Facebook Working On Burying Those Lousy Memories
San Jose, Calif. — Don’t go breaking my heart, Facebook. It’s a sentiment shared by people like 48-year-old San Jose resident Beth Burkley, who gets caught off guard when she sees reminders of her ex pop up on social media. “I have a couple of ex boyfriends that I’m still friends with on Facebook. We keep in touch,” she said. “Then there are others who I hope if I ever run into them again, it’s (with) the front end of my car,” she...
Raise Your Computer’s IQ
San Jose, Calif. — Facebook, Google and Microsoft are tapping the power of a vintage computer gaming chip to raise your smartphone’s IQ with artificially intelligent programs that recognize faces and voices, translate conversations on the fly and make searches faster and more accurate. It’s part of a trend toward the use of an artificial intelligence technique called “deep learning” that is creating a sense that a new era of smart...
Enhancing Social Media for the Blind
Menlo Park, Calif. — Naquela Wright’s life took an unexpected turn when she lost her eyesight as a teenager, but even when her world became immersed in darkness, the New Jersey resident didn’t want to quit social media. “I’m not even going to lie. I was 18 years old and I was like a Facebook junkie,” said Wright, who is now 23. “Facebook is a good outlet to say how you feel and what you think.” Navigating Facebook was a challenge at...
Facial-Recognition Tool Draws Privacy Concerns
When you are identified in a picture on Facebook, biometric software remembers your face so it can be “tagged” in other photographs. Facebook says this enhances the user experience. But privacy advocates say the company’s technology — which regulators in Europe and Canada have ordered shut off — should be used only with explicit permission. As commercial use of facial recognition technology grows to replace password log-ins, find...
