Facebook's annual F8 developer conference is finally upon us, bringing plenty of new announcements at a time when Facebook is dealing with multiple privacy scandals.
The keynote address featuring Mark Zuckerberg starts at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) and can be watched on Facebook's dedicated F8 website.
Expect plenty of feature updates for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and more during the keynote. Messenger, in particular, could be a major focus at F8 2019. Rumors earlier this month indicated the standalone app might be reintegrated back into the main Facebook app. Alternatively, Facebook could make some big changes to the app itself.
As one of Facebook's biggest products, Instagram could also get some new improvements. Recent leaks pointed to the possible ability to hide like counts under posts, for example. Facebook was cagey about whether or not it was actually testing the feature, but don't be surprised if something like that shows up today.
Lastly, expect to see some updates from Facebook's growing Oculus VR business. The standalone Oculus Quest headset is supposed to launch this year and could show up at F8. Maybe we'll get an update on those creepy VR avatars from last year, too.
Other than that, Zuckerberg might take some time to reiterate Facebook's commitment to protecting user privacy. In April alone, Facebook was under the spotlight for leaving Instagram user passwords out in a readable format, setting aside billions of dollars to possible FTC fines, and being investigated by New York for privacy violations.
