In the midst of the data scandal, Facebook’s stock has fallen for second straight day, losing 5% in value on Tuesday. The loss marked the worst performance for the tech giant in the last four years.

The company lost $50 billion in market value this week alone, and its troubles are not over yet. Shareholders pushed back against Facebook over the media reports that the company handed over private data on tens of millions of U.S. Facebook users to Cambridge Analytica.

The firm, which had ties with the Trump campaign at the time, reportedly used the sensitive info on 50 million users to influence their voting decisions. Facebook’s stock market troubles negatively impacted the broader tech sector.

According to S&P 500, the tech sector shed 2% in value overnight. The worst hit was Twitter with a 9% loss, and Snapchat coming in second with a 4% loss.

Facebook’s Stock Could Slump Even Further

Facebook’s market value currently stands at $500 billion, which makes it one of America’s strongest companies. The loss caused by the data scandal is larger than some other major companies’ valuations, like eBay or Ford.

The U.S. Congress and British lawmakers are urging the company’s co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to testify about the data breach. Lawmakers want to learn more about the policies that protect users’ data and whether those policies have been broken.

Zuckerberg’s stake in the company is 400 million shares, which means that he lost $7 billion in less than a week. He still has $70 billion in company assets and has the majority when it comes to investor vote. So, he won’t be losing his job anytime soon.

Shareholders, however, are concerned about the negative press and the prospect of tighter regulations. So, many of them sold off their shares before things got even worse. Facebook’s main source of revenue is ads, so if users decide to quit the platform in droves, its business model could collapse.
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After a major data scandal, more and more Facebook users decide to leave the social media platform. Even WhatsApp founder Brian Acton thinks that leaving the social network and never looking back is a good idea.

On Wednesday morning, Acton tweeted “It is time #deletefacebook” in response to the many tweets abut Facebook’s mishandling of its user data. Acton didn’t elaborate, but we do know that he is a staunch advocate for encryption and privacy.

It is time. #deletefacebook

— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018

He led the team of engineers that created WhatsApp after all. In 2014, Facebook bought the messaging service for $19 billion. At the time, Acton kept his job and got $3 billion from the transaction.

After parting ways with WhatsApp, he became a member of the nonprofit Signal Foundation which is in charge of the app Signal’s encryption.

Deleting the Facebook App Could Be a Start

Acton is not the only former executive to slam Facebook, but he is one of the most important ones, which could make Facebook’s situation even worse. The company now faces the prospect of a congressional hearing, stock market plunge, and multiple investigations both in the U.S. and U.K. However, the last time we checked, Acton’s Facebook profile was still there.

Yet, many users are joining the #deletefacebook movement. While some of them cannot simply delete their account, they are deleting the Facebook app from their phones.

This way, they are less tempted to check the website compulsively to see if there is something new. Most of those who deleted just the app say that they are still checking the site on a daily basis to see their News Feed. However, the Facebook addiction is no longer that strong.

Most users check the platform several times a day which makes them hooked to it and their smartphones. Yet, many admit that, in very rare occasions, they see something that they are genuinely interested in in the News Feed. So, why not #deletefacebook?
Image Source: Flickr

On Monday morning, an Uber driverless car killed a female pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The accident occurred at Mill Avenue.

The police said the vehicle was driving at 40 mph when it struck Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was walking a bicycle at the time. The woman was trying to get across the street, and authorities don’t believe she was in the crosswalk.

She was immediately taken to a hospital, but she died from her wounds. Tempe police noted that the self-driving vehicle did not slow down before hitting the pedestrian. The car was in autonomous driving mode but it had a backup human driver.

It isn’t clear if driver Rafael Vasquez, 44, intervened to prevent the accident. Neither the driver or the victim were impaired at the time of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced an investigation into the matter. Uber refused to comment on the crash but added that it would cooperate with local authorities.

Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,

a spokesperson for the taxi app firm said.

Driverless Car Kills Pedestrian in Nation’s First

It is the first time a driverless car strikes and kills a pedestrian, a scenario long dreaded by the driverless car industry. Uber is testing driverless cars in several U.S. cities including Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The company announced that it would put on hold all driverless operations during the investigation.

Phoenix and nearby municipalities have attracted many driverless car companies including Google’s Waymo and Uber.

Uber first started to test the vehicles in Arizona in February last year. In March 2017, one of its driverless cars crashed, but an investigation revealed that the car was not at fault.

It is the first time the autonomous technology leads to a fatality. Until now, the technology’s proponents argued that driverless cars could significantly reduce automobile deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 37,000 Americans were killed in a car crash in 2016.
Image Source: Wikimedia

Since Microsoft has taken the Windows as a service (WaaS) approach when it comes to Windows 10, updates are more frequent. The company promised to come up with speedier Windows 10 updates because those updates take a lot of time and they impact Windows 10 users’ productivity.

The head of Windows Insider Dona Sarkar confirmed on Twitter that a team of developers are working on trimming upgrade timeframes. Sarkar reminded Windows users that the company managed to make updates more palatable in the past by reducing their download sizes by 35%.

Also, Microsoft is reportedly working on a new feature that will enable users to resume an update if their Internet connection was interrupted for some reason. Sarkar, though, couldn’t offer more details on the effort to boost update speeds. Any improvement in the area will likely be very appreciated by Windows 10 users.

Fall Creators Update on 85% of Windows 10 Machines

The hyped update for Windows 10 – the Fall Creators Update– has reportedly reached 85% of Windows 10 devices. The new version (1709) tries to fix the issues brought by past versions.

Microsoft is now rolling out these updates only to systems whose hardware is compatible with them. The update’s version 1703 reached just 75% of Windows machines. Version 1709 is now on 85% of machines, and we’re waiting for 1803, which will be released by mid-April.

According to a report, 0.5 percent of Windows 10 users are still using the original version (1507), while 1 percent are sticking with the operating system’s first update (1511). Windows warns that both these versions are not supported anymore, and that they have some vulnerabilities that need to be patched.

The report also shows that the popularity of Surface models is growing. Surface Pro for 2017 is gaining traction, with 13% of the Surface models. The Surface laptop, on the other hand, is lagging behind, with just 1.9% of Surface models.
Image Source: Windows Report

In an unexpected twist to the U.S. presidential campaign the FBI uncovered potentially significant material in the Hillary Clinton server case.

New emails sent through Hillary Clinton’s private server surfaced after the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized devices belonging to Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner, in an unrelated case.  The shocking revelation was announced through a letter sent to Congress members.

“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.”

The initial investigation into Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized use of a private email server concluded in July with a recommendation of no criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. However, in light of recent events, the FBI has decided to take investigative steps to determine if the newly discovered emails contain any classified information.

“Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant and I cannot predict how long it will take to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony” declared James Comey, FBI’s director, who previously criticized Hillary Clinton as being careless. 

With less than 11 days before the US presidential election, the FBI’s decision to reopen the investigation shows how serios the discovery is. Several lawmakers questioned the timing of the letter, seeing as there is currently no evidence that Mrs Clinton or the State Department withheld information.

“Why would FBI reopen Hillary investigation unless there is evidence of more than extreme carelessness in handling classified information?” tweeted John Cornyn, second-ranking Republican in the Senate

A senior law enforcement official declared that Comey’s letter was sent out of extra caution. Although FBI’s director provided no details about the nature of the mails, the politically explosive development raises serious questions about the Democratic presidential candidate. The shocking revelation seems to have caught the Clinton campaign by surprise. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s VP running mate, said he has to “read a little more” about the situation before giving an official statement.

GOP nominee Donald J. Trump, realizing that the new development in the Hillary Clinton server case may represent a turning point in the race, was quick to add fuel to the fire. Despite the fact that he has repeatedly called the FBI corrupt and inept, during a campaign event in New Hampshire, he went on to praise the law enforcement agency.

“I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to right the horrible mistake that they made. This is a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand.” Donald J. Trump declared.

Comey, who is also a Republican, endured severe criticism in July after he decided not to charge Clinton. The language used by the FBI in the letter made it clear that agents will be going through the newly discovered emails to determine any intent to violate the law. Only time will tell how the Hillary Clinton server case will unfold.