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New algorithm finds signs of depression in your Instagram feed
While Instagram data can already be used to guess your age, a new research paper shows how it might also be used to check upon your mental health. Using a set of machine learning tools and several dozen users' Instagram feeds, a team of researchers from Harvard and the University of Vermont have built a model that can accurately spot signs of clinical depression. By reviewing "color analysis, metadata components, and algorithmic face detection," in each user's feed, the model was able to correctly identify which Instagrammers showed symptoms of depression about 70 percent of the time, even before they had been clinically diagnosed.
Instagram adds event video channels to the 'Explore' feed
Instagram wants you to know it's more than just photos; it's about videos too. That's why the app has been investing quite a bit in surfacing them more in its Explore tab. Earlier this year, it added a video channel for easier to find clips and further sorted them into 23 different categories, such as dogs, comedy and travel. Now Instagram has added yet another way to find interesting videos: through events.
FreedomPop offers unlimited WhatsApp chats in over 30 countries
Don't want to pay a fortune for mobile service, but can't stand the thought of being unable to message your friends? FreedomPop thinks it can help. The sometimes-free carrier has launched an offer that gives you free, unlimited WhatsApp messaging in over 30 countries, including the US. And yes, that includes when you travel -- it should be that much easier to let the folks back home know how you're doing. In a chat with VentureBeat, the company says that there's "really no reason" you need to pay for voice or text in the modern era. This is just taking a logical step, he argues albeit an odd one when WhatsApp isn't nearly as popular in the US as it is elsewhere.
Facebook opens up Messenger to ad bots
Right now, Facebook lets Messenger bots from brands like Expedia and HP help you make a purchase, but they can't try to sell you a new product. However, a policy change means those automated assistants will soon be able to send subscription messages, ads and promotions for services like makeup consultations. If you're worried about spam, Facebook emphasized that the user is in control. "All conversations between businesses and people must be initiated by the person receiving the messages, who can then mute or block the business at any time," wrote Product Manager Seth Rosenberg.
Amazon's pilot episodes are now free on YouTube and Facebook
If you don't have a Prime subscription but want to check out some of Amazon's original series, you're in luck. The company has made ten pilot episodes from some of its best dramas, comedies, and kids' series free to watch on YouTube and Facebook for the first time ever. The lineup includes Amazon's most-streamed show, The Man in the High Castle, as well as Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent, both of which have won multiple Golden Globes.
Instagram Stories' camera controls catch up to Snapchat
Instagram isn't shy about wanting to go toe-to-toe with Snapchat through Stories, and that now includes camera features, too. Updates for both the Android and iOS versions of Instagram let you swipe up and down to zoom while you're recording a video, much as you would in that other social app. The iOS version, at least, also lets you double-tap to switch cameras in mid-clip like its Snapchat counterpart. No, it's not exactly a subtle tweak -- but it makes sense if Instagram is going to poach Snapchatters that may take their camera controls for granted.
Instagram's new tools help you reach out to stores (updated)
Plenty of businesses operate on Instagram, but wouldn't it be nice if you could reach out to them on Instagram beyond posting a comment and hoping they'll notice? You'll get to do that soon. Instagram has reportedly started rolling out promised business tools that will help you get in touch. Shops that set up a business profile will have a "contact" button that helps you call, email or text a business without having to find the details on the company's website (or hope that the company includes some in its bio). If you see a tantalizing dessert photo and want to know whether or not the restaurant's still open, it'll be trivially easy to get an answer.
Exploring the past, present and future of AI with Engadget
Few things stir up as much excitement, fear and confusion as artificial intelligence. So we're dedicating this entire week to examining it from as many angles as possible. We'll look at how current nascent AIs reflect some of society's less admirable qualities, how it could be used to improve our criminal justice system and we'll even explore the meaning of the "I" in "AI" -- intelligence. Jess Conditt will challenge the notion that experts truly understand what it means to build an intelligent machine. And Nicole Lee will explore whether or not a minimum income is a viable solution to a workforce that demands less humans, and more computers and robots. At this point practically every major tech company is making sizable investments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon are all betting big on its potential. Google has built a special processor just for powering AI software. IBM is trying to shoehorn Watson into every industry from retail to medicine -- it even had the damn thing write a cook book. Smaller players are looking for a foothold in the emerging market too, such as Fujitsu and startups like Viv.
London police to create a troll-hunting social media unit
In a bid to tackle rising levels of abuse on social media, London's Metropolitan Police is to set up a five-person team of specialist officers tasked with targeting online trolls. Scotland Yard will spend £1.7 million on the unit, called the Online Hate Crime Hub, which will provide "targeted and effective services for victims", offer advanced intelligence on offenders and strengthen links between police, communities and social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.
Sky will stream tomorrow's Soccer Saturday on Facebook and YouTube
When broadcasters put down billions of pounds to secure rights to the world's biggest sporting competitions, consumers who aren't able to afford or don't want pay-TV subscriptions often miss out. In the past, companies like Sky and BT have laid on a free day or weekend of access to show people what they're missing, but more recently, online video services have proved to be popular alternatives. With the Premier League season kicking off tomorrow, Sky has confirmed it will stream its Soccer Saturday show completely free of charge on Facebook and YouTube.
Adblock Plus bypasses Facebook's attempt to restrict ad blockers (update)
The war between Facebook and ad blockers is heating up. Just two days after the social network announced plans to restrict software that removes its advertising, the popular utility Adblock Plus has already unveiled a workaround. All you need to do is update your Adblock Plus filters to banish those ads once again. Facebook previously said that it didn't pay to be whitelisted by any ad blocking company, instead it changed how its ads are recognized, and also gave users more control over what sorts of ads they see.
Facebook wants your News Feed to be more informative
Facebook is on a constant quest to refine and tweak its News Feed algorithm so that you'll see stories that are relevant and of interest to you. Now it aims to improve it even further with a new "ranking signal" that's based on whether the piece of news is actually informative. From now on, stories that are more informative will float to the top, while the ones that are not so interesting will sink to the bottom.
You can now message President Obama on Facebook
President Obama is no stranger to social media, and now the leader of the free world is making it even easier to reach him on the world's largest social network. In a Facebook post today, the White House announced you can now send them a note via Messenger, exactly as you might send a message to friend.
Facebook launches guided tours for 360-degree videos
When you explore 360-degree videos on Facebook like you're supposed to, you could miss crucial moments happening outside your POV. The social network's new "Guide" tool for Pages, however, can make sure you see the best, funniest and most compelling parts. Now, when publishers upload a 360-degree video, they can enable the feature and highlight points of interest simply by pausing and clicking "+ Add Point." It will then be on by default, and the video will automatically swivel to show you those highlighted scenes. It's like having a tour guide pointing out the most interesting sights to see to a bunch of overwhelmed tourists.
Facebook finds a way around desktop ad blockers
Facebook has decided to fight back against ad blocking. In a blog post today, the company recognised that a growing number of users have installed desktop ad blockers to avoid advertising they consider annoying or irrelevant. But soon, that won't be possible, as Facebook claims it'll "begin showing ads on Facebook desktop for people who currently use ad blocking software." How it's managed such a feat isn't clear. Facebook says it hasn't paid ad blocking companies to be whitelisted -- an approach taken by some of its rivals -- because it's "confusing to people" and reduces the funding available to journalists and other ad-centric businesses.
Google tag-teams with Facebook on eco-friendly servers
Google recently friended arch-rival Facebook's Open Compute Project (OCP) to help it with power-sucking data centers, and that relationship is already paying off. Google revealed its first contribution to the project, Open Rack 2.0, a design for shallow, 48V racks that fit into data centers with limited space. Google has used a similar spec since 2010, and "saved millions of dollars and kilowatt hours" compared to 12V systems, it said.
Facebook is ramping up its fight against clickbait
Two years ago, Facebook began its fight against clickbait in its news feed. It down ranked articles based on how quickly you gave up on them after you clicked through, and also prioritized pieces with a preview link so you can see what the story is about. However, the problem is still pretty rampant, so Facebook is scaling up its efforts. Now, the company is implementing a system that actually examines the words used in these headlines, automatically detecting and demoting the ones that it deems as clickbait.
Facebook opens a giant hardware lab to build its future
Hardware will play a big role in Facebook's future between Oculus' VR headsets, internet drones and open source networking gear, and the social network wants to give that technology the best start possible. It just opened Area 404 (yes, a play on "site not found"), a massive 22,000 square foot facility at its Menlo Park headquarters that will handle the brunt of Facebook's hardware "modeling, prototyping and failure analysis." Unlike some labs, it's not segmented into product-specific divisions -- instead, there are only electrical engineering and prototyping workshop sections. It's designed to encourage cross-team collaboration that could lead to discoveries that might not happen in an isolated group.
Facebook to stream first live match between Premier League teams
With more and more people heading to Facebook and Twitter to keep up with live events, the social networks are increasingly turning to sport to retain users. Twitter has already streamed Wimbledon coverage and signed a number of deals that will see it host NFL and college sports, but Facebook will mark a first tonight when it streams the first ever meeting of two Premier League football teams. Manchester United will play Everton tonight for Wayne Rooney's testimonial match.
Instagram's 'Stories' feature looks a lot like Snapchat's
How do you fight an immensely popular social app like Snapchat? For Instagram, it's by copying one of Snapchat's most popular features: stories. "Instagram Stories" lets you post as many photos and videos as you'd like in a slideshow format. And you won't have to worry about them hurting your meticulously curated Instagram feed, as the stories will disappear in 24 hours (that sure does sound familiar!).
