Facebook shoves mobile web users toward the Messenger app
Remember when Facebook divorced instant messages from the main app and forced folks to download Messenger if they wanted a direct way to send quick missives while on the go? Well, the social network is doing something similar once again. Reports are floating about that people accessing their messages from the mobile web either isn’t possible or that there are a few annoying obstacles in place.
Android Authority writes that some mobile web users are getting a reminder that “Your conversations are moving to Messenger” with a near instantaneous redirect to the Google Play download page for Zuckerberg’s blue chat application. In our tests, it’s been hit or miss. I can still access everything from Chrome on iOS without any hiccups, but Android-owning coworkers experienced a couple of hurdles to get to their existing message threads — including a few bounces to Messenger. Zuckerberg and Co. are cranking the nag factor way up here for Android users.
Facebook’s motivation is pretty clear: It’s putting an awful lot of effort into Messenger and wants everyone to use it, whether the users care to or not. After all, there have been hints at ads making their way to the chat app. If there are ways to circumvent seeing those, people are going to use them. Until they’re gone, that is.
Source: Android Authority
Facebook: No, we’re not using your phone’s mic to eavesdrop
In a story that mostly proves Facebook really doesn’t manipulate what stories are popular on its service, today the company responded to a rumor that its app is listening in on users. This time around, the rumor started in an article from The Independent reporting that a communications professor from USF noticed Facebook serving ads with topics similar to stuff she’d discussed near her phone. Not surprisingly, the story spread rapidly on Facebook, and today the company responded with a statement trying to clear up the situation. As it said to Gizmodo: “Facebook does not use microphone audio to inform advertising or News Feed stories in any way. Businesses are able to serve relevant ads based on people’s interests and other demographic information, but not through audio collection.” Clear enough?
Recently FUD stories like this have spread as a result of incomprehensible terms of service wrapped in so much legalese that no one knows what they’re really agreeing to. This time however, the fuel appears to be app permissions on Android and iOS. While Facebook does list a permission to use the microphone on iOS and Android, it’s only activated when a user tries to identify something like music or a TV show.
Unfortunately, most people aren’t sure what the permissions mean — even an app like Skype with an obvious need for access has to explain it — and assume anything listed might be in use at any particular time, no matter how unlikely that is. That said, if you do want to make sure Facebook does not have access to your microphone, you can disable it on either mobile platform. On iOS, just go to settings, select Facebook, and move the slider for microphone to off, or on Android, if you look under Apps in the settings menu, find Facebook and select permissions, you should see a similar slider for the microphone.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Facebook
Facebook Quietly Kills Off ‘Notify’ News Alert App for iOS
Facebook has officially shut down Notify, its real-time, notification-based news app for iOS.
The company sent an alert to users of the app last night, explaining that it would be transitioning parts of the Notify service into its other products and that the app would no longer be supported.
Notify, which went live in November, enabled users to receive news notifications and choose their sources from over 70 publishers, with options for granular alerts about specific sub-topics of interest.
Notifications included short summaries and allowed users to tap through to view the news articles, but the app has clearly failed to capture the attention of Facebook’s user base and the wider news-reading public. Facebook told TechCrunch:
Starting on Wednesday, we will begin integrating Notify functionality into other Facebook products, like Messenger, and will be removing Notify from the App Store. Since launching Notify, we’ve learned a lot about how to make notifications as timely and relevant as possible and we heard from people using the app that Notify helped them stay informed about things they cared about throughout the day.
With more than 900 million people using Messenger each month, we think there is a great opportunity for publishers to reach even more people interested in real-time updates from their favorite sources.
According to mobile app analytics startup SensorTower, Notify only achieved 63,000 downloads in its lifetime. Facebook’s other iOS news-related app, the digital magazine-like Paper, appears to remain in the company’s future standalone service plans, at least for now.
Tag: Facebook
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Facebook kills its little-known Notify app
Remember Facebook’s Notify app? No? Well then, it has gone into the ether before you even knew it. The social network is shutting it down after launching it merely seven months ago. Notify was designed to send notifications from a curated list of news sources — you could pick from its content partners, including Bloomberg Business, CNN and The New York Times — to your lock screen. You could even follow specific parts of a publication, such as the sports section, instead of the whole thing. In a statement the social network sent out, it said that it’ll begin integrating Notify’s features into other products like Messenger on Wednesday. It will also pull Notify from the App Store.
We’re guessing the company is talking about using Messenger’s chatbots to deliver the latest updates to users. Some pubs like CNN and The Wall Street Journal are already running their own bots, and more companies will surely follow. Unlike Notify, chatbots don’t need a standalone app, so all Facebook users can access them anytime.
Here are the full statement Facebook sent TechCrunch and the notice it blasted to subscribers’ phones earlier:
“Starting on Wednesday, we will begin integrating Notify functionality into other Facebook products, like Messenger, and will be removing Notify from the App Store. Since launching Notify, we’ve learned a lot about how to make notifications as timely and relevant as possible and we heard from people using the app that Notify helped them stay informed about things they cared about throughout the day.
With more than 900 million people using Messenger each month, we think there is a great opportunity for publishers to reach even more people interested in real-time updates from their favorite sources.”
Via: The Verge, TechCrunch
Get your next movie recommendation from a Facebook bot
Facebook is still working on rolling out its bot platform, with the apps that will eventually comprise it still in its early stages. But there’s one that you can try out right now, complete with a ridiculous name based on one of the memes du jour out there on the internet. It’s called And Chill, and it’s a movie recommendation engine.
Via Facebook Messenger or text you can engage And Chill, where it will ask you to tell it a particular movie you enjoyed and why you liked it. The bot will analyze your reasoning and use the data it receives to recommend films in the same vein as the one you stated a preference for. The science behind it all isn’t so readily shared by the startup itself, but it “uses a few different frameworks to detect patters, attributes, and other factors” to work its magic.
At the time of this post And Chill is under some heavy load, promising it “won’t be long” for a response, but to expect delays. I wasn’t actually able to get a recommendation due to said delays (I waited 20 minutes for a response) but it looks from other user reviews it’s offering some decent suggestions here and there.
It’s definitely a leg up from doing the Netflix shuffle where you flip back and forth through categories aimlessly, but it’ll need some time before it works as flawlessly as we’d want. Still, you’ve got to admit — being hand-delivered a movie suggestion and a trailer to match it is a lot better than trolling IMDb.
If you’re interested in giving And Chill a try, you can access it via Facebook Messenger or by texting 213-297-3673.
Via: TechCrunch
Facebook to introduce AI that understands everything you post
Facebook’s latest artificial intelligence system is known as “DeepText,” and it has some pretty serious implications as far as privacy goes. The social network is interested in implementing the system that can help analyze thousands of posts per second across 20 different languages, all with near-human accuracy.
What does that mean for you as a Facebook user? Soon, the company will be able to identify what you’re saying in posts, messages and other content available via your profile and other pages to better offer suggestions and other helpful options. For example, if you happen to post a status about needing a ride or converse with a friend about when you might need to be picked up, Facebook might suggest you hit up Uber or Lyft services via Messenger transportation integration. The key is distinguishing between slang, jargon and other intricacies of human language that can sometimes make this sort of thing difficult for artificial intelligence to understand.
Facebook is interested in bringing this kind of technology forward as a way to help format sales posts when it can tell you’re creating one, or even help pinpoint and filter out malicious, hateful or otherwise hurtful speech on the social network. According to Facebook, its AI systems already report more photos that could be found offensive than humans, so it’s going one step further to make the network a safer place. It’s understandable how the DeepText system could be a boon for users, but it also of course opens the floor to several questions about privacy that will have to be investigated as DeepText debuts and proves its worth as a recommendation engine.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Facebook
Facebook intros diverse Messenger emojis for all platforms
Facebook has created brand new emojis for Messenger, redesigned its old ones and standardized them for all operating systems. The social network will begin rolling out 1,500 newly designed emojis tomorrow, which will show up the way you see them on your device no matter the recipient’s platform. No more empty boxes taking their place if you’re chatting with someone using another OS. Even better, the new graphics embrace diversity — they include hand gestures and human faces in different skin colors, as well as images of same sex couples.
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you already have access to Apple’s diverse smileys. But Messenger’s new selection is accessible everywhere the app is available, including Android and the web. At the moment, you can only use hand gestures in FB’s original blue-and-white coloring on Android, and you barely even have choices on the web. Messenger will ask for your preferred skin tone when you get the update, though you can change it again later.
Facebook is also taking a leaf out of Google’s book and launching more emojis that represent women, showing them in professional attire (e.g. police officer) and doing various activities like swimming, running and surfing. Finally, all 1,500 options will be available through the app’s new emoji picker when they make their way to your device.
Peter Thiel is staying on Facebook’s board of directors
Ever since news emerged that billionaire Peter Thiel is funding multiple lawsuits against Gawker Media, some have said he should step down from his position on the board of directors at Facebook. A now-public war against the media outlet that he called a “bully” certainly complicates things for the company, which works with Gawker on initiatives like Instant Articles and Facebook Live streams. COO and fellow board member Sheryl Sandberg faced questions about that relationship earlier during an interview at the Code Conference (which you can watch below, embedded from Facebook), and confirmed that Thiel will remain on the company’s board.
Asked about the situation, Sandberg acknowledged the importance of independence in the media, before saying that Thiel “did what he did on his own, not as a Facebook board member. We didn’t know about it….and you should talk to him.” Recently Facebook faced uproar after another board member, Marc Andreessen connected India’s view of net neutrality to anti-colonialism, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed with a letter. According to Sandberg, we probably shouldn’t expect a similar response here. In the case of Andreessen’s statement she said it could have been viewed as speaking for the company, while Thiel’s activities are clearly “not a Facebook thing.”
Source: Recode (Facebook), Recode
Facebook Considering Optional End-to-End Encryption for Messenger
Facebook is planning to introduce an optional end-to-end encryption mode for its Facebook Messenger chat platform, currently used by more than 900 million people, reports The Guardian.
Citing sources “close to the project,” The Guardian says the encryption will be an opt-in feature because turning it on will impact some of the new machine learning features being built into the Messenger app like chat bots. Google’s upcoming “Allo” messaging app also offers an opt-in end-to-end encryption option it calls “incognito mode.”
Many major technology companies have taken a stronger stance on privacy, embracing end-to-end encryption following Apple’s standoff with the FBI. Earlier this year, the FBI demanded Apple unlock the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook by bypassing Apple’s own passcode security features.
Apple refused, and the FBI eventually found an alternate way to access the iPhone, but the dispute has scared technology companies into bolstering security. Dozens of major technology companies supported Apple during its fight with the FBI, all of whom were concerned about the precedent the FBI’s demand could set.
Popular Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp enabled full end-to-end encryption in April, and in March, Swiss software developer Proton Technologies released ProtonMail, an email app offering end-to-end encryption. Apple is also rumored to be working on enhanced security measures for its software and hardware, and apps like Telegram Messenger have grown in popularity.
It is not clear exactly when Facebook might introduce new encryption options for Messenger, but the feature is said to be planned “in the coming months.” Facebook declined to comment on the rumor, saying it does not respond to rumor and speculation.
Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, privacy, Encryption
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Facebook reportedly considering making Messenger more secure
Facebook Messenger could be getting a significant security update this summer. According to The Guardian, the Zuckerberg-led company is looking to implement end-to-end encryption for its messaging app, which has over 900 million monthly active users. The planned feature, which Facebook would neither confirm nor deny, would also be opt-in and not activated by default. The reasoning for that lies with Facebook’s larger goals for Messenger: making it a smart, assistive app. Already, the company’s rolled out a Bots for Messenger feature that allows users to engage with and order services from brands.
To ensure Messenger’s machine learning features continue to grow and adapt (e.g., smart replies), Facebook needs access to users’ messages. Encryption obviously gets in the way of this mission since it prevents Facebook from intercepting and analyzing those texts, hence the need for users to opt-in. It’s the same stance Google’s taking with its own smart messaging app, Allo — another platform that offers optional encryption.
The move underscores growing concerns over privacy and digital convenience. For users, however, it presents a dilemma — if you want the sort of lazy, machine-assisted service provided by the likes of Google and Facebook, you have to be willing to let your privacy guards down. If you value privacy, then you have to be content looking in from the outside.
Source: The Guardian
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