Integration | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:32:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Integration | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Facebook Messenger could eventually merge back with the main app https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-messenger-could-eventually-merge-back-with-the-main-app/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-messenger-could-eventually-merge-back-with-the-main-app/#respond Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:32:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=410248 Messenger has been a standalone application since 2011, officially becoming the de facto platform for chat when Facebook removed the functionality from the main app in 2013. Reports are suggesting that the Social Network might double-back on these plans in the near future, as the company is currently trialling chat integration once again. When the …

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Messenger has been a standalone application since 2011, officially becoming the de facto platform for chat when Facebook removed the functionality from the main app in 2013. Reports are suggesting that the Social Network might double-back on these plans in the near future, as the company is currently trialling chat integration once again.

When the chat feature was ousted from the main app, clicking on the messaging icon redirected users to download Facebook’s separate messaging app. Researcher Jane Manchun Wong has spotted that this isn’t the case in the firm’s latest round of tests, as a newly-built “chats” section that displays a list of saved conversations and the ability to send and receive messages.

In order for the current Messenger app to coexist with the reintroduced integrated feature, it will omit key features found on the Messenger app such as sending pictures, making calls and giving message reactions. If a user tries to utilise any of the aforementioned, they will still be redirected to download the Messenger app where they can complete the action.

“We are testing ways to improve the messaging experience for people within the Facebook app,” a company spokesperson told The Verge. “Messenger remains a feature-rich, standalone messaging app with over a billion people using it monthly to connect with the people and businesses hey care about most.”

Messenger Lite, Facebook’s space-saving attempt at making its services easier to access by taking up less data, has proven particularly popular across the world despite its lack of features. It’s entirely possible that this has paved the way for integration once again, with hopes of bolstering interaction on the main site.

KitGuru Says: Although fragmentation of applications helps users escape the growing amount of bloatware from functionality they don’t utilise, it means less interaction on the main platform for those that exclusively use its messaging services. This seems like a natural balance between the two, although only time will tell. Will you use the main app if chat is once again integrated?

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Facebook is accused of granting business partners intrusive access to user data https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-is-accused-of-granting-business-partners-intrusive-access-to-user-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-is-accused-of-granting-business-partners-intrusive-access-to-user-data/#respond Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:44:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=399158 Facebook is capping off the year in the same way that it started it, knee-deep in a controversy surrounding privacy. Although the social network refrained from selling user data directly, it apparently had no qualms in forming special partnerships with major tech companies that granted intrusive access to its users’ personal information. The firm has …

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Facebook is capping off the year in the same way that it started it, knee-deep in a controversy surrounding privacy. Although the social network refrained from selling user data directly, it apparently had no qualms in forming special partnerships with major tech companies that granted intrusive access to its users’ personal information. The firm has since rebutted the scathing report, claiming that its partners only had access to data where users had given permission.

The accusations come from The New York Times, which boldly claimed that Facebook had been granting its business partners access to a wealth of user information that would otherwise be prohibited by its longstanding privacy rules. The data reportedly rakes in as much as $20 billion from American companies such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Spotify, even going as far as far as to divulge personal messages.

Facebook’s Director of Developer Platforms and Programs, Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, initially justified these claims as a part of its mass ‘integration partnerships’ with third-party platforms and devices, allowing users to recommend songs and blend Facebook into hubs that include other social media platforms. Integration even allowed Microsoft's Bing search engine to see the names of “virtually all” Facebook users' friends, supposedly without direct consent before the effort was shut down in 2016.

Furthermore, Facebook’s VP of Product Partnerships Ime Archibong added that “no third-party was reading your private messages, or writing messages to your friends without your permission. Many news stories imply we were shipping over private messages to partners, which is not correct.” The phrasing, however, suggests that users were granting such permission by using Facebook login to sign into other platforms. These were instead dubbed ‘instant personalisation’ partnerships, allowing “Alexa read your email aloud,” or share things from Spotify, Netflix and Dropbox at the click of a button.

The social network claims to have been forthright and transparent about its “experimental” features, denying the New York Times’ accusation that such invasive measures were used “as recently as this summer.” In fact, Facebook claims that each feature has “been shut down for nearly three years.” The platform even went as far as to showcase screenshots of the type of messages shared with partners, although Facebook remains coy on showing what its permissions screen used to look like.

Spotify explained that it didn’t realise the amount of access that Facebook provided, while Netflix ditched the system in 2015. Microsoft, Amazon and Yahoo all cited that they were respectful of the privacy policy, only collecting some data from those that opted in.

Without knowing how clear Facebook was about its permissions to the users that unknowingly granted them, it remains uncertain where the fault truly lies. Still, plenty of citizens across the world are increasingly concerned about how their data is being handled, finally beginning to prioritise privacy over convenience.

KitGuru Says: So far, Facebook has already clashed with the European Union’s recently implemented GDPR, with the United States considering its own regulations. Millions of users have flocked from the platform in the wake of its multiple fallouts, leading to a tension in leadership. At this point, Zuckerberg is going to need a miracle to maintain his position.

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