Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | US President Donald Trump may rule the roost on Twitter, but he lags far behind Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, according to a study published Wednesday. Modi is by far the most followed world leader on the gargantuan social networking platform, counting 43.2 …
Read More »Facebook messaging app adds real time translations
San José, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday gave its popular Messenger app the ability to translate missives in real time, deploying artificial intelligence to enable text conversations between people using different languages. Messenger has become a tool for businesses to connect with customers, and the ability to converse …
Read More »Facebook to offer dating service
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the world’s largest social network will soon include a new dating service. “This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, not just hook-ups,” Zuckerberg said as he unveiled the plan in a speech at Facebook’s …
Read More »UK MPs pressure Zuckerberg to testify on Facebook data breach
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British MPs threatened Tuesday to issue a formal summons to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg for him to testify over a major privacy row, after he declined to appear. Zuckerberg was grilled by the US Congress last month but sent one of his executives to …
Read More »Facebook should pay its users!
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | People should be paid whenever their personal data is used by tech giants to make money; that is the proposal of Sir Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK. He said data was the ‘new oil’ and the ‘growth …
Read More »Facebook privacy drive may crimp some political campaigns
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook’s new focus on protecting private user data is likely to change the game for many campaigns, making it harder to deliver highly targeted, personal political messages. The changes unveiled by the huge social network following an outcry over the hijacking of data on …
Read More »CSOs ask MPs to reject new taxes on mobile money, social media
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The proposed introduction of new taxes on mobile money transactions and social media has met stiff rejection from civil society activists. Government has proposed to introduce a 10 percent final withholding tax on commissions by telecommunication companies to mobile money and airtime agents and Shillings …
Read More »Facebook unveils appeal process for when it removes posts
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Tuesday it will give users the right to appeal decisions if the social network decides to remove photos, videos or written posts deemed to violate community standards. Plans to roll out an appeals process globally in coming months came as Facebook provided …
Read More »Facebook rejects Australia media calls for regulation
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Tech giant Facebook has opposed calls by Australian media companies for digital platforms to be regulated, amid an inquiry into their impact on competition in news and advertising markets. The government tasked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission earlier this year with assessing whether platforms …
Read More »Want to de-stress?
Delete Facebook, study suggests Kampala, Uganda | ANA SANDOIU | If Cambridge Analytica didn’t put you off Facebook forever, this might: a new study says that quitting the social media network can drastically lower your stress levels. The Cambridge Analytica scandal — also known as the largest data leak in Facebook …
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