Technologies

Facebook resisted changes to dial back viral content, report says

Leaked company documents are providing more insight into how Facebook moderates political content.

Facebook’s executives reportedly resisted efforts to dial back features that help amplify false and inflammatory content ahead of the 2020 US election because they feared doing so could harm the platform’s usage and growth.

The Wall Street Journal, citing leaked internal documents, said Facebook’s employees suggested changes such as killing the reshare button or stop promoting reshared content unless it was from a user’s friend that could slow the spread of viral content for everyone. A proponent of making these types of changes has been Kang-Xing Jin, who heads Facebook’s health initiatives, according to the report. But executives such as John Hegeman, Facebook’s head of ads, raised concerns about stifling viral content.

«If we remove a small percentage of reshares from people’s inventory,» Hegeman wrote in internal communications cited by The Journal. «they decide to come back to Facebook less.»

The report is the latest in a series of leaked internal documents and communications that The Journal says shows Facebook has put its profits over the safety of its users. Frances Haugen, who used to work as a Facebook product manager, publicly identified herself as the whistleblower who gathered leaked documents used by The Journal. The findings from these internal documents has reignited scrutiny from US and UK lawmakers. Haugen, who already appeared before Congress, is scheduled to testify before the UK Parliament on Monday.

Facebook has repeatedly said its internal research and correspondence is being mischaracterized. «Provocative content has always spread easily among people. It’s an issue that cuts across technology, media, politics and all aspects of society, and when it harms people, we strive to take steps to address it on our platform through our products and policies,» a Facebook spokesman said in a statement.

The moderation of political content, though, has been a hot-button issue for the company as it tries to balance safety with concerns about hindering free speech. Conservatives have also accused Facebook of intentionally censoring their content, allegations the company denies.

Instead of making changes that would be less likely to raise alarms about free speech, Facebook’s approach to moderating content from groups that it considers dangerous has been described as a game of whack-a-mole by The Journal.

The New York Times, also citing internal documents, reported Friday that Facebook failed to address misinformation and inflammatory content before and after the 2020 US presidential election even though employees had raised red flags about the issue.

Supporters of Donald Trump, who lost the presidential election to Joe Biden, were posting false claims that the election had been stolen. Facebook has suspended Trump from its platform until at least 2023 because of concerns his comments could incite violence following the deadly US Capitol Hill riot in January.

One Facebook data scientist found that 10 percent of all US views of political content were of posts that alleged the vote was fraudulent, according to The Times. Facebook employees also felt like the company could have done more to crack down on misinformation and conspiracy theories.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company spent more than two years preparing for the 2020 election and more than 40,000 people now work on safety and security. The company adjusted some of its measures before, during and after the election following more information from law enforcement. «It is wrong to claim that these steps were the reason for January 6th — the measures we did need remained in place well into February, and some like not recommending new, civic, or political groups remain in place to this day,» Facebook said.

The Times story is part of a series expected from an international group of news organizations that also received documents Haugen, according to The Information. More stories are expected next week, when Facebook reports earnings and holds its Connect conference on artificial and virtual reality.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 9, #882

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 9, #882

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a goofy purple category once again. When I saw «Pufnstuf» in the puzzle, you bet my 1970s heart leapt, but sadly, there was no category of just Gen X kids’ show characters. Think on that one for the future, New York Times. Anyway, if you need help with today’s Connections, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Neat and clean.

Green group hint: Green Bay.

Blue group hint: Think on it.

Purple group hint: Tweet, chirp, caw.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Personal grooming items.

Green group: Packed.

Blue group: Ponder.

Purple group: Starting with bird homophones.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is personal grooming items. The four answers are brush, mirror, nail file and tweezers.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is packed. The four answers are compact, dense, thick and tight.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ponder. The four answers are deliberate, muse, noodle and reflect.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with bird homophones. The four answers are cranium (crane), cronut (crow), lunar (loon) and Pufnstuf (puffin).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 9 #616

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is fun one, although some of the answers are long and might be a bit tough to unscramble.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one. Some of the answers are long and might be a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: How enchanting!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Dazzling personality.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

TEEN, SURE, ENSURE, CRIT, PONE, PACE, PACES, TEAR, CHAT, CHAR, TRANCE, RAID

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

ENTRANCE, CAPTIVATE, HYPNOTIZE, SPELLBIND

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is CHARMEDIMSURE. To find it, look for the C that’s the last letter on the bottom row, and wind up and over.

Technologies

The Truth Behind Always Charging Your Phone and Battery Life Explained

Here’s the science behind your phone’s battery life. Apple, Google and Samsung weigh in on best practices.

In the not-so-distant past smartphone users were told not to leave their phones plugged in overnight or it could do serious damage to the battery. While current smartphone models now have protection from accidentally overcharging, plenty of folks still have questions about whether charging their devices for extended periods of time will damage the battery.

The short answer is no. Keeping your phone plugged in all the time won’t ruin your battery. Modern smartphones are built with smart charging systems that cut off or taper power once they’re full, preventing the kind of «overcharging damage» that was common in older devices. So if you’re leaving your iPhone or Android on the charger overnight, you can relax.

That said, «won’t ruin your battery» doesn’t mean it has no effect. Batteries naturally degrade with age and use, and how you charge plays a role in how fast that happens. Keeping a phone perpetually at 100% can add extra stress on the battery, especially when paired with heat, which is the real enemy of longevity.

Understanding when this matters (and when it doesn’t) can help you make small changes to extend your phone’s lifespan.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The science behind battery wear

Battery health isn’t just about how many times you charge your phone. It’s about how it manages voltage, temperature and maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when they’re exposed to extreme levels: 0% and 100%.

Keeping them near full charge for long stretches puts additional voltage stress on the cathode and electrolyte. That’s why many devices use «trickle charging» or temporarily pause at 100%, topping up only when needed.

Still, the biggest threat isn’t overcharging — it’s heat. When your phone is plugged in and running demanding apps, it produces heat that accelerates chemical wear inside the battery. If you’re gaming, streaming or charging on a hot day, that extra warmth does far more harm than leaving the cable plugged in overnight.

Apple’s take

Apple’s battery guide describes lithium-ion batteries as «consumable components» that naturally lose capacity over time. To slow that decline, iPhones use Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and pauses charging at about 80% until just before you typically unplug, reducing time spent at high voltage.

Apple also advises keeping devices between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and removing certain cases while charging to improve heat dissipation. You can read more on Apple’s official battery support page.

What Samsung (and other Android makers) do

Samsung offers a similar feature called Battery Protect, found in One UI’s battery and device care settings. When enabled, it caps charging at 85%, which helps reduce stress during long charging sessions.

Other Android makers like Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi include comparable options — often called Adaptive Charging, Optimized Charging or Battery Care — that dynamically slow power delivery or limit charge based on your habits. These systems make it safe to leave your phone plugged in for extended periods without fear of overcharging.

When constant charging can hurt

Even with these safeguards, some conditions can accelerate battery wear. As mentioned before, the most common culprit is high temperature. Even for a short period of time, leaving your phone charging in direct sunlight, in a car or under a pillow can push temperatures into unsafe zones.

Heavy use while charging, like gaming or 4K video editing, can also cause temperature spikes that degrade the battery faster. And cheap, uncertified cables or adapters may deliver unstable current that stresses cells. If your battery is already several years old, it’s naturally more sensitive to this kind of strain.

How to charge smarter

You don’t need to overhaul your habits but a few tweaks can help your battery age gracefully.

Start by turning on your phone’s built-in optimization tools: Optimized Battery Charging on iPhones, Battery Protect on Samsung devices and Adaptive Charging on Google Pixels. These systems learn your routine and adjust charging speed so your phone isn’t sitting at 100% all night.

Keep your phone cool while charging. According to Apple, phone batteries perform best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius). If your phone feels hot, remove its case or move it to a better-ventilated or shaded spot. Avoid tossing it under a pillow or too close to other electronics, like your laptop, and skip wireless chargers that trap heat overnight.

Use quality chargers and cables from your phone’s manufacturer or trusted brands. Those cheap «fast-charge» kits you find online often deliver inconsistent current, which can cause long-term issues.

Finally, don’t obsess over topping off. It’s perfectly fine to plug in your phone during the day for short bursts. Lithium-ion batteries actually prefer frequent, shallow charges rather than deep, full cycles. You don’t need to keep it between 20% and 80% all the time, but just avoid extremes when possible.

The bottom line

Keeping your phone plugged in overnight or on your desk all day won’t destroy its battery. That’s a leftover myth from a different era of tech. Modern phones are smart enough to protect themselves, and features like Optimized Battery Charging or Battery Protect do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Still, no battery lasts forever. The best way to slow the inevitable is to manage heat, use quality chargers and let your phone’s software do its job. Think of it less as «babying» your battery and more as charging with intention. A few mindful habits today can keep your phone running strong for years.