Mastering the art of data: the skills that will get you noticed

It’s almost a decade since a much-shared Harvard Business Review article declared data scientist the sexiest job of the 21st century. But is working with data still as novel or as exciting as it was then?

The rise of digital currencies in the emerging world

As of September 7, 2021, El Salvador will officially recognise Bitcoin as legal currency. This is a remarkable move, and one that will likely stimulate a huge amount of economic growth as Salvadoreans leapfrog from a largely cash-based society straight to a system characterised by the frictionless, finger-snap efficiency of digital currency.

Trump’s plans to ban Chinese app WeChat blocked

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban WeChat over concerns the ban would threaten users’ first amendment rights

Oracle returns to growth

The software maker’s quarterly revenue exceeded analysts’ expectations, as remote working drove greater demand for its cloud-computing services

Facebook unveils new in-app dating service

Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s matchmaking ambitions at the company’s annual developer conference in California, prompting shares in Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, to fall by more than 20 percent

Facebook's new in-app dating service hopes to help the 200 million active users currently listed as ‘single’ on its network forge long-term relationships, not just hookups

On May 1, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company’s new dating service at its annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, California. The move challenges existing dating services like Tinder and eHarmony.

Facebook comes into the matchmaking field with the distinct advantage of already having extensive data on its existing users – much of which dates back years. Facebook hopes this knowledge of preferences can help the 200 million active users currently listed as ‘single’ on its network forge long-term relationships.

The dating service, which Zuckerberg says will be rolled out soon, will allow users to set up a dating profile and find people who are attending the same events. This is meant to replicate the way people meet in real life.

For the dating service to be successful, it will be important for Facebook to ease the public’s privacy concerns following the Cambridge Analytica scandal

“This is going to be for building real long-term relationships, not just hookups,” Zuckerberg said in his keynote address at the conference. “It’s going to be in the Facebook app but it’s totally optional – it’s opt-in.

“I know a lot of you are going to have questions about this, so I want to be clear that we have designed this with privacy and safety in mind from the beginning. Your friends aren’t going to see your profile, and you’re only going to be suggested to people who are not your friends.”

For the service to be successful, it will be important for Facebook to ease the public’s privacy concerns following the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, for which Zuckerberg was required to testify in front of both houses of the US Congress.

The announcement seems to have already had an impact on investors, however, with shares in Match Group – Tinder’s parent company – plummeting more than 20 percent in the wake of Zuckerberg’s remarks.

The conference also comes at a good time for Facebook, as it distracts attention from the departure of WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, who left the Facebook-owned company one day prior to the conference over privacy disagreements.