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YouTube's new tool makes any video a TikTok-like Short
YouTube has introduced a new tool that makes it easier for creators to turn regular videos into Shorts, it announced in a community update
Data-scraping tool can link millions of Facebook profiles to email addresses
A security researcher shared a video with Vice, Ars Technica and others, showing how a tool can match email addresses to Facebook profiles in bulk — even if the users chose to keep their email details hidden from the public.
Adobe Photoshop can now identify 'shopped images
Adobe has unveiled a new attribution tool for Photoshop that will help consumers better understand the authenticity of images while giving proper credit to creators.
Google wants you to train its AI by lip syncing 'Dance Monkey' by Tones and I
Google is asking users to lip sync 'Dance Monkey' by Tones and I in order to train its AI.
Amazon's latest AR shopping tool fills your space with virtual furniture
Amazon's new AR shopping tool lets you view multiple pieces of furniture and home decor simultaneously.
Reddit makes creating a poll as easy as creating a post
Today, Reddit is introducing its own polls tool. Polls are already pretty popular on Reddit, with about 15,000 new ones created each month. But until now, they have been hosted by third-party sites. With this update, Reddit is making polls a native post option for all communities (except text-only communities like r/AskReddit).
Facebook reveals the AI tool it used to ban 6.6 billion fake accounts
Today, Facebook unveiled a machine learning tool that, in the last year, has removed more than six billion fake accounts. That's in addition to the millions of new fake accounts that Facebook blocks from being created daily. According to Facebook, the tool has been in production for two years and it's one of the most advanced methods Facebook has for fighting bogus accounts.
Twitter will let you report posts aimed at suppressing voters
Twitter is rolling out another tool meant to protect the 2020 US election. Today, it announced that during "key moments" of the election users will be able to report misleading information about how to participate in an election or other civic event. Users will be able to specify whether the misinformation contains false info about how or where to vote or register, if it intends to suppress or intimidate people from voting or if someone is misrepresenting their affiliation with a candidate, party, etc.
Adobe previews expanded controls for Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill
Adobe's next Photoshop release will give users more control over the Content-Aware Fill feature. If you've used the tool, you know that it lets you remove objects from a photo -- like people, signs or equipment. Photoshop then generates pixels to fill in the blanks. Now, Photoshop will let you determine which pixels it uses to fill the voids. Adobe released a sneak preview today.
Phone companies and state attorneys general join forces to fight robocalls
US consumers receive as many as 350,000 unwanted calls every three minutes, according to the FCC. Despite multiple efforts to end the onslaught, an estimated 4.7 billion robocalls hit American phones in July alone. Now, attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are teaming up with 12 carriers in a united effort to prevent and block the spam calls.
Reddit experiments with livesteaming
Over the weekend, rumors and speculation began circulating on Reddit. Users were wondering what cryptic messages on r/pan, a new Reddit community, could mean. Today, Reddit pulled back the curtain. It announced Reddit Public Access Network (r/pan), a weeklong experiment, in which users can post livestream videos. The lessons Reddit learns from this experiment will likely help it develop a permanent livestreaming option in the near future.
Instagram users can now flag false content
Beginning today, Instagram users can report content that they believe to be false. Instagram will use those flags to better understand misinformation on the platform and to train its AI to spot false content. In time, Instagram will use the feedback, as well as other "signals" -- like how old a post is and the account's previous behavior -- to determine if a post needs to be reviewed by third-party fact checkers. This is slightly different than the pilot program Instagram launched in May, which allows users to flag false content for review by fact checkers. For now, that will remain a pilot.
Facebook introduces a scam ad reporting tool in the UK
Facebook has launched a new reporting tool designed to tackle scam ads. The feature lets UK Facebook users flag online ads that link to dubious get-rich-quick schemes or questionable cryptocurrency sales, which will then be reviewed by a dedicated anti-scam team. Facebook has also earmarked £3 million for anti-scam initiatives run by financial charity, Citizens Advice.
The FBI plans more social media surveillance
The FBI wants to gather more information from social media. Today, it issued a call for contracts for a new social media monitoring tool. According to a request-for-proposals (RFP), it's looking for an "early alerting tool" that would help it monitor terrorist groups, domestic threats, criminal activity and the like.
Instagram’s anti-bullying tool lets you ‘restrict’ problematic followers
Today, Instagram announced two new tools meant to combat bullying. The first will use AI to warn users if a comment they're about to post may be considered offensive. In theory, it will give users a chance to rethink their comments. The second will allow users to "restrict" problematic followers. Comments by restricted followers won't appear publicly (unless you approve them), and users on your restricted list won't be able to see when you're active or when you've read their direct messages.
YouTube uses AR to let you try on makeup during tutorials
There's no question YouTube's beauty bloggers have some of the largest followings, and the platform has become an important place for even the biggest makeup brands to debut their products. Now, Google's AR Beauty Try-On feature will let YouTube users virtually try on makeup while watching tutorials and reviews.
Adobe trained AI to detect facial manipulation in Photoshop
A team of Adobe and UC Berkeley researchers trained AI to detect facial manipulation in images edited with Adobe Photoshop. The researchers hope the tool will help restore trust in digital media at a time when deepfakes and fake faces are more common and more deceptive. It could also democratize image forensics, making it possible for more people to uncover image manipulation.
Instagram will support fundraisers using Story stickers
Facebook's fundraising tool has raised over $1 billion for non-profits and personal causes since its launch, and now it looks like a similar feature will be rolled out to Instagram later this year. As TechCrunch reports, engineers Jane Manchun Wong and Ishan Agarwal have been digging around in the code of Instagram's Android App and have found a donation sticker, which will let users search for non-profits and add a donate button to their Instagram Story.
Instagram will let users download all their data
As data protection and privacy becomes a big issue around the world, social networking companies like Instagram need to appropriately take care of the information we share. One of the provisions of the UK's upcoming Data Protection Bill would require companies to allow its users to easily move their data from one service to another. To that end, Facebook-owned Instagram just confirmed to TechCrunch that it is building a new data portability tool so users can download a copy of everything they've put on the service, including photos, videos and messages.
Snapchat now lets you record up to six video snaps at once
Snapchat has unveiled two new features designed to give users greater flexibility in their storytelling. Multi-Snap lets you record up to six consecutive 10-second Snaps at once, while Tint Brush does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. To add color to any object in your photo Snaps, simply select the new Tint tool, trace an outline around the area you want to edit and then select whichever color you want.
