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Tag: facebook

  • Facebook is trying to replace TikTok with new Reels

    Facebook is trying to replace TikTok with new Reels

    When Meta accused Apple of costing the company ten billion dollars a few weeks back, Facebook had also shared some of its growth plans for the coming future. Part of its ten billion-dollar restructuring strategy, Zuckerberg stated, included initiating a “transition on our own services towards short-form video like Reels.”
    This also includes a global launch of Facebook’s own version of Reels, as Meta observed TikTok’s viral success and shifts its focus on promoting similar content. Facebook had recently been trialing “Facebook Reels” with multiple users on the platform, as well as promoting cross-platform video sharing to garner wider interest in this type of content and test the waters. Starting today, Reels is officially becoming its own standalone feature on Facebook, and is rolling out to at least 150 countries over the coming weeks.
    Zuckerberg made the announcement in a Facebook post earlier today: “Reels is already our fastest-growing content format by far, and today we’re making it available to everyone on Facebook globally. We want Facebook Reels to be the best place for creators to connect with their community and make a living, so we’re launching new monetization tools, too.”
    The Reels will begin appearing for everyone right at the top of Facebook users’ Feed. Facebook Stories—another feature stolen off Instagram—will be able to be converted into Reels, and vice versa: Reels will be able to be shared as part of Stories.
    Facebook Reels are also set to become a promoted category on Facebook Watch as well as, surprisingly, Facebook Groups. Users will additionally be shown individually recommended Reels, which the company caters to according to people’s personal taste. In short, Facebook will push the new Facebook Reels to feature quite literally everywhere across the platform.
    To create a financial incentive for bigger creators to focus on Reels, Facebook is also paying up to $35,000 per month to select creators to pump out more Reels content. That particular bonus program has been around ever since Facebook began seriously testing Reels, and is part of the company’s billion-dollar creative investment pledge it made back in July 2021.
  • Facebook Messenger gets a Split Payment option as well as controls for voice message recordings

    Facebook Messenger gets a Split Payment option as well as controls for voice message recordings

    Meta is introducing a few new changes to the Facebook Messenger app. In a blog post, Meta announced that it is increasing the duration of voice messages to 30 minutes, compared to the previous 1-minute duration, and that Vanish Mode, the feature that allows you to send messages that are immediately erased once they are read, should be available everywhere now.

    Meta also introduces two new features to the Messenger app: Split Payments option, which currently would be only available in the US, and voice message recording controls.

    Split Payments enables you to distribute the payment amount among every person in the group, or as Meta said, “split your bill evenly.” The new feature is available on iOS and Android, but only in the US.

    If you are in the US and want to use the new Split Payments feature, go to a group chat and tap the + icon. Then choose the payments tab and tap the “Get started” button. After that, select the payment amount, enter a personalized message, then confirm and submit the payment request.

    Also, according to Meta, if some of your friends in the group don’t have Split Payments set up, they may quickly add their payment information in order to send and receive money.

    Meta introduces the ability to pause, preview, delete or continue recording a voice message before you send it to your friend. Previously, you could only record an audio message and send it without the ability to preview it.

    As we can see from the snapshot below, the controls for the recording will appear as a soundbar illustration on which you can slide your finger in order to hear your recording. The “Pause” and “Resume recording” controls are located on the left and right sides of the soundbar, respectively, and the “Delete” and “Send” buttons are beneath the soundbar illustration.

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  • The Australian Federal Court rejects Facebook’s argument that it couldn’t be sued

    The Australian Federal Court rejects Facebook’s argument that it couldn’t be sued

    There has been a new development regarding an Australian case against Facebook and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the personal data of millions of people was collected without their consent. The Australian Federal Court rejected Facebook’s argument that it can’t be sued under Australian privacy laws since it doesn’t do business or collect personal information in Australia.

    The court’s opinion is that Facebook does business in Australia because it installs cookies on the devices of Australian users. This, according to the court, is ‘an important part of the operation of the Facebook platform.’ Also, according to the court, any website accessible in Australia is doing business in the country.

    But, according to Facebook, a cookie isn’t installed where it was placed but where it was sent from. Given that Facebook’s servers aren’t located in Australia, it means that Facebook doesn’t do business there. Facebook also explained that its data centers had delivered digital signals to user devices, which had resulted in a change in the digital status of those devices.

    The company also gave an example in which a person from overseas sends a letter to Australia. Upon receiving the letter, the reader decides to take action that has an economic impact. This could never be interpreted as the sender doing business in Australia.

    According to the court, Facebook’s explanation ‘proves far too much,’ and is ‘divorced from reality.’ The court also stated: “It proves too much because it has the consequence that no computer-based activity in one jurisdiction can ever amount to more than an effect in computers located in another.”

    The lawsuit against Facebook originated from the violation of the privacy of many Australian Facebook users in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which happened more than four years ago.

    By using a personality test app called “This is Your Digital Life,” a consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica gained access to the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their permission. Although only 53 people in Australia had the app installed, the app managed to collect the data of approximately 311,074 other people in the country via these 53. The gathered information from the app was then used mainly for political advertising, like the Brexit and Donald Trump campaigns.

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  • Meta warns that it’s possible to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe

    Meta warns that it’s possible to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe

    Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has warned that it may need to shut down its Facebook, Instagram, and other products and services in Europe if it is unable to process user data on both US-based and Europe-based servers. The warning comes after a change in European laws requiring users’ data to be kept and processed on only European servers.

    In a report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Meta stated that the data transfer between countries or regions is ‘critical’ to its ‘operation.’ Meta also shared its fear that if it’s unable to transfer data between the US and countries in Europe, it could impact the way it currently provides its services and its ability to target ads.

    Europe has Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international data transfers. As Meta stated in its report, in August 2020, it received a draft decision from the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), which stated that Meta’s data transfers between the US and Europe are against the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and must be suspended.

    Although the decision by the IDPC was only a draft, Meta suspects that a final decision may be issued in the first half of 2022. According to the company, if it can’t rely anymore on the SCCs and if a new data transfer framework is not introduced, its fear will become a reality, and it won’t be able to offer many of its products in Europe, Facebook and Instagram included. This, like Meta said, ‘would materially and adversely affect’ its business and financial condition.

    At this moment in time, Meta’s warning is only a possible future, and it doesn’t mean it will ever happen. But let us know what you think. Do you think that Meta may indeed shut off its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Europe, or do you think that these are only empty words?

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  • Facebook stock takes historic dive, after Zuckerberg claims Apple cost him $10B

    Facebook stock takes historic dive, after Zuckerberg claims Apple cost him $10B

    Facebook’s parent company Meta is currently undergoing one of the biggest stock price drops in the company’s history. Meta’s shares plummeted by more than 23% over the past 24 hours—which will ultimately result in Meta’s market cap crashing down by $210 billion, to about $689 billion.

    This comes as a direct result of Mark Zuckerberg’s disappointing earnings report on Wednesday evening, which revealed that the company had fallen below its projected earnings estimates for the last quarter of 2021. As a consequence, the company is forecasting another low-earning quarter in 2022.

    According to Zuckerberg’s lengthy post, Apple is largely to blame for the blow to the company’s revenue.

    He directly called out Apple and its App Tracking Transparency policy in his report, claiming that the tech giant’s privacy-friendly update in iOS 14.5 is going to end up costing Meta $10 billion, as the company is currently rebuilding its entire ad infrastructure in order to better target iOS users going forward.

    “Next up is ads,” Zuckerberg began. “With Apple’s iOS changes and new regulation in Europe, there’s a clear trend where less data is available to deliver personalized ads.”

    “But people still want to see relevant ads,” he continued, “and businesses still want to reach the right customers. So we’re rebuilding a lot of our ads infrastructure so we can continue to grow and deliver high-quality personalized ads.”

    As part of this restructuring process, Meta has announced that it will be an increasing focus on Instagram Reels—which have been becoming increasingly popular with users’ decreasing attention spans—as well as other investments that may prove profitable in the long run. A huge part of that is Meta’s grand plans to revolutionize the internet by introducing the Metaverse.

    Zuckerberg also revealed that for the first time in history, Facebook has seen a visible decline of active users on the platform during the fourth quarter of 2021. Yet the company is holding on to the hope that things will take a turn for the better with the new ad infrastructure, as well as project Metaverse.

  • Google, Facebook CEOs sign off on illegal ad deal

    Google, Facebook CEOs sign off on illegal ad deal

    Sundar Pichai and  Mark Zuckerberg, the CEOs of Google and Facebook respectively, allegedly signed off a secret and illegal ad deal according to BuzzFeed. As a result, Facebook was given “information, speed, and other advantages” during auctions for ad space run by Google. Yesterday, unredacted court documents revealed the involvement of the two CEOs in the deal.

    The documents are from a complaint originated by Texas and other states in December 2020 that accused Google of committing “false, deceptive, or misleading acts” while running its buy-and-sell auction system for digital ads. The complaint states that Google teamed up with Facebook in 2018 that Google called “Jedi Blue,” a name that riffs on the Star Wars movie franchise.

    Facebook unnerved Google by promoting a method called “header bidding” that was a threat to Google. With “header bidding,” publishers offer inventory to multiple ad exchanges before calling their ad servers. By hiking demand for limited inventory, publishers make more money.

    According to the complaint that was released on Friday, “Google understood the severity of the threat to its position if Facebook were to enter the market and support header bidding. To diffuse this threat, Google made overtures to Facebook.” The deal was made at the highest level of both companies and the complaint notes that “Google CEO Sundar Pichai also personally signed off on the terms of the deal.”

    The complaint also revealed that Facebook CEO Zuckerberg wanted to meet with the company’s COO Sheryl Sandberg before making a decision. While employees’ names were redacted in the court documents, their titles weren’t.

    Both Google and Facebook are under pressure for using anti-competitive methods. Google says that the lawsuit isn’t accurate, and company spokesperson Peter Schottenfels said, “We sign hundreds of agreements every year that don’t require CEO approval, and this was no different. And contrary to AG Paxton’s claims, the fact of this agreement was never a secret — it was well-publicized. It simply enables FAN [Facebook Audience Network] and the advertisers it represents to participate in Open Bidding, just like over 25 other partners do.”

    Facebook’s corporate parent Meta agreed with Google that the deal between the two tech giants did not call for Facebook to receive any particular advantages that other companies were not being given. “Meta’s non-exclusive bidding agreement with Google and the similar agreements we have with other bidding platforms, have helped to increase competition for ad placements,” said Meta spokesperson Stephen Peters. “These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers while fairly compensating publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all.”

    As you might have expected, Google is planning to ask a judge to toss the case. Both Google and Facebook have been under fire from lawmakers for antitrust issues. Last summer, bills were introduced in Congress with lawmakers worried that firms like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple were using their dominance in businesses like online shopping, search, and entertainment in order to crush their competition.

    Additionally, Congress is concerned that these firms are making acquisitions that never should have received approval from antitrust regulatory agencies. As a result, there has been a call in Washington D.C. to force tech giants to break up into smaller companies.

    Last year, the filing fees imposed on transactions valued at over $1 billion rose while the same fees for transactions valued at less than $500,000 would decrease. The idea is to give tech giants the incentive to purchase smaller firms instead of larger ones. In addition, the higher fees are expected to generate $135 million for antitrust enforcement agencies in its first year.

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  • The FTC’s attempts at splitting up Meta are continuing

    The FTC’s attempts at splitting up Meta are continuing

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been trying to break up Meta for quite some time now, due to alleged anti-competitive practices the company did: pretty much, the act of buying rising possible competitors Instagram and WhatsApp has been considered as anticompetitive by the FTC. It had filed a lawsuit last year, and the “amended and more detailed” version of it was now allowed to proceed.

    The documentation provided by CNN’s Brian Fung shows that the social media giant has again tried to dismiss the case; however, the judge didn’t agree with its argument and allowed the case to move forward.

    This lawsuit was initially filed back in December of 2020, and it indeed accused the social media giant of anti-competitive practices. According to the complaint, Facebook violated antitrust regulations with the purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp (which have been rising rivals to it) in an attempt to eliminate possible competition.

    Back in June, the complaint was dismissed by a federal court, and the main reason for this decision was the lack of evidence that Facebook is indeed a monopoly in its market. Despite the dismissal though, the FTC went ahead with a 3-2 vote to refile the complaint.

    As many of you may have probably heard so far, many regulators (not only in the United States but in Europe as well) have been scrutinizing tech giants for at least a couple of years now. The reason: supposed anti-competitive practices. And it’s not only Facebook but Google, as well as Apple, that have been under the radar of antitrust entities.

    Many of these antitrust regulations, research, proposals, or lawsuits are continuing for years. In some of the cases, tech giants have been found to behave in an anti-competitive manner, and of course, fined by commissions quite heavily.

    One of the more recent cases was involving Google vs the EU court, and the Mountain View tech giant ended up having to pay a fine of $2.8 billion. In this particular case, the fine was due to the fact Google had paid phone makers to have Google Search pre-installed on Android phones.

    Additionally, back in July, Google was ruled to stand trial for recording and disseminating private conversations of people who accidentally activated Google Assistant.

    On the other hand, both Apple and Google are currently being investigated for their alleged monopoly by a UK watchdog. In this case, we are talking about the mobile operating systems Android and iOS; for which the two companies have been alleged to hold a monopolistic position on the global market.

    Facebook is one of the big tech companies that US regulators are looking to split up, but it is not the only one. The effort to empower healthy competition (at least, according to the US regulators) could end up affecting all four big companies (Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon), and any of these might have to go against similar complaints that we have reported on above. This means that technically, US regulators might try to split up Amazon, Google, and Apple.

    Back in June last year, five bills were introduced aimed at these four tech giants, because of their domination in online shopping, search dominance, and entertainment. Basically, anti-trust practices. All of this comes to say that these tech companies have been having quite a hard time with regulators across the globe for their alleged monopolies over the mobile (or generally the tech) market.

    In summary, the tech giants are facing scrutiny all over the world. Australia and India have also aimed laws at reducing their monopolistic power.

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  • Meta’s Privacy Center enables Facebook users to learn more about their privacy settings

    Meta’s Privacy Center enables Facebook users to learn more about their privacy settings

    Meta has announced the Privacy Center, its latest feature where users of services like Facebook can learn how Meta collects their private information. In the Privacy Center, users will also be able to read Meta’s Data Policy and get additional information on how to use the privacy and security controls of the service. Furthermore, the Privacy Center will become Meta’s hub for all privacy and security settings the company has introduced over the years.

    Currently, the Privacy Center has five modules, and each of these modules offers guides and controls for a related privacy matter.

    The five modules are:

    • Security: For setting up two-factor authentication, updating other security settings, and getting additional information about your safety.
    • Sharing: For finding information on how to change the settings for your posts and how to use the Manage Activity tool.
    • Collection: For additional information on what data Meta collects and how to use tools like Access Your Information.
    • Use: For managing and receiving extra information about how Meta uses your data.
    • Ads: For managing the displayed ads through controls like Ad Preferences and for learning how the service decides what ads to show.

    At the moment, the Privacy Center is available only on the desktop version of Facebook to a limited number of users in the US. In the future, the Privacy Center will be accessible on the mobile version of Facebook as well. Meta also announced that it’s planning to roll out the Privacy Center to more users and to more of its apps. Although the Privacy Center currently has five modules, Meta will continue to add more modules and controls to it with time.

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  • The French data regulator fines Google and Facebook a total of $238 million

    The French data regulator fines Google and Facebook a total of $238 million

    Google and Meta, formerly known as Facebook, must now pay a $238 million combined fine to France. CNIL, France’s data regulator, fined both companies because they violated the EU’s privacy rules. Both tech giants have made it easier for users to accept cookies on their websites, but they have not made it as simple for users to reject the tracking cookies.

    CNIL stated that the sites: facebook.com, google.fr, and youtube.com offer immediate acceptance for tracking cookies only by tapping a button. However, these websites don’t offer a similar button for rejecting the cookies. Instead, they made it more difficult for users to refuse to be tracked by the websites.

    Making it easier to accept cookies than to refuse them, according to the CNIL’s restricted committee, affects the user’s freedom of consent. When a user visits a website, they want to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. By making the acceptance of the cookies easier than the refusal, Google and Meta influence the choice of the user in favor of consent.

    CNIL fined Google €150 million ($170 million) and Meta €60 million ($68 million). In addition to the fines, CNIL mandated that Google and Meta provide a way for French users to reject tracking cookies as easily as they would accept them. Both companies were given three months to comply with the mandate. If they do not comply with the order, both companies will have to pay 100 000 euros ($113 000) per day as a penalty.

    In a statement, Google said, “People trust us to respect their right to privacy and keep them safe. We understand our responsibility to protect that trust and are committing to further changes and active work with the CNIL in light of this decision under the ePrivacy Directive.”

    Meta also made a statement according to the CNIL’s decision, saying, “We are reviewing the authority’s decision and remain committed to working with relevant authorities. Our cookie consent controls provide people with greater control over their data, including a new settings menu on Facebook and Instagram where people can revisit and manage their decisions at any time, and we continue to develop and improve these controls.”

    The CNIL, France’s National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, is in charge of ensuring that the data privacy law is followed in the use of personal data in France.

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  • Phishing attacks are deceiving Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp users

    Phishing attacks are deceiving Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp users

    In an attempt to stop ongoing phishing attacks, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, filed a federal lawsuit in California court. Meta says that the attackers were trying to steal the login credentials of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp users.

    The attackers created fake login pages that looked like Meta’s social media platforms to obtain Meta’s users’ login credentials. The goal was to deceive the users into entering their credentials, like usernames and passwords.

    Here’s what Jessica Romero, Meta’s director of platform and litigation, said about the phishing scheme: “Reports of phishing attacks have been on the rise across the industry, and we are taking this action to uncover the identities of the people behind the attack and stop their harmful conduct.”

    According to Meta’s lawsuit blog post, the phishing scam included more than 39,000 fake websites. In order to mask their attack, the deceivers used a relay service that redirected the internet traffic to their phishing pages while simultaneously concealing their real location and identities. The relay service also masked the online hosting providers of the defendants.

    In a statement about the case, Meta noted that phishing assaults have increased since March and that Meta has suspended thousands of URLs to such phishing sites. Although Meta doesn’t know who made the phishing sites, the lawsuit, according to Meta, is another step in its actions to protect people’s safety and privacy. The filed lawsuit by Meta shows the position of the company against those trying to abuse its platforms.

    In its blog post about the lawsuit, Meta stated that it would continue to fight the phishing attacks that try to deceive its customers and that it shares the phishing sites with other platforms so that they can block the attackers as well.

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  • Major new features coming to Meta’s Portal smart display

    Major new features coming to Meta’s Portal smart display

    The Portal smart display has been updated quite a few times with new features. After rebranding itself from Facebook to Meta, the social network has decided to turn its attention to the device once again.

    Earlier today, Meta announced that it has added new ways for Portal owners to use Facebook Assistant on the device. A new ability to let the Portal capture a moment during a Messenger call is now available for users, and the best thing is that it can be used hands-free by saying “Hey Portal, take a photo.”

    The update also adds the Alexa touch interface, which allows users to manage smart home devices, routines, alarms, music, smart doorbells and more by touch or directly from the Alexa app.

    As mentioned earlier, Meta is now rolling out new ways for users to stay connected with their Facebook friends on Portal, hands-free. Facebook Assistant can pull up a friend’s profile or recent posts. Portal owners can now say “Hey Portal, show me Stories” or ask about recent posts, responses and photos.

    Meta is adding group AR Effects that let people on a Messenger call to experience the same effects at the same time. Additionally, three new augmented reality games will be available for Portal owners via Facebook Assistant: Quizbee, Sequencer, and Port-a-Pet.

    Furthermore, Meta announced that starting today support for Microsoft Teams will be available on Portal, Portal+ and Portal Go. Finally, later this month, ESPN will expand from Portal TV to include Portal, Portal+ and Portal Go in the United States.

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  • Microsoft to partner with Samsung over HoloLens 3 development

    Microsoft to partner with Samsung over HoloLens 3 development

    This summer, Samsung has apparently entered into a partnership with Microsoft over its HoloLens augmented reality project, and the two companies are expected to work on the next generation of the VR headgear for at least two years.

    Microsoft already has a strong partnership with Samsung over preinstalled Office Mobile and other apps on the handsets of the world’s largest phone maker, so taking advantage of its hardware expertise could only be beneficial, too.

    Back in March, Samsung reportedly assembled a task force to probe the viability of the HoloLens partnership, involving multiple departments and has subsequently been given the green light to take on the challenge to be Microsoft’s AT/VR gear maker.

    Commercialization of Microsoft’s HoloLens wearable that takes advantage of Samsung’s engineering prowess will happen after the end of the development contract, in 2024, report the insiders. Samsung’s purchase of AR company DigiLens, along with its display expertise may be what prompted Microsoft to partner with it over the next HoloLens endeavor.

    DigiLens was known for its waveguide technology “used to bend the light from the video playing on a display to the glasses, which is transparent in AR display devices as users need to see the real surrounding around them simultaneously with the virtual items on display.”

    This strongly suggests that the HoloLens 3 may be conceived as a direct answer to the purported Apple Glasses AR/VR headset which is expected to land as soon as next year. Microsoft sold about 200,000 HoloLens 2 devices this year, and it will have to pour a lot of resources to make the third edition stand out as not only Apple, but also Facebook’s Meta, are expected to release their own augmented reality contraptions very soon.

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  • Dark mode, new voice effects coming to Messenger Kids

    Dark mode, new voice effects coming to Messenger Kids

    One of the most requested features for mobile apps, dark mode is finally coming to Messenger Kids. Since the app’s audience isn’t as large as the main app, Facebook took its time to make it available to its users.

    Although kids can’t really complain, Messenger had decided to throw in a couple of additional features to go along with the dark mode. For starters, new voice effects can be added to audio messages. Also, kids can now start games from within their chat thread.

    The dark mode feature, which is only available on iOS devices (Android coming soon), can be turned on and off from the Messenger Kids app settings. Also, the phone’s settings can be used to automatically change how Messenger Kids looks.

    To add voice effects to voice message, simply tap on the “voice” mic icon, press and hold to record a message, then choose from five different options to change your voice to sound like you’re talking into a seashell, or like a robot, ghost, gorilla or mouse. Just like dark mode, this feature is only available on iOS devices for now.

    The ability to start games from within a chat thread allows kids to play two-player games without having to leave the chat thread and go to the Explore tab to pick a game. Once again, the ability for kids to start two-player games from within Messenger chat threads is only available for iOS users.

  • Facebook opens its first pop-up store in Hong Kong

    Facebook opens its first pop-up store in Hong Kong

    Facebook has opened doors to its first pop-up store in Hong Kong to educate consumers on how to personalize their Facebook experience and unlock exciting possibilities while maintaining their online privacy and safety. From December 3 to 7, Preface Coffee & Wine in Central, the F&B and lifestyle concept space, will be transformed into a temporary “Facebook home” to showcase the true benefits of technology and demonstrate the different ways users can personalize their Facebook – the way they want it – through digital experience and AR filters.

    Inspired by the way people customize their homes, Facebook last week launched “Your Profile, Your  Home” a digital consumer experience to educate people on Facebook settings that enable personalization, and to reinforce Facebook’s commitment to protecting the privacy and safety of users.

    Along with Preface Coding, Facebook has transformed Preface Coffee & Wine (Central) into a pop-up store that showcases the app’s privacy control and settings. With the tagline “What makes a perfect home?”, the pop-up store is set to be the newest Instagrammable spot in Central. Renowned local celebrity Alfred Hui attended the kick-off event to demonstrate the customizable settings.

    From December 3 to 7, anyone can visit the “Your Profile, Your Home” pop-up store and play with two fun and interactive AR filters developed by Preface Coding, including photo-taking with an avatar of Alfred Hui. Visitors can also immerse themselves in the “Your Profile, Your Home” digital experience, in which they’ll have tools to build and design their very own home as they explore the exciting possibilities of personalization on Facebook. Visitors can test their knowledge of Facebook’s new privacy settings with an on-site quiz; the first 10 winners of each day will receive Alfred Hui’s autographed gift.

    In November, Meta, also formerly known as Facebook said it plans to remove its detailed targeting options from January 2022 onwards. With this move, advertisers will not be able to target users who have interacted with content related to health causes, sexual orientation, religious practices, political beliefs and social issues, among others.

    While this move limits the way Meta’s targeting tools can be abused, VP of product marketing, Graham Mudd said the company is aware that this change may negatively impact some businesses and organizations. “We have heard concerns from experts that targeting options such as these could be used in ways that lead to negative experiences for people in underrepresented groups,” he explained. He added, “It is important to note that the interest targeting options we are removing are not based on people’s physical characteristics or personal attributes, but instead on things like people’s interactions with content on our platform.”

    According to Mudd, this decision was not simple and required a balance of competing interests where there was advocacy in both directions. While some of Meta’s advertising partners have expressed concerns about these targeting options going away because of its ability to help generate positive societal change, others understand the decision to remove them. He added, “Even after we update our targeting options, people may still see ad content they aren’t interested in, which is why we are also working to expand the control that allows people to choose to see fewer ads about certain types of content. Today, people can opt to see fewer ads related to politics, parenting, alcohol, and pets. Early next year, we will be giving people control of more types of ad content, including gambling and weight loss, among others.”

    Meanwhile, Meta said it will maintain its commitment to helping small businesses, non-profits, and advocacy groups reach their audiences. Meta will be working to expand the control that allows users to choose to see fewer ads about certain types of content, said Mudd. Today, users are able to opt to see fewer ads related to topics such as politics, parenting, alcohol and pets. Early next year, Meta aims to give users control on more types ad content which includes gambling and weight-loss, among others.

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  • Messenger to start testing bill splitting feature in the US

    Messenger to start testing bill splitting feature in the US

    Recapping everything that’s been released from the beginning of the year, Messenger revealed a couple of surprises that haven’t yet been implemented. One of these surprises is a sneak peek at the bill splitting feature that Messenger will be testing in the United States.

    Starting next week, Messenger users in the US will be able to test Split Payments, a free way to share the cost of bills and expenses. If you’re selected for the testing sample, you can find the Split Payments feature by clicking the “Get Started” button in a group chat or the Payments Hub in Messenger.

    Any bill can be split evenly, but Messenger users can also modify the contribution amount for each individual in the chat, with or without themselves included. All requests will be sent and viewable in the group chat thread after entering a personalized message and confirming Facebook Pay details.

    Messenger doesn’t say when Split Payments will be available for everyone, but if we were to guess, they will probably be ready for prime time early next year.

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