Security News

Facebook Rushes to Patch Bug Exposing Page Admins
2020-01-13 12:53

Facebook last week rushed to patch a bug that exposed the accounts of individuals who manage pages, after the weakness was exploited against several high-profile pages. If a Facebook page's administrator edits a post, users can keep track of the modifications with the "View edit history" feature.

Facebook's FTC Privacy Settlement Challenged in Court
2020-01-10 17:03

Six months after Facebook agreed to a landmark privacy settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that included a record $5 billion fine, a federal judge is still considering objections from advocacy groups that claim the deal doesn't go far enough. Judge Timothy J. Kelly has given Facebook and the FTC until Jan. 24 to respond to objections raised by several privacy and consumer advocacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which raised concerns about whether the settlement does enough to protect users' data and address privacy concerns, according to court documents filed in the case.

Fake-review purge: Facebook boots 188 groups, eBay bans 140 shills
2020-01-10 10:06

You guys are hosting a thriving marketplace for shills, charlatans and sockpuppets, the UK's watchdog told Facebook and eBay in June 2019, after finding over 100 eBay listings selling fake reviews and 26 Facebook groups offering to buy or sell them. Specifically, Facebook has booted 188 groups and yanked 24 user accounts, while eBay has permanently banned 140 users.

Facebook bans deepfakes, but not cheapfakes or shallowfakes
2020-01-08 11:20

Facebook will be using its own staff, as well as independent fact-checkers, to judge a video's authenticity. Given the latitude the new policy gives to satire, parody, or videos altered with simple/cheapo technologies, it might mean that some pretty infamous, and widely shared, cheapfakes will be given a pass and left on the platform.

Apple exec explains privacy protections, while Facebook leader looks for loopholes
2020-01-08 03:07

At CES 2020, Facebook privacy officer says new California law doesn't apply because the company doesn't sell data, only ads. Based on a CES 2020 roundtable discussion among privacy officers, your opinion on data privacy depends almost entirely on where you work.

Facebook Cracks Down on Deepfake Videos
2020-01-07 14:27

Despite the difficulties of identifying deepfakes, social media sites are recognizing the need to crack down on the manipulated, misleading videos. Facebook is banning deepfake videos, which stem from a technique of human-image synthesis based on artificial intelligence to create fake content.

Facebook, Samsung, Ring Unveil New Privacy, Security Tools at CES 2020
2020-01-07 14:11

Facebook, Samsung and Ring have unveiled new or improved privacy and security tools at the 2020 CES consumer electronics show taking place this week in Las Vegas. Facebook announced a revamped version of Privacy Checkup, a tool launched in 2014 in an effort to make it easier for users to manage the information they share on the social media network.

Facebook Fined $1.65 Mn by Brazil
2020-01-02 10:06

Brazil on Monday fined Facebook $1.65 million for improperly sharing users' data in a case linked to the global Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook engaged in an "Abusive practice" by allowing data from 443,000 users in Brazil to be unduly available to developers of the application "This is Your Digital Life," according to the Ministry of Justice.

Facebook Security Debacles: 2019 Year in Review
2019-12-27 14:00

2019 was a tumultuous year for Facebook as it continued to grapple with privacy fallout after Cambridge Analytica, as well as dealing with a slew of security challenges.

Twitter, Facebook Target State-Linked Accounts Made to Manipulate
2019-12-23 12:55

Facebook and Twitter on Friday said they had blocked multiple government-backed manipulation operations around the world, several of which favored US President Donald Trump, as part of a crackdown...