The New York Times is reporting that Facebook plans to combine messaging services across its applications, merging chats from WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. A WhatsApp user would be able to start a chat with an Instagram user, breaking down barriers between Facebook’s social platforms. A Messenger user would be able to send an end-to-end encrypted conversation with someone who only has a WhatsApp account for instance. Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp will remain separate apps on the home screen but the common messaging features will be unified....

After announcing it nearly four months ago, Facebook today is officially starting to rollout its new “Your Time on Facebook” tool, which shows just how long you spend on the service. The rollout was first spotted by TechCrunch. The feature comes as other social networks, such as Facebook’s own Instagram, add new digital health functionality. Facebook’s time-tracking feature is accessible via the iOS app by tapping the overflow menu along the bottom navigation bar....

Are you plagued by thoughts like: Which one is the BEST? What’s going to bring in that sweet, sweet ROI? How do I avoid choosing the WRONG one and wasting time? Or, do I need to be doing all of them, all of the time? You’re not alone. It’s enough to paralyze savvy business owners from any niche or industry. Are you ready to find the answers to your burning questions and figure out once and for all if you should use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or all three?...

Facebook has told CNBC it wants to be a ‘hostile environment for terrorists’ as the British government issued a call to ‘regulate cyberspace’ after the terrorist attack on London Bridge … Facebook said that it would ‘aggressively remove terrorist content’ from its platform. The British government, meantime, has accused ‘the Internet’ of allowing terrorism a safe space. Prime Minister Teresa May issued a confused statement in which she simultaneously called for life to continue as normal whilst also seeking unspecified regulation of the Internet....

The long-running Foxconn saga of the maybe-someday factory in Wisconsin continues. A new report today says that company chairman Terry Gou is flying to DC tonight for a White House meeting to discuss the project … Reuters carries the unconfirmed report. The original deal, as announced by President Trump, was for the establishment of a hi-tech display factory which was expected to generate 13,000 Wisconsin jobs. So far, however, there is no sign of the factory or any actual construction work on it, and just 178 jobs were created last year....

In Fast & Furious 9, also known as F9, the appearance of Han Lue and his new car is a clever reference to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The Fast and Furious series is one of the highest-grossing franchises of all-time, with the seventh and eighth films both accumulating over $1 billion at the box office. After eight films and one spinoff, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are set to take on Dom’s younger brother, Jakob (John Cena), and their old foe, Cipher (Charlize Theron)....

In Fear the Walking Dead season 5, episode 10, Morgan (Lennie James) faced his past while Grace (Karen David) questioned her future. The episode also served as a major test for Dwight (Austin Amelio) and his resolve to become a better man. The latest episode of FTWD pays homage to Dawn of the Dead by sending Morgan and Grace into a mall to fulfill a man’s dying wish by finding his zombified body and burying him under the stars....

Fear The Walking Dead’s Naomi was something of an enigma when she was first introduced in season 4 – here’s her tragic backstory explained. The first half of Fear The Walking Dead’s fourth season unfolded in a series of flashbacks and switching back to the present, which only added to the air of mystery surrounding new character Naomi (Jenna Elfman). She made her first physical appearance in Fear The Walking Dead season 4 episode 2 “Another Day In The Diamond” in which a flashback revealed Madison, Alicia, and Strand came across her while investigating an abandoned camp....

If further evidence is needed to prove the commercial and critical failure of Fallout 76 - and it really isn’t - then look no further than GameStop Germany’s decision to give out copies of the game to purchasers of used PS4 controllers. Yes, ouch. Though GameStop is internationally notorious for its reliance on used product sales and trade-ins, this is not a common deal even by its standards, and it’s a telling sign that the German store is doing its best to empty its unprofitable stock of Fallout 76 copies as quickly as it can....

Marvel cut out what would have been a classic Spider-Man scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home. By any measure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man is a phenomenal success. Tom Holland has captured the character of a youthful Peter Parker almost perfectly, and he’s now considered by many to be the definitive big-screen version of Spider-Man. And yet, for all that’s the case, this really isn’t “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” any more....

Facebook says that it is fighting disinformation with a range of new policies in the run-up to November’s presidential election … The social network says that it is implementing the same message-forwarding limit in Facebook Messenger that it previously introduced in WhatsApp. Currently, you can forward a message to 150 contacts at once, which makes it very easy for hoax messages to spread quickly. In the future, it won’t be possible to forward a message to more than five people at a time....

Confusion was likely the last thing on the minds of longtime Final Fantasy fans when Red 13 showed up in the latest Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer, but the talking dog-like creature may have left newer fans perplexed. Although his appearance may seem outlandish to those unfamiliar with the original game, Red 13 is one of Final Fantasy 7’s most intriguing party members. For those wondering, here’s a spoiler-free explanation of this tattooed Scooby Doo....

As Facebook continues to negotiate a settlement deal with the Federal Trade Commission over its privacy practices, new reports this week offer additional detail on what that settlement might include. According to the reports, the FTC may require Facebook to create a privacy oversight committee, while the deal will also likely include WhatsApp. Politico reported this week that as part of its settlement with the FTC, Facebook may be required to create an “independent” privacy oversight committee, Furthermore, the deal would include appointment a “federally approved privacy official” at Facebook....

Facebook Live Audio Rooms are beginning their rollout today. The ability to create and host rooms is currently limited to public figures, and a handful of high-profile Facebook groups. You can join in with chats using either iOS or Android apps, but you’ll need to be an iPhone user to host rooms, as this requires the main Facebook iOS app … Background Audio chat platform Clubhouse created a storm when high-profile users like Tesla founder Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg generated enough interest to see millions of downloads of the iOS app....

With Marvel regaining the rights to the Fantastic Four characters in the Disney/Fox merger, we should be seeing a more comics-accurate and overall satisfying big-screen incarnation of Marvel’s first family than we’ve seen previously. The Fox movies didn’t just fail the Fantastic Four – they failed their iconic rogues’ gallery, too. Galactus was reduced to an uninteresting cosmic cloud, the Silver Surfer was reduced to dull CGI, and we were subjected to not one, but two bitterly disappointing takes on the team’s greatest foe: Doctor Doom....

While a certain DC character made her iconic, it’s her performance as Gisele in Fast Five that made Gal Gadot a star. The success of The Fast And The Furious franchise is something that could never have been planned, especially when looking back on its journey. The first movie was a modestly budgeted riff on Point Break that provided breakout roles for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, but only the latter returned for 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious....

The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a reimagining by Square Enix of the original Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997, with a full visual overhaul in the Unreal Engine. Fans have been waiting since the initial reveal of a retelling of Final Fantasy VII, the most popular Japanese RPG of all time, back in 2015 to get a taste of what the game would play like in a new generation. The remake takes a much more modern approach to combat, choosing to replace the original turn-based system with one that is more reminiscent of recent Final Fantasy titles....

Add Express to the list of retailers now taking Apple Pay at checkout. Checks with multiple Express stores across the United States and tips from readers indicate that the fashion and clothing retailer starting accepting the iPhone and Apple Watch payment feature this week. Express joins a short list of clothing stores that formally accept Apple Pay, which already includes Bloomingdales and American Eagle. According to Apple’s website, more clothing stores such as Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie will start accepting Apple Pay soon....

Marvel Studios’ Falcon and Winter Soldier show on Disney+ has found its series director, and may bring back Sharon Carter and Helmut Zemo. The studio has experienced great success on the big screen over the last 11 years, but they will soon venture into new territory on the small screen. The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be shaped through new shows exclusively made on Disney’s streaming service that will feature major stars reprising their roles....

The quote, delivered by Dr. Ian Malcolm in Steven Speilberg’s 1993 adaptation of Jurassic Park, is in reference to a lab-grown dinosaur’s will to survive. While the context is incredibly specific, the overall sentiment is not. Despite the hurdles, life—whether that be dinosaurs or people—always finds a way. And what is life if not social? Think about it: Human beings created the typewriter, the telephone, the web and eventually social media to communicate at scale....