Facebook Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === News Feed === {{Further|News Feed}} [[News Feed]] appears on every user's homepage and highlights information including profile changes, upcoming events and friends' birthdays.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2207967130|title=Facebook Gets a Facelift|access-date=February 11, 2008|last=Sanghvi|first=Ruchi|date=September 6, 2006|publisher=The Facebook Blog|archive-date=June 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610185832/http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2207967130|url-status=live}}</ref> This enabled spammers and other users to manipulate these features by creating illegitimate events or posting fake birthdays to attract attention to their profile or cause.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.colnect.com/2010/03/facebook-celebrate-your-birthday-every.html|title=Facebook: Celebrate Your Birthday Every Day|publisher=Colnect blog|access-date=March 9, 2010|archive-date=July 23, 2014|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140723200129/http://blog.colnect.com/2010/03/facebook-celebrate-your-birthday-every.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Initially, the News Feed caused dissatisfaction among Facebook users; some complained it was too cluttered and full of undesired information, others were concerned that it made it too easy for others to track individual activities (such as relationship status changes, events, and conversations with other users).<ref>{{cite news|access-date=June 28, 2008|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2006/tc20060908_536553.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061106135528/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2006/tc20060908_536553.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2006|title=Facebook Learns from Its Fumble|work=BusinessWeek|location=New York|date=September 8, 2006|author=Lacy, Sarah|author-link=Sarah Lacy}}</ref> Zuckerberg apologized for the site's failure to include appropriate privacy features. Users then gained control over what types of information are shared automatically with friends. Users are now able to prevent user-set categories of friends from seeing updates about certain types of activities, including profile changes, Wall posts and newly added friends.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=June 28, 2008|url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192700574|title=Facebook Founder Apologizes in Privacy Flap; Users Given More Control|work=[[InformationWeek]]|location=New York|date=September 8, 2006|author=Gonsalves, Antone|archive-date=March 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302235804/http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192700574|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 23, 2010, Facebook was granted a patent<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=7669123|status=patent}}</ref> on certain aspects of its News Feed. The patent covers News Feeds in which links are provided so that one user can participate in the activity of another user.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://themelis-cuiper.com/22/us-patent-no-7669123.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515155132/http://themelis-cuiper.com/22/us-patent-no-7669123.html|archive-date=May 15, 2011|title=US Patent No. 7669123|access-date=March 9, 2010|publisher=Social Media|date=March 1, 2010}}</ref> The sorting and display of stories in a user's News Feed is governed by the [[EdgeRank]] algorithm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edgerank.net/|title=EdgeRank|date=October 29, 2007|publisher=EdgeRank|access-date=February 16, 2013|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126062416/http://edgerank.net/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Facebook features#Photo and video uploads|Photos]] application allows users to upload albums and photos.<ref>{{cite web|first=Michael|last=Arrington|author-link=Michael Arrington|title=Facebook Launches Facebook Platform; They are the Anti-MySpace|url=https://techcrunch.com/2007/05/24/facebook-launches-facebook-platform-they-are-the-anti-myspace/|website=[[TechCrunch]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=May 24, 2007|access-date=March 23, 2017|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530101941/https://techcrunch.com/2007/05/24/facebook-launches-facebook-platform-they-are-the-anti-myspace/|url-status=live}}</ref> Each album can contain 200 photos.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=87157517130|title=Share More Memories with Larger Photo Albums|access-date=January 4, 2010|archive-date=May 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510013328/http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=87157517130|url-status=live}}</ref> Privacy settings apply to individual albums. Users can "[[tag (metadata)|tag]]", or label, friends in a photo. The friend receives a notification about the tag with a link to the photo.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=March 15, 2008|url=https://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=7|title=Photos|publisher=Facebook|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731205244/https://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=7|archive-date=July 31, 2008}}</ref> This photo tagging feature was developed by Aaron Sittig, now a Design Strategy Lead at Facebook, and former Facebook engineer Scott Marlette back in 2006 and was only granted a [[patent]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-first-20-employees-2011-5#aaron-sittig-was-brought-on-by-sean-parker-he-created-the-concept-of-tagging-friends-in-facebook-pictures-4|title=The First 20 Facebook Employees: Where Are They Now?|last=Shontell|first=Alyson|date=May 13, 2011|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=September 10, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724092424/https://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-first-20-employees-2011-5#aaron-sittig-was-brought-on-by-sean-parker-he-created-the-concept-of-tagging-friends-in-facebook-pictures-4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-patent-photo-tagging/|title=Facebook Wins Patents For Tagging in Photos, Other Digital Media|last=Cutler|first=Kim-Mai|date=May 17, 2011|website=[[Adweek]]|access-date=September 10, 2019|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022180917/https://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-patent-photo-tagging/|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 7, 2012, Facebook launched its App Center to help users find games and other applications.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Facebook-to-launch-App-Center/articleshow/13920641.cms|title=Facebook to launch App Center|date=June 8, 2012|work=The Times Of India|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608112718/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Facebook-to-launch-App-Center/articleshow/13920641.cms|archive-date=June 8, 2012}}</ref> On May 13, 2015, Facebook in association with major news portals launched "Instant Articles" to provide news on the Facebook news feed without leaving the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.fb.com/2015/05/12/instantarticles/|title=Introducing Instant Articles β Facebook Media|work=fb.com|access-date=May 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514162847/http://media.fb.com/2015/05/12/instantarticles/|archive-date=May 14, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://previewtech.net/facebook-launches-instant-articles/|title=Facebook launches "Instant Articles"|work=Preview Tech|date=May 14, 2015|access-date=May 15, 2015|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204110610/https://previewtech.net/facebook-launches-instant-articles/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2017, Facebook launched Facebook Stories for iOS and Android in Ireland. The feature, following the format of [[Snapchat]] and Instagram stories, allows users to upload photos and videos that appear above friends' and followers' News Feeds and disappear after 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Constine|title=Facebook Stories puts a Snapchat clone above the News Feed|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/25/facebook-stories/|website=[[TechCrunch]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=January 25, 2017|access-date=March 23, 2017|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221205103/https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/25/facebook-stories/|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 11, 2017, Facebook introduced the [[Facebook 3D Posts|3D Posts]] feature to allow for uploading interactive 3D assets.<ref>{{cite web|first=Rachel|last=Franklin|title=Building Connections Through Creativity and Opening VR to Everyone|url=https://www.oculus.com/blog/building-connections-through-creativity-and-opening-vr-to-everyone/|website=Oculus|date=October 11, 2017|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024054539/https://www.oculus.com/blog/building-connections-through-creativity-and-opening-vr-to-everyone/|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 11, 2018, Facebook announced that it would change News Feed to prioritize friends/family content and de-emphasize content from media companies.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/technology/facebook-news-feed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112003129/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/technology/facebook-news-feed.html |archive-date=January 12, 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Facebook Overhauls News Feed to Focus on What Friends and Family Share|last=Isaac|first=Mike|date=2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 17, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In February 2020, Facebook announced it would spend $1 billion (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1000000000|2020}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) to license news material from publishers for the next three years; a pledge coming as the company falls under scrutiny from governments across the globe over not paying for news content appearing on the platform. The pledge would be in addition to the $600 million (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|600000000|2020}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) paid since 2018 through deals with news companies such as ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[Financial Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ziobro|first=Paul|date=February 24, 2021|title=Facebook to Spend $1 Billion on News Content Over Three Years|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-spend-1-billion-on-news-content-over-three-years-11614187391|access-date=February 24, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225004635/https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-spend-1-billion-on-news-content-over-three-years-11614187391|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=UPDATE 1-Facebook says it inadvertently blocked content during Australia news ban|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-facebook-says-inadvertently-blocked-115740188.html|access-date=February 24, 2021|website=finance.yahoo.com|date=February 24, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224190827/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-facebook-says-inadvertently-blocked-115740188.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Barker|first=Alex|title=Facebook pledges to pay $1bn for news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/facebook-pledges-to-pay-1bn-for-news-1.4493909|access-date=February 24, 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224204916/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/facebook-pledges-to-pay-1bn-for-news-1.4493909|url-status=live}}</ref> In March and April 2021, in response to Apple announcing changes to its iOS device's [[Identifier for Advertisers]] policy, which included requiring app developers to directly request to users the ability to track on an opt-in basis, Facebook purchased full-page newspaper advertisements attempting to convince users to allow tracking, highlighting the effects targeted ads have on small businesses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facebook Takes Out Full-Page Newspaper Ads to Attack Apple's iOS Privacy Changes|url=https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/16/facebook-takes-out-full-page-ads-to-attack-apple/|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=MacRumors|date=December 16, 2020|language=en|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512183223/https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/16/facebook-takes-out-full-page-ads-to-attack-apple/|url-status=live}}</ref> Facebook's efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, as Apple released iOS 14.5 in late April 2021, containing the feature for users in what has been deemed "App Tracking Transparency". Moreover, statistics from [[Verizon Communications]] subsidiary Flurry Analytics show 96% of all iOS users in the United States are not permitting tracking at all, and only 12% of worldwide iOS users are allowing tracking, which some news outlets deem "Facebook's nightmare", among similar terms.<ref>{{cite web|last=Datti|first=Sharmishte|date=May 12, 2021|title=Apple's App Tracking Transparency Becomes Facebook's Nightmare: Only 4% Allow Tracking|url=https://www.gizbot.com/mobile/news/apple-app-tracking-transparency-becomes-facebook-nightmare-only-4-percent-allow-tracking-074217.html|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=gizbot.com|language=en|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604024443/https://www.gizbot.com/mobile/news/apple-app-tracking-transparency-becomes-facebook-nightmare-only-4-percent-allow-tracking-074217.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Apple Might Have Just Put and End to Facebook|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/apple-s-app-tracking-transparency-update-is-turning-out-to-be-the-worst-case-scenario-for-facebook/ar-BB1gDK55|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=www.msn.com|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512183221/https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/apple-s-app-tracking-transparency-update-is-turning-out-to-be-the-worst-case-scenario-for-facebook/ar-BB1gDK55|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=May 9, 2021|title=Apple vs Facebook: 96 Percent Users Disabling App Tracking So Far, Claims Report|url=https://www.news18.com/news/tech/apple-vs-facebook-96-percent-users-disabling-app-tracking-so-far-claims-report-3720917.html|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=www.news18.com|language=en|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512183221/https://www.news18.com/news/tech/apple-vs-facebook-96-percent-users-disabling-app-tracking-so-far-claims-report-3720917.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Heisler|first=Yoni|date=May 11, 2021|title=New data shows how devastating Apple's new anti-tracking feature is for Facebook|url=https://bgr.com/tech/ios-14-update-app-tracking-transparency-facebook-percentage-5924882/|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=BGR|language=en-US|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511224832/https://bgr.com/tech/ios-14-update-app-tracking-transparency-facebook-percentage-5924882/|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the news, Facebook has stated that the new policy and software update would be "manageable".<ref>{{cite web|title=Facebook Says Impact of iOS 14.5's App Tracking Transparency Will Be 'Manageable'|url=https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/28/facebook-att-impact-manageable/|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=MacRumors|date=April 28, 2021|language=en|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512183220/https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/28/facebook-att-impact-manageable/|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page