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Facebook's new policy allows advertisers only to collect information about age, gender, and location of teens, but its systems are apparently exempt. New research has revealed that Facebook is still collecting a huge amount of information on young users via its in-house systems for ad-targeting, months after it limited the scope of data collection by third parties for the same purpose in the name of child safety. To recall, Facebook announced back in July that advertisers will only be able to use age, gender, and location of users under the age of 18 years in order to show them targeted ads.  The rules were supposed to be implemented across all social platforms it owns viz. Facebook, Instagram, and Messengers. Following the policy change, advertisers were blocked from collecting data across interests or activities such as likes and purchasing across other apps and websites. Back then, the company — which now goes by the name Meta — claimed that young users are not well equipped to make decisions regarding what ads they see and how to limit the ad-targeting on their own.   » Read More

Popular streamer Disguised Toast announced he has left Facebook Gaming after streaming on the platform for the past two years. In a tweet, the longtime streamer shared that today marks his final day on Facebook Gaming after singing with the platform in November 2019. “The last 2 years have been some of the best moments of my career and I wish them nothing but success,” Toast wrote. “Can’t wait to see them achieve greater things in the future.” Thank you, @FacebookGamingToday marks my last day livestreaming on the platformThe last 2 years have been some of the best moments of my career and I wish them nothing but success. Can’t wait to see them achieve greater things in the future. pic.twitter.com/x8ltvOpzTV— Toast (@DisguisedToast) November 17, 2021 Disguised Toast began his streaming career on Twitch, garnering a massive following of more than 2 million. During his time streaming on Facebook Gaming, he would often do streams back on Twitch.  » Read More

Facebook was sued by Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday for allegedly deceiving shareholders about the potential harm its social media platform inflicted on young users. The complaint was filed on behalf of the state’s largest pension fund, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, and all other investors that acquired Facebook shares between April 29 and October 22 this year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, CFO David Wehner, and VP of Global Affairs and Communications (and former British Deputy Prime Minister) Nick Clegg were also listed as defendants. It’s the latest federal securities fraud lawsuit to hit Facebook, also known as Meta for corporate reputation-washing reasons. Whistleblower and ex-employee Frances Haugen obtained and leaked internal documents that, for one thing, indicated the social media giant optimized its algorithms to keep users hooked on its platform even though doing so was detrimental to the mental health of some netizens. The data also demonstrated how Facebook’s AI content moderation systems were ineffective at removing misinformation,  » Read More

Facebook continues to track teens for the purpose of bombarding them with ‘surveillance advertising’ despite the company’s claim that it was stopping the practice, according to a new report.The report by Global Action Plan and Reset Australia accuses Facebook, which has rebranded itself as Meta, of ‘harvesting children’s personal data to fuel their advertising delivery system.’The social network is being accused of using AI technology to surveil children’s browsing patterns and sites visited so that it can tailor which ads they are exposed to.DailyMail.com has reached out to Facebook/Meta seeking comment.Facebook/Meta pledged this past summer to restrict advertisers’ ability to target users under the age of 18.The company rebranded itself in the wake of several scandals, including one triggered by a whistleblower who leaked documents indicating that the social network knew its products were harmful to teens. Facebook, which has rebranded itself as Meta, continues to track teens for the purpose of bombarding them with ‘surveillance advertising’ despite the company’s claim that it was stopping the practice,  » Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's largest public employee pension fund has sued Facebook, alleging that it broke federal securities law by purposely misleading the public about its product's negative effect on children. The lawsuit by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System also says Facebook also knew that its platform facilitated dissention, illegal activity, and violent extremism, but refused to correct it. The lawsuit filed last week in federal court in California says market losses resulting from publicity over Facebook's actions caused investors including OPERS to lose more than $100 billion. A Facebook spokesperson called the lawsuit without merit and it the company would fight it. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.  » Read More

You don't have permission to access "http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2021-11-15/ohio-retirement-fund-sues-facebook-over-investment-loss" on this server. Reference #18.3e24db17.1637037427.5b650e7  » Read More

The Facebook and Instagram social media blackouts last month taught many businesses lessons about how tenuous social media promotion can be. Countless Black businesses, for one, rely on social media to promote their establishments. Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels A Visual Objects survey found that 78 percent of small businesses use Facebook. On top of this, 60 percent of millennial small business owners depend on social media to generate revenue. Also, 52 percent of small business owners use Instagram, found a Clutch 2017 Small Business Social Media Survey.   Black businesses often use social media to connect with potential customers. There are more than two million Black-owned businesses in the U.S., many of them small businesses. Just 124,000 are defined as “employer firms,” which means that they have employees in addition to the proprietor(s). It’s not just small businesses that make use of social media to promote their products. As of 2018, nearly 97 percent of all Fortune 500 enterprises use at least one social media platform “to promote their initiatives and foster positive communication with stakeholders,” Entrepreneur reported.  » Read More

Handout images showing a mockup of Facebook’s Neighborhoods feature. Courtesy, Facebook/via REUTERS Facebook has expanded Neighborhoods, a space within the social networking app that allows users to connect with neighbors, to two North County communities, officials said. Carlsbad and Oceanside now can join Facebook Neighborhoods. The cities are two of 130 in the U.S. where the rapidly expanding tool is available after being test piloted in more than 20 cities, including San Diego. The feature allows for support of local businesses, request for recommendations and connections with community members who share common interests. Neighborhoods is an opt-in experience within the Facebook app. Once someone opts to join, he or she can decide whether to stick to just one neighborhood or add nearby areas. Users are asked to introduce themselves, share their interests and answer ice-breaker questions. People may adopt roles like “socializer” or “helper” with their information posted in a local directory. The feature is designed to take on hyperlocal sites such as Nextdoor,  » Read More

Facebook's relatively recent entry into the digital dating market uses the platform's extensive reach to match you with potential partners from your local area. Facebook Dating is available from within the Facebook mobile app and accessible from the main menu or via the Dating tab. Of course, if you are happily married, in a monogamous relationship, or simply not interested in hooking up with local hotties, you may not want the Dating icon shortcut tab taking up real estate on your smartphone's screen. In that case, here's how to delete the Dating shortcut from your daily FB view. Removing the dating icon shortcut tab from Facebook  Credit: Screengrab: Facebook Whether or not you have activated Facebook Dating and set up an account, removing the Facebook Dating icon tab from your phone's home screen is very simple. Just tap on the "Dating" tab in the shortcuts menu along the bottom of your screen and then tap "Not Now." Credit: Screengrab: Facebook This will generate the option to "Remove" or "Keep" the dating icon.  » Read More

How to explain the Metaverse, why your iPhone is about to change forever, and the surprising twist in Apple versus Facebook.Read the full story on ...  » Read More