[ad_1] After joining a group chat, a user could edit specific message parameters using the WhatsApp web interface and a browser debugging tool. Then they could create an “unstoppable crash-loop for all group chat members” which could only be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the app. The exploit would prevent members from returning to the […]
Category: Facebook
Instagram will automatically label false content shared from Facebook
[ad_1] The social media giant reiterated that it will pull users from the Explore and hashtag pages if they repeatedly receive these flags. This auto-labeling could help curb some of the more obnoxious attempts to spread misinformation. You’ll hopefully see fewer instances of friends sharing old hoaxes or junk science. This won’t necessarily stop the […]
Instagram is using AI to alert bullies to offensive captions
[ad_1] The anti-bullying notice is available now in “select countries,” and should be available elsewhere in the “coming months.” Whether or not this proves effective is uncertain. Instagram said that its efforts to reduce bullying in comments have been “promising,” but that doesn’t guarantee similar performance for the posts themselves. Someone caught up in the […]
Ads on Facebook are spreading misinformation about anti-HIV drugs
[ad_1] GLAAD said it contacted Facebook’s public policy team and reached out to five fact-checking agencies, but the social network answered by pointing to a public ad policy page explaining why ads can be removed. In response, GLAAD posted an open letter asking Facebook to remove the ads, with support coming from 50 organizations, New […]
A thief took Facebook hard drives with payroll data from a worker’s car
[ad_1] The theft took place on November 17th and Facebook noticed that the drives were missing three days later, according to Bloomberg. The company is said to have determined on November 29th that the hard drives had payroll data on them, and today began informing affected employees. The data reportedly includes employee names, banking details, […]
FTC may block Facebook’s integration plans for WhatsApp and Instagram
[ad_1] The commission started its investigation after Facebook announced that it would unify the technical underpinnings of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. That would allow its 2.7 billion users to send private, encrypted messages from one app that could be received on another. “We’re building a foundation for social communication aligned with the direction people increasingly […]
Oculus is rolling out its expanded social VR features
[ad_1] They include messaging with your Oculus pals, along with photo and video sharing and livestreaming to Facebook. You can create events to set up a time to play games with your buddies or arrange meetups, and form parties that all your Oculus friends can join (parties were invite-only until now). Your Facebook friends will […]
A bug caused UK election ad spends to disappear on Facebook
[ad_1] To say the Ad Library bugged out at the worst possible time would be an understatement. On Thursday, people in the UK will vote in what will likely go down as one of the most important elections in the country’s history. Who they decide to lead their parliament will have major implications on Brexit, […]
Facebook tells US, UK and Australia it won’t weaken chat encryption
[ad_1] If you soften encryption in one area, you soften it for “everyone, everywhere,” Facebook noted. The social network argued that backdoor access would represent a “gift to criminals, hackers and repressive regimes,” letting them pry in the messages of innocent people by exploiting weaknesses. As support, Facebook pointed to more than 100 organizations echoing […]
Facebook’s plan to label state media is taking longer than expected
[ad_1] The challenge, you might imagine, is that different state-backed media organizations have different levels of control. Outlets like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua are more directly controlled by their host countries and often serve as propaganda outlets, but others like the UK’s BBC and Canada’s CBC are kept at arm’s length from their respective […]