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Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, users have flocked to their Facebook  privacy settings to sever their connection to third-party apps that they no longer wanted to have access to their data. But deleting them all took forever because you had to remove them one by one. Now Facebook has released a new way to select as many apps as you want, then remove them in bulk. The feature has rolled out on mobile and desktop, and Facebook also offers the option to delete any posts those apps have made to your profile.

Facebook confirmed the launch to TechCrunch, pointing to its Newsroom andDeveloper News blog posts from the last few weeks that explained that “We already show people what apps their accounts are connected to and control what data they’ve permitted those apps to use. In the coming month, we’re going to make these choices more prominent and easier to manage.” Now we know what “easier” looks like. A Facebook spokesperson told us “we have more to do and will be sharing more when we can.” The updated interface was first spotted by Matt Navarra, who had previously called on Facebook to build a bulk removal option.

Facebook stopped short of offering a “select all” button so you have to tap each individually. That could prevent more innocent, respectful developers from getting caught up in the dragnet as users panic to prune their app connections. One developer told me they’d been inundated with requests from users to delete their data acquired through Facebook and add other login options, saying that the Cambridge Analytica scandal “really hurt consumer trust for all apps…even the good guys.” The developer chose to change its Terms of Service to make users more comfortable.

The bulk removal tool could make it much easier for users to take control of their data and protect their identity, though the damage to Facebook’s reputation is largely done. It’s staggering how many apps piggyback off of Facebook, and that we gave our data without much thought. But at least now it won’t take an hour to remove them all.

Some of the biggest names in technology have been lavishing millions on Congress during the third quarter, according to government documents — at a time when they're under increasing regulatory scrutiny from Washington.

The disclosures, required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, revealed Google spent $4.17 million lobbying Congress this most recent quarter. Facebook spent $2.85 million, while Twitter spent $120,000. The figures were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Last quarter Google spent $5.93 million lobbying lawmakers, while Facebook and Twitter spent $2.38 million and $120,000 respectively.

The three tech titans are sending lawyers to U.S. congressional committees on Nov. 1 to testify on their behalf in response to Russian political ad buying on their platforms during the 2016 election.

The controversy has led to lawmakers calling for more regulation for online ads. On October 19, three senators — Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., and John McCain, R-Ariz. — co-sponsored the bi-partisan "Honest Ads Act."

The legislation require disclaimers and disclosures to the Federal Election Commission for online political ads. Platforms with 50 million or more unique monthly users would have to keep a public database of political ads, and the companies would have to make "reasonable" efforts to prevent foreign nations from interfering with U.S. elections through ads.

Other tech companies that disclosed large lobbying amounts this past quarter include Microsoft ($1.95 million), Amazon ($3.41 million), Oracle ($3.82 million) and Apple ($1.86 million), among others.

In a letter sent to 32 top companies, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), first vice chair, asked for detailed diversity statistics and an accounting of how much partnership and philanthropic spending is allocated to Hispanic-serving and Hispanic-led institutions. 

"The tech sector employs 7 million people in the U.S. and accounts for more than $1.3 trillion in economic activity in the nation’s economy. Unfortunately, in tech and 'gig economy' companies, Hispanics are routinely underrepresented and underfunded," they wrote. 

Apple, Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Uber were among the companies to receive a letter from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The inquiry comes at a critical moment for the tech industry, which is grappling with its lack of racial and ethnic diversity, especially Latinos. 

By 2060, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will be Latino, representing more than $1 trillion in economic power and a major opportunity for the tech industry to appeal to a tech-savvy group with its products and services.

Yet in Silicon Valley tech companies, Latinos comprise a distinct minority, making up 6% of employees, versus the 22% of employees in non-tech firms in the area, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hispanics are also underrepresented nationwide in the tech sector at 8% of employees and 3% of executives. At major Silicon Valley tech companies such as Google and Facebook, that percentage is far smaller.

Top universities turn out black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them, a USA TODAY analysis showed.

And it's not just computer science: Minorities are also sharply underrepresented in non-technical jobs such as sales and administration, with African Americans faring noticeably worse than Hispanics, according to USA TODAY research.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is following the example of the Congressional Black Caucus, which has been pressing Silicon Valley on diversity. It launched the Tech 2020 initiative, a campaign to boost recruitment of African Americans in the tech industry over the next five years. Next week the Congressional Black Caucus is sending its second delegation to Silicon Valley for meetings with top tech companies.

Some of the pointed questions Hispanic lawmakers asked tech companies: How many Hispanics are senior executives or on the board of directors? Who are the three most senior Hispanics? How many Hispanic full-time employees are employed in public policy, federal government relations, state and local government relations, public relations/communications, marketing and legal?  How many Hispanics lead those departments? How many Hispanic-owned firms do companies contract with?

Lawmakers say the information will provide a baseline on staffing and corporate social responsibility priorities for the companies.

"The Hispanic community in the United States has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in the social, economic and political development of our country. As we look to the future, the Hispanic community, as the nation’s largest minority group, is well-positioned to help lead the way as our economy undergoes its most recent transformation," the letter reads. "But we cannot do so if we are not given a seat at the table."

source: USATODAY