Facebook decides not to unveil smart speakers amid data scandals

Facebook decides not to unveil smart speakers amid data scandals

Facebook has decided not to unveil its new home products range at the firm's developer conference in May.

Mark Zuckerberg had planned to use the occasion to launch its smart speakers, which come equipped with a digital assistant and video chat.

The decision comes in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which saw details from 50 million Facebook users leaked to political activists.

Believed to have operated on behalf of the Trump 2016 presidential campaign, the information was used to target voters in the US based on psychological profiling.

The scandal has led to many users debating whether to delete their profiles on the social network, with the hashtag #DeleteFacebook trending on Twitter. 

It has developed further today, with news that a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower claims Facebook uses people's smartphone microphones to spy on them.

Facebook still plans to launch the devices later this year, it is reported

Facebook is understood to be placing the products under review in the light of the hit it has taken to its public image.

It hopes to assess whether the devices have sufficient protection when it comes to  user data.

The news emerged thanks to anonymous industry sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. 

The gadgets, intended to rival products like Amazon's Echo range, are part of Facebook's plans to expand into the physical device market.

Warning signs over the public reaction to the move initially came from focus group testing, which revealed users were worried about Facebook branded devices in their homes.

Facebook is reportedly creating a pair of smart speakers, codenamed Aloha and Fiona, the 'more sophisticated' of which will eventually be known as Facebook Portal. 

The device will feature a wide-angle camera, microphone, and speakers boosted by artificial intelligence, and it will be geared for communal use in the living room. 

A version in testing would enable the camera to automatically scan for faces in the room and link them to their Facebook accounts.

The devices will be outfitted with 15-inch touchscreens and aimed at helping family and friends stay in touch.

The devices have been speculated to cost an upwards of $499 (£370), making them much pricier than similar products currently on the market, such as Amazon's $39 (£27) Echo Dot.

Facebook is expected to reveal more about changes it is is making to the way developers access user's data at the F8 developer conference, being held in San Jose, California, from May 1 to 2. 

In a written statement on the Facebook developer's blog, Ime Archibong said: 'To maintain the trust people place in Facebook when they share information, we are making some updates to the way our platform works.

'These are critical steps that involve reviewing developers' actions for evidence of misuse, implementing additional measures to protect data, and giving people more control of their information.'

Facebook has been hit by a number of PR disasters over recent years, involving the way it manages user data. 

Most recently, Christopher Wylie, a former employee of scandal-hit Cambridge Analytica, said companies like Facebook use the microphone on mobile phones to help tailor their adverts.

He told a Commons committee yesterday he believes the social media giant is able to decipher whether someone is out in a crowd of people, in the office or at home.

He was asked by Conservative MP Damian Collins whether Facebook can listen to what people are saying to shape their advertising.

In response, Mr Wylie said: 'On a comment about using audio and processing audio, you can use it for, my understanding generally of how companies use it... not just Facebook, but generally other apps that pull audio, is for environmental context. 

So if, for example, you have a television playing versus if you're in a busy place with a lot of people talking versus a work environment.' 

'It's not to say they're listening to what you're saying. It's not natural language processing. That would be hard to scale. 

'But to understand the environmental context of where you are to improve the contextual value of the ad itself is possible.' 

Mr Collins's question about Facebook spying is reflected in research carried out by internet charity DotEveryone. 

their studies show seven per cent of people think Facebook listens to their phone conversations and five per cent believe it is capable of tracking their eye movements when they're looking at a screen. 

Mr Wylie's claims were only speculative and said Mr Collins's was 'probably one for Facebook'.

The tech giant has long denied allegations of spying on people to customise ads.

 But since it was revealed it harvested data from over 50 million users to aid Cambridge Analytica's election campaigns, other data issues have been brought into question.