The Verge: Facebook’s role in the French protests has polarized observers. “Facebook is one lens through which to view the French protests — but it’s not the only one. In the London Review of Books, Jeremy Harding examines the issue not according to the medium but to its message: widespread dissatisfaction with French President Emmanuel Macron, rising taxes, and stagnant wages. In Harding’s piece, Facebook is mentioned precisely once, in the context of how one of the movement’s organizers first came to prominence. That’s led some observers to question whether Facebook’s role in the protests is overstated.”
Tech Xplore: Using machine learning to detect unreliable Facebook pages
Tech Xplore: Using machine learning to detect unreliable Facebook pages. “Researchers worldwide have hence been trying to develop methods to detect and prevent deception on Facebook and other social media platforms. Panida Songram, a researcher at Mahasarakham University, in Thailand, has recently carried out a study investigating the use of supervised machine learning to detect the reliability or unreliability of Facebook pages.”
BuzzFeed News: Facebook Filed A Patent To Calculate Your Future Location
BuzzFeed News: Facebook Filed A Patent To Calculate Your Future Location. “Facebook has filed several patent applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office for technology that uses your location data to predict where you’re going and when you’re going to be offline.”
BBC: Facebook’s hidden battle against ad-blockers
BBC: Facebook’s hidden battle against ad-blockers. “The methods Facebook uses to thwart ad-blocking technology have been criticised by web developers. The social network injects dozens of lines of code in every page to make it harder for ad blockers to detect and hide sponsored posts. But that makes the website less efficient and stops software such as screen readers used by visually impaired users from working properly.”
TorrentFreak: Scammers Use Facebook and Google to Spread Malicious ‘Pirate’ Files
TorrentFreak: Scammers Use Facebook and Google to Spread Malicious ‘Pirate’ Files. “Scammers and spammers are using user-generated content sites to distribute links to malware and viruses. The malicious content is advertised as pirated software and games, in an attempt to lure users. The issue is plaguing many platforms but appears to be rather persistent on Facebook and Google groups.”
BuzzFeed News: Now Academics Studying ISIS Are Feeling The Heat Of An Internet Crackdown
BuzzFeed News: Now Academics Studying ISIS Are Feeling The Heat Of An Internet Crackdown. “On March 22, 2016, as ISIS-built bombs ripped through Brussels Airport and a key metro station serving the offices of the European Union, killing more than 30 people, Pieter Van Ostaeyen, one of Belgium’s most experienced analysts of international terrorist groups, saw the news and immediately began tweeting insights and retweeting information as he arrived at work. After pausing to call his family to make sure everyone was safe, Van Ostaeyen then tried to tweet a warning that the emergency had limited phone service across Belgium. That’s when he realized that his account, widely considered one of the most insightful sources of information about Belgium and ISIS, had been suspended. He’d been accused by Twitter of pushing terrorist propaganda and had his account frozen.”
Business Insider: The ACCC wants to regulate the substantial power of Google and Facebook in Australia
Business Insider: The ACCC wants to regulate the substantial power of Google and Facebook in Australia. “Google and Facebook need greater regulatory oversight in Australia to monitor their market power and the large amount of data they collect on Australian consumers, according to the preliminary results of an inquiry by consumer watchdog, the ACCC.”
