The FTC may sue Facebook over antitrust violations by late November

Posted on 07/11/2020 by Engadget

The FTC may have narrowed down the time frame for an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. Politico sources claim the Commission is “likely” to sue Facebook before November is over. It might not be the quick, public legal battle some would hope for, th...

Facebook is publicly testing dark mode in its mobile app

Posted on 01/11/2020 by Engadget

Facebook is finally testing a dark mode in its mobile app beyond a handful of users. The social network has teamed up with code sleuth Jane Manchun Wong to confirm that it’s publicly testing dark mode on Android and iOS. Just who’s getting the option...

TikTok is back in Pakistan following ban due to ‘unlawful content’

Posted on 19/10/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Pakistan is removing its ban on TikTok, albeit with conditions. The country’s Telecommunication Authority has cleared the social video app after TikTok promised it would moderate clips in step with Pakistani “societal norms” and laws. People who rout...

Facebook turned down 2.2 million ads meant to interfere with US voting

Posted on 18/10/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Facebook really, really wants you to know it’s cracking down on attempts to interfere with voting in the 2020 US election. Global affairs VP Nick Clegg told Le Journal du Dimanche in an interview (via The Guardian and AFP) that Facebook had rejected...

Instagram starts labeling ‘state-controlled media’ accounts and posts

Posted on 05/10/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Over the last week, Instagram has started labeling state-backed media, following through on a policy the company’s parent Facebook announced last October and started implementing on its own social media network this past June. The labels were first s...

Facebook leak hints at its defense against a government-ordered breakup

Posted on 04/10/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Facebook is under intense regulatory pressure, and it appears to be bracing itself for the worst. The Wall Street Journal says it has obtained a document outlining Facebook’s defense if the government orders a breakup that would unload Instagram and...

Twitter has ‘more analysis to do’ after algorithm shows possible racial bias

Posted on 20/09/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Twitter is learning first-hand about the challenges of eliminating racial bias in algorithms. The social network’s Liz Kelley said the company had “more analysis” to do after cryptographic engineer Tony Arcieri conducted an experiment suggesting Twit...

Trump approves TikTok deal with Oracle and Walmart ‘in concept’

Posted on 20/09/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

TikTok appears to have avoided a US ban at the last minute... probably. President Trump has agreed to a deal “in concept” (via CNBC) that theoretically allays US security issues while letting it operate in the country. True to earlier discussions, Or...

TikTok’s owner might refuse to sell its algorithm to a US buyer

Posted on 13/09/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

If TikTok wants to sell itself to a US company and avoid a potential ban, it might have to leave behind one of its most important pieces of code. South China Morning Post sources claim TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, won’t sell or transfer the social vid...

Facebook takes down false claims of extremists starting Oregon wildfires

Posted on 13/09/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Facebook has once again found itself stamping out false information that could foster violence, if not on a topic where it’s normally an issue. Policy communications lead Andy Stone has revealed (via Gizmodo) that Facebook removed false claims extrem...