By its very nature, Facebook has to be more vigilant than most when it comes to preserving user privacy and security. With well over one billion active users per month, we're talking about vast swathes of personal information, and to help users enjoy apps and services without having to submit large amounts of private info, the social network has just announced Anonymous Login.
If you're a frequenter of The Twitters, then you'll almost certainly have encountered the new, revamped Twitter profile page. Some like it, some don't, and if you're subbed to the opinion of the former, then below, we'll show you how you can switch to the new profile right now!
Facebook has just rolled out a new feature called Nearby Friends which, as the name suggests, helps you to connect with those on your friends list who happen to be close-by. The tool is optional, however, so if you do wish to remain off the radar, you're not obliged to participate.
So, you've been using Facebook to stalk people, have you? Don't worry - it's something that most people do nowadays, and even if you do occasionally use the social network to, you know, socially network, the chances are, you've looked up a crush - or an ex - or a crushes' ex using the wealth of tools embodied by that very attractive Search box. Like any good stalker, you probably don't want to leave any traces behind you, so join us after break to discover how to clear your Facebook Search history in a couple of very easy steps.
Oculus had already caused a storm in the start-up community having generated a strong following on Kickstarter, but it was the acquisition earlier on this week by Facebook for $2 billion that really thrust the virtual reality gadgeteer into the spotlight. With a current emphasis on gaming, Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that he has big plans to integrate Oculus' VR technology across the wider digital spectrum, revolutionizing the way we communicate and interact with the world around us. Today, a neat concept by Chaotic Moon has thrown up an interesting idea, showing a user navigating through a virtual shopping mall using a VR headset, and giving an early insight into just how Zuck and co. might eventually utilize Oculus.
Those of us that use social networks on a regular basis are well aware of the fact that even though we frequently delete status updates, tweets, photos and other such fodder, they're probably stored in a vault somewhere to incriminate us at some point in the future. But in the case of Facebook, messages you thought you deleted by hitting that 'x' button in the corner have actually just been archived, and as such, are still easy to go back, recover and re-read. If you want to find out how to locate this secret archive and recover your messages which you thought soared into oblivion, we've got a little tutorial below.
Last week, Twitter celebrated its eighth birthday, and to mark the occasion, introduced a new tool that allowed its 350 million+ users to revisit the very first tweet they ever made. Now, another tool called First Follower offers a similar feature, although, as the name implies, will instead help you to track down the first account to follow you on the social network.
Many of us are too preoccupied by our digital worlds to realize that, in actual fact, many billions of people across the world don't even have access to the Internet. An initiative by Internet.org hopes to stem this rather outrageous tide, and social company Facebook is a well-known backer of the cause. In an attempt to further its efforts to spread the Internet beyond the developed world in which it is most prominent, the Menlo Park-based firm is said to be in talks to acquire Titan Aerospace, a company that creates solar-powered drones capable of flying for five years straight, and according to a report over at TechCrunch, the deal is said to be in the region of $60 million.
In its ten year existence, Facebook has already shown us that it is prepared to make changes and amendments that it feels will benefit its member base. Some of those changes have manifested themselves as part of a radical functionality or interface overhaul, while others have been a lot more subtle and have focused on individual settings that are accessible by registered members. In a move that is aimed at affording Facebook members the right to express their true identity, the social network is now offering a custom gender option as part of the process that involves selecting a sex.
With Apple having recently thrown together a video clip to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Mac a couple of weeks back, Facebook has done likewise after hitting a landmark of its own. For yes, despite the fact that it feels like the social network has been around since the Internet began, Facebook is now ten years old, and naturally, there's a nostalgic clip for every single member providing a scrapbook-like take on their lives from signup to present day.