Internet Safety & Privacy

Facebook Privacy Settlement May Be The Largest Class Action Suit In US History

Facebook Privacy Settlement May Be The Largest Class Action Suit In US History

Earlier this year, Facebook agreed to pay out a massive $725 million class action lawsuit settlement over allegations that it shared user data with third party organizations. The deadline to file a claim was in late August, and according to lawyers representing the plaintiffs, it could amount to the single largest class action lawsuit in…

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Facebook Oversight Board Says Posts About Abortion Are Not Death Threats

Facebook Oversight Board Says Posts About Abortion Are Not Death Threats

Last year, Facebook removed several posts about abortion policy that the company said constituted death threats. The posts, which were written by users on both sides of the controversial issue, were then referred to the Facebook Oversight Board to decide their fate. And this week, the semi-independent group released a report ordering Facebook to reinstate…

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Facebook Continues To Offer Poor Support For Hacked Users

Facebook Continues To Offer Poor Support For Hacked Users

There’s no denying that Facebook is effective at certain measures to protect users. For instance, according to a report this week from Cybernews, Facebook has deleted about 27.67 billion fake accounts since October 2017 — almost four times more than the population of the planet. However, many real people who experience problems on the platform…

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New Facebook Privacy Setting Lets You Ask For Your Data Not To Be Used For AI Training

New Facebook Privacy Setting Lets You Ask For Your Data Not To Be Used For AI Training

It’s no secret that Facebook gathers tons of your data to support its business model of targeted advertising. However, the company also uses our information for its own purposes, such as training its artificial intelligence models. Thankfully, this week, Facebook quietly rolled out a new privacy feature that will let users ask the company to…

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Facebook Rejects Censorship Decision From Its Own Oversight Board

Facebook Rejects Censorship Decision From Its Own Oversight Board

When Facebook first created its Oversight Board, it envisioned the group to be a supreme court for its most controversial content moderation decisions. Whatever the board recommended, Facebook would consider, thus saving it from having to make big unpopular decisions by itself. However, while the company has touted this group’s independence, it can reject its…

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School District Sues Facebook For Allegedly Harming Children’s Mental Health

School District Sues Facebook For Allegedly Harming Children’s Mental Health

This year, many school districts around the country have launched legal action against Facebook and other social media companies for allegedly harming the mental health of students. And this week, a school district in Charlotte, North Carolina, threw its hat into the ring, suing Facebook with the ultimate goal of changing its very business practices.…

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Human Rights Group Demands Facebook Pay For Its Role In Genocide

Human Rights Group Demands Facebook Pay For Its Role In Genocide

Facebook is often accused of not doing enough to stop the spread of hate speech, misinformation, and other forms of dangerous content around the world. However, the company has been especially criticized for its alleged role in the massacre of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. According to experts and activists, the social media giant’s algorithms…

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Facebook Once Again Says It Will Roll Out End-To-End Encryption By End Of Year

Facebook Once Again Says It Will Roll Out End-To-End Encryption By End Of Year

Facebook has long promised to provide strong end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for users to protect the private contents of their messages. However, the company has faced strong headwinds from experts and regulators who believe the technology could be used as a shield by bad actors to protect their communications from law enforcement. But despite these objections,…

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Lawmakers Blast Facebook For Still Allowing Sale Of Deadly Recalled Product

Lawmakers Blast Facebook For Still Allowing Sale Of Deadly Recalled Product

Since last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has sent Facebook thousands of requests to remove Marketplace listings for a recalled product that has been linked to more than 100 infant deaths. However, according to a group of lawmakers this week, Facebook is still allowing this dangerous product to be widely sold. In a…

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Facebook Slammed For “Dangerous” News Ban During Wildfire Emergency

Facebook Slammed For “Dangerous” News Ban During Wildfire Emergency

Facebook is currently locked in a battle with the Canadian government over legislation that would require the social media giant to pay news publishers when their content is shared. In retaliation, Facebook has cut off all news in the country, creating a void that can easily be filled by bad actors spouting misinformation. And with…

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