Why a deepfake ban won’t solve Facebook’s real problems
Facebook leaves a large loophole in its deepfake policy in the form of satire and parody. This will be hard to enforce, from an operational and enforcement standpoint. In addition, if Facebook is serious about combating misinformation, deepfakes are not where it should be focusing, experts say.
You’ve got a privacy problem, FTC commissioner tells Apple and Facebook
Privacy today is untenable, argues Rebecca Slaughter, a commissioner with the Federal Trade Commission. It sounds apparent to you and I, but it was something of a slap in the face to the other folks on a Tuesday panel at CES 2020: Privacy execs from both Facebook and Apple.
Comedian’s Facebook followers raise a colossal $30M for Aussie bushfire aid
Australian comedian Celeste Barber only aimed to raise $30,000 with her online fundraising campaign to help those affected by the bushfires in her home country. But her social media followers have given way, way more, so far donating $30 million in the space of just four days.
Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Facebook says it’s banning deepfakes
Two days before Facebook is set to appear at a House Energy and Commerce hearing, the social network has announced it’s banning all forms of deepfakes. However, the policy doesn’t come into effect for parodies, satire, or clips that have been edited solely to omit or change the order of words.
New Messenger users now required to sign up for Facebook too
A Facebook account is now a requirement for people who are signing up for Messenger when a phone number was previously enough. The change was made to simplify the process, according to a spokesperson, but it may also have something to do with the company's plans for its messaging apps.
Big Tech and Big Talk: Did tech giants deliver on any of their promises in 2019?
Big Tech made a lot of promises and commitments in 2019 regarding sustainability, data privacy, and other fundamental concerns plaguing the industry. But as the year progressed, companies like Apple and Google began contradicting their words. As we reach 2019's end, most of those promises have fallen apart.
Snopes says ex-partner Facebook is ‘not committed’ to fighting fake news
Snopes used to partner with Facebook on its fact-checking operation. After Facebook removed a web of fake user profiles following a Snopes report on the problem, Snopes says Facebook is not taking fighting fake news seriously. Snopes has launched an independent crowdfunding campaign to support its fact-checking work.
Facebook Portal vs Google Nest Hub Max
When it comes to the best smart displays, the new Facebook Portal and the Google Nest Hub Max are two great choices. This can make choosing the right one for you difficult. To help, we've pitted the two against each other in a head-to-head battle to find out which one is the better pick.
Digital Trends Live: Boeing misses orbit, Facebook data leak, Star Wars
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Caleb Denison break down the biggest tech topics of the day, including a Boeing spaceship ends up in the wrong orbit, Elon vs. Bezos in the space race, another Facebook data leak, the final Star Wars, and more.
Would you trust a Facebook OS? Reports say Zuck’s building an operating system
Facebook is still trying to earn back user trust -- while simultaneously exploring creating its own operating system to power hardware like Occulus and Portal. The new OS could prevent upcoming hardware form being limited by restrictions inside Android.
Facebook faces another huge data leak affecting 267 million users
More than 260 million U.S. Facebook users’ IDs, phone numbers, and names were exposed to an online database that could potentially be used for spam and phishing campaigns. Comparitech reports that before the database was taken down, it was found on a hacker forum as a downloadable file.
Digital Trends Live: Samsung flip phone, Facebook games, YouTube’s top earners
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest topics in tech, including a first look at Samsung’s foldable flip phone, Facebook goes gaming, kids top YouTube’s highest-paid list, the new Mars rover, Californians now can have their groceries delivered by autonomous vehicles, and more.
Facebook bans misleading content and ads about the 2020 census
Facebook is taking new initiatives to help protect the 2020 census by banning misleading information and prohibiting ads that shed a negative light on the process. The new census interference policy includes prohibiting misrepresentation of dates, times, methods, and the nature of the government’s involvement.
Facebook might take on Google Stadia thanks to its recent acquisition
Facebook announced that it is increasing its video game portfolio with the acquisition of PlayGiga, a cloud gaming company. The report first broke after Spanish business newspaper Cinco Dias reported that Facebook purchased the European-based startup company for $78 million.
Why have Americans turned a cold shoulder to messaging giant WhatsApp?
It's one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, yet Americans barely know it exists. Why is WhatsApp still so unpopular in the U.S. when it dominates the markets in places like India and Germany?
The FTC might finally do something about Facebook’s social media monopoly
The FTC's antitrust investigation into Facebook could result in a preliminary injunction. A preliminary injunction by the FTC might happen as soon as next month, and would force Facebook from integrating any more apps. The FTC is reportedly considering taking action because of antitrust concerns.
Facebook’s long-promised Supreme Court for content won’t be here for a long time
Facebook’s Oversight Board that can overrule CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking longer than expected to come into existence. The board was supposed to deliberate its first cases early next year. However, Facebook is still working to source and review candidates as part of the selection process.
Facebook will protect your data — as long as no one’s paying them for it
Facebook pushed back against a request from three major world governments to halt plans to provide end-to-end encryption for its Messenger app. The move has been heralded by privacy rights groups over law enforcement objections, but Facebook still makes money off of your data.
Digital Trends Live: Decentralizing social media, Pirate Bay streams, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Drew Prindle discuss the biggest trending topics in tech, including Facebook denying backdoor access, Dorsey wants decentralized social media, Pirate Bay allows streaming, cow manure energy, a junk-collecting space robot, and more.
Facebook is using Minecraft to train AI assistants, one block at a time
Engineers and researchers at Facebook are using Minecraft to build artificial intelligence that can assist players in the game. They’ve made a version for the public, so researchers around the world can collaborate using Minecraft as a research tool.
Digital Trends Live: Black Friday recap, Cyber Monday coverage
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, it's our special Cyber Monday super show, where we discuss the top tech news, including a recap of Black Friday, A.I. cameras to catch Australian drivers, Facebook’s photo portability tool, the new Social Media Network, and extensive Cyber Monday coverage.
Now that you can easily transfer photos out of Facebook, will you stay?
Facebook on December 2 announced a new data portability feature that will begin rolling out in Ireland before spreading elsewhere: The ability to transport your Facebook photos from Facebook to other platforms. Does this portend a new exodus from the social media platform?
You will soon be able to migrate your Facebook photos and videos to Google Photos
Facebook will soon let you easily migrate your photos and videos to other services like Google Photos. In a blog post, the social network said it’s rolling out a new tool in Ireland that allows you to transfer your Facebook media without having to manually download and upload it someplace else.
Beat Saber studio joins Facebook, but will not give in to the dark side
Beat Games, the studio behind Beat Saber, has joined the Facebook-owned Oculus Studios. The studio's game is one of the most popular games available on VR platforms, including Oculus Rift and Quest. Facebook said it is going to continue making major VR-related announcements over the next year.
Private data of some Facebook and Twitter users leaked through malicious apps
Facebook and Twitter said private data of “hundreds of their users” was compromised through malicious third-party Android apps. The social media companies were tipped off by a team of security researchers who discovered a SDK allowed developers to access personal information of some of their users.
Digital Trends Live: Cybertruck reveal, a new Half-Life, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Nick Mokey dive into the biggest trending news stories in tech, including Tesla’s Cybertruck reveal, Facebook may address political ads, Half-Life Alyx release date, a drone gets launched from a cannon, and more.
Facebook’s new, experimental Whale app lets you create your own memes
Facebook has released a new app called Whale that lets you create your own memes from scratch. The app debuted on the Canadian iOS app store last week, and comes with a standard set of annotation features that let you add elements such as text, emojis, and filters over images.
Sen. Ron Wyden wants to protect your data from Big Tech, if Congress lets him
Sen. Ron Wyden's latest bill, the Mind Your Own Business Act, could fix a lot of the privacy problems that internet users currently face. The only problem? It's probably not going to move forward until we have another major privacy disaster, Wyden said in an exclusive Digital Trends interview.
Facebook says white supremacists ‘cannot have a presence’ on the social network
Facebook has removed more than 200 white supremacist organizations from its platform for violating both terrorism and hate speech community standards, a Facebook representative told Digital Trends, part of a broader crackdown on harmful content.
Libra Lite? Facebook Pay is the social network’s latest foray into finance
Facebook introduced a new payment system called Facebook Pay that would be accessible with Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. Facebook Pay is meant to make in-app purchases and transfer payments from person to person, make purchases on select pages or businesses, as well as on Facebook Marketplace.
An iOS bug gives Facebook background access to your iPhone’s camera
A new iOS bug allows the Facebook app to access your iPhone’s camera in the background. The issue keeps the camera active in the background when you scroll through your personal feed. The glitch becomes apparent when you open a picture on the Facebook app and swipe it down to return to the feed.
Switching back to a dumbphone was the smartest thing I’ve ever done
Smartphones are designed to hold our attention, and we often end up spending hours on them each day. I set out to see if a smarter feature phone, like the Nokia 8110, can help us break those habits and restore balance in our digital lives. With support for WhatsApp and more, I really didn't miss my smartphone.
Instagram’s IGTV contracts won’t allow creators to make political videos
Instagram's answer to YouTube is IGTV, a platform for longer videos. It's not nearly as popular but is trying to attract talent by paying for some production costs of creators. Yet the contracts stipulate that the videos can't be political --- that includes social issues like health, education, and immigration.
Digital Trends Live: T-Mobile/Sprint merger, Ford’s manual EV, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Jeremy Kaplan break down the biggest trending stories in tech, including the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, Facebook’s facial-recognition, Ford’s new manual EV, drone deliveries for CVS, and more.