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Facebook hits back at accusations claiming it ignored platform-wide issues

Facebook is pushing back against claims made by The Wall Street Journal, describing the content of the reports as “deliberate mischaracterizations” and “conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook’s leadership and employees.” It’s becoming a lot more difficult for people to believe that Facebook is contributing more good than harm, after The Wall Street Journal published […]

Facebook is aware of its harm to teenagers, company documents find

Facebook is under renewed scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal published a report on Tuesday revealing that the tech giant’s own research on Instagram has found that the photo-sharing app it also owns, causes major harm to teenage girls. Apparently, Facebook is fully conscious of the harm its causing, but it’s choosing to stay silent. […]

Facebook rolls out Marketplace service across Sub-Saharan Africa

Facebook announced on Tuesday the launch of its Marketplace service to 37 countries and territories across Sub-Saharan Africa. The service is considered as a convenient destination where people can discover, buy, and sell items from others in their local communities, simply by tapping on the Marketplace icon to browse and search for items, or filter […]

Facebook shuts down yet another research project into its algorithms

AlgorithmWatch, a Berlin-based non-profit organization exploring Instagram’s algorithm and data sets, got “bullied” by Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, into seizing the project and erasing the data it collected. In a blog post published on Friday, AlgorithmWatch researchers explained that they’re “committed to evaluating and shedding light on algorithmic decision-making processes that have social relevance.” The […]

Facebook announces new security measures to protect Afghani users

Facebook announced on Thursday new security measures for users in Afghanistan, as the Taliban regained control over the country after its government collapsed this week. “We’ve launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account. When their profile is locked, people who aren’t their friends can’t download or share their […]

FTC calls to break up Facebook, reviving antitrust lawsuit

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) refiled its antitrust lawsuit against Facebook on Thursday, demanding that the judge forces the tech giant to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.  The new case comes after Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia notified the FTC in June that the original lawsuit filed in December against Facebook, failed […]

Despite seizing power, Taliban is still banned from Facebook

The Taliban’s content will remain banned on Facebook, the company confirmed to Sky News on Tuesday, as the group is considered a dangerous terrorist organization under the site’s policies. The Taliban seized power over Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. war with the country ended. However, the organization is listed under a Specially Designated […]

Google and Facebook's new cable to link Japan and South-east Asia

Alphabet’s Google and Facebook announced their participation in a new subsea cable system for 2024 set to improve Internet connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region. The project, called “Apricot,” plans to lay 12,000 km (7,456 miles) of cable connecting Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, according to a press release from Google on Monday. […]

Facebook removes anti-vax Russian disinformation campaigns

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it has removed 65 and 243 Facebook and Instagram accounts respectively that were involved in anti-vax disinformation campaigns operating from Russia.  The Big Tech company highlighted in its report that accounts originated in Russia targeted audiences primarily in India, Latin America, and to a lesser extent, the U.S.   Facebook’s investigation found links between this campaign and Fazze, a subsidiary of a U.K-registered marketing firm AdNow, whose operations were […]