Are you still taking personality tests on Facebook? Stop. Actually, throw your computer out the window and set it on fire, because you should really know better. After Cambridge Analytica's data reaping antics were exposed in March and Facebook shamed, you may have thought that your information was safe on the internet. But it's not. According to a new report by New Scientist, at least three million users have had "intimate" data about themselves, and their psychological state, shared online. According to the report, some six million people completed a questionnaire app dubbed myPersonality. Half offered to share the information with the...
Earlier this year and in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that a host of apps prior to the company's policy reforms in 2014 had access to users' data. He promised in a March 2018 post that the company will investigate these apps, and ban those that do not play nice with users' data. Today, the firm gave the internet an update on this audit currently underway. "The investigation process is in full swing, and it has two phases," revealed Ime Archibong, the company's VP of product partnerships. "First, a comprehensive review to identify every app that...
Don't look now folks, but according to the gatekeepers of South African Twitter, the social network just isn't lit anymore. I know. Shocking. As if Monday wasn't bad enough, the hashtag #twitterwaslitbefore began trending around midday, and served to remind everyone that things never stay the same. This, according to some, is thanks to MTN and Vodacom. #TwitterWasLITBefore MTN and Vodacom Had Clapbacks pic.twitter.com/9OUBJKd3Fv — 26 Feb. 90s (@HopewellMlaba) May 14, 2018 #TwitterWasLITBefore MTN started with this free Twitter nonsense. pic.twitter.com/VGgVnPHn3J — Maestro Harry™ (@Haharharry_) May 14, 2018 Those who joined Twitter to become "comedians and savages" were also outed. Tweet-stealers were given special mention by a...
Keen to catch up on Cardi B's weekend antics over on Instagram? You're in for a disappointing surprise. The female rapper of "Bodak Yellow" fame has deleted her Instagram account @iamcardib after her quarrel with fellow rapper Azealia Banks heated up again on Friday. Banks appeared on a US radio show Friday, reportedly labelling the rapper as an "untalented rat" and a "caricature of a black woman". She also pointed to Cardi B's success as a low point of female artistry, marking Beyonce's Lemonade as a peak. Cardi responded: "I’m from the hood I speak how I speak I am how I am.I...
YouTube this week announced its new music charts portal, which allows users -- and generally interested folk -- to gauge which tracks, videos and artists are most popular on the platform on a given week in 44 countries. It's awesome, and you should give it a gander at some point in the day. But if you don't have the time, and are looking for something hot to listen to right now, YouTube also has a few charts just for South Africa and the playlists to go along with them. These are the hottest tracks in South Africa this week: Trending in South...
YouTube might be a video streaming service first and foremost, but it's also the world's most popular music distribution tool. So with that in mind, the company today announced new YouTube charts specifically to showcase popular music. "At YouTube, we understand the importance of showcasing and celebrating the hottest artists, songs and music videos from around the world," the company wrote in a release. "The new charts are based purely on the number of views and are a reflection of the success achieved by artists on the world's most expansive music platform." The company claims that the charts will be the "new...
An update to WhatsApp on iOS brings with its a nifty new feature. Users who send one another Instagram or Facebook videos can now play said videos within WhatsApp. This means that you needn't leave the chat app, to visit Facebook, watch that viral video of a lemming, and return with thoughts to the aforementioned chat app. This now fits alongside its already established YouTube, audio and GIF playback support. It's a small tweak, but tells of a more integrated Facebook ecosystem we'll likely see in the future. The update, labelled as 2.18.51, is live in the US, but it's not clear if...
More than 60% of Facebook users in the United States seemingly don't care about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a new survey suggests. Reuters and Ipsos on Sunday released the results of a poll conducted in April querying US social media users' habits a month after the dodgy data revelations. Remarkably, it seems that Facebook experienced very little if any fallout from the news. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook and deleting your account Here’s what you need to know about the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook data siphoning fiasco. Read more... Of the 2194 respondents, 64% suggested that they still use Facebook at least once...
There's a good chance you've met someone new through Facebook, after all CEO Mark Zuckerberg always stated his primary goal is to connect people. But it seems that the company may be connecting the wrong type of people; namely ISIS and other extremists. According to a report by The Telegraph, researchers have discovered that Facebook's "suggested friends" feature -- a feature that's integral to growing the social network's web of relationships -- has introduced extremists to other extremists across some 96 countries. "Facebook, in their desire to connect as many people as possible have inadvertently created a system which helps connect extremists...
It's 4 May 2018, or if you're an internet nerd or American, May The Fourth. It's a pretty important date for Star Wars fans. But what is supposed to be a celebration of Han Solo, Chewy and the Darthest Vader of them all, some just can't help but remind everyone that Star Trek exists too. Hijacking hashtags like #MayThe4thBeWithYou and #StarWarsinFiveWordsOrLess, Twitter users brought the sass and snark on Friday. I’d rather watch Star Trek #StarWarsInFiveWordsOrLess — Jenny just wanted to use all 50 characters because (@DreadfullyJenny) May 4, 2018 How to offend ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE @startrekcbs @StarTrek @StarTrekRoom @STTimelines @starwars @StarWarsUK #MayTheFourth #MayTheFourthBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/mVarwFXwgJ —...
As if Twitter users didn't have enough to think about this week (thanks Kanye), it sprung an even bigger surprise on its users late Thursday night. The social network prompted all of its 336-million users to change their passwords, after it discovered that its employees could potentially see them. Twitter's calling it a "bug", but it was seemingly a flaw in the way the firm logged passwords. We recently found a bug that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log. We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone. As a precaution, consider changing your...
Facebook's F8 conference brought with it some bad news for Snap Inc's Snapchat. The yellow ephemeral messaging company announced its Q1 2018 earnings Tuesday, and the numbers are overshadowed by its rivals. Amidst a controversial UI redesign that saw protests across the web, Snapchat now harbours 191-million daily active users. That's an increase of 4-million globally, and just 1-million from within the US's borders. WhatsApp Status and Instagram Stories on the other hand -- both Snapchat clones younger than the service itself -- both boast more than 300-million daily active users. The revenue Snap makes off each user has dropped by some 21%...
Facebook wants to become that dating site your grandparents can be comfortable using. In an announcement that seemingly no one expected, Facebook's aimed a Cupid arrow squarely at Tinder, Bumble, and others in the happy hearts facilitation industry. "We’re building a feature for dating and relationships within the Facebook app," the company announced. It's rationale is that people already use Facebook to "meet new people", and it wants to do a better job at playing matchmaker. But how will it work? "People will be able to create a dating profile that is separate from their Facebook profile — and potential matches will be recommended...
It's F8 week, and that means plenty of Facebook news. The company's annual developer conference is also pretty important for users of the social network's other properties, as a slew of announcements, projects and roadmaps are usually revealed to the public. For those running businesses and rely heavily on Facebook Messenger, there are two big announcements to be aware of. Be warned: Facebook's shoving AR into everything this year, and its messaging service isn't exempt. Instead, the company's claiming that AR will soon be useful for companies using Messenger as a sales and advertising platform. Through the Camera Effects Platform, businesses can...
Twitter's has a subtle feature that now makes big news stories more prominent on the social network's timeline. Uncovered by Buzzfeed, prominent tweets that contain the same link are now grouped. It's better integrated into users' main timelines than its "explore" section that highlights trending topics or conversations. It's a subtle change, but will likely see extremely popular websites gain more prominence on the social network. The tweak comes at a remarkably stable financial moment for Twitter. The past six months have been its most profitable ever, and has seen its user numbers increase slightly too within this period. Now 336-million people log...
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Instagram, Facebook videos can now be viewed within WhatsApp 
