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Close WhatsApp to share data with Facebook Drag WhatsApp just aounced that it updated its terms and conditions to permit the company to opt-in all one billion of its users to share information with Facebook. Facebook will take that information to find friends and also target ads better. WhatsApp is also working on ways for businesses to communicate to users from the app. Subscribe: CNET Update delivers the biggest tech news of the day, breaking down trends, hot devices, new apps and what's ahead. Subscribe to the podca...

Your airline will soon be able to tell you when your flight is delayed via WhatsApp. WhatsApp WhatsApp users, get ready for messages from companies looking for your business.That's the upshot from Thursday's update to WhatsApp's terms and conditions. The company outlined in a blog post the kind of interactions it wants to enable, including being notified by your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction or being waed about a delayed flight. These are things we might currently be informed about by a text message or phone call. WhatsApp hopes to enable these notifications too, all while keeping spam and third-party baer ads out.This is the first time WhatsApp has updated its terms in fou...

Enlarge ImageApps like this remind me that I'm old. Facebook In your face, Snapchat!Kids still say that sort of thing, right? How about: The '00s called and they want their app back! Well, it's late on a Friday, and Facebook has quietly released a new app, called Lifestage. And while its name might suggest the target market is caterpillars, this is actually for teens -- aka not me. Like other apps not built for me, it's somewhat confusing. But the gist of it is that you (the younger version of you, who was able to eat french fries dipped in milkshakes any time you damn well pleased) create a profile using your phone number (remember those?) and your name. Then Lifestage has you take photos o...

Close Facebook's newest ad-blocking tactic defeats Adblock Plus' workaround Drag That was quick. Just two days after Facebook found a way to sneak ads past ad-blocking software, the ad blockers have struck back. Adblock Plus, one of the best-known tools for blocking ads on the inteet, claims to have a work-around that can defeat Facebook's advertising. According to an official Adblock Plus blog post Thursday, users of the software can simply add this line of code to their filters to make Facebook's ads go away:facebook.com##DIV[id^="substream_"] ._5jmm[data-dedupekey][data-cur...

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Facebook has been ordered to issue refunds for accidental purchases made by minors. CNET Facebook users that have racked up hefty charges for in-app purchases made without their consent are now entitled to a refund.A Califoia court has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a 2012 class action lawsuit brought against the social media giant. The case applied to two children that accidentally charged thousands of dollars to their parents' credit cards buying Facebook Credits, a virtual currency that was retired in favor of Facebook Payments.While Facebook argued that the individual claims were too different, the website must now rescind its "all sales are final" policy and issue refunds to parent...

WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum Albert Gea/Reuters/Corbis A Brazilian judge has frozen 19.5 million reais ($6.07 million, £2.2 million, $4 million AU) in Facebook funds after the social networking company repeatedly ignored federal orders to release WhatsApp messages related to a drug investigation. The messages could contain evidence linking a cocaine smuggling ring in Brazil to local cohorts in Bolivia, Paraguay and Spain, according to a Reuters report Thursday.Brazilian police have repeatedly asked WhatsApp for the messages, Reuters said. After determining non-compliance, a judge blocked parent company Facebook from accessing money in its Brazilian bank account. The amount is equal to the fines inc...

Enlarge ImageFacebook can resume using cookies to grab data on nonmembers in Belgium. James Martin/CNET Facebook won an appeal in a Brussels court Wednesday in a case that pitted it against the Belgian Privacy Commission. An earlier ruling had ordered Facebook to stop using cookies, which are small bits of software that track website activity, to collect data...

Apple's Craig Federighi tells WWDC attendees about all of the Photos app updates coming in iOS 10. Screenshot by CNET Facebook loves it when you share photos and videos: It's sort of like cat videos without the cats. You love to post them and your friends like seeing what you've posted. Now when you post more than five photos or video at a time, the social network will suggest creating a Slideshow, complete with music and transitions, TechCrunch reported Monday. You can select themes, too, including Nostalgic, Birthday, Bollywood and Amped. The feature, which has been part of Facebook's Moments photo-sharing app, is now available on Apple's iPhones and iPads. And that pits it against Apple's...

The Facebook Moments app will reportedly be required for those hoping to have the social network privately upload photos from their smartphone. You may need to spend a few Moments downloading another Facebook app if you want to keep all your photos inside the social network's world. Facebook users with synced photo albums are reportedly receiving an email from the social network that says they'll have to install and log in to the company's Moments app by July 7 -- or else have all their photos inside those albums deleted, reports TechCrunch. The app, released last year, allows for private uploads of photos to share with friends without actually putting them onto the social network. Before Mo...

Enlarge Image Facebook Seven months ago, Facebook launched its Notify app. Today, the company aounced it would be shutting the app down.Notify let you set custom alerts for news, sports, weather and myriad other topics....

WhatsApp is one of the most popular chat apps for smartphones in use today. But to use it on a desktop, you had to run a Web app through your browser.Now the Facebook-owned app is streamlining the process with the launch of a desktop app that syncs with your mobile device. WhatsApp said the new desktop app, which was released Tuesday, mirrors your mobile device, allowing you to message friends and family while your phone is in your pocket.And because it runs natively on your desktop as opposed to through an app on your browser, the app allows for native notifications and better keyboard shortcuts, WhatsApp said.After downloading the app for either desktops ruing Windows 8 and above or Mac OS...

Enlarge ImageThe presidential campaign is getting particularly nasty. Video screenshot by Boie Burton/CNET What do you do when you come across the Facebook page for a presidential candidate you don't like?In the case of a person calling himself Casey Champagne, the answer was to find a way to shut it down.That's what...

A new app from Facebook would launch as a camera, encouraging users to share photos and live videos to the social network, The Wall Street Joual reported Monday. Based on accounts from anonymous sources, the Joual said the app could be part of Facebook's plan to counter a troubling trend for the social media juggeaut: Users are still spending time on Facebook, but posting new content less often.Facebook did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the rumored camera app. The company told the Joual that the amount its users share is "similar to levels in prior years."Let's block ads!...

It's just like Periscope's hearts... but sideways?Facebook livens up its Live video with floating reaction icons and color filters. Also, Facebook-owned WhatsApp is making some big changes to boost encryption. Get the details by watching CNET Update below, along with news on changes coming to Twitter, Etsy and the expansion of Amazon Prime Now: Want to see the Facebook Live behind-the-scenes video created during this show? It's right here!CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under 3 minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afteoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps and what's ahead. Subscribe to the podcast via the links below.Subscribe:...

More tech companies want to enhance the encryption for their products. CNET Facebook and Google are among the major tech players increasing their efforts to make sure your data is as secure as possible from prying eyes, including those of the US govement.Facebook already encrypts the messages of its WhatsApp instant-messaging service. Now the social network is aiming to apply encryption to the service's voice calls and group messages, The Guardian reported Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Facebook is also looking into enhancing the security of its Messenger chat tool.Google is investigating whether the encryption used for emails as part of its End-To-End project can be app...

The Facebook executive detained in Brazil on Tuesday has been released. James Martin/CNET A day after a Facebook executive was jailed in Brazil, he's now been released.Here's what happened. On Tuesday, Diego Dzodan, Menlo Califoia-based Facebook's vice president for Latin America, was arrested for not tuing over information from a WhatsApp account linked to a drug trafficking investigation. The reason is that Facebook-owned WhatsApp, a free instant-messaging application, says it doesn't store messages on its service and so has nothing to give.That didn't stop Brazilian authorities from jailing Dzodan for obstructing their investigation. That is, until Wednesday, when a judge ordered his rele...

Facebook knows you have feelings, and it wants to help you share them with new symbols that represent a greater range of emotion than a "like" can manage.The social networking giant said Wednesday that all of its users now have the option of choosing from a collection of new emoji-like "Reactions" to react to friends' posts with more nuanced emotion. The new symbols, which will augment rather than replace the iconic "like" button, represent expressions of love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger. Facebook, which has been testing the new icons in Europe for a few months, says its members will appreciate a wider range of official icons than just the thumbs-up button to express their...

Facebook's Sports Stadium is launching first on iPhones, with expansion promised to other platforms in the coming weeks.If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Twitter should be glowing with pride.It should be, but perhaps the company is nervous instead. That's because the imitator is Facebook, Twitter's biggest rival in the war for your social-media attention. Facebook on Wednesday aounced a new feature to help the more than 1 billion people who use its service every day follow sports games live. You can track the game with friends, and the feature encourages you to discuss stats, plays and everything else from anywhere around the globe. It's called Sports Stadium, and it arrives ju...

Facebook's Sports Stadium is launching first on iPhones, with expansion promised to other platforms in the coming weeks.If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Twitter should be glowing with pride.It should be, but perhaps the company is nervous instead. That's because the imitator is Facebook, Twitter's biggest rival in the war for your social-media attention. Facebook on Wednesday aounced a new feature to help the more than 1 billion people who use its service every day follow sports games live. You can track the game with friends, and the feature encourages you to discuss stats, plays and everything else from anywhere around the globe. It's called Sports Stadium, and it arrives ju...