Last week, Facebook reorganised its entire leadership team in a move that led to the creation of a new department dedicated to tackling blockchain technology. The new team is headed up by David Marcus, who was former president of PayPal before moving to Facebook working on the dedicated Messenger app. The move has led to speculation that the social network might launch its own cryptocurrency, corroborated by testing of a direct payments feature that was quietly rolled out to some Instagram users earlier this month.
Facebook issues new policy for ads on social issues
The social network has released a new policy on social issues as part of ongoing efforts to clean up its ad network, which means it will now require authorisation for all advertisers who want to weigh in on national issues. The new policy includes a list of 20 issues (ranging from abortion, to guns and immigration) and currently only impacts those advertisers targeting U.S. users. However, Facebook is beginning to monitor advertising related to social issues outside of the US, too – recently blocking foreign spending on ads related to abortion in Ireland.
Facebook tests new features for livestreaming
Last week, Facebook announced that it is testing a Live Rewind feature for live broadcast videos on the platform. The update will enable users to jump back and forth to key moments in a broadcast without having to wait for the stream to end. While no launch date has been confirmed, Facebook plans to release the update globally in the future. In addition to the Live Rewind update, the platform will soon also allow Live broadcasts to be shared on multiple pages at the same time.
WhatsApp lets users play Facebook and Instagram videos in-app
In addition to being able to play YouTube videos within the app, WhatsApp users will now also be able to watch video content from Facebook and Instagram without leaving the platform. The new function is part of the latest iOS update released last week, which also added the ability to add and remove admin privileges from users within group chats. The update is currently rolling out across iOS users globally.
Instagram introduces interactive emoji slider poll for Stories
Instagramers looking for more than a ‘yes or no’ answer to their Story polls can now gain a wider range of responses from friends and followers with the new ‘Emoji Slider’ stickers for polls. To add a sticker to a poll, all users need to do is select the scale icon from the sticker tray, add a question and place it over their pic or video. To answer a friend’s poll, simply drag the emoji left or right and release it when you’re happy. The new feature is part of the Instagram version 44 update.
Twitter teases ‘secret conversation’ feature