facebook Facebook Reports Strong Q1 Growth Despite Record $3 Billion FTC Fine Accrual Facebook grows its user base to 2.38 billion monthly active users and beats revenue expectations, even as it sets aside $3 billion for a potential FTC privacy fine.
sri lanka Sri Lanka Blocks Major Social Media Platforms Following Deadly Easter Attacks Sri Lankan authorities block major social media services to stop the spread of false information after coordinated bombings kill over 200 people. Experts warn the blackout creates an information vacuum and remains largely ineffective.
sri lanka Sri Lanka Blocks Social Media Amid Deadly Easter Terrorist Attacks Following a series of deadly bombings that kill over 200 people, Sri Lanka temporarily blocks major social media platforms to curb the spread of false news reports.
cybersecurity Facebook Buries Millions of Leaked Instagram Passwords Amid Weekly Cyber Threats Facebook quietly revises its estimate of exposed Instagram passwords from thousands to millions during a major political news cycle. Meanwhile, Utah strengthens digital privacy laws and an unknown agent exposes an Iranian hacking group.
mueller report Mueller Report Details How Russian Trolls Hijacked US Social Media The newly released Mueller report outlines how Russia's Internet Research Agency uses major social platforms to sow political discord and explicitly support Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
facebook Facebook Slashes Portal Video Chat Device Price by Half Amid Privacy Concerns Facebook drops the price of its face-tracking Portal video chat camera from $199 to $99 ahead of Mother's Day. The significant discount follows a rocky launch in a highly privacy-conscious market.
facebook Facebook Ends Messenger Peer-to-Peer Payments in UK and France Facebook is discontinuing its Messenger peer-to-peer payment service in the UK and France on June 15 due to low usage. The company continues to operate the feature in the US and still allows charitable donations in Europe.
facebook Facebook Announces Faster Messenger and Privacy-Focused Social Platform Vision Facebook kicks off its F8 developer conference by outlining a major shift toward privacy-focused social networking and unveiling a completely re-engineered Messenger app.
facebook Facebook Ships VR Headsets With Embarrassing Hidden Inscriptions Facebook admits that tens of thousands of upcoming Oculus VR controllers ship with internal prototype messages like "Big Brother Is Watching." The company reveals the embarrassing hardware error ahead of two major headset launches.
facebook Facebook Spends $20 Million on Zuckerberg's Personal Security in 2018 Facebook pays over $20 million for Mark Zuckerberg's personal security in 2018, nearly tripling the previous year's costs amid heightened public scrutiny. Sheryl Sandberg also receives millions for her own protection detail.
algorithmic accountability act New Algorithmic Accountability Act Demands Bias Testing for Big Tech Democratic lawmakers introduce the Algorithmic Accountability Act, a bill that requires large tech companies to evaluate their automated systems for bias and discrimination. The legislation routes regulatory enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission.
b capital Eduardo Saverin's B Capital Reaches First Close of $406M for Second Fund Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin leads B Capital to a $406 million first close for its second fund, easily surpassing its initial $360 million debut. The venture firm leverages its BCG partnership to invest globally across various industries from its Southeast Asian base.
rss Breaking Free From the Algorithmic Sushi Boat of Social News Social media feeds act like endless sushi boats, serving up the same low-quality news on a loop. To break this unhealthy cycle, users look toward older, open technologies like RSS and email newsletters for a better diet.
snapchat Snapchat Fights Back Against Facebook With New Platform Strategy Snapchat shifts from a defensive posture to an offensive platform play, allowing other apps to embed its Stories and features rather than building their own copies. This new strategy aims to unite the social web against Facebook's dominance.
australia Australia Enforces Strict Penalties for Violent Content on Social Media Australia passes a groundbreaking law that fines social media companies up to 10% of their annual profits and threatens employees with prison time if they fail to rapidly remove violent material.