Social networking site Facebook has revealed that its latest mobile app feature will be used for identifying music and TV shows.
To use this facility, users simply click on an animated icon whilst making a status update. By doing so, the app will detect the song or television show and, if it is recognised in the social platform’s database, it will publish the information on the user’s newsfeed.
The company is hoping that the introduction of this function will allow the site to take a giant step towards controlling the ‘second screen’ industry, which is becoming the focus of many digital enterprises. This is where people broadcast their opinions and share their televisual experiences on social media sites.
However, news suppliers have been alerted about privacy concerns relating to this function. It uses smartphones’ built-in microphones to detect audio signals, with some users fearing that the technology could pick up and store background noises and conversations. The social site has dismissed this matter, saying that the feature can be switched off and that it would not be able to identify other sounds, nor will data be stored.
This new service, which is to become available in the coming weeks, is said to be competition for mobile app Shazam. This service has received a recent investment from Sony Music Entertainment and boasts a user base of 450 million. It already allows its users to share listening habits and updates on Facebook, but also gives artist biographies and lyrics. The social network’s larger user base could be its biggest weapon against the smaller company.
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