Facebook is constantly seeking ways to better analyze its users’ posts and find ways to target its advertising and content. Last week, it was revealed that the site is investigating deep learning (i.e., artificial intelligence) techniques that can create a “simulated neural network” to better understand the emotions behind users’ posts and better sort their…

After the scandal broke this summer revealing that the National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on some Facebook users, a backlash against the site began that has only intensified since (Facebook’s own changes to its data and privacy policies haven’t helped). Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in a conversation with The Atlantic, said that he thinks…

The aftershock from Facebook’s proposed changes to its user data policies are still being felt, this time from a coalition of teen advocacy groups. Initially, a group of consumer advocates sent a letter to the FTC asking them to stop Facebook’s proposed language changes. The new language more openly states that users give Facebook permission…

The case of a former deputy sheriff and several of his co-workers in Hampton, Virginia, who claimed they were fired for liking the Facebook page of a candidate running against their boss in 2009 went all the way to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled on the case this week. The verdict:…

A school district in Glendale, California, is looking at the public posts of its middle school and high school students on social media, looking for violent threats, bullying, evidence of drugs and suicidal posts. The district is paying $45,500 to a third-party online security firm to observe its students social media feeds for one year.…

Facebook has faced a lot of heat for its privacy practices lately, drawing an inquiry last week from the Federal Trade Commission regarding the language in its data usage policies. That, combined with an overall sense of unease about how Facebook is truly using its user’s data, has led to a very low public opinion…

The controversy surrounding Facebook’s changing policies heated up again this week when the FTC announced on Wednesday that they would begin an inquiry into the site to determine whether or not the site’s new policies violate a 2011 agreement with the FTC. The policy language behind the controversy clarified that, when Facebook users sign up…

When Facebook introduced hashtags a few months ago, it became apparent that the site was trying to copy Twitter’s ability to streamline global conversations around large events into one cohesive content feed. Facebook took another step toward that goal this week, introducing two new search functions for news organizations that allow them to gain insight…

After Facebook announced that it wanted to change its “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” and “Data Use Policy” regarding user data, many privacy advocates went into an uproar. (Six consumer advocacy groups even sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission this week urging them to block Facebook’s  new language.) However, the way Facebook takes…

Last week, Facebook proposed a series of sweeping changes to its policies regarding user data, changing the language to clarify the amount of control Facebook has over the information on its pages that users make public. However, six major consumer privacy advocacy groups sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday urging them…