Facebook to delay smart speaker launch as the data scandal swirls

Facebook has been facing a lot of heat as public outrage over companies data collection policies continues to rise. Now a new report from Bloomberg claims that the social media giant will delay the launch of its smart speakers which were slated for a launch at Facebook's F8 developer conference in May.

As the report states, "now may be the wrong time" to expect users to trust the company by placing an always-listening device in their homes, considering the ongoing data scandal.

In August, Bloomberg reported few details of the smart speakers. They are said to feature a video-focused device codenamed Aloha which will possibly be called Portal. The device is expected to come with 15-inch touchscreens manufactured by LG. It will also have a standalone speaker that would be priced lower than the former.

Both devices will reportedly use a voice assistant developed by Facebook, just like Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri. These smart speakers were planned to see the light of day in May, according to the report, but Facebook now wants have a 'deeper review' of how it is going to collect user data before unveiling the devices to the public.

Few other reports say Aloha or Portal will offer more social networking functions. The company seems to have signed deals with Sony and Universal Music, which may add more features to the smart speakers.

The social media giant was also hit with a fresh controversy following the Cambridge Analytica revelations. Users have found out that the social media giant collected their personal data such as contact numbers and text messages from Android phones.

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The company in response to the reports said that the call and SMS data was uploaded to secure servers and come only from Android users who opt to allow the sync of data. The company also emphasized that the data is collected in order "to improve people's experience across Facebook," and is not shared or sold with other third-party apps. The company claims that it doesn't collect the content of the text messages or calls.