Facebook's Facial Recognition Facebook may think it's time to reintroduce facial recognition technology to the EU, but EU privacy regulators aren't so sure. The problem, which led to the tech being turned off there in 2012, was always that not everyone in Facebook photos consents to having their facial data processed. Despite Facebook's new drive to comply with EU privacy law, the Irish watchdog (which has jurisdiction over the company) is not convinced that it's fixed the problem. Fortune
Advertisers signal to Facebook they want more data, not less Advertisers are more concerned Facebook will cut off access to data than they are about privacy, it seems. Far from boycotting the social network over highly publicized data lapses, most brands appear worried about their ability to reach their desired consumers if stricter privacy policies take root. (Ad Age)
Facebook's China profits. Though Facebook is still banned in China, almost 10% of the firm's global ad revenue comes from the country, according to a new research report. Chinese advertisers will spend an estimated $5 billion in Facebook ad revenue over the course of 2018, if not more. This makes China the second-largest country for Facebook ad revenue after the US. Quartz
Facebook Breakup Call Progressive and pro-consumer groups are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to force the separation of Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp from the Facebook mothership. Their coalition, Freedom From Facebook, alleges that the company has amassed too much power and needs to be broken up—and also that privacy protections be boosted and cross-network communication made possible. Fortune
Facebook and Qualcomm will bring fast WiFi to cities in mid-2019 Facebook’s been talking Terragraph since way back during its 2016 F8 keynote. The social media giant’s ambitious plan to bring fast Wifi to cities is taking another key step toward real world trials with the addition of Qualcomm. (TechCrunch)
Zuck's Apology Tour Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the European Parliament today over the Cambridge Analytica scandal and other misadventures. "Whether it's fake news, foreign interference in elections or developers misusing people's information, we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibilities," Zuck will say, according to prepared remarks reported by USA Today. Expect the Facebook chief to get a far toastier grilling in Brussels than he did in Washington. USA Today
Florida Supreme Court weighs judge’s Facebook friendship The Florida Supreme Court is poised next week to take up a case that poses a question for the age of social media: What does it mean to be a Facebook friend? Justices will hear arguments about whether a Miami-Dade County circuit judge should be disqualified from a case because she is a Facebook friend with a lawyer for one of the parties. The outcome could have reverberations in courthouses across the state, as justices weigh whether a Facebook friendship poses the potential for bias. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
Down, but not out. Despite being blocked in the country, Facebook provides data to four Chinese companies, including Huawei, a company US authorities have flagged as a threat to national security. Lenovo, Oppo and TCL - all consumer electronics companies - also have data-sharing partnerships with the social media platform, dating back to at least 2010. New York Times
Instagram would be worth $100B if it were a standalone company According to data from Bloomberg Inteligence, Instagram would be worth $100 billion if it were a standalone company. That's more than 100 times the $1 billion Facebook bought it for in 2012. (Business Insider)
Facebook Planes Facebook is shuttering its plane-building plant in the U.K. The company was working on its own aircraft to build out airborne Internet connectivity in hard-to-reach places around the world, but now it's noted that actual aerospace companies are investing in high-altitude aircraft of this sort. "Given these developments, we've decided not to design or build our own aircraft any longer, and to close our facility in Bridgwater," the firm said in a blog post, adding that it would work with partners like Airbus in the future. Facebook