Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram users around the world were left in a 'total blackout' for nearly an hour after the site crashed early on Monday afternoon. Those who attempted to access the desktop site were met with a message saying 'Sorry, something went wrong,' while mobile users were unable to refresh the News Feed. 'Earlier today, a routine test caused users to have trouble accessing or posting to all Facebook services including WhatsApp and Instagram,' Facebook told the New York Times. Facebook users around the world were left in a 'total blackout' for nearly an hour after the site crashed early on Monday afternoon. As usual, many turned to other social media platforms to share memes and express their gripes about the issues 'We quickly investigated and restored access for everyone. We're sorry for the inconvenience,' a Facebook spokesperson said. As usual, many turned to other social media platforms to share memes and express their gripes about the … [Read more...] about Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram users hit by massive crash after ‘routine tests’ that left them unable to log in for almost an hour
Facebook says it’s getting better at removing hate speech and has deleted 1.5 BILLION fake accounts over the last six months
Facebook is making progress on detecting hate speech, graphic violence and other violations of its rules, even before users see and report them. During the April-to-September period, Facebook doubled the amount of hate speech it detected proactively, compared with the previous six months. The findings were spelled out Thursday in Facebook's second report on enforcing community standards. The report comes a day after a bombshell report from the New York Times which detailed Facebook's efforts to downplay and avert blame over their mishandling of fake news and Russian propaganda on the platform. Scroll down for video Facebook says it is making progress on deleting hate speech, graphic violence and other violations of its rules, including detecting them before they are seen by users In its latest content removal report, Facebook said it disabled over 1.5 billion fake accounts, compared to 1.3 billion accounts over the previous six-month … [Read more...] about Facebook says it’s getting better at removing hate speech and has deleted 1.5 BILLION fake accounts over the last six months
Majority of anti-vaxx ads on Facebook are funded by just two organizations
The majority of Facebook ads spreading misinformation about vaccines are funded by two organizations run by well-known anti-vaccination activists, a new study in the journal Vaccine has found. The World Mercury Project chaired by Robert F Kennedy Jr, and Stop Mandatory Vaccinations, a project of campaigner Larry Cook, bought 54% of the anti-vaccine ads shown on the platform during the study period. “Absolutely we were surprised,” said David Broniatowski, a professor of engineering at George Washington University, one of the authors of the report. “These two individuals were generating the majority of the content.” Cook uses crowd-funding platforms to raise money for Facebook ads and his personal expenses. The crowd-funding platform GoFundMe banned Cook’s fundraisers in March 2019. YouTube has demonetized Cook’s videos. Kennedy is the son of the former US attorney general Bobby Kennedy. He also has a nonprofit focused on environmental causes. … [Read more...] about Majority of anti-vaxx ads on Facebook are funded by just two organizations
How to stop Facebook, Apple and Google tracking your every move: The tweaks you can make to your phone to stay private
Technology companies have been pummeled by revelations about how poorly they protect their customers’ personal information, including an in-depth New York Times report detailing the ability of smartphone apps to track users' locations. Some companies, most notably Apple, have begun promoting the fact that they sell products and services that safeguard consumer privacy. Smartphone users are never asked explicitly if they want to be tracked every moment of each day. But cellular companies, smartphone makers, app developers and social media companies all claim they have users' permission to conduct near-constant personal surveillance. Scroll down for video Smartphone users are never asked explicitly if they want to be tracked every moment of each day. But cellular companies, smartphone makers, app developers and social media companies all claim they have users' permission to conduct near-constant personal surveillance WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY?Start … [Read more...] about How to stop Facebook, Apple and Google tracking your every move: The tweaks you can make to your phone to stay private
Why Monzo and Revolut have nothing to fear from Google’s march into banking
Proving that nothing is secret from the all-seeing eye of Google, we now have the option to bank with it. The search giant yesterday unveiled a new current account which it said it would launch in the US next year, in a tie up with Citi. But it is not the only technology company trying to crack the financial sector. Along with Apple’s credit card and Facebook’s digital currency, Silicon Valley’s intention to make its way into our wallets has never been clearer than in recent months. But why has it taken the most innovative companies in the world so long to break into this lucrative market? The first thing to note is that the US and the UK are two very different financial markets. The UK enjoys a bustling fintech scene with challenger banks sprouting up and the likes of Monzo and Revolut giving the stalwarts a run for their money. But while we have had little to choose from by way of credit cards and current accounts, in the US, there … [Read more...] about Why Monzo and Revolut have nothing to fear from Google’s march into banking
