On Facebook, bad actors often seek to take advantage of stories in the news to scam unsuspecting users — and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. The social media giant has been forced to contend with a surge of misinformation surrounding the virus, including a recent video from conservative outlet Breitbart that made false claims…

Last week, Facebook proudly rolled out a new security feature for its Messenger platform that allows users to unlock their messages with a face scan. However, according to experts, this extra layer of privacy is still woefully inadequate. Comparing the new feature to “adding extra locks to the front door of a bank while leaving…

Facebook improved its offer this week to end a long-running class-action suit against the company alleging that its facial recognition technology violated Illinois privacy law. Instead of its initial $550 million offer, the social media giant is now offering $650 million to users. The richer offer comes after a federal judge was unimpressed with the…

This week, Facebook announced a host of new privacy features for its Messenger app that will give users added protections and greater control over their settings. According to the social media giant, it will begin testing tools that will allow users to control who is able to message them, as well as a feature that…

A new nonprofit advocacy group called Accountable Tech is calling on Facebook’s Oversight Board members to demand “real authority” from the social media giant. If they aren’t given it, the group has said that the board members should quit. The Oversight Board was created as an independent “supreme court” that would have the power to…

Earlier this year, Facebook agreed to pay $550 million to Illinois users in a class-action settlement that alleged Facebook illegally used facial-recognition technology with its “tag suggestions” feature. It was the largest-ever settlement for a class-action suit alleging online privacy violations, but according to a federal judge, it still might not be enough. “It’s $550…

According to a new report from the nonprofit journalism group ProPublica, Facebook has struggled to prevent voting misinformation from spreading on its platform in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election despite promising to do just that. Of course, Facebook’s own community standards explicitly ban voting misinformation, with the rules stating that any content will…

As the largest social media platform in the world, it makes sense that Facebook would be taken advantage of by bad actors to scam innocent people and spread harmful content. However, there is perhaps no more serious international crime than terrorism, and according to a recent report, it may be hiding in plain site on…

According a report in CNN Business this week, Facebook is considering a blanket ban on political ads in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election this fall. The move has apparently been under consideration since late last year, though it is just one of many options the social media giant is considering. Facebook has weathered…

This week, Facebook’s leadership team will meet with representatives from the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League and other civil rights groups behind the wildly successful “Stop Hate for Profit” advertising boycott campaign. At the same time, Facebook has also pledged to release the results of an independent audit of the social media giant’s civil rights policies and…