Facebook suspends thousands of apps but user impact unclear
LOS ANGELES -- Facebook said Friday that it has suspended "tens of thousands" of apps made by about 400 developers as part of an investigation following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.The announcement came the same day that unsealed legal documents in Massachusetts disclosed that Facebook had suspended 69,000 apps.
Facebook wants to put a camera in your living room
Facebook has new devices to help you video chat from your couch!Smart speakers are popular these days but Facebook says they’re missing a key feature – the ability to video chat!The company’s new line of gadgets called Portal look like picture frames but let you make video calls, too!
Facebook to name first oversight panel members by year-end
BOSTON — Facebook said Tuesday that it expects to name the first members of a new quasi-independent oversight board by year-end.The oversight panel is intended to rule on thorny content issues, such as when Facebook or Instagram posts constitute hate speech.
States led by Texas target Google in new antitrust probe
WASHINGTON — Fifty U.S. states and territories, led by Texas, announced an investigation into Google's "potential monopolistic behavior."The Monday announcement closely followed one from a separate group of states Friday that disclosed an investigation into Facebook's market dominance.
Friends with benefits: Can Facebook tackle your love life?
SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook Dating, a matchmaking service the company already offers in Brazil, Canada and 17 other countries, will arrive in the U.S. on Thursday.
Mom hosts 'job fair' after kids ask for new phones, allowances
One mom is “NOW HIRING!!” after her kids started asking for new phones and allowances.“Yesterday I told them that I’ve heard their requests and that I’ll have a surprise for them today when they get home from school,” Shaketha Mario McGregor wrote in a Facebook post.Well, surprise!Her kids came home to a job fair, complete with job listings, applications and an ad for “Mom’s Credit Union.”
Facebook rolls out tool to block off-Facebook data gathering
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is launching a long-promised tool that lets you limit what the social network can gather about you on outside websites and apps.The company said Tuesday that it is adding a section where you can see the activity that Facebook tracks outside its service via its "like" buttons and other means.
'ICE will come:' Illinois gas station clerk suspended after video shared on Facebook
NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A suburban Illinois gas station clerk has been suspended after a video posted to Facebook shows him in a confrontation with customers as he tells them, “ICE will come," and makes other anti-immigrant comments.The clerk, who worked at the Bucky's Mobil gas station at 1576 Washington in Naperville, was recorded on video arguing with customers.The woman who posted the video on Facebook on Tuesday wrote, “Look at this guy who didn’t want to sell us anything because we are Mexican.
Report: FTC approves roughly $5B fine for Facebook
SAN FRANCISCO — The FTC has voted to approve a fine of about $5 billion for Facebook over privacy violations, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Facebook, Instagram and other platforms back online after experiencing issues worldwide
NEW YORK -- Social media platforms were back online Wednesday evening after experiencing a bit of a meltdown earlier in the day.Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter had all experienced various issues.
Facebook plans its own currency for 2 billion-plus users
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook already rules daily communication for more than two billion people around the world.
Pres. Trump attacks social media companies after Facebook bans
STERLING, Va. — President Donald Trump criticized social media companies after Facebook banned a number of extremist figures, declaring that he was "monitoring and watching, closely!!"President Trump, who tweeted and re-tweeted complaints Friday and Saturday, said he would "monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms. " He has previously asserted that social media companies exhibit bias against conservatives, something the companies have rejected as untrue.
Facebook’s upcoming changes explained
We take a look at Facebook's big changes, including a pledge for a more private social network.
Facebook anticipates an FTC privacy fine of up to $5 billion
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said it expects a fine of up to $5 billion from the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating whether the social network violated its users' privacy.The company set aside $3 billion in its quarterly earnings report Wednesday as a contingency against the possible penalty but noted that the "matter remains unresolved."The one-time charge slashed Facebook's first-quarter net income considerably, although revenue grew by 25% in the period.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp back up after massive outage
NEW YORK -- Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were down Sunday morning, April 14.
Facebook tweaks tools for remembering dead friends
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook says it will use artificial intelligence to help find profiles of people who have died so their friends and family members won't get, for instance, painful reminders about their birthdays.The social network said Tuesday that it is also adding a "tributes" section to accounts that have been memorialized, that is, designated as belonging to someone who has died.
Facebook extends ban on hate speech to 'white nationalists'
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism.The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned white supremacists.
Facebook, Instagram suffer outages
NEW YORK — Facebook says it is aware of outages on its platforms including Facebook, Messenger and Instagram and is working to resolve the issue.According to downdector.com, which monitors websites, the outages started around 11 a.m. CDT on Wednesday in parts of the U.S., including the East and West Coast, parts of Europe and elsewhere.
Report: Facebook content moderators suffer PTSD-like symptoms due to posts they're forced to view
PHOENIX -- A report on a day in the life of Facebook's thousands of content moderators paints a very dark picture.An investigation by The Verge unveiled the dark side of being a Facebook content moderator.Moderators said they're often subjected to poor working conditions and suffer PTSD-like symptoms, as they are exposed to some of the most disturbing posts on social media on a daily basis -- like hate speech and violent attacks.The report said workers joke about self-harm, do drugs on the job, develop severe anxiety or have panic attacks due to the horrible content they're forced to view.The Verge report said most of the moderators interviewed quit after a year.In response, Facebook officials said they would implement, "A rigorous and regular compliance and audit process" for the contractors who employ people to moderate Facebook content." The social media giant's VP of global operations said the company would standardize contracts for these jobs and hold more regular and comprehensive focus groups with vendor employees.
Report: Facebook, FTC discussing 'multibillion dollar' fine
NEW YORK — A report says Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission are negotiating a "multibillion dollar" fine for the social network's privacy lapses.The Washington Post said Thursday that the fine would be the largest ever imposed on a tech company.