Facebook has launched legal action against a software developer in Istanbul who’s been running a range of Instagram ‘viewer’ sites, for which he essentially scrapes user data from Instagram, then republishes the content on these alternate platforms. The developer then generates income by running ads on these clone sites. It seems like a pretty open and shut … Read more
Facebook’s facilitation and amplification of both hate speech and misinformation has been a key topic of focus over the past four years, but even more so within the chaos of 2020. COVID-19, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the US Presidential election have all, in their own ways, underlined the role that Facebook can play in amplifying … Read more
With a COVID-19 vaccine nearing release, the major tech platforms have agreed to partner on a new program, in conjunction with fact-checking organizations, in order to formulate new, improved approaches to combatting vaccine misinformation. As reported by BBC: “Taking part in the effort alongside Facebook, Google-owned YouTube and Twitter are the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media … Read more
While 2020 hasn’t played out as anybody would have planned, or hoped for, there are still various opportunities for seasonal and event tie-ins that can help boost your promotions, especially coming into the last two months of the year. And while Twitter’s monthly event calendars are looking a little less full as a result of COVID-19, they … Read more
In another important step in Facebook’s ongoing efforts to become the critical tech infrastructure element in the emerging Indian market, the Indian Government has this week approved an expansion of payments within WhatsApp, opening the door for the next stage of Facebook’s eCommerce push. As reported by TechCrunch: “National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the body that operates … Read more
For the last four years, the 2020 US Election has been projected as the ultimate test of social media networks and their capacity to respond to allegations of mass manipulation, foreign interference, fake news, and more. Facebook and Twitter, in particular, have worked to add in a range of new measures and tools to better … Read more
As Facebook works to manage the ongoing tension and confusion around the US election, it seems that something may have gone awry within its ad processing systems, which has caused some major headaches for marketers over the past 24 hours. In the afternoon yesterday (US time), Facebook acknowledged that a high number of advertisers were ‘experiencing issues with … Read more
The Federal Trade Commission has announced an official settlement with video conferencing platform Zoom over false claims relating to Zoom’s security measures made earlier this year. As explained by the FTC: “Since at least 2016, Zoom misled users by touting that it offered “end-to-end, 256-bit encryption” to secure users’ communications, when in fact it provided a lower level … Read more
Diwali begins this week, and to help users take part in what will be a mostly remote celebration in 2020, Instagram has added some new features designed around the key themes of the event. First off, Instagram’s adding a new AR effect to help ‘Share Your Light’. As you can see here, the AR overlay places a … Read more
Facebook has announced a group of 20 start-ups that will take part in its new Facebook Accelerator: Connectivity program which aims to explore new ways to maximize internet connectivity in more regions. As explained by Facebook: “The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the hard truth of the digital divide and the critical need for reliable, affordable internet connectivity. The … Read more