ABU DHABI // Facebook is to remove a feature that allows users to hide themselves from search results.
The social media website, which has almost 1.2 billion users worldwide, said in a blog post that it is removing the feature, sparking worry among users in the UAE.
UAE Twitter user Emma Kirkman said: “Not happy at all. I should be able to control who finds me online.”
Another Dubai Twitter user, named M, said: “Not happy with this change. This should be challenged. Contemplating deactivating my account.”
Another added: “I left Facebook back in 2009 because of privacy concerns before rejoining last year. Contemplating leaving again!”
Alexander McNabb, the director of Spot On PR and a blogger in the UAE, believes the move is all about money making.
He said: “Facebook’s being a bit weaselly here.
“They introduced this change with a blog post slipped under the door titled ‘Reminder: Finishing the Removal of an Old Search Setting’.
“It makes everyone searchable, which isn’t in itself a huge deal.
“But Facebook itself says a number of users have opted to remain unsearchable, apparently in the single digits of per cent, but when you’ve got a billion users, that’s tens of millions of people. It’s another slither in the direction of making us all searchable social assets.
“We’re meat and Facebook’s the grinder. It sells people to people and it’s slowly pressing on people to make more of themselves available to sell.”
The setting was called “Who can look up your Timeline by name?” – and allowed users to restrict who could find them through the site’s search bar.
For users who did not use the feature, it will have simply disappeared. For those who did use the feature, they will receive a message informing them that it is no longer available.
“The setting was created when Facebook was a simple directory of profiles and it was very limited,” said Facebook’s chief privacy officer, Michael Richter.
The setting made the Facebook search “feel broken at times”, Mr Richter added in the company blog on Thursday.
“People told us that they found it confusing when they tried looking for someone who they knew personally and couldn’t find them in search results, or when two people were in a Facebook group and then couldn’t find each other through search.
“It didn’t prevent people from navigating to your Timeline by clicking your name in a story in News Feed, or from a mutual friend’s Timeline.
“Today, people can also search Facebook using Graph Search. For example, ‘People who live in Seattle’, making it even more important to control the privacy of the things you share, rather than how people get to your Timeline.”
Mr Richter said the change should not have an impact on overall privacy.
“Whether you’ve been using the setting or not, the best way to control what people can find about you on Facebook is to choose who can see the individual things you share,” he said.
Tahani Karrar-Lewsley, the chief executive of Dubai-based Menar Media, said: “Users should be more aware of what photos they post on their profile picture and cover photo as these will be readily available to anyone on Facebook.
“This change will allow any user of Facebook that you haven’t specifically blocked the ability to see your name, your profile picture, your gender and your cover photo. It will also allow users to see your networks, although there is still an opt-out option for that.
“Although the headlines of Facebook further eroding privacy can strike fear into any user’s heart, this can be manageable. You can change your profile and cover photos to ones you would be comfortable showing any stranger on the street.
“Ultimately, the reason behind this action is Facebook wants you to be found, it has more than one billion users and is a de facto directory of the world’s internet users.”
To make your posts only visible to chosen friends, users should navigate to the privacy menu of their profiles.
Once there, you must go to the “Who can see my stuff?” menu and there you can chose who can view your future, and past, posts.
ksinclair@thenational.ae
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envi%20Lodges%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Noelle%20Homsy%20and%20Chris%20Nader%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hospitality%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%20to%2015%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%20of%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
