Facebook bans misleading coronavirus ads
Facebook has confirmed that it is banning all ads which promise to cure, prevent, or otherwise incite panic around the new coronavirus / COVID-19, and has added similar policies to products in Marketplace. The update comes less than a month after the social network announced that it would be removing misinformation about the new coronavirus from both Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook Messenger gets a revamp
As part of a larger redesign to focus the app on speed and simplicity, Facebook Messenger will be removing its Discover tab – meaning that features such as chatbots, games and businesses will now be hidden from view. Instead, the app will now have just two tabs, Chat and People, and within People there will be sub-tabs for Stories and those who are ‘Active’. While there is currently no fixed timeline for the release of the update, a Facebook spokesperson has confirmed that “some users already have the update, and more will likely get it this week.”
Pinterest rolls out Pinterest Lite globally
Pinterest Lite, the slimmed-down version of Pinterest’s mobile app, is now available globally via the Google Play Store. The platform has also said that the app will be rolled out for Arabic speakers soon.
TikTok hosts #MakeBlackHistory summit for creators
As part of its celebrations for US Black History Month, TikTok invited over 100 black creators to attend its #MakeBlackHistory Summit in Los Angeles. The two-day event included talks on the importance of cultural content creation, as well as working sessions focused on career development and personal branding. Attendees and speakers included Supermodel and businesswoman, Tyra Banks; entrepreneur, Tracee Ellis Ross; and actor, musician, business executive and television show host, Nick Cannon.
Tumblr ups its camera game
Last week, Tumblr released an upgrade to its camera so that users can now access the camera by swiping right from the dashboard, and can even edit and post photos (including those not taken in-app) instantly on the platform. Prior to the update, Tumblr users could only use filters on photos and videos captured within the application. The updated camera also includes new filters, stickers and other customisation options.
