Carl Mazur, a photographer in Utah, freaked out when he saw an ad for Rokinon camera lenses pop up on Facebook. That’s because it appeared 20 minutes after Mazur’s chiropractor mentioned the brand to him during a visit. Mazur had heard stories about the social network eavesdropping on conversations through the mics on smartphones in …

Facebook said Friday that it’s suing Rankwave, a South Korean company that analyzes social media users’ data for marketing purposes. “Facebook was investigating Rankwave’s data practices in relation to its advertising and marketing services,” Facebook’s director of platform enforcement and litigation, Jessica Romero, said in a blog post. “Rankwave failed to cooperate with our efforts to verify their compliance with our …

Celebrating a friend’s birthday on Facebook is about to get more interactive than just posting a message on their wall. The social network said Thursday that it’s introducing a new way to celebrate birthdays in Stories, a feature that lets users post photos and videos that vanish in 24 hours. Now you can add digital birthday cards, photos or videos …

Facebook is cracking down on extremist figures and groups. The social network on Thursday barred Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who hosts InfoWars, as well as far-right commentators Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer. The ban, which included InfoWars, extends to the social network’s Instagram photo-sharing service. The social network also banned Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, and …

Facebook uses both human beings and artificial intelligence to combat some of its toughest problems, including hate speech, misinformation and election meddling. Now, the social network is doubling down on AI. The tech giant has come under fire for a series of lapses, including its failure to pull down a live video of terrorist attack in New Zealand that killed 50 people …

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The Facebook app on your smartphone will start to look different. Now playing: Watch this: Zuckerberg gives a first look at redesigned Facebook… 3:23 On Tuesday, Facebook said it’s redesigning its app to make it easier for users to find and join groups on the world’s largest social network. A Facebook group is a place …

Sitting on a grey couch at Facebook’s headquarters, Stan Chudnovsky starts talking about what humans can’t live without. The head of the social network’s Messenger service isn’t speaking about food, shelter or water. Instead, he points to what he and I are doing at this very moment: communicating. Now playing: Watch this: Facebook launches Messenger for desktop 1:33 “There is …

Facebook knows that sometimes the best relationships start off as friendships. It’s built a new tool to help ignite those type of romances.  The social network said Tuesday it’s introducing a new feature for Facebook Dating that lets users (in certain countries, for now) select up to nine Facebook friends they’re interested in romantically. Your friends will only learn that …

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg uses the F8 developer conference to talk about the future of his social network. This time around, he’ll likely address its current problems. Zuckerberg shares big, hopeful messages. Facebook’s mission, he says, is “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” Devices, like its Oculus line of virtual …

Facebook’s long list of scandals has only grown longer this year. Those troubles finally hit the social network where it matters: earnings. The social network said Wednesday it’s set aside $3 billion to cover possible expenses for a possible fine related to an ongoing investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission. The yet-unannounced FTC fine, which Facebook said could be …