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Category Archives: E-Commerce

Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with a new name

The Verge: “Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The coming name change, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about at the company’s annual Connect conference on October 28th, but could unveil sooner,… Continue Reading

Brave ditches Google for its own privacy-centric search engine

Bleeping Computer: “Brave Browser has replaced Google with its own no-tracking privacy-centric Brave Search as the default search engine for new users in five regions. Brave is an open-source Chromium-based browser that focuses on user privacy by automatically blocking ads and tracking scripts and removing the privacy-invasive functions built into Chromium. Historically, Brave used Google… Continue Reading

Researchers show Facebook’s ad tools can target a single user

TechCrunch: “A new research paper written by a team of academics and computer scientists from Spain and Austria has demonstrated that it’s possible to use Facebook’s targeting tools to deliver an ad exclusively to a single individual if you know enough about the interests Facebook’s platform assigns them. The paper — entitled “Unique on Facebook:… Continue Reading

Hacks and data breaches are all too common. Here’s what to do if you’re affected.

Washington Post: “An unexplained Amazon charge on your credit card bill. An email asking you to confirm a password change request. A moment of confusion when your usual Google log-in details don’t work. These are all-too-common signs that someone has gained — or is trying to gain — access to your accounts. Hacks and data… Continue Reading

Amazon Puts Its Own “Brands” First Above Better-Rated Products

TheMarkUp – “The online giant gives a leg up to hundreds of house brand and exclusive products that most people don’t know are connected to Amazon… An investigation by The Markup found that Amazon places products from its house brands and products exclusive to the site ahead of those from competitors—even competitors with higher customer… Continue Reading

You’ve decided to quit Facebook. Here’s how to migrate your online life elsewhere

Washington Post: ‘Every time there’s a Facebook scandal, you may have thought about quitting the social network, and this time for real. But you run into the same problem every time: Where exactly should you go? After a rough month of revelations about Facebook’s business practices, culminating with a whistleblower testifying in front of lawmakers… Continue Reading

Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation

60 Minutes – “Her name is Frances Haugen. That is a fact that Facebook has been anxious to know since last month when an anonymous former employee filed complaints with federal law enforcement. The complaints say Facebook’s own research shows that it amplifies hate, misinformation and political unrest—but the company hides what it knows. One… Continue Reading

The Wall Street Journal Facebook Files

The Facebook Files – A Wall Street Journal investigation – “Facebook Inc. knows, in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands. That is the central finding of a Wall Street Journal series, based on a review of internal Facebook documents, including research… Continue Reading

This wild Chrome extension lets you bend websites to your will

FastCompany – “PixieBrix can declutter Amazon, bring to-do lists into Gmail, add custom search options to Google, and more…The ability to remove the unwanted parts of any website is just one of PixieBrix’s features. You can also add custom action buttons to your favorite sites, create sidebars that gather supplemental information as you browse, and… Continue Reading