Facebook’s F8 has started in San José California, and so far, Facebook’s developer conference has revealed a lot of updates and upgrades occurring in both the social media platform and its different branches. CEO Mark Zuckerberg opened this year’s edition by addressing the Cambridge Analytica scandal saying “we must make sure this never happens again.”
Zuckerberg addressed the exposé to subsequently explain that these security issues will be fixed, as data and information security will be made a priority for the company from now on. As explained by Facebook’s developer marketing lead Desiree Motamedi, the company will now have developers running an extra “level of scrutiny to make sure they’re actually using the data in the right way”.
Tech analyst Debra Williamson said when approached by ABC 7 that many people are looking forward to seeing what’s new on Facebook, something seen as conciliatory by many. The social media giant wants to make sure the audience ceases to have a wrong idea of the platform in order to shift to what it is today, an online platform for lifestyle, food, travel, and home design.
Clear History
Among the new privacy features, Facebook has announced at the F8 that they are currently in the making of a “Clear History” feature for the app, allowing users that desire to do so, delete the data that has been collected from sites, searches and apps that employ ads as a way to collect information. Facebook now wants users to scrub off their browsing history if desired.
This is a conscious feature to include, meaning that Facebook wants to make amends with those affected by the data exposé. Since Zuckerberg is now constantly surveilled, the company is allowing some self-applied regulation at the cost of a less personalized experience.
FaceDate
As perhaps one of the most entertaining features to be included in the world’s biggest social media platform, Facebook is launching a dating app which functions by allowing users to make a profile that is visible only to non-friends who have decided to do the same. These people will be matched by Facebook based on the data gathered from each user.
The company is looking forward to making more “meaningful connections” in order to be more social, and so they decided to do so by helping people find their significant other. However, the stock market has displayed some positivity towards this decision, as Tinder’s MatchGroup fell on its shares when this feature was announced.
Oculus Go
Facebook’s affordable version of a standalone VR headset launched at the event, with its 32 GB model for sale at the price of $199 and a bit more for its 64GB version, with a price of $249.
This is a move towards the basic future of technology, but the company wants to make sure people aren’t afraid of VR as the company wants people to have fun with it at an affordable price range.
Facebook has also taken a very bold move with the Oculus as they are introducing a new feature to let its users stream Netflix or Hulu into their headsets. Plus, the Oculus Venus feature that makes sci-fi a little bit more real is also upcoming, allowing people to stream comedy shows, sporting events and live concerts in VR.
Source: Facebook