Now that Instagram’s founders are out of the way, Facebook will likely make more changes to it. While Facebook easily beat Google at the social media game, it hasn’t been able to dominate video the same way, and Instagram might hold the key to this area: Instagram Is Too Big Not to Mess With.

Meanwhile, a security breach affected at least 50 million accounts, allowing the attackers to not only to access a user’s profile, but also any apps they used Facebook to authenticate with. It remains to be seen whether the number of affected accounts will really stay at 50 million. The Irish data protection agency has already started investigating the breach under GDPR, with Facebook facing a fine of up to $1.6 billion. This is the first stress test for GDPR, possibly setting the precedent for future investigations.

Oh, and just in case you didn’t have enough to worry about, there’s a good case that Russia is winning the cyberwar.

Shadow Advertising

You probably know that Facebook has a lot of data about you, but what you probably don’t know is the shadow data it has on you. Shadow data refers to things that you never told Facebook about, but someone else did, for example, by uploading their address book to Facebook. Facebook uses this data to, amongst other things, offer new friend suggestions, but now it is also giving advertisers access to your shadow contact information. The problem with this is that Facebook does not tell you what shadow data they have on you (claiming it belongs to the users that uploaded it to Facebook), making it impossible for you to do anything about it. And while it might be legally in a grey area (and thus technically not criminal), morally Facebook has become a monster.

The News Feed that could have been

A long time ago, there was a fairly simple bit of technology that gave you pretty much everything Facebook’s news feed offers, without having to sell your soul (and personal data) to use it: The Rise and Demise of RSS

Thin Apple Slices

Apple’s infatuation with thin products can be infuriating to users seeking longer battery life. While the company usually points to design and aesthetics as for why it optimizes for thinness, Danilo Campos offers another reason why Apple chooses thin devices over longer battery life — Apple’s lead in miniaturization means that competitors can’t create 1:1 copies of its products, meaning knockoffs don’t come close to the real thing.

The Privilege of Deleting

You might consider deleting your social media accounts in light of the recent behaviors, scandals, and other fun things that have happened on Facebook & co. Or you just spend too much time there, and want to cut back. But especially Facebook has managed to become an irreplaceable tool to stay in contact with friends and family, or even run a business. So, should you delete your social media?

Elapsed Time

Time-lapse shots are a useful cinematic tool to show changes over time. In practical terms, though, a lot of work and a precise complicated choreography is required to get that one long shot.

📖 Weekly Longread 📚

Facebook went from darling to a potential global threat fairly quickly. Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy?

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