't -- available to other Facebook users.
At the time, when the matter came to light, Facebook said that the ability to unsend messages would ultimately give everyone the option to delete the messages they had sent. At long last, the feature is being tested, so we might see if released publicly in the not-too-distant future.
Now you can post 3D photos to Facebook from your smartphone
A new option is in the process of rolling out to Facebook users around the world: the ability to post 3D photographs. The key attraction here -- apart from the fact that 3D images look kind of cool -- is that no special equipment is needed.
Of course, you have to be realistic with your expectations. The new 3D photos feature does not create interactive, fly-through images or anything fancy like that. Rather it plays with parallax effects to create the illusion of depth that you can enjoy by scrolling, panning and tilting your phone.
How to see if you were affected by the huge Facebook hack
The most recent Facebook security issue is one of the most serious yet for users of the social network. Depending on which numbers you are look at, the hackers who exploited a security flaw have impacted on anything between 14 and 30 million people.
Facebook is still -- with the help of law enforcement agencies -- investigating the incident, and in the meantime many people feel as those they are being left in the dark. If you want to find out if your account has been affected, here's what you need to do.
Facebook says hackers accessed highly-detailed personal data of 15 million users
In a news release with the bizarrely vague title of "An Update on the Security Issue", Facebook has revealed that the "View As" security breach it opened up about recently gave hackers access to the personal details of 15 million users.
Having previously advised that the access tokens stolen by hackers had not been used to infiltrate other apps and services, the social networking giant now says 15 million people have had their names and contact details exposed. 14 million users had significantly more details revealed, including username, relationship status, religion, hometown, birthdate, places they have checked into, and recent searches.
All emojis are now considered equal on Twitter
How many characters is an emoji? It seems like a simple question, but on Twitter the answer has not always been clear. Some emojis count as a single character while others eat further into the character count.
But now this is changing -- Twitter has announced that all emojis will now be treated equally. Previously, emoji that could be modified in various ways -- such as changing the skin tone of people -- would use up large numbers of characters. No more!
Snap launches Snap Originals -- original, bite-sized, interactive shows for Snapchat
Snap has announced the launch of a new range of original, scripted shows for Snapchat. Snap Originals are penned by Hollywood writers that Snap describes as the "world's greatest storytellers".
The shows are not going to compete with offerings from the likes of Netflix. These are not shows of typical episode lengths, but a mere five minutes long. Snap will be hoping that the length, in conjunction with the interactivity and social elements of the shows, will increase their appeal to teenage Snapchat users.
Twitter is killing off Moments on iOS and Android
In less than two weeks, Twitter's Moments will no longer be available to mobile users.
Seemingly in recognition of the fact that hardly anyone used the feature, Twitter is killing off the ability to create Moments in its iOS and Android apps. But the company is not completely shutting down Moments -- the feature will still be available to those who really want to continue using it.
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