This curated list includes important updates and insights from the month of April. To stay updated on the latest updates from the digital landscape, read our Digital Marketing Apple Page.

Social Media 

• Facebook for the very first time publishes its community standards playbook. It is a part of the company's renewed effort to be more transparent with its users. Read the full announcement here
• Facebook makes it easy for users to check whether their data was shared with Cambridge Analytica. Read this information here
• Facebook launches the Data Abuse Bounty to reward people who report any misuse of data by app developers. The announcement read

This program will reward people with first-hand knowledge and proof of cases where a Facebook platform app collects and transfers people’s data to another party to be sold, stolen or used for scams or political influence. Just like the bug bounty program, we will reward based on the impact of each report. While there is no maximum, high impact bug reports have garnered as much as $40,000 for people who bring them to our attention.

 

• Instagram rolls out Focus portrait mode for photos and videos. It's also testing a Snapchat QR code-style feature called Instagram Nametags. Read more here
• LinkedIn introduces GIFs to messaging platform.
• Facebook posts best practices to create content that encourages meaningful interactions between people and videos that people seek out and return to regularly. It also announced new video monetization opportunities. Read more here
• Snapchat introduces new features for Lens Studio, including seven brand new templates for the creation of face lenses. Read more here
• Pinterest introduces updates for Pinners with disabilities. Now, all new UI components of Pinterest are more inclusive for Pinners who are blind and visually impaired. Read more here
• Instagram enables multiple uploads of photos and videos to story all at once. Read more here

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• Ahead of GDPR, Google’s AMP team announces a component to enable publishers to implement more easily the notice, choice and consent flows that they deem necessary for their websites. The announcement says 

 The features to be launched include the ability to show choices in user interface notices via “accept” and “reject” semantics, and configuration of AMP element behaviors in response to users’ choices.

• Bing Ads launches price extensions. Bing Ads price extensions are available on mobile and desktop. Read the full announcement here
• Google expands the Menu editor to include Service Menus. This Menu editor was earlier availble for the food service industry only. Now businesses in health & beauty, and service businesses, such as plumbers and florists, have the ability to add their menu of services directly to their listing through their Google My Business account. Read more here
• Snapchat now lets advertisers sell products directly through Lenses. 
• Unskippable six-second video ads are coming to Snapchat. Read more here
• Facebook tweaks ad targeting policies. From the announcement 

We're introducing new prompts that remind advertisers about our anti-discrimination policies before they create a campaign and when using our exclusion tools. This serves as a reminder for advertisers of their obligation to follow our policies and the law.

• Facebook introduces new terms for Facebook Business Tools, in reference to  APIs and SDKs, the Facebook Pixel, social plugins such as the Like and Share buttons, Facebook Login and Account Kit, as well as other products that website owners and publishers, developers, advertisers, business partners (and their customers) and others integrate, use and exchange information with Facebook. Read the new terms here
• Facebook updates Custom Audiences Terms. Read the new terms here
• Google launches Outstream Ads to boost video reach beyond YouTube. Read the full announcement here
• Google introduces Reach Planner, a new tool in AdWords. Now, for the first time, advertisers can forecast the reach and frequency achievable on YouTube and across Google’s video partners, in over 50 countries. Read the announcement here
• Facebook announces changes to the way ads and Pages on Facebook as well as Instagram are managed. These are designed to increase transparency and accountability, as well as prevent election interference. The announcement read

Today, we’re also announcing that people who manage Pages with large numbers of followers will need to be verified. Those who manage large Pages that do not clear the process will no longer be able to post. This will make it much harder for people to administer a Page using a fake account, which is strictly against our policies. We will also show you additional context about Pages to effectively assess their content. For example, you can see whether a Page has changed its name.

Search 

• Google tests a “more results” button in the mobile search results interface. Danny Sullivan confirmed this on Twitter.
• First batch of Google mobile-first indexing notifications goes out. Read more here
• Google updates job posting guidelines. Read the full guidelines here

• Google released a “broad core algorithm update”. Here's the information on previous core update