facebook Facebook Erases Hundreds of Fake News Accounts Tied to Indonesian Group Facebook removes over 1,700 accounts and pages linked to the Saracen Group as part of a new regional election integrity initiative. The social media giant continues to struggle with the spread of misinformation across Southeast Asia.
facebook Facebook Defends Controversial Data Collection App in Internal Memo Facebook releases an internal memo attempting to justify its paid user data collection program after TechCrunch exposes the controversial practices.
apple Apple Briefly Revokes Google's App Certificates Over Data Collection Violations Apple temporarily blocks Google's internal iOS apps after discovering the misuse of enterprise certificates to distribute a data-collecting app outside the App Store. The tech giants quickly resolve the issue, restoring employee access to critical internal tools.
apple Apple Revokes Facebook Developer Certificate Over Spyware Research App Apple takes decisive action by revoking Facebook's Enterprise Certificate, effectively disabling the social giant's data-collecting Research app and internal employee tools.
instagram Instagram Stories Hits 500 Million Daily Users Amid Facebook App Overhaul Instagram Stories reaches half a billion daily users while Facebook plans major product updates across its family of apps. The company also outlines a gradual shift toward unified, encrypted messaging and family-wide metrics.
google Google Follows Facebook in Misusing Apple Enterprise Certificates for Data Collection Google operates an app called Screenwise Meter that uses Apple's enterprise program to bypass the App Store and collect user data, mirroring Facebook's recently banned practices. Following scrutiny, Google disables the iOS app and admits the distribution method violates Apple's policies.
instagram Instagram Stories Hits 500 Million Daily Users as Facebook Plans Feature Expansion Half of Instagram's billion users now view Stories daily, while Facebook prepares to launch major product updates across its app family. The company also announces plans to unify messaging infrastructure and shift focus to family-wide metrics.
facebook Facebook Secretly Pays Users for Total Phone Access in Project Atlas Facebook pays users up to $20 a month to install a research app that collects all phone and web activity, bypassing App Store rules. Apple immediately revokes Facebook's enterprise certificate for the clear policy violation.
facebook Opinion Piece Challenges Zuckerberg's Rosy Facebook History A TechCrunch article critically examines Mark Zuckerberg's WSJ defense of Facebook by tracing the company's problematic origins back to the unauthorized FaceMash dorm room project.
facebook Facebook Plans End-to-End Encryption for Instagram and Messenger Facebook is integrating its messaging platforms by adding end-to-end encryption to Instagram messages and making it default on Messenger. The move aims to boost user privacy and keep people engaged despite past security scandals.
facebook Facebook Plans End-to-End Encryption Across Instagram and Messenger Facebook is unifying the infrastructure of its messaging platforms by bringing end-to-end encryption to Instagram Direct and making it default on Messenger.
facebook Facebook Ends Moments Photo App Due to Low User Engagement Facebook officially discontinues its Moments photo-sharing app on February 25th due to a lack of regular users. The company continues to struggle with launching successful standalone applications outside of its core platform.
facebook Facebook Takes Proactive Steps to Shut Down Rule-Breaking Pages Facebook introduces a new "Page Quality" tab that shows admins removed content and fake news, while also proactively banning repeat offenders.
facebook Facebook Partners With Airbus to Test Solar Drones in Australia Despite grounding its own Aquila drone, Facebook collaborates with Airbus to test solar-powered Zephyr drones for internet connectivity in Australia.
facebook Facebook Launches Petition Tool Targeting Government Officials Facebook introduces Community Actions, a new News Feed petition feature that allows users to directly demand change from elected officials and government agencies. The tool highlights the ongoing challenge of preventing misuse and polarization on the massive social network.