Technology - Google News

Controversial Trump-linked data firm suspended from Facebook
Match Group sues Bumble for alleged patent infringement
Android Auto lets you use your phone with a swipe up

Controversial Trump-linked data firm suspended from Facebook

Posted: 16 Mar 2018 07:38 PM PDT

Facebook has suspended Cambridge Analytica.

Image: PA Images via Getty Images

By Karissa Bell2018-03-17 02:37:59 UTC

A data analytics firm linked to both Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Brexit referendum has been banned by Facebook.

Cambridge Analytica, the British firm that claimed it helped Trump get elected, has been suspended from Facebook, the company revealed.

At issue is Cambridge Analytica's use of user data obtained by a third-party developer, a University of Cambridge professor named Dr. Aleksandr Kogan. Kogan, according to Facebook, obtained information on 270,000 Facebook users via his app, which he touted as a research experiment.

But though the app itself was apparently in line with Facebook's developer policies, what Kogan did with the data he collected wasn't. According to Facebook's deputy general counsel Paul Grewal, Kogan then gave the data he acquired via his app to Cambridge Analytica and another third-party company.

Facebook's policies prohibit developers from turning user data over to third parties. Grewal says the company found out about Kogan's actions in 2015 and removed his app and "demanded certifications from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed."

They certified deleting user data they received from an app developer in 2015 but we have since learned that not all of it may have been removed. This is a clear violation of our policies and terms of service.
— Boz (@boztank) March 17, 2018

Everyone involved claimed they had destroyed the data, but Facebook now says they have reason to believe not all the data was actually destroyed. And they've banned Kogan and Cambridge Analytica while they investigate.

It's not clear if the ban is meant to be temporary or permanent, but it's an unprecedented move for Facebook to publicly announce such a suspension. While suspended, Cambridge Analytica and Kogan are prohibited from buying ads or running the Facebook pages of their clients.

We have suspended Cambridge Analytica from our platform for a clear violation our policies. They cannot buy ads or administer its clients' pages. https://t.co/YIJ8MF4XI6
— Boz (@boztank) March 17, 2018

"We are committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people's information. We will take whatever steps are required to see that this happens. We will take legal action if necessary to hold them responsible and accountable for any unlawful behavior," Grewal wrote in a statement.

In a statement, Cambridge Analytica said that it "fully complies with Facebook's terms of service" and that it was working with the company to be reinstated.

"Cambridge Analytica's Commercial and Political divisions use social media platforms for outward marketing, delivering data-led and creative content to targeted audiences. They do not use or hold data from Facebook profiles."

The firm says it deleted all of the data in question when they found out it that it was in violation of Facebook's policies and that the data was not used in Trump's presidential campaign.

UPDATED March 17, 2018, 1:50 p.m. ETto include statements from Cambridge Analytica.

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Match Group sues Bumble for alleged patent infringement

Posted: 18 Mar 2018 07:01 AM PDT

Recode is reporting that Match Group, which owns Tinder, Match, and other online dating services, is suing one of its biggest competitors, Bumble, for alleged patent infringement. Bumble is an online dating service that requires women to initiate the conversations between users.

Bumble was created by one of Tinder's co-founders, and Match Group is alleging that Bumble infringed one two of its patents. One of those was Tinder's famous swipe-to-connect feature. The lawsuit also claims that two of Bumble's early executives, Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, stole "confidential information related to proposed Tinder features," such as the ability to let users go back if they accidentally skipped over someone they were interested in. Both Mick and Gulczynski worked at Tinder prior to moving onto Bumble.

"Match Group has invested significant resources and creative expertise in the development of our industry-leading suite of products," a Match Group spokesperson told Recode. "We are committed to protecting the intellectual property and proprietary data that defines our business. Accordingly, we are prepared when necessary to enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights against any operator in the dating space who infringes upon those rights."

Patent lawsuits are a way of life in the tech world, but Bumble and Match Group have some history together. Most notably, Tech Crunch reported that Match Group tried to buy Bumble for $450 million. There is some speculation that this lawsuit might be a means of pressuring Bumble back to the negotiation table. After all, if Bumble is part of Match Group, then it can hardly be accused of infringing on Match Group's copyrights or patents.

Issues of lawsuits aside, Match Group's properties have borrowed from Bumble in the past. For example, we recently reported that Tinder was in the process of developing a feature that requires women to make the first move just like on Bumble. That being said, Tinder's implementation of this feature is a bit different than Bumbles as it is not a mandatory part of the app. Women will be able to opt into the feature, but they won't be required to make the first move if they do not want to.

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Android Auto lets you use your phone with a swipe up

Posted: 18 Mar 2018 05:00 AM PDT

Smartphones of all flavors these days often come with a number of distraction-free driving features for when users are behind the wheel, keeping their focus on the road by limiting things like notifications and app interactivity. Google's own Android Auto is one such system, and while it does a great job of eliminating distractions, there are still some instances when users need to interact with their phone despite it being connected to their car. Thankfully, a new option is rolling out that makes this much easier.

When Android Auto is activated, it basically locks down the phone. To address this, Google is rolling out a new swipe-to-unlock option. When enabled, instead of attempts to unlock the device simply displaying the Android Auto logo, it now displays instructions to "Swipe up to unlock." After swiping up, users will have access to the device's standard home screen and apps. This additional upward swipe will be required for each unlock as long as the phone is connected to the car.

Interestingly, Google hasn't made any official announcement about this change in Android Auto functionality, and it appears to have been gradually rolling out to users over the last few weeks. This means there's no word on when it will be available to everyone, or if the feature is just in limited testing.

Either way, it's likely going to be a welcome change for Android Auto users, especially those that use a wireless connection to power their car's in-dash display. Not only does it eliminate the number of hoops to get through to use the phone, but it makes it much easier for passengers to use the device in place of the driver.

SOURCE 9to5Google

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