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Facebook

  • Facebook will pay up to $250k for original content from Buzzfeed and Vox

    By on 25 May, 2017

    Facebook has signed a deal with entertainment creators Vox Media, BuzzFeed, ATTN, Group Nine Media and others to create original video content for the platform, and is paying willing to pay up. The deal will bring scripted and unscripted content to the platform, in a bid to compete with premium content creators like YouTube Red and Snap. The scripted shows are intended to last between 20 and 30 minutes (and will include ad breaks), while the unscripted shows will average between five and ten minutes. According to Reuters, Facebook will pay up to US$250 000 for the scripted shows, which will also grant it full ownership...

  • Facebook doesn’t want you to know its censorship policies

    By on 24 May, 2017

    Facebook still won't tell the world what its censorship policies are, despite receiving a slew of criticism from experts and users alike for its ambiguity. While the controversy of what Facebook allows on its site has been around its entire existence, the criticism turned to uproar last year when the platform censored an iconic picture from the Vietnam war. It subsequently defended its decision, declaring it in line with its policy on nudity. Eventually, Facebook acknowledged that graphic images for the service of public interest are important enough to remain on the platform. This amended policy came into play last month, when videos of dying...

  • Facebook deletes journalist’s account after exposé of corruption

    By on 22 May, 2017

    Pulitzer-winning Malta journalist, Matthew Caruana Galizia, has had his Facebook account suspended after posting allegations of corruption against Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his associates. Caruana Galizia took to Facebook on 7 May after accepting that print journalism was not reaching the youth of Malta. In a series of four posts, coupled with the hashtags #FattiKorrotti and #CorruptionFacts, he alleged that the Prime Minister and his wife were receiving payments from an offshore shell company. The posts were a hit, and were shared more than 1000 times (Malta's population sits around 431 333). But just three days later, Muscat threatened to sue for libel, and...

  • Facebook to compete with Twitch as it signs deal with ESL

    By on 19 May, 2017

    Facebook has landed a major deal with the Electronic Sports League (ESL) which will see 5 500 hours of events and original content added to the platform, The Wall Street Journal reports. A report by Digiday earlier this year suggested that Facebook was looking to secure deals with major pro sports leagues, but it seems the company is sticking to digital for now. The deal with ESL comes after the company secured deals with five esport teams (including G2 Esports, Echo Fox, and Team Dignitas) who will broadcast their practices and competitions exclusively to the site. Facebook has been making the move towards producing original content for a...

  • Facebook didn’t cause Palestinian uprising, court rules

    By on 19 May, 2017

    A US court has dismissed a lawsuit set to implicate Facebook in a Palestinian uprising in 2015. Dubbed the "Facebook Intifada," the spate of violence saw ostensibly apolitical Palestinian men attack and kill a number of Israelis in outrage over Israeli occupation. Much like the Arab Spring, the men were largely assembled and incited via social media -- in this case, Twitter and Facebook. The lawsuit's plaintiffs consist of 20 000 Israeli individuals who claim they are in direct threat of Palestinian terrorists who continue to use Facebook as a tool for communication. They also consist of victims and surviving family members...

  • Facebook moves to end clickbait… and what it’s done will shock you

    By on 18 May, 2017

    Okay, so it's actually pretty standard. Facebook announced yesterday that it would be targeting individual posts that withhold "crucial details or mislead people." Last year, the platform was updated to jointly manage clickbait headlines, but the company is moving now to a more specific approach. "One of our News Feed values is authentic communication, so we’ve been working to understand what people find authentic and what people do not," a press release reads. Anyone who has used Facebook (basically everyone minus hipsters and your grandparents) knows that authenticity is not exactly what the current news feed offers. Aside from the lies of happy lives, feeds...

  • 5 cool Facebook Messenger chatbots for tech news

    By on 17 May, 2017

    Chatbots saw a massive resurgence last year, as Google, Microsoft and Facebook all jumped on the bandwagon. Facebook has been actively encouraging chatbot development with its Messenger platform, recently making it easier for users to find relevant bots. A few tech publications have taken to adopting bots on Messenger too, but which ones are worth using? We've got a few picks for you. Digg One of the original social news websites, Digg pretty much lost its place to reddit several years ago. But the website has re-emerged in recent times, delivering some pretty interesting content in the process. The Digg chatbot is pretty...

  • In Facebook’s future, human beings will become digital interfaces

    By on 4 May, 2017

    In addition to some clever, if not gimmicky announcements coming out of this year’s F8, Facebook has laid down the outline of its envisaged future – and on the whole it’s pretty awe-inspiring. The perception that Facebook is a consumer app has shifted. The company has emerged not only as a powerful business tool, but as a serious innovation hub. F8 is Facebook’s almost-annual developer conference – two days where Facebook discusses developments, plans, and the company’s roadmap. And as predicted, Facebook Messenger held a key focus, with augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) plans truly bringing science fiction into...

  • Facebook knows when teens are vulnerable, then targets them with ads

    By on 2 May, 2017

    "Don't be evil" is a common phrase uttered by Google executives, but we can't help but think Facebook should perhaps adopt it too. A 23-page document, which sheds some light on Facebook's more sinister algorithm and advertising practices, was leaked Monday and obtained by online paper The Australian (paywall). Later picked up by news.com.au, the document reveals how Facebook Australia and New Zealand employed the hive of user data it gathers to help advertisers better promote campaigns. And no, it's not just talking about age, location or preference in pizza toppings. The document notes that the social network can target teenagers as...

  • Facebook’s plan to connect the world includes this record-breaking tech

    By on 20 April, 2017

    It's difficult to keep up with Facebook's slew of announcements from its F8 conference this week. But at least it plans to make it easier in the future. The company updated developers and consumers on its connectivity plans going forward -- a sphere of Facebook's development model that's perhaps one of its more exciting. And no, not entirely because it's geeky as hell. New developments in its MMW radio tech means that citizens of Earth might soon be able to bury the word "buffer" in the future. Facebook pushes 80Gbps through its radio network Alongside improvements to its inner city internet connectivity trials...

  • Facebook Messenger is changing: here’s what you should know

    By on 19 April, 2017

    Having a large userbase might seem like a blessing, but it also surfaces a problem for social networks: monetisation. Twitter's experiencing this right now, and Facebook is seemingly just beginning its trials. To prevent itself from becoming the latest victim of the 140-character effect, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to the stage at the company's F8 developers conference, and rang the changes. But no, we're not talking about Facebook proper. We're talking about Messenger. Facebook Messenger now has over 1.2-billion users, a figure four times greater than Twitter, and double that of Instagram. And with all those users available, Facebook smells massive...

  • US man who killed someone on Facebook still at large

    By on 18 April, 2017

    Update, 19 April 8.43am: Police have confirmed that Steve Stephens took his own life during a car chase in Pennsylvania yesterday. Original article: Ohio police are still searching for alleged murderer Steve Stephens after he shot an elderly man on Sunday and posted a video of it to Facebook. The video, originally reported as live but later found to be previously recorded, depicted Stephens shooting 74-year-old Robert Goodwin Sr as he was picking up aluminium cans. Stephens told Goodwin that a woman (whose name has been kept private) was the reason for his death. Goodwin was forced to say her name before asserting he didn't know who she was....

  • Revenge porn is the focus of Facebook’s latest announcement

    By on 5 April, 2017

    Facebook is making it harder to share "non-consensual images" on its platform, it announced today. Revenge porn -- the act of releasing intimate images or video of someone as a way of getting back at them -- is receiving tighter restrictions "as part of ongoing effort to help build a safe community on and off Facebook". Users can now report any post they believe fits that description from Facebook's standard report feature. Trained professionals then review the report, and if an image is deemed contrary to Facebook's community standards, it is removed. The company also assert that most accounts found guilty of posting intimate...

  • Facebook outgrows JHB office as African userbase tops 170m

    By on 5 April, 2017

    Facebook South Africa has outgrown its original Johannesburg office and has expanded to a new location, the company announced Wednesday. "Facebook has moved its Johannesburg offices into new premises, creating a new home for the company to work with its partners to boost innovation and provide an African home for the Facebook culture," the company reveals in a press release. The new pad located in Bryanston "will continue to provide support to Facebook advertisers, application developers and other key partners across the continent". The social giant originally occupied an office in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, which it held since its arrival in South...

  • Facebook launches personal crowdfunding feature

    By on 31 March, 2017

    People are often wary of donating money to personal crowdfunding causes when they don't know the person directly -- or if the campaign is even legit. Facebook is now making it easier to donate to people you are connected to personally. The company, which has allowed non-profit organisations to sport donate buttons since last year, has now made it possible for personal accounts in the US to do the same. Users over the age of 18 will be able to raise money for causes that fall into categories that Facebook deems worthy of a crowdfunding campaign. These categories are education, medical,...