Facebook

Facebook reportedly had a fake news fix, but was too afraid to use it

by @nattgarun Nov 14, 2016, 12:06pm EST

A new report says Facebook shelved an update that would have suppressed fake news from going viral on the social network. According to Gizmodo, high-ranking Facebook executives were briefed on an update that identified fake news and hoaxes, but...

Mark Zuckerberg warns about Facebook 'becoming arbiters of truth'

by @AndrewLiptak Nov 13, 2016, 11:26am EST

Facebook has been under the spotlight following the results of this week’s presidential election. While Mark Zuckerberg has dismissed claims that his company has unduly influenced the election, others at Facebook are beginning to look closely at...

Facebook is telling everyone that they’re dead

by @CaseyNewton Nov 11, 2016, 3:47pm EST

Facebook is capping one of the longest weeks in American history by telling everyone that they are dead. Log on to your profile and there’s a good chance it will have a memorial banner sitting on top of it, urging your friends and family members...

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Facebook buys CrowdTangle, the tool publishers use to win the internet

by @CaseyNewton Nov 11, 2016, 9:30am EST

Facebook today announced that it has purchased CrowdTangle, a 4-year-old tool that publishers use to track how content spreads around the web, for an undisclosed sum. By showing its subscribers a kind of real-time pulse of the web, CrowdTangle has...

Instagram confirms that it’s working on live video

by @sokane1 Nov 10, 2016, 1:11pm EST

Instagram has confirmed that it’s working on adding a live video feature to its app. CEO Kevin Systrom discussed the company’s live video ambitions in an interview with the Financial Times today. This comes just a few weeks after we got our first...

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Social media keeps reminding us of the election timeline that could have been

by @sokane1 Nov 9, 2016, 4:52pm EST

We are living in the universe in which Donald Trump won the presidency. But that’s a lot harder to accept any time I open Facebook. Or Instagram. Or Twitter. Because all three social media apps employ algorithms that surface older posts over new...

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Facebook feature that informs users of newly elected representatives is broken

by Lizzie Plaugic Nov 9, 2016, 12:01pm EST

Earlier today, Facebook rolled out a feature that was supposed to show users newly elected representatives based on their location. Now, that feature already seems to be broken for some users. Facebook is calling the feature a “civic checkup” —...

Now you can Facebook Live with Prisma's art filters

by @jjvincent Nov 8, 2016, 12:30pm EST

Russian app Prisma, which popularized the use of deep learning-powered photo filters, is launching a new feature that works with Facebook Live. An update to the Prisma app will let users start broadcasting via Facebook, with the option to apply...

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Facebook's new filters are like Prisma for video

by @jjvincent Nov 8, 2016, 11:10am EST

Ever thought your selfies were as good as a Rembrandt? Or your party pics as apocalyptic as something by Hieronymus Bosch? Well, Facebook hears you, and it’s got something to help. This morning, the company announced that a number of AI-powered...

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Virgin Media probes net neutrality limits in UK with zero-rated Facebook apps

by @jjvincent Nov 7, 2016, 8:22am EST

UK mobile carrier Virgin Media has announced a new data plan that proves the thorny issue of zero-rating isn’t just a problem in the US. The company’s newly launched 4G mobile services let users access both WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger without...

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Facebook blocks insurer exploiting user data to find 'conscientious' drivers

by @jjvincent Nov 2, 2016, 5:52am EDT

Facebook has blocked one of the UK’s biggest insurers from using the social media network's user data to set insurance rates. A recently-launched scheme from Admiral Insurance targeted first-time car owners, offering to analyze their Facebook...

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Facebook makes it easier for indie games to come to its casual platform

by Rich McCormick Nov 1, 2016, 10:22pm EDT

Facebook has announced that Gameroom — its new PC gaming platform that looks like Steam for casual games — will soon accept uploads from Unity developers. The app, launched last month, will let game makers using the upcoming Unity 5.6 game engine...

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Talkshow, the social network for public texting, is shutting down

by @nickstatt Nov 1, 2016, 3:39pm EDT

Six months after its launch, startup Talkshow is shutting down. The mobile app, from former Twitter executive Michael Sippey, let users group text in public, so any number of users could drop in and view the conversation. It was a little bit like...

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Could Facebook actually be good for you?

by Rachel Becker Nov 1, 2016, 1:36pm EDT

People who are well liked on Facebook may also be healthier, according to a study that linked people’s activity on the social network to their lifespans. This could be another blow against the increasingly unstable position that digital media is...

How the White House will hand over social media accounts to Clinton or Trump

by Chris Welch Oct 31, 2016, 5:46pm EDT

The White House just published an overview explaining its plans for a "digital transition" between the departing Obama administration and the incoming 45th president of the United States. It details how each White House social media account (and...

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Peter Thiel: what Trump represents is ‘not going away’

by @thedextriarchy Oct 31, 2016, 1:50pm EDT

Entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel, a self-described contrarian and Donald Trump’s most high-profile supporter in Silicon Valley, has vehemently defended his recent $1.25 million donation to Trump’s campaign and pro-Trump super PACs. In an...

Facebook’s adorable Halloween reaction emoji are adding ghosts where they don’t belong

by Kaitlyn Tiffany Oct 28, 2016, 11:25am EDT

Facebook’s latest seasonal experiment is Halloween-themed reaction emojis — a pumpkin replacing the usual “angry,” Frankenstein instead of “sad,” a witch for “haha,” and a ghost instead of “wow.” The new reactions appear on all posts, both public...

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Facebook clones Snapchat's face filters and ephemeral photo messages

by @nickstatt Oct 28, 2016, 9:00am EDT

Facebook’s war on Snapchat is entering a new stage of hostilities. Starting today, Facebook will expand testing of a new camera in its main app that relies on the very same video and photo filters users of Snapchat enjoy. This includes masks that...

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Trump campaign using targeted Facebook posts to discourage black Americans from voting

by Colin Lecher Oct 27, 2016, 9:52am EDT

While the Trump campaign continues to flounder weeks before Election Day, a new report is providing some inside information on the candidate's strategy, including an unorthodox use of Facebook.

Viral Facebook pages are passing off old space clips as live footage to millions of viewers

by @jjvincent Oct 27, 2016, 6:17am EDT

Facebook has been pushing live video as its next big format for a while now, and that means there are plenty of media outlets trying to take advantage of the extra visibility. Some, though, aren’t being so honest about it, with Mashable pointing...

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The Trump campaign just launched a nightly talk show on Facebook Live

by @nickstatt Oct 24, 2016, 6:50pm EDT

Donald Trump’s campaign just began broadcasting the first installment of what it’s calling a nightly campaign coverage show exclusively on Facebook Live. The show, which will be broadcast on Trump’s Facebook page at 6:30PM ET from today until...

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Instagram appears to be testing live video

by @CaseyNewton Oct 21, 2016, 5:41pm EDT

Facebook's all-out embrace of live video appears to be heading to Instagram. A new report from a Russian news site shows live functionality embedded into Instagram stories, with a bold "LIVE" banner on what is apparently a live video appearing at...

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Facebook employees argued Trump's posts should be banned as hate speech

by @CaseyNewton Oct 21, 2016, 4:19pm EDT

Some Facebook employees have argued that Donald Trump’s posts on the social network should be designated as hate speech and removed, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal said today that Trump posts calling for a ban on Muslim...

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Facebook says it will allow more explicit posts if they are newsworthy

by @CaseyNewton Oct 21, 2016, 2:17pm EDT

Facebook will begin allowing more explicit posts if they are "newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest," the company said today, following a series of controversies over deleted content. "Our intent is to allow more images and...

Facebook censors cancer awareness video over cartoon breasts

by @amartoo Oct 21, 2016, 6:36am EDT

Facebook has come under criticism for censoring a cancer awareness video because of animated breasts. The ad campaign, produced by Cancerfonden, a Swedish cancer charity, used animated figures to demonstrate how to conduct breast exams. Facebook...

Mark Zuckerberg defends Peter Thiel's Trump ties in internal memo

by @CaseyNewton Oct 19, 2016, 3:05pm EDT

Peter Thiel's donation of $1.25 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign continues to rattle Silicon Valley. A day after a nonprofit stopped working with startup incubator Y Combinator for keeping Thiel on as a part-time partner, Mark...

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Facebook now lets you poll your friends for local recommendations

by @nickstatt Oct 19, 2016, 9:00am EDT

Facebook is revamping portions of its mobile app and website to make it easier to get recommendations from friends and interact directly with businesses, without leaving the social network. The central changes can be found in the company's Pages...

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Facebook caught an office intruder using the controversial surveillance tool it just blocked

by Russell Brandom Oct 19, 2016, 9:00am EDT

When it was revealed last week that police used a social media monitoring program to track protestors, it inspired outrage, and major tech companies immediately cut off API access for the tool. But at least one of those companies had prior...

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Where’s the Facebook fact checker America so desperately needs?

by @Trixxy Oct 19, 2016, 7:30am EDT

I have a Facebook friend, let’s call him Mike, who’s a rabid supporter of Donald Trump and God, in that order. You probably have someone similar in your own timeline expressing an equally dogged allegiance to Hillary Clinton. Last night Mike...

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How to endorse a political candidate on Facebook and lose friends forever

by @jjvincent Oct 19, 2016, 3:46am EDT

Facebook is a place for making friends, sharing photos, and stoking bitter political arguments that last a lifetime. And while the social network pays a lot of attention to the first two activities, it's rather neglected the third. Not any more:...

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Robert Downey Jr. is willing to be the voice of Mark Zuckerberg’s AI

by Vlad Savov Oct 14, 2016, 6:29am EDT

Mark Zuckerberg is pressing ahead with his pet project of creating an AI to control his home, and yesterday he asked for suggestions for who should provide the system’s voice. We all had our own ideas about who would slot into the role best, but...

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Facebook now lets you stream video to Apple TV and Chromecast

by @nickstatt Oct 13, 2016, 6:22pm EDT

Facebook wants videos on its platform to live on as many screens as possible, so the social network has added Apple TV and Chromecast support starting today. Now, when you watch a video on Facebook using your smartphone, you’ll see a small button...

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