Facebook Resorts to Drastic Measures After User Data Scandal, as It Reportedly Holds Off New Line of Smart Speakers
Swirling public outrage over Facebook's use of personal data likely forced the company to hold off on launching their own line of smart speaker products. These devices, which would have been Facebook's answer to the AI-powered home speakers from Amazon, Apple and Google, were previously set to be revealed at the F8 developer conference in May.
According to Bloomberg's sources, Facebook has reportedly decided that the next few months may not be exactly the ideal time to unveil their new hardware. The current wave of outrage over Cambridge Analytica's misuse of people's user data may have been a big part of the decision.
Smart home speakers, most of which are a derivative of Amazon's first Echo speakers, are designed to listen in to people's voices in their private homes. With Facebook now facing a massive backlash over privacy issues, now might not be the best time to introduce the company's own version of the technology.
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Facebook's new line of home speakers was designed to be constantly connected online and to the social media platform and would offer video chat and digital assistant features. The company is now reviewing the products and how they could acceptably rely on user data, according to sources.
These smart devices, which are codenamed Aloha and Portal in development, will also come with a touchscreen for some models. The AI voice assistant for this new product line is one built by Facebook, according to The Verge.
They were supposed to be revealed in Facebook's annual F8 developer conference this coming May, at least until a whistleblower outed Cambridge Analytica's use of the user data harvested from more than 50 million Facebook users that were allegedly used for the latest US presidential elections.
In response to the scandal, Facebook is now cutting ties with some major data brokers, even if it meant that the company's core business, advertising, will be affected. For years, Facebook has opened to advertisers the option to target their marketing campaigns using the data harvested by companies such as Acxiom Corp. and Experian, as Reuters reported.
"We want to let advertisers know that we will be shutting down Partner Categories. This product enables third party data providers to offer their targeting directly on Facebook," Graham Mudd, Product Marketing Director for Facebook, said in a statement via Tech Crunch.
"While this is common industry practice, we believe this step, winding down over the next six months, will help improve people's privacy on Facebook," Mudd added, noting that most data-sharing services with similar companies will be discontinued over the next few months.
The company has also resorted to buying out full-page ads in Britain, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating an apology to everyone who cared to read it. "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it," Zuckerberg noted in an ad bearing his signature.
