Facebook F8 2018: what to expect at this year’s tech conference

Virtual reality headsets and upgraded
features, such as greater user privacy, will take centre stage at
tonight’s event in California

Preview

Company founder Mark Zuckerberg will head up the event, which
kicks off at 6pm BST at the San Jose McEnery Convention Centre in
California. Commentators are predicting that the tech tycoon will
announce a host of new privacy and security-related features for
the social media service. 

In previous years, Zuckerberg has used the conference to
publicise new products and ambitious research projects, says
Wired. 

But at this year’s event the tech entrepreneur looks set to move
away from product reveals and instead focus on user privacy
settings, the tech site says. This would be a response to the
fallout caused by the sale of private Facebook user
data to Cambridge Analytica.

But the company is still expected to announce news
concerning its virtual reality (VR) products as well as significant
upgrades to the social media site’s existing
features.

Here’s what to expect from tonight’s event:

Damage limitation

In response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal – in which
private user data was acquired using a quiz app
hosted on Facebook – the social
media giant is likely to announce updates to the service’s “privacy
measures”, says Engadget. These could include additional
privacy settings designed to give users a choice regarding the
personal information the service can access. 

Upping data security for its users would put Facebook in a
better position for the EU’s forthcoming General Data Protection
Rules (GDPR), the website says. The rules, which are set to be
introduced on 25 May, will give people more control over their
personal data. 

In addition to increasing its data security, The Verge says that Facebook may also crack
down on how third parties integrate the social network into their
products. 

Evidence of the tougher measures appears to have already
affected third parties. Justin Krause, the founder of the tech
start-up Pod, told the tech news site that Facebook cancelled Pod’s
access to the social media service’s calendar feature without
warning. 

“They didn’t announce that they were revoking this data or
send errors, they just started sending empty lists, silently”, he
said.

Nobody knows why Facebook reportedly prevented Pod from
accessing the calendar feature, but it might be linked to its
forthcoming policy of limiting third party access to the
private information of the social media site’s users.  

Virtual and augmented reality projects

Aside from its focus on the security of user data, Facebook is
expected to provide more details of its virtual reality (VR) products. 

According to Digital Trends, Oculus, a VR firm owned by
the social media site, is on course to appear at the event with a
new budget headset called the Oculus Go.

Although Oculus announced an entry-level headset last
October, the VR firm has yet to reveal the device’s release date.
But Digital Trends says it’s likely to be disclosed at tonight’s
conference. 

Meanwhile, Mashable suggests that Facebook might increase
its investment in augmented reality (AR), a piece of
technology that layers computer graphics over real-world
images.

Last year the social media site announced it was developing
its Spaces AR social platform, says Mashable. The platform is
designed to allow Facebook users worldwide to meet and talk in the
virtual world. Facebook hasn’t spoken about the technology
since then but more details are expected later today. 

The future of video

Finally, Facebook could round off the event with a
discussion of its growing investment in its video platform
Watch. 

The service allows users to stream video content, including original TV series and
live events, through their Facebook profile for free, says
Engadget. 

Given that the social media site is “pouring money” into
the streaming service, Engadget suggests that Facebook could
reveal some significant changes to Watch this evening.