Facebook Inc. is putting tighter controls on data flowing through its giant social network in response to the worst privacy crisis in its history. Rather than hurt the company, this will ultimately give Facebook and rival Google more power over a digital advertising market they already dominate, industry executives and analysts say. The crackdown started last week after revelations a consulting firm that worked on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign improperly accessed information on millions of Facebook users. The first victims were data brokers like Acxiom Corp. and Oracle Corp.’s Data Cloud that sell information marketers use to target ads on the world’s largest social network. Facebook is scrapping the targeting tool and will stop sharing anonymous information the brokers use to measure ad performance. The company said this “will help improve people’s privacy on … [Read more...] about Facebook’s Data Crackdown Has Two Winners: Facebook and Google
‘Missing’ Scottish family post Facebook Live on Lisbon holiday amid police hunt
A young Scottish family reported as missing to police posted a video of themselves on a holiday in Lisbon. Mum-of-two Daniela Gongalves, 21, and her young children, have been missing for two weeks, according to cops, while dad Mark Hendry, 21, was reported missing on Wednesday. Police had received a report that the couple had vanished, which is believed to have sparked concerns for their children’s safety. A social media appeal led to mum Daniella posting two live Facebook videos featuring her young children and insisting the family were fine and on holiday in Lisbon 1000 miles away. Daniela posted live video showing 15-month-old Mark Hendry Jnr and two-month-old Chantelle Hendry beside her, as she insisted: “We’re not missing. Nobody kidnapped us. We’re okay. We're fine. The kids are okay. Look.” She then posted a second live video shortly after, showing son Mark drinking from his bottle beside her. She claimed their first family trip had been … [Read more...] about ‘Missing’ Scottish family post Facebook Live on Lisbon holiday amid police hunt
Facebook says up to 2.7m EU users affected by leak
The European Union says Facebook has admitted up to 2.7 million people in the 28-nation bloc may have been victim of improper data sharing involving political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica.EU spokesman Christian Wigand said justice commissioner Vera Jourova will have a telephone call with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg early next week to address the massive data leaks.The EU and Facebook will be looking at what changes the social media giant needs to make to better protect users and how the US company must adapt to new EU data protection rules.Mr Wigand said EU data protection authorities will discuss over the coming days “a strong co-ordinated approach” on how to deal with the Facebook investigation. … [Read more...] about Facebook says up to 2.7m EU users affected by leak
Facebook admits asking hospitals for access to patients’ medical data
Facebook has called off talks with hospitals after asking for patient medical data amid concerns surrounding the company's handling of user data. The health research project for Facebook's secretive Building 8 department has been put on hold after Facebook sent a doctor to ask several US hospitals if they would share patient data. Facebook was planning to combine the anonymised medical data with its own to try and improve treatment and care. Facebook has reined in some of its new products and experiments while it conducts a review of its user data practices in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which saw the political consultants use data from Facebook that had been unwittingly... Register or log in to view this and other Technology Intelligence articles. It's free and easy to do. Access brilliant stories, features and analysis Sign up to our exclusive Technology Intelligence daily newsletter Become part of our ambitious new Tech … [Read more...] about Facebook admits asking hospitals for access to patients’ medical data
Family find missing cat in empty house before turning to Facebook to be reunited
Curiosity got the better of a cat when it became trapped inside an empty house. Rosie's owners became desperate when they couldn't free the four-year-old feline after several days. They had to resort to feeding the cat ham through the letter box after spotting him poking his head through a blind. They feared he may never escape the property in Deganwy, Wales. Kerri McHugh, who said the name Rosie stuck because they thought he was a girl when he was a kitten, tried several times to call the occupants. But they were away, so Kerri contacted the RSPCA and the council which were both unable to help, reports the Daily Post. Two days later, in desperation, she turned to social media to see if she could find out who owned the house. Within minutes, the landlady had been located and came to let Rosie out. Kerri said: “Rosie went missing on Monday. We didn’t see him for a while until my husband, who was bringing the shopping in from the car, happened to look up and see Rosie looking … [Read more...] about Family find missing cat in empty house before turning to Facebook to be reunited