Facebook

Zuck says ad transparency regulation would be ‘very good if it’s done well’

Zuck says ad transparency regulation would be ‘very good if it’s done well’

Despite Facebook’s effort to rapidly self-regulate in the wake of Russian interference in the U.S. election using Facebook ads, CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he would support government regulation if implemented properly. Meanwhile, Facebook elevated its expense estimates for 2018 to fund security hiring. “We’re working with Congress on legislation to make advertising more transparent. I […]

Query friends or fans with new GIF and photo Facebook Polls

Query friends or fans with new GIF and photo Facebook Polls

Facebook Questions first launched in 2010 as a Quora wannabe before shifting into lighter-weight polls, but Facebook shut down the feature in 2012. Apparently it was just ahead of its time, as Facebook went poll-crazy this year, adding them to Instagram Stories and Messenger group chat, as well as buying hit teen anonymous polling app tbh. […]

G-Ro rolls out four new smart bags

G-Ro rolls out four new smart bags

I doubt there has been a time that I’ve scrolled through Facebook and not seen the G-Ro. While this could be part of the magic of retargeting but it could also be fate because the G-Ro has been one of the biggest and most exciting changes in carry-on luggage since the rucksack. The original G-Ro’s […]

Here’s how Russia targeted its fake Facebook ads and how those ads performed

Here’s how Russia targeted its fake Facebook ads and how those ads performed

It’s impossible to know just how much stuff being circulated on social networks is Russian state content in sheep’s clothing, although tech companies are scrambling to figure that out. Now, thanks to Congress, we just got a rare peek behind the curtain of how Facebook’s ad operations were manipulated by a foreign power to foment […]

Congress grills Facebook, Twitter, Google on shells hiding election meddlers

Congress grills Facebook, Twitter, Google on shells hiding election meddlers

How can internet giants know that innocent-seeming U.S. companies aren’t actually shell vehicles for malicious foreign actors to buy ads to interfere with elections? The short answer is they can’t, and that drew questioning from a Congressional probe today into Facebook, Twitter and Google being used to manipulate the 2016 presidential election. The hearing saw […]

Antisocial media?

Antisocial media?

As Facebook finds itself publicly on the hook for enabling Russian agents to spread divisive propaganda via its platform, be it in the form of fake news, ‘dark ads‘, issue pushing Facebook pages, and even political rallies organized using its Event tools, there’s another side to the story of how tech tools are impacting the democratic process […]

You can now PayPal friends in Messenger and get help via chat

You can now PayPal friends in Messenger and get help via chat

PayPal users in the U.S. will now be able to send and receive person-to-person payments over Facebook Messenger, the company announced this morning. The deeper integration with Messenger’s platform, which will also include PayPal’s first customer service bot for handling customer questions and requests for help, follows a series of tie-ups between the two companies. […]

Facebook attacks Pinterest with ‘Sets’ of posts

Facebook attacks Pinterest with ‘Sets’ of posts

Identity is prismatic. You show different sides of yourself to different friends in your life. Now Facebook wants to let you share the niches of your interests while stealing thunder from Pinterest’s boards. Facebook is now testing a feature called Sets that lets you select several status updates, photos or videos and share them as a […]

Facebook’s response to Russian election interference: ‘Bad things happen’

Facebook’s response to Russian election interference: ‘Bad things happen’

Facebook has come under fire for its role in influencing the U.S. presidential election, particularly when it comes to “fake news” and Russian-sponsored ads.  When asked about this at WSJ D.Live in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, Facebook VP David Marcus at first deflected, talking at length about all the positive impacts that the social media […]