Facebook Messenger users got their first taste of in-app advertisements around 18 months ago, when static adverts began popping up in the app between contacts. Now, Facebook is going to extreme lengths to monetise Messenger, with plans to place auto-playing video ads right in the app. In a statement sent …
Read More »Google now offers more control over targeted advertisements
Over the last year, user privacy and data control have become hot button topics and many companies are making changes so as not to be caught in some form of scandal. This week, Google is making its own changes, giving users better control over targeted advertising. Google now has an …
Read More »Facebook talks ‘shadow profiles’ and data policies in 454-page response to Congress
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the US Congress in April, facing tough questions surrounding the social media site’s data handling practices. The founder has now made good on his promises to follow-up on the questions he expertly dodged during the hearing by submitting a 454-page report. Both the 225-page …
Read More »Facebook gave Chinese companies access to user data
On the third of June, sources reported that Facebook had given around 60 firms access to user data on the service. Three days later, it has been discovered that some of the firms involved were Chinese, including one deemed a national security threat by the US. After some more digging, …
Read More »Facebook caught giving at least 60 big-name companies “deep access” to user data
Facebook integration has been a thing for quite some time, with the social media firm giving companies access to its users’ data via built-in address books, like systems and log-in features. While this sounds relatively harmless, Facebook has now been caught giving Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Blackberry and at least 56 …
Read More »Facebook and Google hit with lawsuits after allegedly breaching GDPR
The EU’s new GDPR rules were ushered in last week, forcing websites to update privacy policies across the board. It seems that some companies are having more trouble than others, as one activist has targeted Google’s Android, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with a lawsuit. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims …
Read More »Facebook and WhatsApp can once again share data
As the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, waves of companies are updating their policies in accordance. An interesting amendment comes from Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp, which suggests that the two platforms can once again share data after agreeing not to with the UK's Information Commissioner's …
Read More »Zuckerberg sidesteps questions from European Parliament on shadow profiles
Moving on from his meeting with Congress, Mark Zuckerberg finally met with members of the European Parliament yesterday to discuss security concerns over his social media site, Facebook. Taking just half an hour to answer all of the board’s questions, Zuckerberg managed to dodge enquiries into Facebook’s ‘shadow profiles’ while …
Read More »Three million Facebook users have had their data publicly exposed by yet another app
While the Cambridge Analytica scandal brought a lot of trouble to Facebook, it seems that this was just the tip of the iceberg for the social media platform. Another app, called ‘myPersonality’ has now been revealed to have disclosed “intimate” details of at least three million Facebook users. Developed by …
Read More »Facebook has suspended 200 apps so far data misuse investigation continues
Facebook has been under the microscope over the last couple of months following on from the Cambridge Analytica revelations. Since then, Zuckerburg and the Facebook team have been reviewing policies and have been investigating other apps that may be harvesting large amounts of user data. So far, the investigation has …
Read More »Cambridge Analytica officially closes down, but might have already been replaced
After five years of operation, Cambridge Analytica is closing its doors, citing its media vilification from Facebook’s privacy controversy as the reason for driving away its clients. It seems that there’s more to this than a simple closure, however, with many staff of the liquidated firm already heading a new …
Read More »The Oculus Go is already hitting store shelves
It has been a long time coming, but it looks like the Oculus Go will finally be available starting this week. The standalone VR headset was announced way back in October last year, and more recently, signs pointed to a proper launch at Facebook's F8 conference this week. It turns …
Read More »WhatsApp co-founder leaves amid reports of infighting with Facebook execs
Over the last few months, a lot of attention has been brought to Facebook and its data collection practices. This has had a big impact on user trust in the social network, but it is also causing some splinters inside the company too. This week, it is being reported that …
Read More »Facebook scales back third-party apps that can access user data, worrying researchers
Facebook has been under a lot of scrutiny since its Cambridge Analytica scandal, forcing CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his team to take a closer look into how it handles user data. Although the social media giant doesn’t plan on adopting the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) anywhere outside of the …
Read More »Facebook’s FTC-authorised audit missed Cambridge Analytica scandal
Back in 2011, the Federal Trade Commission struck a deal with Facebook to have its privacy practices audited once every two years by an external company. The system has now been called into question, after its 2017 audit failed to detect behind the scenes activity surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal. …
Read More »Facebook restructures to lessen number of users protected by EU’s new data regulations
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25th, clamping down on how privacy and data is handled throughout the online world. Of course, this hits Facebook hard in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, however, Zuckerberg and his company are still trying to find …
Read More »Zuckerberg’s congressional hearing raises data abuse awareness
Somehow, Facebook's most recent data leak has both shocked and failed to surprise large swaths of social media users in a range of emotions that seem to fall on the side of disinterest. The idea of customers becoming the product when using free services that serve up targeted ads feels …
Read More »Zuckerberg has a hard time during the second hearing with US Congress
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a bit of a harder time during his second bout with the US Congress, failing to elaborate on how the platform collects data from users who haven’t signed up to the site. The main man himself also revealed that he wasn’t immune to the Cambridge …
Read More »Lawyers across the world gear up for class-action lawsuit against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica
Facebook itself is under a lot of scrutiny thanks to the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting, with pretty much all eyes across the world pointed in its direction. It has a lot to make up for, as CEO Zuckerberg stated once again in front of US Congress, but first it might …
Read More »Zuckerberg appears in front of US Congress over Facebook’s data policies
As requested, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in front of US Congress to be probed over the recent Cambridge Analytica data scandal. While the questions mostly pertained to the data harvesting itself and the subsequent aftermath, many were directed at Facebook’s monopolisation and regulation. Zuckerberg used cookie cutter statements for …
Read More »Facebook will begin notifying 87 million users affected by data harvesting
Over the last few weeks, Facebook has been embroiled in a huge data scandal, after it was revealed that a firm known as Cambridge Analytica harvested the Facebook details of millions of users to help sway elections. Now starting from today, Facebook will begin notifying the 87 million users that …
Read More »Facebook reveals Cambridge Analytica debacle hit 37 million more users than previously expected
Thanks to a Facebook policy that has since been rectified, Cambridge Analytica managed to get its hands on mass amounts of user data. This has caused a major fallout for the social media platform, with numbers hitting as high as 50 million affected. Chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer has now …
Read More »Zuckerberg won’t adopt the General Data Protection Regulation beyond Europe
While many nations and companies are scrambling to tighten data regulations in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica information harvesting scandal, the European Union is already set to introduce its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) across Europe. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that he agrees with the practice “in …
Read More »BlackBerry is also suing Snap over messaging and map patents
A few weeks ago, we learned that BlackBerry had filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming that the company had infringed on patents for messaging and security. Now, it turns out that Facebook isn't the only social network in BlackBerry's sights, with the Canadian firm also filing a lawsuit against Snap. …
Read More »Class action lawsuits are gearing up after Facebook acknowledges call and text data collection
Earlier this week, it was discovered that Facebook was siphoning smartphone data outside of its applications, logging Android users’ calls and text messages. Three affected users have now stepped forward, attempting to construct a class action lawsuit against the company for violating their privacy. The suit was filed in a …
Read More »Facebook has delayed its camera equipped smart speaker due to data policy scrutiny
Last year, we first heard about Facebook's plans to compete with Amazon, Google and Apple in the ‘smart speaker' market. The speaker was apparently set to be revealed in May at a conference, but recently, Facebook has found itself in the middle of a major data usage and privacy scandal. …
Read More »Firefox creates Facebook Container extension to protect user data
Companies have been sent into a frenzy in the wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, with many scrambling to show that their data protection methods are up to scratch. Mozilla is the latest on this front, creating a Facebook Container extension for its Firefox browser, stopping the social …
Read More »Zuckerberg declines to testify in front of UK MPs, but Facebook will still represent itself
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg was summoned to testify to Members of Parliament in the UK regarding Facebook’s handling of data privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The creator of the platform has personally rejected the offer, but will send someone suitable in his place instead. Facebook has …
Read More »The FTC is investigating Facebook over its privacy practices
Following its week of scandals, Facebook has come under fire from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has now launched an investigation into the platforms privacy practices. This will particularly concern whether the company has caused “substantial injury” to its 50 million affected users. Acting director of the FTC’s …
Read More »Facebook ridiculed for logging call and SMS data, claims its always been an opt-in feature
It’s hard to imagine Facebook getting any more flak than it currently is thanks to the debacle surrounding Cambridge Analytica, but it seems that the company has once again landed itself in more controversy. Long-term Android users noticed over the weekend that the platform had been collecting phone call and …
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