News

Instagram adds new feature to let US users shop via app

Reuters
Posted at Mar 19 08:38 PM

The move is in line with Facebook’s plan to monetize higher-growth units like Instagram as News Feed struggles to generate fresh interest. Read more »

Facebook says it removed 1.5M videos of the New Zealand mosque attack

Reuters
Posted at Mar 17 07:01 PM

Facebook Inc. said it removed 1.5 million videos globally of the New Zealand mosque attack in the first 24 hours after the attack. Read more »

New Zealand wants answers from tech giants after mosque attack livestream

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 17 04:38 PM

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday said she would be looking for answers from Facebook and other social media firms about how an attack that killed 50 mosque-goers was livestreamed on their platforms. Read more »

New Zealand massacre shows how online users find ways to share violent videos

Paresh Dave and Munsif Vengattil, Reuters
Posted at Mar 16 12:51 PM

SAN FRANCISCO/BENGALURU - The Friday massacre at two New Zealand mosques, live-streamed to the world, was not the first internet broadcast of a violent crime, but it showed that stopping gory footage from spreading online persists as a major challenge for tech companies despite years of investment.   Read more »

Life without Facebook? Social network outage triggers moans and soul searching

Glenn Chapman, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 15 07:51 AM

"You make it sound as if it’s the end of the world just because you can’t be on Facebook. Lmfao. Get a real life instead of a digital one!?!?!?" Read more »

Facebook blames server problem for massive outage

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 15 03:07 AM

Facebook blamed a "server configuration change" Thursday for a massive outage affecting its applications around the world and brought fresh attention to the embattled social networking leader. Read more »

LOOK: National museum's Facebook page shares sexually explicit videos

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Mar 15 06:49 PM

MANILA - The Philippines' National Museum of Natural History early Friday shared sexually explicit videos on its official Facebook page. Read more »

US prosecutors probing Facebook's data deals, New York Times says

Reuters
Posted at Mar 14 10:36 AM

US federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook Inc struck with some of the world's largest technology companies, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Read more »

Facebook, Instagram down in PH, parts of the world

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Mar 14 10:52 AM

MANILA (UPDATED) - Facebook and Instagram users in several parts of the world reported that the social-network sites were inaccessible late Wednesday and early morning Thursday. Read more »

US warns of WTO action over 'discriminatory' new digital taxes

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Mar 12 10:20 PM

The US is weighing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against "discriminatory" new taxes on digital giants such as a Facebook and Google which are being planned by France and other EU nations, a top US trade official said Tuesday. Read more »

'An all-star moment': Dad in happy tears after son's in-flight surprise

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 12 07:26 PM

Paul and Solly Bernardo thought they were in for an ordinary flight to Taiwan for a vacation. Read more »

From the $100K checks to the European tours: what we know so far of the elusive Hicban Brothers

Warren de Guzman
Posted at Mar 12 05:55 PM

A portrait of the brothers behind the Facebook-banned Twinmark Media Enterprises, from the eyes of their employees and the media, and from what the spreadsheets say. Read more »

Wall Street critic Warren vows to break up Amazon, Facebook, Google

Diane Bartz, Reuters
Posted at Mar 09 06:35 AM

Senator Elizabeth Warren vowed on Friday to break up Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google, and Facebook Inc if elected US president to promote competition in the tech sector. Read more »

What Twinmark should teach us about tsismis, taxes, and social media

Warren de Guzman
Updated as of Mar 08 10:53 PM

Twinmark’s owners made hundreds of millions of pesos by manipulating content so it could go more viral. Facebook found them out and banned them, and the BIR audit is on its merry way. Read more »

How social media 'influencers' helped Twinmark disseminate fake news

Warren de Guzman, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Mar 08 08:24 PM

Twinmark Media Enterprises, which was banned by Facebook for exhibiting “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” paid social media influencers between P5,000 to P150,000 a month to re-post or share fake news. Read more »

Facebook launches offensive to combat misinformation on vaccines

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Mar 08 07:19 AM

WASHINGTON - Facebook launched an offensive Thursday to suppress the spread of misinformation about vaccines on the 2.3-billion-member social network. Read more »

Zuckerberg says Facebook's future is going big on private chats

Paresh Dave, Reuters
Posted at Mar 07 08:44 AM

Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook profile that within a few years direct messaging would dwarf discussion on the traditional, open platform of Facebook's news feed, where public posts can go viral across the world. Read more »

Zuckerberg says Facebook's future is 'privacy-focused'

Reuters
Posted at Mar 07 05:45 AM

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said the company would encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services and make them compatible, the latest sign that the world's biggest social network sees its future in intimate online chats.   Read more »

Online star Willie Ong expects 5M votes from social media followers

Aleta Nieva-Nishimori, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 06 06:50 PM

The only doctor running for a seat in the Senate is hoping to translate some of his 10 million followers on social media to actual votes come election day.  Read more »

France tries to set trend with internet tax bill

Anne Padieu and Francis Curta, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 06 01:55 PM

The bill, to be discussed by cabinet ministers before being submitted to parliament, is a proposal by Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire to have companies pay a tax of three percent on much of their digital sales in France. Read more »