Facebook Live introduces closed captions for deaf and hard of hearing users

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Image: Mashable composite: Facebook/Shutterstock

By Matt Petronzio2017-06-06 18:23:30 UTC

Facebook just got a little more accessible for deaf and hard of hearing users.

The social media giant is adding closed captioning capabilities to its Live product, USA Today reported Tuesday, allowing viewers to see automatically generated captions on broadcasts that show up in their News Feeds. To see the captions, both publishers and viewers need to activate the setting. 

It's a welcome addition to Facebook, which has already offered automatic closed captioning on regular videos and advertisements for a few years. When Live launched in 2016, some deaf and hard of hearing users noted the lack of captioning, which rendered the videos inaccessible.

More than 5 percent of the world's population — or about 360 million people — are deaf or hard of hearing. While Facebook's new effort likely has at least some commercial interests behind it (captioning could also draw in more viewers wanting to watch videos on mute), it certainly allows for deaf users to more fully experience videos on the platform.

It also helps broaden publishers' audiences, and could push them to make their content more inclusive. FCC rules and guidelines for captioning exist for TV, but not for online media like Facebook and YouTube unless it's also broadcast on TV in the U.S. Nevertheless, Facebook's new feature will support the CEA-608 closed caption standard for broadcasters. 

"It's absolutely an imperative for the deaf and hard of hearing community."

"It's absolutely an imperative for the deaf and hard of hearing community, so our hope really is that we can continue to build more and more tools in the captioning space that increase the amount of videos that have captioning both real time and otherwise," Jeffrey Wieland, Facebook's director of accessibility, told USA Today.

But while these captions do increase accessibility, they aren't a catch-all solution. Auto-generated captions can be riddled with inaccuracies, jumbled words, run-on sentences, and no punctuation.

That's why Rikki Poynter, a 25-year-old deaf YouTuber, created the #NoMoreCraptions movement last year. Poynter wanted to call out "crappy" automatic captions and encourage fellow YouTube creators to write their own in order to make their videos even more accessible.

"If you truly want all of your viewers to get involved in your content and your channel, captioning is the way to go," she told Mashable last November.

For Facebook Live, broadcasters can work with third-party captioning companies to write and insert closed captions. Publishers can also use their own captioning technology.

Poynter is optimistic about Facebook's new feature, telling USA Today she thinks it's a great idea.

"It's something that people have been wanting for YouTube live broadcasts, but haven't been able to get it," she said.

She added that the captioning can be particularly helpful for weather announcements and forecasts, as well as politics-related content.

Regardless of subject matter, deaf and hard of hearing users deserve to have the same access to news, resources, and fun as much as anyone else. That simple fact makes this a move in the right direction for Facebook, and a model for other companies in the tech and social media space. 

You can learn how to enable Facebook Live captioning here.

WATCH: Facebook's Community Help tool in action

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Uber fires more than 20 employees after sexual harassment investigation

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Image: ap/rex/shutterstock

By Kerry Flynn2017-06-06 18:03:35 UTC

Uber has made a big move in its stated commitment to improving its workplace culture.

The San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant has fired more than 20 people following a sexual harassment investigation, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter. 

The firings stem from an investigation by Perkins Coie, an international law firm that often works with startups and Fortune 500 companies. The firm had investigated 215 claims of sexual harassment within the company. It took no action on 100 of these cases and decided on more than 20 terminations, according to Bloomberg. 

Susan Fowler Rigetti, the former Uber engineer who became a whistleblower on the company's previously-only-whispered-about sexual harassment problems, tweeted shortly after news of the firings leaked. 

Rigetti, who now works at Stripe, called out Uber board member Arianna Huffington and Uber's Chief of Human Resources Liane Hornsey's repeated claims against such "systemic" problems of sexual harassment within the company.  

Arianna and Liane to press: there is no systemic sexual harassment, just Susan.

External lawyers: there are 215 cases of sexual harassment. https://t.co/sZl0bnLccs

— Susan J. Fowler (@susanthesquark) June 6, 2017

Bobbie Wilson, an attorney at the firm, had presented the general claims Tuesday, when Uber holds its weekly all-hands meetings, Bloomberg reported. 

This is only the first report of what could be more bad news to come. Former attorney general Eric Holder is leading a separate investigation into the company whose results  have yet to be publicly released. 

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Apple's iOS 11 makes it much, much easier to record snaps

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And you thought Snapchat was safe.

Apple's latest software iOS 11 has made it much easier to record any snap someone sends you, Mic reported. That means you can get around having a mobile notification pinged to someone after you screenshot a Snapchat photo or video—all just by using a smartphone with iOS 11. 

The software was released in beta Monday during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference and is therefore not fully rolled out. It's available via a shortcut in the newly-designed Control Center. 

There's a chance Snapchat is working on a fix right now, ahead of iOS 11's release in the fall. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Granted your snaps were never really safe. There are screen-recording apps on Android phones, like AZ screen recorder, and for iOS, you could use Quicktime and a computer. If you have a Mac computer, you could always AirPlay your phone to it and use any old screen-recording app. 

Snap has done a decent job of smashing apart third-party companies that used to allow people to secretly record snaps on the phone. They violate Snapchat's terms of service. 

This wasn't the only way Apple destroyed its relationship with social media apps. Apple's iOS 11 also eliminates saving your sign-ins to Facebook and Twitter. That made it possible to connect your account for easy access to other apps. 

So thanks very much Apple. So glad you're bringing social functions to Apple Music while simultaneously destroying the fun of other social apps. 

WATCH: Adele's Amazing Anniversary Surprise

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پاسخ محکم گوگل به توییت اپل

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پس ازاینکه اپل در توییتر تصویری منتشر کرد که در آن نشان می‌داد تنها 7 درصد از دستگاه‌های اندرویدی سیستم‌عامل خود را به اندوروید نوگت آپدیت کرده‌اند، گوگل نیز سریعا به این توییت اپل واکنش نشان داد و با انتشار تصویری از آمار و درصد دقیق ورژن‌های مختلف سیستم‌عامل اندروید نشان داد که اندروید نوگت با 9.5 درصد عملکرد خیلی بهتری نسبت به آنچه که اپل اظهار کرده، داشته است.

در این جدول می‌بینیم که اندروید مارشملو (Marshmallow) هنوز 31.2 درصد از سهم اندرویدها را در ختیار دارد در حالی که اندروید آب‌نبات چوبی (Lollipop) با کمی کاهش به 30.8 درصد رسیده است. اندروید کیت‌کت (KitKat) با 18.1 درصد، آب‌نبات پاستیلی (Jelly Bean) با 8.8 درصد، اندروید بستنی حصیری (Ice Cream Sandwich) با 0.8 درصد و نان زنجبیلی با هم با 0.8 درصد در رده‌های بعدی این جدول قرار گرفته‌اند

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موارد موضوعی مرتبط

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In search of meaning for the Facebook Like

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What're you saying when you "Like" a story about the Syrian Civil War in your Facebook News Feed?

Maybe that you enjoyed reading the story. Or maybe the fact the story's even being covered in the first place. Or just the idea that whoever posted the article is spreading some kind of awareness. Of course, you could just be expressing your approval for the war in Syria. 

And then: What are you saying if the next thing you "Like" is a picture of a friend's baby?

Facebook's the most pervasive single entity in the history of the world—nearly two billion worldwide users. It's already had a massive impact on advertising and media, to say nothing of the way we interact with one another, and it could end up playing a critical role in a paradigm shift of the entertainment business as we know it. And of course, Facebook's dramatic impact on politics (or lack thereof) has been argued ad nauseam since November.

Central to that experience is the Like. Introduced in 2009, the feature's become so ubiquitous that "like" now tends to be associated with Facebook, as a proper noun: A Like. In 2010, Facebook claimed it saw 1 billion likes per day. And that was seven years ago.

Some of those Likes have consequences. A court in Switzerland recently fined a man 4,000 Swis francs (about $4,100) for hitting the button on a series of Facebook posts falsely accusing an animal rights activist of being a racist and fascist. 

"The defendant clearly endorsed the unseemly content and made it his own," the court said in a statement. America's had a run in with this issue, too. In 2013, a group of employees at a Sheriff's department were laid off, sometime after having "Liked" the Facebook page of the sheriff's opponent in an upcoming election. The employees sued. 

They lost at first, with a judge ruling that a Like on Facebook is not, in fact, protected speech. They then won on appeal, with a three-judge panel unanimously finding that a Like is indeed speech, and therefore, protected under the First Amendment.

"On the most basic level, clicking on the 'like' button literally causes to be published the statement that the User 'likes' something, which is itself a substantive statement," wrote Chief Judge Williams Traxler in the judgment.

At the core of both these causes is what a Like actually means. In Switzerland, the legal precedent is now that it's an endorsement. In the United States, a Like is speech—and according to at least one judge, a literal expression of liking something.

But let's be real: There's no possible way this jives with the experiences of anybody who's ever actually spent time on Facebook. 

Parsing intent from someone hitting a button on the Internet is, at best, a faulty calculus of context. Trying to figure out what a Like means is a question that requires knowing everything about the time, place, content, and people involved in said Like. In a world where Facebook networks often include friends, family, colleagues, frenemies, old friends, and whoever else is around, that's an incredibly messy proposition.

The reality that pressing "Like" isn't the same thing as saying "like" wasn't lost on Facebook. After years of jokes about needing a dislike button, the company introduced a variety of responses in October 2015, including anger and sadness. There's still no Dislike button, but people had been given a way to issue a subtler, more meaningful response than just hitting "Like."

And yet, the Like reigns supreme, with way more use than those emotional responses (thanks in part to Facebook's design choices). It remains dominant and vague. In that sense, it's taken on meaning unto itself. A Facebook Like is a Facebook Like, and no two Likes are the same. 

Where the Like has very definite meaning, though? Inside Facebook. We know that Facebook's almighty algorithm takes Likes to mean that the post should be amplified, shown to more people. Where Facebook's concerned, a like is more than an endorsement—it's a positive signal.

"The act of liking something [on Facebook] is the lowest-hanging fruit of interaction design."

"There's no global consensus on what the Like button means —some do it to validate a friend’s photo or a colleague's point of view, others use it to follow a brand or celebrity to ensure that content always pops up in their feed," said Sarah Sampsel, design director at Work & Co. "Either way, the act of liking something is the lowest-hanging fruit of interaction design." 

Perhaps therein lies the truest meaning of Facebook, if one exists. Facebook wants you to spend time on Facebook, especially in the news feed. If a Like is a positive signal that a post will keep you on Facebook for more time, a Like, in those terms, expresses the value of that post in terms of time. 

So, again: A story about the war in Syria and a photo of a baby might have nothing in common...except that they might both be worth my time. 

Or, rather, things I consider worth of the time of others. 

Look at this baby. 

Read this story. But, really:

Like what I Like. Whether you like it or not.

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NYC taxis are taking a tip from Uber and pooling riders

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Ridesharing for taxis is here.

Image: Shutterstock / oneinchpunch

By Emma Hinchliffe2017-06-06 16:55:03 UTC

UberPool, but for actual taxis. 

The next time you want to rideshare in New York you could call a real yellow cab. Regular New York City taxis will soon have a carpooling option facilitated by Via and the app Curb. 

Curb already brings ride-hailing technology to regular taxis, letting users hail cabs from their phones and use the Curb app to pay for their taxi rides. Now the app is adding the ability to choose to carpool with other passengers in your taxi. 

Via offers a carpool-only rideshare service in New York, mostly in giant vans that can carry at least six passengers. Curb will use Via's ridesharing algorithm to figure out where to pick up carpooling passengers in taxis. 

The two startups say that taxi riders will save about 40 percent if they choose to carpool—pretty close to the difference in cost between a solo Uber ride and an UberPool. 

“We’re delighted to offer a new lower-cost option for taxi riders while simultaneously increasing earnings for hardworking New York City taxi drivers with more passengers, longer trips, and reduced downtime,” Amos Tamam, senior vice president of Verifone Taxi Systems, which runs Curb, said in a statement. 

Another option to avoid Uber. Or just to support old-fashioned yellow cabs. 

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Don't trust a thing the government tells you

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Image: Shutterstock / Esposito Photography

By Jason Abbruzzese2017-06-06 16:36:15 UTC

The Intercept dropped its most significant story in its three-year history on Tuesday. The website published a piece based on leaked NSA documents that detailed what appeared to be a previously unreported Russia-backed cyberattack on the U.S. election that included vendors selling voter registration systems.

Almost immediately afterward, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had arrested a government contractor for leaking classified information—and claimed it was The Intercept's source. 

That led to immediate speculation as to whether The Intercept had accidentally given up the source. The DOJ claimed that when The Intercept had shown the documents to the NSA for verification, it had also provided some of the evidence needed to find the leak.

On Tuesday, The Intercept pushed back. Its message: Don't believe a thing the government tells you.

"While the FBI’s allegations against Winner have been made public through the release of an affidavit and search warrant, which were unsealed at the government’s request, it is important to keep in mind that these documents contain unproven assertions and speculation designed to serve the government’s agenda and as such warrant skepticism," the company said in a statement. "Winner faces allegations that have not been proven. The same is true of the FBI’s claims about how it came to arrest Winner."

The Intercept also said that it had no knowledge of who its source is, and therefore could not confirm or deny that Reality Winner, who the Justice Department had arrested, had leaked the documents.

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Now that you're an adult, it’s time to learn the basics of investment strategy (Paid content by UBS)

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"Investment strategy" is one of those things you know you’re supposed to master in order to officially join the world of adulthood. But it’s easier said than done: After all, you’re still figuring out how to fit your morning coffee habit into your monthly budget.

Many young adults believe that simply putting a portion of their income into a savings account is enough; because "saving" is something that’s drilled into our heads at a young age, and financial literacy education is often absent from most kids’ schooling.

So it makes sense that a lot of young people are confused about why investing matters — and thus, hesitant to hand over their hard-earned money to "the markets." 

Part of the reason for this is simply that young adults don’t know the first thing about investing. Below, we explore a few of the basics: Why investing as early as possible is beneficial to long-term financial goals, as well as a few tips for getting started.

Investing sets you up for long-term security  

Cash may be more "comfortable" for risk-wary millennials — but the simple truth is that watching savings accumulate just doesn’t cut it in the long run. In fact, interest rates are at historically low levels, Bloomberg states, which means that your money sitting in the bank isn’t doing you any favors in the long run. Investing is one of the only ways to outpace inflation rates; almost nothing is a substitute for compound interest when it comes to saving for the future.

While the majority of investors from other generations believe long-term investing is a key to achieving success, only 28% of Millennials do. With Millennials having less faith in long-term investing, they plan to work harder and save more to reach their goals.

And what this really means is that young people who fail to invest are setting themselves up for a retirement crisis. They'll need a substantial nest egg to maintain their standard of living in retirement — everything from being able to afford their beloved avocado toast to making rent that meets the rates of inflation. (Even with conservative estimates of inflation, housing is likely to cost around 60% more in 30 years' time.) Without investments as a source of income, they're also more likely to feel dips in the economy long before retirement — and they're not taking full advantage of a healthy market, either.

"The market" isn’t as scary as it seems

In the aftermath of the recession and the dot-com bubble burst, many potential investors — young people in particular — don’t trust the markets. 

Since 2003, the stock market has actually yielded positive total returns.

This distrust is misplaced, however. In fact, since 2003, the stock market has actually yielded positive total returns in every calendar year except 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Even for young people who feel as if retirement is a distant concept they don't yet need to worry about, investing early has major benefits even in the shorter-term. For example, young people are especially good candidates for higher risk/higher reward investments — i.e. investments that have a better chance of a big payday. And if investments don't work out as planned, there's plenty of time to recover; later in life, this simply isn't the case.

The first step, it seems, is for young people to take the time to educate themselves. This involves a bit of effort: Signing up for respected industry publications or even enrolling in an online financial literacy course are solid first steps. Going old-school and actually purchasing books (ebooks are just fine) to learn how to set yourself up for financial success shows even more initiative. Seeking help from financial reports can also be helpful, and can take out some of the guesswork. There’s no shortage of resources out there for those hungry for a little financial education. 

Which means there's really no excuse. Young people: It's time to learn the basics of investment strategy — your financial future is at stake.

The value of investments can go down as well as up. Your capital and income is at risk. In the UK, UBS AG is authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. © UBS 2017. All rights reserved.

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'Finstas' can be boring or funny or sexy — but they're always real

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Don't believe everything you read about "finstas," the secret Instagram accounts currently puzzling the internet. Rumours swirl about teenagers sharing pics of sex and drugs on their finstas, but in reality, teens are using these accounts to show their real, authentic selves. And, they're actually pretty damn dorky. 

A finsta is a second—or fake—Instagram account used by teens and young people to share photos they'd rather not post on their main accounts. These private accounts often have a considerably smaller and select following. For many young people, these public-facing Instagram accounts are often highly curated and can contain heavily filtered and Photoshopped images. So, what exactly are people sharing on these private, and highly mysterious, accounts?

The Huffington Post defines finstas as fake accounts used to conceal "scandalous and overtly sexual behaviour" and to "function with anonymity to troll peers." Urban Dictionary's definition is no different, describing finstas as accounts where one can post "ratchet" photos "without persecution from sororities, jobs and society as a whole." But, is it really as sinister as all that?

Adrian Varela, 19, says he's read "so many" articles about "how teens do drugs on their finstas" and he's keen to set the record straight. "That's totally false we literally use our finstas to shitpost memes and overshare," says Valera. He says he and his "finsta mutuals" use their finstas "to just like vent and overshare about our personal lives."

Weston Windell, 18, also wants to dispel the rumour that these accounts are used to show drug use. "Finstas are used to publicise the real us. Rather that being illegal behaviour, [we're] just posting what we really think about others," says Windell. "They kind of are our opposites of our real profiles. Ironic."

Marley Amico, 20, says there are indeed some people who use them for sharing nudes and drug pictures. But for the most part these accounts are a way to share “things they only want their close friends to see.”

“It’s really a space to post anything you want, without censorship,” says Amico.

Finstas are a place for people to show their true, authentic selves to a group of close friends. But, Sabine Reedy, a 21-year-old student at Drew University, says that the argument that "finstas are more real and rinstas (real Instagrams) are more fake" doesn't quite capture the complex and nuanced nature of finstas.

Self-deprecating humour seems to be very prevalent on the vast majority of finstas, and the consensus among many users is that it's a judgement-free space where people can post silly photos of themselves to a select following. That unflattering pictures, close-up selfies, and awkward videos are all par for the course on finstas.

Maggie Donnelly, 23, created a finsta after graduation and she uses it to make fun of herself for "being basic." Be it a shot of her Starbucks cup or herself sunbathing, Donnelly uses her finsta to show herself "living that basic life." (Like the picture below.)

Reedy says she uses her finsta to post embarrassing photos of herself and to "vent" about things, but generally it's pretty standard for people to be funny on their finstas. "Your followers like to see funny posts or again something that is embarrassing because it makes them laugh," she says.

But, there's another dimension to finstas. "People use their finstas for their body positive photos 'cause it's basically like a safe space, ya know?" says Adrian Varela. He says that the idea behind finstas is that on "trusted people" are supposed to follow you.

Reedy believes finstas provide a platform away from the pressures that young women feel from Instagram. "I think that finstas provide teenage girls and young women with a space to worry less about being sexualised in terms of navigating how sexy or hot they look when posting a selfie," says Reedy.

With Instagram's as the worst social network for young people's mental health, due to its ability to cause feelings of inadequacy and anxiety, it's no surprise that young people are trying to escape the pressures and expectations of rinstas.

As finstas become increasingly widespread, a definite pattern appears to be emerging. These spaces afford a place where young people can be themselves around a trusted set of people without worrying about the consequences—be it for sharing unfiltered selfies or silly videos. And, what could be more laudable than that?

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The who, what and how of impact investing (Paid content by UBS)

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In the past, the concepts of "financial gain" and "social good" have seemed mutually exclusive. But with impact investing on the rise, this is no longer the case.

The logistics, though, are a little tricky. How, for example, does one determine a worthwhile investment — that is, something that will generate returns and also create real impact? 

It can be especially difficult for private sector organizations and individuals to figure out where to start. Below, we dig into the who, what and how of impact investing, as well as a few tips for getting your foot in the door.  

 The "what": Impact investing

In simple terms, impact investing refers to any investment in a company or organization that results in environmental and social returns in addition to simply financial gain. This might look like anything from social entrepreneurship to a for-profit corporation providing microloans to sustainable agriculture projects.

Impact investing has experienced increased popularity in recent years: A recent Google report found that search volume for impact investing has overtaken that of angel investing in the past decade. Silicon Valley startups and established corporations alike are seeing a surge of impact-driven initiatives, and throwing financial weight behind such projects. There’s also evidence that suggests impact investments frequently outperform those with strictly financial motivations.  

The “who”: Major players  

Both institutional investors and private sector investments are important pieces of the puzzle. 

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals are a series of 17 directives to address issues affecting our planet: Everything from developing methods of clean energy to achieving gender equality to eliminating world hunger. Those are serious goals, and there’s need for serious capital to make them realities; it would take the financial power of the entire country of Japan to fully realize them. And unfortunately, there’s only so much that governments and institutional investors can do to help.

Those are serious goals, and there’s need for serious capital to make them realities.

Which is why private capital plays an important role in impact investing. In the past, a lack of transparency, actionable data and incentive has proven a barrier to entry for private investors. However, recent years have seen an increased rate of collaborative, international impact investment efforts — from both organizations and individuals. This is an excellent indicator of rising momentum. And as more data and educational resources become available to private sector entities, the overall process becomes more intuitive. 

The “how”: How to get involved 

On a down-to-earth level, impact investing is a win-win with more ROI than simply money in your pocket: It means investing in the future of the planet and supporting worthy causes that impact the greater good. For anyone who has ever wanted to "get involved" but has struggled to figure out how, impact investing is an easy way to make money and make a difference at the same time.

The first way to dive headfirst into the world of impact investing is relatively straightforward: Investing in listed companies that contribute to the UN's SDGs. But investing in private markets requires a little more research.

In a recent article on the UBS website, James Gifford, a senior impact investing strategist outlines specific approaches to three key industries: agriculture, healthcare, and education. Each of these sectors addresses specific goals aligned with the UN's SDGs.

For example, to contribute to the UN's SDG target to "end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture," Gifford suggests investors focus on direct investments in farming practices and irrigation systems, support projects to develop sustainable fertilizers, or finance seeds or sustainable agricultural technologies.

In the arena of healthcare, investors may turn to supporting private clinics, ambulance services or information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for improving healthcare.

To support education, Gifford writes that investing in ed-tech solutions, particularly those directed toward developing parts of the world, is one helpful way to make a difference.

Want to learn more about sustainable investing? Check out UBS's online resources to learn more about putting your money to work in more ways than one.

The value of investments can go down as well as up. Your capital and income is at risk. In the UK, UBS AG is authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. © UBS 2017. All rights reserved.  

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