TheNewsGuru

Tag: Facebook

  • Facebook News Feed not limited to posts from 26 friends, firm says

    Facebook News Feed not limited to posts from 26 friends, firm says

    Facebook has said its algorithm is not limiting the number of people whose posts show up in News Feed, dousing rumour the social media platform limits posts users can see to 26 friends only.

    TheNewGuru (TNG) reports copy-and-paste memes have been in circulation claiming Facebook’s “new algorithm” is limiting the number of people whose posts show up in News Feed, usually pegging the number at just 25 or 26 people.

    Though multiple publications have debunked this meme, it continues to persist; so, Facebook decided to clarify things up.

    “No, Facebook does not set a limit on the number of people whose posts are shown in your News Feed. The idea that News Feed only shows you posts from a set number of friends is a myth.

    “The goal of News Feed is to show you the posts that matter to you so that you have an enjoyable experience. If we somehow blocked you from seeing content from everyone but a small set of your friends, odds are you wouldn’t return,” said Ramya Sethuraman, a product manager who works on ranking.

    However, Facebook stated that the persistence of the “26 friends” myth is understandable, saying “because the posts in your News Feed are ranked in the order we believe you’ll be most interested in seeing them”.

    “The News Feed algorithms prioritize posts that are predicted to spark conversations among people, whether because of format — for example, live videos tend to lead to more discussions than regular videos — or because the posts were shared by people, groups or Pages you interact with frequently.

    “Because of this, it’s possible that you’ll see content from a similar list of posters at the top of your News Feed, which can make the “26 friends” idea seem plausible. If you scroll down, though, you’re likely to see posts from an even wider group of people.

    “Similarly, while leaving a single comment on a post won’t suddenly “unblock” you from showing up in your friends’ Feed (because there’s no arbitrary limit in the first place), there’s a grain of truth here, too. If you frequently trade comments with a friend, their posts are likely to be shown higher in your News Feed than posts from someone you never interact with.

    “If you want to control what you see in your News Feed, there are more straightforward ways to do it than by sharing memes. Because we know we don’t always get it right, we’ve built and are continuing to build new controls so that people can directly tell us what they want to prioritize, take a break from or get rid of.

    “If you want to make sure you see everything from a certain person, you can use the See First feature to put that person’s posts at the top of your Feed. If you’ve heard too much from someone, you can Unfollow them. If you just want to take a break from someone, the Snooze feature removes them from your News Feed for 30 days,” Facebook clarified.

     

  • Facebook partners 20 African NGOs for Safer Internet Day 2019

    Facebook is collaborating with over 20 African Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to ensure safer internet for the world.

    Sherry Dzinoreva, Public Policy Programmes Lead at Facebook Africa made this known on Monday in Lagos.

    Dzinoreva said that in line with Facebook’s commitment to building safer online world for all, it was supporting Safer Internet Day on Tuesday with a campaign, spanning over 15 African countries.

    The countries include Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Dzinoreva said that aligning with the Safer Internet Day call to action, is ‘Together for a better internet’.

    She said that Facebook was working with more than 20 non-profit organisations and government agencies, to raise awareness about internet safety and security concerns, including cyber bullying and cyber-crime.

    According to him, Facebook is supporting the Safer Internet Day by sponsoring the printing of online safety awareness booklets.

    “Facebook is facilitating training sessions and creating a family-friendly animation to help raise awareness of the Facebook Safety Centre.

    “We know that safety is a shared conversation, which is why we are excited to be working with so many stakeholders around the continent to make the Internet a better place.

    “Together, with Safer Internet Day as a platform, we can address emerging online concerns, so that people and especially children and the youth, can get the most from their Internet experience,’’ Dzinerova said in a statement.

    In Nigeria, Facebook is collaborating with Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN).

    PIN is running workshops on safer internet use as part of its LIFE (Life Skills, ICTs, Financial Readiness and Entrepreneurship) programme in Kano, Lagos and Aba.

    Facebook’s Safe Online trainers will run two-hour workshops in both PIN’s LIFE Centres and at schools in Kano and Lagos for this initiative.

    Also, the Director of Programmes, PIN, Tope Ogundipe, said working with Facebook on online safety aligned with PIN’s focus on driving digital inclusion and educating the youth about their digital rights.

    “This programme promises to equip the children who participate with skills and knowledge that will enable them to make confident use of the internet in their day-to-day lives, ‘’ Ogundipe said.

     

  • Important update for Facebook Group owners

    Important update for Facebook Group owners

    Facebook has released a new update which adds some new parameters around how group admins are able to invite and add new members to their groups.

    Up until now, Facebook users have been able to add friends to groups which they believe those people will be interested in, and those friends would automatically be added to said group.

    You’ve likely experienced this for yourself – you get a notification that you’ve been added to a group of some kind, then you see a range of group updates making their way into your News Feed.

    This can be a good way for group admins to inflate the size of their groups, because while those added users can, of course, remove themselves from the group, friends, in particular, may simply mute notifications, so as to not cause offense, but filter the updates out of their feed.

    As Facebook notes, this also means that there may well be people who’ve been added to your group who’ve never actually visited it.

    So now, these users will not be automatically added, but will be put onto a new ‘Invited’ list in the group admin dashboard.

    If a user is invited by a friend, they’ll need to manually accept that invitation by visiting the group. They’ll also no longer be included in the total group member count, which could see some group audience figures drop.

    Facebook is also giving admins the capacity to send one reminder note to each invitee to re-prompt them to join their group. If those users don’t take action, they won’t be added, or listed in group member counts.

    It’s a fairly simple, and logical addition for Facebook – as noted, it can be annoying to be added into a group, and to have your News Feed invaded by random updates from discussions that you may actually have little to no interest in. But it will, as noted, affect some group member counts.

    If you’ve invited a heap of people to join your Facebook group, and you haven’t seen those people active in your community, you could see your numbers decline.

    The changes are taking effect already.

     

  • Apple bans Facebook

    Apple said on Wednesday it had banned Facebook from a programme designed to let businesses control iPhones used by their employees.

    Apple said that the social networking company had improperly used it to track the web-browsing habits of teenagers.

    Apple offers what are known as certificates that let businesses have deep controls over iPhones, with the potential to remotely install apps, monitor app usage and access, and delete data owned by a business on an iPhone.

    Apple designed the programme for organisations whose staff use iPhones for official duties, when privacy needs are different from phones for personal use.

    On Tuesday, technology news site TechCrunch, reported that Facebook was paying users as young as 13 years old to install an app called Facebook Research.

    The app used Apple’s business tools to ask for an iPhone user’s permission to install so-called virtual private network software that can track browsing habits.

    Apple ejected Facebook from the business app programme, saying in a statement on Wednesday the programme was “solely for the internal distribution of apps within an organisation.”

    “Facebook has been using their membership to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear breach of their agreement with Apple,” Apple said in the statement.

    The ban does not affect Facebook’s apps in Apple’s App Store, which Facebook depends on to distribute Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps to iPhone users.

    But it does mean that Facebook will not be able to distribute internal apps to its own employees.

    In a statement, Facebook said key aspects of the research programme were being ignored and that it had secured users’ permission.

    “In spite of early reports, there was nothing ‘secret’ about this,” Facebook said in a statement. “It was literally called the Facebook Research App.

    “It wasn’t ‘spying’ as all of the people, who signed up to participate went through a clear on-boarding process, asking for their permission and were paid to participate.”

    Facebook said fewer than five per cent of the participants in the programme were teens and that all of those teens had signed parental consent forms.

     

  • EU seeks more efforts against fake news from Facebook, Google, others

    The European Commission on Tuesday called on social media giants including Facebook and Google to take stronger action against disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections in May.

    In September, Facebook, Google, Mozilla and Twitter signed up to a voluntary EU code of conduct to tackle fake news online.

    At the time, the commission warned that it could introduce binding rules if the voluntary measures do not go far enough.

    The companies have made some progress, the commission on Tuesday said in its first assessment of measures taken.

    But it warned that additional action is needed ahead of this year’s European Parliament elections.

    “We are stepping up a pace on all fronts to ensure free and fair elections,” said EU Justice Commissioner, Vera Jourova.

    “I expect companies will fully follow on their rhetoric and commitment.’’

    Among other things, the commission calls on Facebook to provide consumer empowerment tools and cooperation with fact-checkers in more than just a handful of member states and asks Google to make its tools to fight disinformation more widely available.

    The EU executive also asks Twitter and Mozilla for more detail on their plans to tackle fake news.

    “We don’t want to wake up the day after the elections and realise we should have done more,” said Julian King, the Commissioner Responsible for Security Issues.

    On Monday, Facebook’s chief lobbyist Nick Clegg announced plans to increase electoral transparency in Europe from March, by showing, who had paid for any political advertising and keeping the ads in a public database for up to seven years, among other things.

    King welcomed the plans but stressed the need for any such initiatives to be in place before EU election campaigns gear up in earnest.

    The EU code of conduct commits companies to actions such as flagging political advertising, closing fake accounts, helping people make informed decisions and disrupting advertising revenues for accounts and websites that misrepresent information.

    Fears are rife that third parties, such as Russia, may try to influence voters ahead of this year’s EU elections, with a view to boosting populist, Eurosceptic parties.

    Member states have also been asked to assign a contact person for an EU rapid alert system aimed at shutting down disinformation.

    Twelve of the bloc’s 28 member states have not yet done so, the commission said.

    The commission is due to issue monthly reports on the progress made by social media giants until the European elections and will conduct an overall review once the code of conduct has been in place for a year, to see whether legislative steps are needed.

    Other EU measures to fight fake news include setting up a network of fact-checkers and researchers, introducing new technologies to detect and counter false information and more than doubling the EU’s strategic communication budget.

    EU negotiators have also agreed in principle on plans to fine political parties that misuse private data to influence elections.

     

  • Facebook tightens paid ads rules ahead of EU elections

    Facebook tightens paid ads rules ahead of EU elections

    Facebook on Monday said it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year.

    The world’s largest social network has been under pressure from regulators and the public after 2018’s revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of U.S. users to target election advertising.

    “We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorised and we will display a `paid for by’ disclaimer on those ads,” Facebook’s recently-appointed Head of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, told a news conference.

    Clegg, a former British Deputy Prime Minister, hired by Facebook in October said the new tools to be launched in March aim to help protect the integrity of EU elections due to be held this spring.

    Facebook said the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June.

    It added that the tools would be launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both.

    “The tools are similar to those adopted for the U.S. mid-term elections,’’ Clegg said, adding that all political ads will be stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years.

    This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location.

    The new tools, which will be launched in March, will also cover `issue ads’ which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicised topics like immigration.

    Facebook said it will also set up two new regional operations centres focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices.

    Clegg, however, denied that Facebook sells users’ data.

    “Selling people’s information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, but it would also undermine the way we do business.

    “Because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers,’’ he noted.

     

  • Facebook launches hub, invites users to take a checkup

    As the world marks Data Privacy Day, social media giant, Facebook has launched a Privacy and Data Use Hub.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the social media giant is also inviting users on the platform to take a Privacy Checkup.

    “Starting today and continuing over the next two weeks, we’ll invite people on Facebook to take a Privacy Checkup.

    “We’re also launching a Privacy and Data Use Hub to make our data and privacy resources easier for businesses to find,” Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan announced.

    It is important for people to periodically review their privacy choices to be sure they are still the right ones.

    Facebook will be showing users a reminder in News Feed inviting them to take the Privacy Checkup.

    “We’ll roll this out around the world over the next two weeks to help people review who can see their Facebook posts, the information on their profile and who can see it, and the apps and websites they log into with Facebook,” Egan stated.

    The new Facebook’s Privacy and Data Use Business Hub centralizes resources that businesses can use to understand how they can protect people’s information when using Facebook.

    This new hub contains information on topics like our Ads and Privacy Principles, how data is used in ad products, and guidance to help companies understand rules like GDPR.

    “While Data Privacy Day is a good time to think about protecting your information, we’re continuing to work throughout the year to improve the privacy controls we offer on Facebook and better communicate about how we protect people’s information.

    “Last year we made our privacy settings easier to find, improved our tools for accessing and deleting your information, and published our Privacy Principles.

    “This year we’ll do more to explain how Facebook uses people’s data and provide people with more transparency and control.

    “For example, in the coming months we will launch Clear History, a new control to let you see the information we get about your activity on other apps and websites, and disconnect that information from your account,” Egan said.

     

  • Facebook fighting hard to earn back trust

    Facebook fighting hard to earn back trust

    Facebook’s operations chief Sheryl Sandberg said on Wednesday that the world’s largest social network needed to win back public trust after facing scandals for violating its users’ privacy.

    The social media platform is investing billions of dollars a year to improve the security of its network, Sandberg said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    “We did not anticipate all of the risks from connecting so many people,” Sandberg said.

    Sandberg added that the site had added features that give users greater control over their personal information.

    The 15-year-old technology company has been a darling of California’s Silicon Valley, making stars out of its founder, chief executive and chairman Mark Zuckerberg, and Sandberg, known for her feminist manifesto “Lean In”.

    But its shares have fallen roughly 33 per cent since July to 144 dollars due to concerns about user privacy.

    In 2018, the company was buffeted by revelations that UK consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of its U.S. users to target election advertising.

    “We need to earn back trust,” Sandberg said.

    Some of Facebook’s major shareholders have pushed for Zuckerberg, who has majority control of the company, to step down as chairman.

    Sandberg said he should remain both chair and CEO. She said that she also plans to remain at Facebook, where she has worked since 2008.

    “I think I have a job to do,” she said. “It’s a job I really want to do.”

    Sandberg said that if Facebook had to change its business model and charge users a subscription fee instead of collecting advertising revenue, far fewer people would be able to use it.

    “Fundamentally disallowing our business model would harm a lot of people all over the world.”

    She said her grassroots women’s movement, spurred by the publication of “Lean In”, was still going strong.

    But, asked if she was considering a run for U.S. president in the 2020 election, she replied: “It’s not on my agenda.”

     

  • Nigerian satellite hubs get Facebook backing

    Facebook says it is unveiling a new incubation programme, in partnership with its Nigerian satellite hubs to help local start-ups and upcoming entrepreneurs realise their business goals.

    Facebook Developer Programme Manager, Kendra Nnachi said in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos that, the programme was in continuation of Facebook’s desire to empower and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people in Nigeria.

    The participating hubs in the 8-week programme include: Colab, Roar Nigeria, nHub, Ken Saro Wiwa Innovation Hub, Ventures Platform, Di-Hub, Start Innovation Hub and NG_Hub, according to Nnachi.

    The Facebook Developer Programme Manager said the programme would be officially launched on Feb.4, adding that the social platform had begun accepting applications from interested candidates.

    She said that designed and run in collaboration with the satellite hubs spread across Nigeria, the programme also aimed to help new start-ups and entrepreneurs-to-be take their respective solutions from ideation stage to prototype.

    Nnachi said that the programme would be done through mentorship with industry experts and practical training sessions, providing foundational skills necessary for building a successful business.

    “Our aim for this kind of initiative is to empower entrepreneurs. We believe that this programme will increase the quality and longevity of the Nigerian start-up scene.

    “It will not only provide specialist knowledge and mentoring to the participants, but also create a community that gives them room to share and grow,” she said.

    The Partnership Director of Ventures Platform, Mimshach Obioha, commended Facebook for its commitment to the growth and development of startups across the continent.

    Obioha said that the collaboration and essence of the programme coincided with objectives of the hub.

    “Ventures Platform backs Africa’s boldest entrepreneurs and helps them grow great companies around their ideas.

    “We have always been in the business of incubating ideas and bringing them to life and we are excited that this partnership will give us an opportunity to do more.

    “We are certain that the young people of this country will take due advantage of the opportunities the programme will offer and we are willing to nudge them along,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Di-hub, Alhaji Idris Dangana, said that with the programme, more young people would be given opportunity to showcase their ideas.

    “Young people, especially in Nigeria, are known to be bursting with the entrepreneurial spirit and we are only too glad to provide the needed boost with this workshop.

    “As we have always done, we would be providing support services for the duration of the training and we are very thrilled to see what the participants have to offer,” he said.