Facebook shut down 168 pages, accounts, Groups, Pages, and Instagram accounts in the UK and Romania engaging in “inauthentic behavior.”
Facebook and Privacy, Guy Kawasaki – TMO Daily Observations 2019-03-07
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Facebook’s latest “privacy” stance and a new interview with Guy Kawasaki. Plus Kelly completely forgets about PayPal.
That Ominous Figure in the Corner of Your Digital Living Room is Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be your “digital living room” where you can privately share your thoughts, messages, and photos of your kids that the company will use for advertising purposes. Which was a topic left out of his essay on his new “privacy-focused vision.”
I understand that many people don’t think Facebook can or would even want to build this kind of privacy-focused platform — because frankly we don’t currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services, and we’ve historically focused on tools for more open sharing. But we’ve repeatedly shown that we can evolve to build the services that people really want, including in private messaging and stories.
Facebook Messenger on iOS Gets Dark Mode
The latest version of Facebook Messenger for iOS now has Dark Mode, but you don’t switch it on in the way you might expect.
New York Investigates iOS Apps Sharing Data With Facebook
Additionally, on Thursday Ireland’s privacy regulator has 10 open investigations trying to figure out if Facebook violated GDPR.
Barry Diller on Netflix, Facebook's Latest Data Kerfuffle – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-22
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Barry Diller’s backward stance on Netflix, and (say it with me) Facebook’s latest user data kerfuffle.
Facebook Shuts Down Onavo Spyware...We Think
Facebook is shutting down its Onavo spyware VPN and associated “research” app. That is, if you believe anything Facebook says.
To preempt any more scandals around Onavo and the Facebook Research app and avoid Google stepping in to forcibly block the apps, Facebook is now taking Onavo off the Play Store and stopping recruitment of Research testers. That’s a surprising voluntary move that perhaps shows Facebook is finally getting in tune with the public perception of its shady actions.
Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. Not with Facebook blaming users when it screws them over.
Advice to 1999 Apple Customers, Facebook Tomfoolery – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-20
Host Kelly Guimont chats with John Martellaro and Andrew Orr about advice to Mac users 20 years ago, and the latest in Facebook tomfoolery.
Facebook Blames Users for Expectation of Privacy
Facebook blames users because we shouldn’t have an expectation of privacy when it comes to Facebook groups.
Instagram Fundraisers Want Your Credit Card Information
Instagram Fundraisers will let you easily donate to non-profit organizations on the platform. It’s also a way for Facebook to get its hands on your credit card information.
New code and imagery dug out of Instagram’s Android app reveals how the Fundraiser stickers will allow you to search for nonprofits and add a Donate button for them to your Instagram Story. After you’ve donated to something once, Instagram could offer instant checkout on stuff you want to buy using the same payment details.
Facebook tried to get banks to give up your data, but now it will have to settle for this instead.
Apple's Post-iPhone Era, Facebook vs UK Lawmakers – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-18
Kelly Guimont chats with Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry about Augmented Reality as Apple’s future, and the UK putting Facebook on blast.
Facebook Might Remove Anti-Vaxxer Content
Advertisements on Facebook promoted by anti-vaxxer organizations have been specifically targeting pregnant women.
Facebook Lets You Search for Photos of Your Female Friends
Matthew Hughes writes about how Facebook lets you search for photos of your female friends, but not your male friends. Not that you should creep on guys either, though.
Facebook lets you search for photos of your female friends, but refuses to play dice if you want to look up pictures of your male friends. The bizarre find was discovered this weekend by notorious Belgian white-hat hacker Inti De Ceukelaire.
Every time I ask myself, “Can Facebook get any more toxic?” The answer is YES. It’s as if Mark Zuckerberg is competing to be the Worst Person in America.
Sorry, Facebook Messenger Decryption is Secret
Yesterday a U.S. judge ruled that a secret government effort to compel Facebook to decrypt Messenger voice conversations won’t be revealed.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the public’s right to know the state of the law on encryption outweighed any reason the U.S. Justice Department might have for protecting a criminal probe or law-enforcement method.
One word: PRISM.
To No One's Surprise, Other Companies Exploit Apple's Enterprise Program
Facebook and Google aren’t the only companies exploiting Apple’s Enterprise program. Another investigation by TechCrunch adds porn and gambling apps to the list.
Facebook Got its Apple Enterprise Certificates Back After Rule Violation
Facebook had its enterprise certificates restored by Apple. They had been revoked following the exposure of rule violations.
Apple Revoked Google Enterprise Certificates
Apple followed up on its revocation of Facebook’s enterprise certificates by revoking Google’s for an app that violated App Store rules.
Facebook Developer Violations, iPhone Hacking in the UAE– TMO Daily Observations 2019-01-31
Host Kelly Guimont talks to Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin about Apple updating Facebook’s frenemy status and iPhone hacking in the UAE.
Facebook Research Broke the Rules. Now it Faces the Consequences
Casey Newton wrote a defense of Facebook/attack of Apple, because of the Facebook Research app that got banned.
But for all the attention we’re paying to Facebook’s moves here, I hope we spare at least as much for Apple. If Tim Cook can wreak this much havoc on Facebook’s day, however justified, just imagine what power Apple holds over the rest of us.
That power is App Store rules, which Facebook willfully ignored. We should be glad that big companies have to follow the same rules as small companies. If you’re a Facebook employee unable to use internal apps, don’t be mad at Apple. Instead, be mad at your employer who was willing to throw it all away in order to take advantage of children.
Apple Banned Facebook App That Spied on Kids as Young as 13
A Facebook app called Facebook Research was banned from iOS following the revelation it spied on children as young as 13-years-old.
Sir Nick Clegg: Facebook to Create Fake News 'War Room' for EU Elections
In his first major speech at Facebook, Sir Nick Clegg said the firm will create a “War Room” to tackle misinformation in the EU elections.
This Weird Trick Will Make Five Eyes Countries Hate You
Michael Grothaus argues that it’s the perfect time for Android iMessage thanks to Facebook’s plans to unify its messaging apps.
The iPhone maker’s messaging app is widely regarded as one of the best messaging apps ever, thanks to its clean, simple design, its ability to send and receive both encrypted iMessages and regular SMS text messages in the same interface, and its end-to-end encryption.
It’s not the first time this has been suggested, but I think Android iMessage would be great for users. We need an end-to-end encrypted messaging app from a company with a better track record than Facebook.
UK Health Secretary: Government Could Ban Social Media
Matt Hancock warned social media firms the UK government would legislate, or even ban them, if they did not take action on harmful content following the death of 17-year-old Molly Russell.
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram to be Integrated
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zucerkberg plans to integrate Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and, Instagram. A detailed report in the New York Times said that the move could happen at the end of 2019 or 2020. Mr. Zuckerberg reportedly wants all the services to use end-to-end encryption. It would mean that a user with a Messenger account, could send an encrypted message to a user with just a WhatsApp account, for instance.
By stitching the apps’ infrastructure together, Mr. Zuckerberg wants to increase the utility of the social network, keeping its billions of users highly engaged inside its ecosystem. If people turn more regularly to Facebook-owned properties for texting, they may forgo rival messaging services, such as those from Apple and Google, said the people, who declined to be identified because the moves are confidential. If users interact more frequently with Facebook’s apps, the company may also be able to build up its advertising business or add new services to make money, they said.