Sorry, you can’t hire third-party apps to boost popularity anymore. https://www.cnet.com/news/instagram-starts-purge-of-fake-likes-follows-and-comments/ Instagram influencers can say goodbye to fake fans. Instagram on Monday said it’ll begin removing fake likes, follows and comments from accounts that use third-party apps to boost their popularity on the platform. The Facebook-owned photo app will use machine learning technology to help identify accounts that boost their pages in such ways and … Continue reading Instagram starts purge of fake likes, follows and comments

Elon Musk’s space company aims to provide global broadband coverage. https://www.cnet.com/news/fcc-approves-spacex-plan-to-put-over-7000-satellites-in-orbit/ SpaceX got the green light to send more satellites to space. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved SpaceX’s request to build, deploy and operate over 7,000 satellites in the very-low-Earth orbit. SpaceX will also have more frequency bands added to its previously authorized satellites, according to the FCC’s release. The company’s Starlink program is designed to … Continue reading SpaceX wins FCC approval to put over 7,000 satellites in orbit

They want the Facebook CEO to participate via video link if he can’t be in London on Nov. 27. https://www.cnet.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-requested-to-attend-international-hearing-by-eight-parliaments/ Three more countries joined a call for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to attend an “international grand committee,” the latest fallout from a New York Times investigation into how top executives reacted to a series of crises at the social network. Brazil, Singapore and Latvia joined five other countries requesting the CEO’s … Continue reading More nations join ‘grand committee’ seeking Zuckerberg’s participation in meeting

A new bill would impose higher penalties and give the FCC more authority to catch illegal robocallers. https://www.cnet.com/news/senators-target-illegal-robocalls-with-steeper-fines-call-blocking-tech/ US lawmakers are getting serious about stopping illegal scam calls. Republican Sen. John Thune from South Dakota and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts on Friday introduced the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which will increase penalties; promote call-authentication and call-blocking technology; and give … Continue reading Senators target illegal robocalls with steeper fines, call-blocking tech

The company got $2.3 million in seed funding from investors like Kleiner Perkins. https://www.cnet.com/news/this-startup-is-trying-to-replace-serial-numbers-with-diamond-dust/ Diamonds might look good on fingers, but you might also find them on hardware soon. Dust Identity, a startup that’s trying to use diamond dust to mark objects, launched on Wednesday and said it has secured $2.3 million in seed funding from investors Kleiner Perkins, New Science Ventures, Angular Ventures and Castle … Continue reading This startup is trying to replace serial numbers with diamond dust

Better get dibs on it fast, carriers. https://www.cnet.com/news/5g-craze-continues-the-5g-spectrum-auction-is-starting/ For the first time, the Federal Communications Commission is auctioning spectrum for 5G. On Wednesday, the FCC is opening up the bidding for spectrum in the 28GHz band, with a total of a little more than 3,000 county-based licenses up for grabs. That will be followed immediately by an auction of spectrum in the 24GHz band. Then in 2019, the … Continue reading FCC kicks off 5G spectrum auction to help make hype reality

C’mon people. Play nice. https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-research-shows-online-social-circles-are-getting-riskier/ This isn’t going to be a surprise: Your online social circles have become more toxic. Nearly two thirds of online risks come from strangers or people you only know on the internet, according to preliminary results of a Microsoft survey about online safety. Risks include bullying, unwanted contact, unwelcome sexual images and messages, scams, fake news, fraud and other similar behaviors, the software … Continue reading Microsoft research shows online social circles are getting riskier