Facebook clarified that it would actively take steps to safeguard the identities of respondents.
In its latest effort to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook announced that it would collaborate with researchers at the Carnegie Mellow University to poll users of its platform on whether they have symptoms of Covid-19.
The surveys will make its way to users’ apps and desktop websites, and will appear at the top of the News Feed. The health information collected from Facebook users, on a voluntary basis, will remain confidential.
The company has already begun relaying trusted information about the coronavirus outbreak at the top of users’ Facebook and Instagram feeds. The results of the survey “will be used to generate new insights on how to respond to the crisis, including heat maps of self-reported symptoms.”
With testing kits in short supply in parts of the world, the researchers from Carnegie Mellon reckon that this exercise in symptom-tracking could go a long way in identifying infected individuals who may be passive carriers of the virus.
Facebook clarified that it would actively take steps to safeguard the identities of respondents. The company won’t directly be able to view the results of the survey, and moreover, it will also hide the identities of individual participants from their research partners.
The survey will only be extended to Facebook users in the United States, but the company said that it could be expanded to other countries “if the results are helpful.” Even though it is masking the identities of respondents, Facebook will give access to the location of participants – in anonymized form – to better help researchers track the spread of infection in different states.
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The study could help develop a mathematical model based on variables such as users’ movement, relationships, and general health, thereby identifying clusters even before the disease spreads to these geographies.
New Look, Facebook Dating: Big Announcements From F8
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After a tumultuous 2018, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stressed on a privacy-focused social network at the Facebook F8 developer conference this year. In the keynote, Zuckerberg said that they are pushing hard on helping people to connect with close family and friends. He unveiled a revamped and redesigned version of Facebook, called the FB5 which aims at making navigation easier, improve the loading time and giving the user a cleaner appearance. The updated mobile app is rolling out now. The desktop version will be released in the next few months.
Along with changes to the core app, Facebook also announced updates to Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Oculus Quest and Rift S virtual reality headsets — and introduced a new feature, Facebook Dating.
Here's a look at all things new.
After a tumultuous 2018, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stressed on a privacy-focused social network at the Facebook F8 developer conference this year. In the keynote, Zuckerberg said that they a..
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The app's redesign has been the most prominent ever-since the social network's launch. The new look rolls-out in the US today, and for the rest of the world in the coming weeks. The redesign on mobile has been happening in stages, it has already begun on both iOS and Android. The desktop redesign will begin testing in the next few months, which will update the web design to look and feel more modern and fresh, similar to the mobile app.
The app's redesign has been the most prominent ever-since the social network's launch. The new look rolls-out in the US today, and for the rest of the world in the coming weeks. The redesign on mobil..
Read More
With private messaging as one of the fastest growing areas of online communication, the company debuted a desktop version of the app. Previously, you could use Messenger from a web browser, but couldn’t use certain features on the platform like group calling. Facebook is also testing a 'group watch' feature, where people can invite others to watch a video together in real time while messaging or on a video chat.
For businesses, it has created an automated system that allows customers to book an appointment through Messenger.
The company is also working on features that will allow Messenger users to message and call people on Instagram and WhatsApp.
With private messaging as one of the fastest growing areas of online communication, the company debuted a desktop version of the app. Previously, you could use Messenger from a web browser, but could..
Read More
Keeping in mind the theme for this year, 'the future is private', members within groups will be able to anonymously post questions and share information. For those seeking jobs, you will be able to message the employer and apply through the app. Gaming groups will get a chat feature so members can create threads about specific topics within a group. Facebook is working to downplay recommendations from groups known for spreading misinformation, and deleting groups that break the company’s community standards.
Keeping in mind the theme for this year, 'the future is private', members within groups will be able to anonymously post questions and share information. For those seeking jobs, you will be able to m..
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Facebook Dating which was introduced at last year's F8, is now expanding to 14 more countries. It introduced a feature called 'Secret Crush', which does exactly what you’d expect. You can create a secret list of Facebook friends you’re attracted to, whether or not they have a dating profile. You will be lucky, if they are also using Secret Crush, and add you to their list, Facebook will notify the two of you that there’s a match.
Facebook Dating which was introduced at last year's F8, is now expanding to 14 more countries. It introduced a feature called 'Secret Crush', which does exactly what you’d expect. You can create a se..
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Photo sharing app Instagram is getting an update on its camera interface, adding a new 'Create Mode', which makes it easier to share content beyond traditional photos and videos, like quizzes. It is also expanding a feature that lets people buy products from inside the app, opening it to artists, athletes, and other creators in addition to companies. Shifting the focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get, the feature will get a trial run in Canada, and if it proves popular, it might be rolled out in other countries.
Photo sharing app Instagram is getting an update on its camera interface, adding a new 'Create Mode', which makes it easier to share content beyond traditional photos and videos, like quizzes. It is ..
Read More
Two new headsets that replace external tracking cameras with a much more user-friendly inside-out system, the Quest and Rift S both cost $399, and they’re shipping on May 21st in 22 countries. The Quest, a self-contained console is aimed at a mass market, and the Rift S is an incremental upgrade to the 2016 Oculus Rift.
Two new headsets that replace external tracking cameras with a much more user-friendly inside-out system, the Quest and Rift S both cost $399, and they’re shipping on May 21st in 22 countries. The Qu..
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