mobile

Facebook said the personal data of most of its 2 billion users has been collected and shared with outsiders 

Apr 4, 2018 | , ,

Facebook said Wednesday that most of its 2 billion users likely have had their personal information scraped and shared by third-party developers without their explicit permission.

Source: Facebook said the personal data of most of its 2 billion users has been collected and shared with outsiders – The Washington Post

See also: Accessing Your Facebook Data

The real threat to Facebook is the Kool-Aid turning sour 

Mar 31, 2018 | , ,

The more benign leaks merely cost Facebook a bit of competitive advantage. We’ve learned it’s building a smart speaker, a standalone VR headset and a Houseparty split-screen video chat clone.

Yet policy-focused leaks have exacerbated the backlash against Facebook, putting more pressure on the conscience of employees. As blame fell to Facebook for Trump’s election, word of Facebook prototyping a censorship tool for operating in China escaped, triggering questions about its respect for human rights and free speech. Facebook’s content rulebook got out alongside disturbing tales of the filth the company’s contracted moderators have to sift through. Its ad targeting was revealed to be able to pinpoint emotionally vulnerable teens.

In recent weeks, the leaks have accelerated to a maddening pace in the wake of Facebook’s soggy apologies regarding the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Its weak policy enforcement left the door open to exploitation of data users gave third-party apps, deepening the perception that Facebook doesn’t care about privacy.

Source: The real threat to Facebook is the Kool-Aid turning sour | TechCrunch

Apple updates the iPad for schools, but the price remains the same

Mar 28, 2018 |

Apple sent the iPad back to school, literally. At an event at Chicago’s Lane Tech High School on Tuesday, Apple unveiled a new model of its entry-level tablet designed to appeal to teachers and students.

The new iPad got a speed boost and support for Apple’s Pencil stylus, but keeps its familiar design and $329 price. The changes are welcome, but stop short of a full-on assault on the simple — and inexpensive — Google Chromebook laptops that have stolen Apple’s thunder in American schools.

Source: Apple Chicago event: New iPad announced at same price – The Washington Post

The 4 Design Changes Facebook Should Really Make

Mar 23, 2018 | ,

“In my opinion, the biggest issue that Facebook needs to address is its business model that relies on data surveillance,” Ricks says. “Facebook is one actor in a complex web of data brokers, digital services, political organizations, social platforms, and financial institutions that have profited off the mass exploitation of people’s data. Until that changes, I worry that Facebook may just be making cosmetic fixes to its platform.”

Source: The 4 Design Changes Facebook Should Really Make

Facebook Has An App Problem

Mar 22, 2018 | , ,

An “app,” in the eyes of your average consumer, is something you literally download onto your phone or computer. It’s a piece of software in your possession. Implied in this mental model is a sort of containment. An app is like a caged tarantula we can take out now and again. But when we put it away, it stays put away, because no one wants to wake up in the middle of the night with a giant arachnid on their face.

When Facebook began allowing apps to connect with its service to expand what users could do on the social network in 2007, this model was destroyed overnight. You were no longer downloading a piece of software that you somehow owned or that you somehow could unplug. You were connecting to a service that lived on servers, an omnipresent entity that was always there and always watching, even after you long stopped tending those Farmville crops or responding to those Words with Friends requests.

Source: Facebook Has An App Problem

Android Continues to Have More Loyal Customers Than iOS

Mar 9, 2018 |

Android customers continue to be more loyal to the Android operating system than iOS users are to the iOS operating system, according to new data shared today by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.  Android saw a 91 percent loyalty rate in 2017, compared to 86 percent for iOS, with loyalty rates for the two operating systems remaining largely steady since early 2016. Android loyalty has hovered at 89 to 91 percent since January 2016, while iOS loyalty has been between 85 and 88 percent.

Source: Android Continues to Have More Loyal Customers Than iOS – Mac Rumors

Vero Is Bad Design–Except For The One Way It’s Brilliant

Feb 28, 2018 | ,

Vero has been around since 2015, but within the last week, the app has suddenly exploded as the Instagram-Facebook-Snapchat-alternative of 2018. Currently topping the iOS App Store, Vero’s servers are being crushed under the weight of new users–though it’s unclear exactly how many. Worth noting: The company’s own message of freedom and transparency might be hypocritical at best.

So what’s driving Vero’s apparent growth? For one thing, the company is brilliantly playing on the anger many people feel at social media companies by making promises aimed at many of the public’s biggest qualms with giants like Facebook. For instance, Vero says it will never have ads. It won’t sell your data to advertisers, either. And it will never reorder your timeline via an algorithm optimized for engagement. Instead, it plans to charge you a subscription–eventually. Facebook makes about $6/quarter off its users from advertising. Vero’s premise seems to be that you pay it directly, instead.

Source: Vero Is Bad Design–Except For The One Way It’s Brilliant