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Watch Facebook’s F8 opening keynote at 1PM ET
After a few turbulent weeks for Facebook, it's now time for the company to host its annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, California. And kicking off the event is none other than embattled CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's expected to talk about a wide range of topics. That, of course, includes user data and privacy -- the thing everyone wants to know about right now, after what happened with Cambridge Analytica. But, that won't be it: Zuckerberg will likely also touch on the overall state of the business, like the present and future of Messenger, Oculus, Instagram, Whatsapp and much more. You can tune in at 10AMPT/1PM ET right here.
Your data is valuable, but you’re never getting paid for it
It's hard to find a positive side to the recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal. But if there is one, it's that it's caused tech companies, lawmakers and users to think more deeply about personal data, how it's being used and who actually owns it. Facebook says that you, the user, are the sole owner of whatever information you consent to share with it. But it will use that data to offer you a free service based on targeted ads. The thing is, Facebook makes billions of dollars doing that, and there are some people who believe you should be getting a piece of it. After all, you are the product.
Constant controversy hasn't stopped Facebook from making money
When it comes to public perception, Facebook hasn't had the best 2018 so far. Over the past few months, the company's been working hard to clean up its image after dealing with a series of nightmares, including the idea that the site was becoming toxic and, most recently, the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal that led CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before US Congress. But business goes on, and today Facebook released its Q1 2018 earnings report, which shows it made a revenue of $11.97 billion, an insane 49 percent year-over-year increase.
After Math: The golden age of streaming
We're winding down a freaky week of bad omens, unconvincing congressional testimony and sterling new streaming services. While most eyes were fixated on Mark Zuckerberg doing his best real boy impression, GTA IV lost most of its Russian tunes, ESPN debuted a new mobile app and vinyl got a high tech upgrade that nobody asked for. Numbers, because how else are you going to stretch your entertainment dollar?
Can Facebook really apply the EU's data-privacy rules worldwide?
During his testimony in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Facebook would adopt the European Union's General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) as its privacy standard moving forward. This marks an evolution in Zuckerberg's position on the issue, having told Reuters earlier this month that he only agreed "in spirit" with the laws. If Zuckerberg follows through with this promise, it could have a significant impact on Facebook users around the world.
Facebook stops fighting proposed California privacy law
Facebook has announced that it will stop opposing a proposed California ballot measure designed to protect the privacy of the state's citizens. The California Consumer Privacy Act would, if enacted, force companies to be more open about the types of data they store about folks. Naturally, the usual cadre of businesses threw money to fight the project, including Google, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and Facebook. But now the social network, which already donated $200,000 to defeat the proposition, has said it will bow out of the fight.
House committee presses Zuckerberg over privacy policy ‘minefield'
The second round of congressional hearings for Mark Zuckerberg is happening now, as he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Facebook's co-founder and CEO was questioned for over five hours on Tuesday by the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees, with senators urging him to avoid a "nightmare" for users on his site. That, of course, after Facebook failed to protect personal data of up to 87 million users from being misused by political research firm Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg's opening statement today echoed what he said during the first hearing: "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started this company and I'm responsible for what happens here."
Senators urge Zuckerberg to avoid 'nightmare' for Facebook users
As expected, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was on Capitol Hill today to testify before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees. It was the first of two congressional hearings Zuckerberg is scheduled to attend this week, with the other taking place tomorrow in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Senator John Thune (R–South Dakota) opened the hearing by saying that tech companies need to do more to protect user data and prevent harmful conduct on their platforms. "You have an obligation to ensure that [the American] dream doesn't become a nightmare for the scores of people who use Facebook," he said to Zuckerberg, referencing the company's recent mishaps, including the Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal.
What to expect from Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings
The next stop on Mark Zuckerberg's apology tour is the United States Congress. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Facebook co-founder and CEO will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This comes after weeks of uncertainty over whether Zuckerberg would agree to meet with lawmakers following the Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal, which may have exposed the private information of up to 87 million users.
Facebook plans to allow everyone to ‘unsend’ messages
Facebook is obsequiously assuring everyone that it will be responsible with users' data and transparent with how it's shared. But evidence emerged yesterday that the company has been quietly deleting old messages Mark Zuckerberg and other executives have sent from recipients' inboxes. Facebook fessed up to TechCrunch that they'd been doing so for awhile. Now the company is promising to extend the feature to users in the coming months -- but until it's widely released, any messages from Zuckerberg et al won't be wiped away.
Mark Zuckerberg: We didn’t do enough to keep users safe
In light of the news that Facebook has rewritten its data policy, and that Cambridge Analytica may have had up to 87 million users' data, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg hosted a call with the media to discuss the company's efforts to better protect people's information. Zuckerberg began by sending his condolences to everyone at YouTube after Tuesday's shooting at its headquarters in San Bruno, California, where multiple people were injured by a lone attacker. He then went on talk about the state of Facebook and said that the social network didn't do enough to prevent abuse of its platform, from the spread of fake news to not properly protecting user data.
Congress wants Zuckerberg to testify about Cambridge Analytica
Thus far, two states, the FTC, UK Parliament and US Congress all want answers from Facebook regarding how political firm Cambridge Analytica ended up with data on 50 million users. Representatives from the company even met with staffers from House and Senate committees a couple days ago. But now the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee wants to hear from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself, and have officially requested he testify at an upcoming hearing.
Zuckerberg is 'uncomfortable' making content decisions for all users
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on multiple media outlets today to address the Cambridge Analytica scandal and to answer pressing questions about the increasingly large role Facebook plays in today's world. In a particularly enlightening moment in a Re/Code interview, Zuckerberg expressed trepidation and discomfort in being the arbiter of what's right, and what's wrong.
We spend less time on Facebook, but it still makes loads of money
The past few weeks haven't been easy for Facebook. After announcing an overhaul to its News Feed earlier this month, one that places emphasis on people's interactions over content from brands, the company has been taking heat for its new approach. Not only because Facebook is leaving publishers who relied on its platform behind, but it also isn't offering the best solution to fix its fake news problem. A blunt two-question "trusted" news survey simply won't cut it. CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg said that, with these changes, he expects users' time on the site to go down, but he believes keeping people happy will be better for Facebook's bottom line in the long run.
Facebook feigns accountability with ‘trusted’ news survey
When Facebook announced it was rolling out a major overhaul to its News Feed earlier this month, it did so with the intention of prioritizing interactions between people over content from publishers. It was a notable shift in strategy for the company, which for the past couple of years had been working closely with news outlets to on heavily promote their articles and videos. But, Facebook discovered that people just weren't happy on the site -- likely due to the vast amount of political flame-throwing they've been exposed to since the 2016 US Presidential election. So in order to alleviate this problem, it decided it was best if users saw more posts from friends and family, instead of news that could have a negative effect on their emotions. Because keeping people both happy and informed is, apparently, hard.
Facebook goes back to basics: People
Over the past couple of years, Facebook has frequently tweaked its News Feed algorithms to deliver stories that are relevant and of interest to you. It was a strategy that, until now, seemed to be the way forward for the site. But that's all about to change, as Facebook has announced that there are big adjustments coming to its News Feed. In the months ahead, the platform will start to prioritize posts from people you care about, like friends and family, over stories or videos from publishers. Users may react positively, but publications that rely on Facebook to drive traffic won't be happy.
Facebook hands over Russia-linked ads to Congress
Facebook is handing over evidence of 3,000 Russia-linked advertisements to congressional investigators today, following weeks of pressure from Congress to reveal details about its advertising system. The ads in question -- which ran between June 2015 and May 2017 -- are said to have been paid for by a Russian entity known as the "Internet Research Agency" with the apparent intention of fuelling political discord and exacerbating divisiveness, particularly during the presidential election.
Facebook shut down an internal forum because of harassment
Last year Facebook was home to an internal forum spouting sexist and racist comments, according to reports in The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider. The forum, called FB Anon, was set up in May 2015 for employees of the company to voice their opinions of the workplace freely and anonymously. But in the month's leading up to President Trump's election it was increasingly populated by right-leaning staff and, according to Mark Zuckerberg, used to harass others. The group was abruptly shut down in December 2016. These reports come during an increasingly challenging time for tech companies. In the wake of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, where violence resulted in the death of one protestor and injuries for many others, companies have taken a zero-tolerance approach to hate speech. GoDaddy and Google have revoked domain registrations for neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, crowdfunding sites have pulled campaigns supporting white supremacists and social media platforms have banned whole groups expressing violent alt-right ideologies.
Zuckerberg plans to tour all 50 states to meet Facebook users
Given how often Facebook was in the news last year (and very rarely for anything positive), its commander in chief Mark Zuckerberg has a pledge for 2017: Mix it up with commoners. In a post on the social network, Zuckerberg says that his personal goal for 2017 is to "have visited and met people in every state in the US" by year's end. By his count, he has 30 states left. Man, he travels fast.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to invest $3 billion to cure disease
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative last year with his wife, Priscilla Chan, in an effort to try to "advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation." The two pledged to donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares -- which is worth upwards of $50 billion -- to the cause. Today, the couple held a press event in San Francisco to announce their next big project: curing diseases. Indeed, it has pledged $3 billion over the next decade to cure, prevent and manage all diseases by the end of the century.
