Facebook Copies Snapchat Again by Rolling out Filters and Stickers

In a clear indication of aiming to take down Snapchat, Facebook has implemented its own filters and stickers in time for the Olympic Games. The social media giant unabashedly released Instagram Stories earlier this week, going head-to-head with the ephemeral app. Now, the test version of Facebook’s app, which is currently only available in Canada and Brazil, opens a Snapchat-like camera with augmented reality technology. The filters are supported by MSQRD, a video effects company that Facebook acquired earlier this year. When opening the app, users are greeted with a news feed as usual, with a field at the top that asks “what’s on your mind?” to which a short video can be recorded with your front-facing camera and posted to your timeline. As the company faces reports of a 21-percent decline in posts, it’s evident that it’s doing all it can to get users to increase sharing — even if it’s at the expense of shamelessly copying Snapchat’s core features.