Photographer sues Ariana Grande after she posts his images of her on Instagram
A professional photographer is suing Ariana Grande after she posted photos on Instagram that he'd taken of her. Grande used the post to promote one of her albums, but the photographer says she used the images without permission. He’s now asking for $25,000 for each of the images or the profits generated by the post.
Digital Trends Live: WhatsApp security flaw, Alexa Guard, and more
On the latest episode of Digital Trends Live, we take a look at today’s top tech stories, including a WhatsApp flaw that left phones open to attack, Alexa’s new “Alexa Guard” advanced home security features, Netflix’s foray into gaming, Japan’s test of its new high-speed bullet train, and more.
Twitter sorry for mistakenly storing and sharing some users’ location data
Twitter has revealed that a bug led to it accidentally storing and sharing location data for a number of iOS users. The issue, which has now been fixed, affected those operating more than one Twitter account from the app. The company apologized for the blunder and said it’s contacting those impacted by it.
Update WhatsApp! Sophisticated attack installs spyware with just a call
A WhatsApp vulnerability left Android and iOS devices open to attack from sophisticated surveillance software. The Facebook-owned company said it hasn't yet been able to determine how many people were impacted, and told users to ensure they're running the latest version of the app.
Tinder Lite will soon launch to bring the dating game into emerging markets
Tinder Lite, a lightweight version of the dating app, will soon launch in emerging markets where access to data may be limited. The app will look to bring more people into the dating game, as Tinder looks to maintain its growth amid increasing competition from rival apps and Facebook.
Twitter: Now you can jazz up your retweets with GIFs, photos, and videos
Twitter for Android, iOS, and its mobile site now lets you add GIFs, photos, and videos to retweets. The feature, which the company said people have been asking for, can be enabled in a few quick taps, though it doesn’t yet show properly for the desktop version of Twitter.
Google Maps adds a new tab showing restaurants’ most popular dishes
Google Maps is testing a new Popular tab to make it easier to order a tasty-looking restaurant dish that you've spotted on the app. Photos of meals on Google Maps don’t always show the dish name, but the new feature aims to change that by pulling together information from multiple entries.
YouTube will let everyone watch Cobra Kai, other Originals, for free
In a slight change to a previously announced plan, YouTube will be making some of its Originals, including popular Karate Kid sequel Cobra Kai, free for everyone to watch with ads this year. Previously, only paying subscribers of YouTube Premium and YouTube TV could access the content.
Facebook says the future is private, but what does that mean?
At Facebook's F8 developer conference, the company emphasized its desire to take a more hands-on approach to privacy over the future. But what, exactly, will a more privacy-focused Facebook end up looking like? Here are the six core pillars that the company wants to base the "new Facebook" on.
Instagram’s new camera feature, Create Mode, isn’t for taking photos or video
Want to share something on Instagram without taking a photo or video? Instagram's upcoming Create Mode gives users a blank canvas to decorate with stickers and effects. During the annual F8 conference, Instagram also shared details on an upcoming product tag and a fundraising sticker inside Stories.
From Oculus Quest to a Facebook redesign, everything announced at F8 2019
Facebook F8 is finally here, and Facebook has taken the wraps off of a number of new products and services, including a major Facebook redesign, a Messenger desktop app, and more. Here's everything Facebook announced at Facebook F8 2019, its annual developer conference, held on April 30 and May 1.
The dead will outnumber the living on Facebook within 50 years
A point will come within the next five decades where the number of memorial accounts on Facebook will outnumber those belonging to living individuals. So said the Oxford Internet Institute, which studied the demographics of current (living) Facebook users and the role of Facebook Tributes pages.
Art meets blockchain on this social network for collecting photos, designs
Want to see more art than selfies in your social media? Editional is a new social media network based on collecting limited-edition digital artwork. The network allows artists to share and fans to collect and trade artwork for free, while blockchain helps protect both artists and collectors.
Selfie-taking millennials told to stop trampling about in Dutch tulip fields
Selfie snappers are causing damage to fields of tulips in the Netherlands, with local growers complaining of travelers trampling the flowers in search of the best shot. The problem has become so bad that tourism officials are considering using physical barriers to stop people from entering the fields.
Geek out for premieres or get lost in related threads with Reddit’s new tools
Can't find the Game of Thrones thread until after the episode already aired? Reddit's new event tool allows users to get alerts when an event is about to start, such as a premiere. The tool also better organizes posts alongside the new collections option to group similar posts. Both roll out today.
Vine co-founder launches beta test for new video-looping app Byte
Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann has finally launched the beta version of Byte, a new video-looping app expected to closely resemble the one that closed down in 2017 after owner Twitter withdrew support. Only 100 testers are included in the initial test phase, though many more will be added gradually.
Earn more likes on your photos with the best cameras for Instagram
Looking to snap better Instagrams? Instagram doesn't demand high-resolution files, but upgrading your camera can deliver better bokeh and low-light quality. Factor in portability, durability and built-in Wi-Fi, and many cameras still offer convenient sharing. Here our the best cameras for Instagram.
Photography News: Instagram’s disappearing likes, the best photos of the year
In this week's Photography News, see why Instagram is testing a version of the app that excludes the number of likes each post gets. See the impressive winners from two different photography contests and the latest features coming to the Fujifilm X-T3. Shutterstock's new AR tool is designed for wall art.
After controversial video, China bans ‘Leica’ on social media
A video that referenced Tiananmen Square got the name of the camera company Leica banned from the social media platform Weibo. Leica says the video wasn't an officially sanctioned promotion, but Weibo users are questioning how the move could affect the Huawei-Leica relationship.
Digital Trends Live: Facebook data security, Ubisoft helps Notre Dame, and more
DT Live talks Facebook and Instagram security issues, Ubisoft's plan to help rebuild Notre Dame, the theft of 100 Car2Go vehicles, and more. We are also joined by Emily Teteut of littleBits and Snap the Gap, Jennifer Sendrow of New York Public Radio, and DJ and producer Zeke Thomas
Facebook says it unintentionally uploaded email contacts of 1.5 million users
Facebook says over the last two years it unintentionally uploaded the email contacts of 1.5 million users as they signed up to the service. The process has now been halted and the email addresses are being deleted. Users whose contacts were taken without prior permission are also being contacted.
Oh, Zuck, no! Facebook rumored to be creating a voice assistant to rival Alexa
Facebook is reportedly getting into the A.I. game by developing a voice-enabled digital assistant to compete with products like Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa. If the report is true, Facebook could incorporate the voice assistant into its Portal and Portal+ smart displays.
Twitter has revealed a launch date for its handy hide replies features
Twitter said it will launch a feature in June that lets users hide replies to their tweets. The hope is that the option will help the original poster filter out offensive or irrelevant content from conversation threads and pave the way for more respectful and meaningful exchanges on the platform.
No more moon showers as Facebook Messenger’s dark mode gets official rollout
Facebook Messenger launched a dark mode last month, but to activate it you had to message the crescent moon to someone. Now it's been rolled out officially, and it can be accessed in settings. Messenger is one of a growing number of apps to offer a dark mode that can ease eye strain and conserve battery power.
Facebook toys with mixing Stories and News Feed into one swipeable carousel
Facebook's News Feed could look a lot like Stories if a prototype the social media giant is working on rolls out to users. The design change mixes Stories and News Feed posts into a full-screen slideshow that users swipe left to navigate (or just wait six seconds). Facebook says it's only a prototype.
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp went down worldwide for 2 hours this morning
Chaos erupted on the internet this morning, as Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp all went down for several hours. From around 6:30 a.m. ET to approximately 9 a.m. ET, thousands of users were unable to access Facebook or Instagram, and were unable to send or receive Whatsapp messages.
Messenger and Facebook, together again? Facebook tests integrating chats
Longing for the old days where Facebook and Messenger were one app? Facebook is testing an integrated chat option. While Messenger remains more feature-rich, the test brings some chat functionality back into the Facebook app. The test comes amid reports of Facebook merging multiple chat platforms.
Twitter’s experimental Twttr app is even more popular than the real thing
Twttr, the recently launched app that lets regular Twitter users test new features, is proving more popular than the main app, according to the company. Some of the recent innovations on Twttr are a hit with users, suggesting they could be rolled out to the wider Twitter community before too long.
LinkedIn: Now you can express love, curiosity, and more with new Reactions
LinkedIn is following in the footsteps of Facebook (three years later!) with the rollout of new reactions that give users more ways to express themselves when responding to posts in their feed. This means that alongside the like button you’ll now see symbols for celebrate, love, insightful, and curious.
Your Facebook newsfeed is getting a spring cleaning, and so is Messenger
Hows that newsfeed of yours looking? Facebook has shared an update on efforts to clean up the newsfeed, as well as what tools will be coming next. Facebook has new Trust Indicators, while Messenger will gain badges for verified accounts to help fight spam and impersonators.
How to protect yourself from GoFundMe scams before donating
Can you spot a GoFundMe scam? While the fundraising platform says scams make up less than a tenth of one percent of campaigns, some people try to take advantage of others' charity -- like a case last year that made national news. Here's how to spot potential GoFundMe scams before donating to campaigns.
Facebook’s tributes section serves as an online memorial for deceased users
Death doesn't stop Facebook users from sharing memories, and now those memorialized posts have a dedicated spot on the network. Facebook Tribute is a section on memorialized profiles for users to write posts and share memories. The update also comes with new legacy contact tools.
Snapchat finally releases rebuilt Android app with superior performance
If you've been struggling with a slow and buggy Snapchat on Android, then we have some good news for you. A new version has been released that promises superior performance and an all-around better experience. The team behind the revamped app says it looks the same but should now run a lot faster.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey received an annual salary of $1.40 in 2018
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey received an annual paycheck of just $1.40 in 2018, an amount that would only get you one item at a dollar store, with 40 cents left over for, perhaps, a banana. He’s not the only CEO to forgo a proper salary, but why do they do it, and where do they get their money from?