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Facebook bans ads with false claims about new virus

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook said Wednesday that it is banning ads that make false claims about products tied to the new coronavirus. The social network said it is removing ads that feature a product and imply a limited supply, seeking create a “sense of urgency” in their mention […]

Insider Q&A: Facebook VP of Messenger discusses privacy

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — At Facebook, Stan Chudnovsky oversees the Messenger chat app that’s used by well over 1 billion people each month. He’s playing a key role in helping Facebook integrate that app with its other chat tools, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct. The massive project has already gotten […]

Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal

By KATHLEEN FOODY Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Pezen, Carlo Licata and Nimesh Patel are among millions of people who have been tagged in Facebook photos at some point in the past decade, sometimes at the suggestion of an automated tagging feature powered by facial recognition technology. It was their Illinois addresses, though, that […]

Facebook, YouTube: Firm must stop scraping faces from sites

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer Facebook joined YouTube, Twitter and payment service Venmo on Wednesday in demanding that a facial recognition company stop harvesting user images to identify the people in them, which the startup does as part of its work with police. Facebook said it has demanded New York-based Clearview AI stop accessing […]

Facebook fights spread of misinformation about virus online

By DAVID KLEPPER The Associated Press Facebook says it’s working to limit the spread of misinformation and potentially harmful content about the coronavirus as bogus claims about the ongoing outbreak circulate online. Kang-Xing Jin, Facebook’s head of health, announced that the social media platform will begin removing posts that include false claims or conspiracy theories […]

Facebook reports 4Q profit, user growth despite challenges

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook had a strong fourth quarter, making more money on advertising and adding more users despite challenges around regulation, privacy and efforts to fight election interference. Its profit and revenue both handily surpassed Wall Street’s expectations. The company also said it settled a lawsuit filed […]

Facebook to tackle efforts to interfere with 2020 US census

By BARBARA ORTUTAY and MAE ANDERSON AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook plans to clamp down on attempts to use its services to interfere with the 2020 U.S. census, including the posting of misleading information about when and how to participate, who can participate and what happens when people do. Facebook and other […]

EU court boost for activist in Facebook data transfer fight

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — EU regulators must block tech companies from transferring data outside the bloc in cases in which privacy rules are broken, an advisor to the European Union’s top court said Thursday, in a long legal case involving an Austrian privacy campaigner and Facebook. The European Court of […]