Facebook’s new privacy tools

Facebook Inc. introduced last week a new set of privacy tools that makes it easier for members to manage privacy settings and personal information. It entails the consolidation of various Facebook security and privacy-oriented options into one page or section.

The “simplification” allows for better information management without having to go to different security screens, pages and tabs. It covers options like deleting specific searches, deleting certain like or share habits, options to stop advertisers from having access to data and more.

In as much as the tools allow for better data management, their overall functionality does not cover data that was previously shared with Facebook-launched applications and forms by third-party firms. Examples of these would include data collected by third-party game developers, proponents of “personality quizzes,” surveys and the like.

The rollout of the tools comes some two weeks after Facebook has been under fire for what’s now being called the “Cambridge Analytica Scandal” – a “data mishandling” incident which allegedly involves the access of Facebook data of 50 million individuals by British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica without the  knowledge and permission of the Facebook members.

A case investigation on the matter is currently ongoing, with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify before the US Congress in relation to cases filed by the US Federal Trade Commission, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office and the US Coalition of State Attorneys General.

Pinterest’s “Following”

Pinterest, an online image-search-based information discovery platform, recently introduced a new news feed page that organizes information chronologically.

Billed “Following,” the page highlights information that’s shared by a Pinterest member’s friends without the involvement of engagement stats or activity-anchored placements.

The new page does not exactly take the place of Pinterest’s main engagement-based news feed, but it sits as a primary option on the platform’s viewing options pane. Its implementation came after the request of Pinterest members who wanted to see more of what their friends are sharing, not brands or ads-anchored content.

The introduction of “Following” has been pegged by tech pundits as the most recent in a growing list of social media-oriented entities tapering themselves away from engagement stats or algorithm-based content delivery.

Included in that list are Instagram, which is currently showing more recent photos on feeds as opposed to those that are based on engagement stats, and Snapchat, which recently divided viewing panes between the profile pages of a Snapchat member’s friends and those being maintained by brands or organizations.

A Tinder-like app for dog lovers

With an operational dynamic akin to dating or matchmaking apps, a new app-and-service suite has been taking notice among dog lovers and would-be dog owners in the US.

Named “BarkBuddy,” the app is billed by its developers as “the first app designed to locate adoptable pups in your area and fetch you a perfect match.”  It’s basically a pet finder that comes with the advantages that have become well-embraced in dating applications like Tinder.

Made by Bark & Co., the developer of vet-on-demand service BarkCare and pet treat-oriented service BarkBox, the app helps its members find adoptable dogs whose personalities are a match with theirs. Like most dating apps, “BarkBuddy” requires its members to fill up a profile page which serves as the base for its compatible pet search feature.

Though the app’s operational scope doesn’t cover Cebu City, reception of its release has generally been favorable among locals.