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Tech NewsNews
Bots Reportedly Helped Fuel GameStonks Hype on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Platforms
The s0-called GameStonks saga had some help from automated bots hyping up “meme” stocks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, according to an analysis by the cybersecurity firm PiiQ Media reviewed by Reuters. Users on the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets teamed up last month to trigger a massive short squeeze of GameStop stock in a coordinated … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebook
‘Hey Facebook,’ How About Not?
Chances are you’re probably familiar with using a command like, “OK Google,” “Hey Siri,” or “Alexa” to summon a voice assistant. But now, the company that brought you pokes and likes—and who could forget fake news?— is trying to add, “Hey Facebook” to your rotation. Facebook’s new vocal command officially rolled out today with the … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Twitter Passes Stimulus Package for the Very Online
Twitter is finally rolling out a way to get paid for tweeting that doesn’t involve putting a Venmo link in your bio, promoting a Patreon, or using the app to hunt for a rich spouse. On Thursday, the company announced a new feature that could change the way the app functions entirely: Super Follows, which … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook’s New Ad Campaign Tries To Remind You That Targeted Ads Are Good, Actually
Just two months after running a full-page ad decrying Apple’s impending updates, Facebook is rolling out another campaign meant to defend the targeted ads that make up about 98% of its multi-billion dollar revenue stream. Per CNBC, the one-minute ad will air across digital platforms, radio, and television starting today. Facebook says the spot is … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Finally Bans Myanmar Military After Feb. 1 Coup
Facebook finally banned the military in Myanmar, known as Tatmadaw, from the social media platform several weeks after the military staged a coup that toppled the democratically elected government. The ban on the country’s military includes Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. “Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Facebook Told Us to Suck It, for a Change
Attention, haters: you have officially been put on notice by Facebook’s VP of Global Affairs Nick Clegg. This morning, Clegg unleashed a very salty, very strongly-worded rebuke to sordid charges propagated by publishers supposedly looking for a cash grab. It’s titled “The Real Story of What Happened With News on Facebook in Australia,” and reads … Continued
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Tech NewsStreaming Services
YouTube Thinks It’s Cracked the Code on Appropriate Content for 9-Year-Olds
YouTube is attempting to bridge the gap between its dedicated Kids app and regular YouTube for parents with tweens and teens. YouTube announced Wednesday that it will launch a new “supervised” experience in beta that will introduce additional features and settings for regulating the types of content that older children can access on the platform. … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Promises to Let Users Share News in Australia Again After Negotiations With Government
Facebook will allow users in Australia to read and share news on the social media platform again following negotiations with the Australian government, according to Australia’s treasurer Josh Frydenberg and representatives from Facebook. Who blinked first? That’s a matter of interpretation, it would seem. Facebook previously blocked all news sharing on the site for the … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest Add Support Features to Help Users Struggling With Eating Disorders
Social media has long been the bane and the muse of anyone suffering from an eating disorder. To exist online with a pulse in the year 2012 was to understand the cesspool of “thinspiration”-style content that proliferated on platforms like Tumblr, Xanga and Pinterest, and more recently, the rise of “influencer” culture has all but … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Clubhouse Promises to Get Its Security Under Control (Again)
Clubhouse—the invitation-only audio app best known for courting everyone from Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg—has promised to implement new safeguards after suffering its second high-profile security snafu this month. On Sunday, a Clubhouse spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that an unnamed user on the app had successfully managed to siphon audio streams from “multiple rooms” and … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
WhatsApp: Users Who Don’t Accept Our New Privacy Policy Won’t Be Able to Read or Send Messages
After causing a huge virtual meltdown with the announcement of its new privacy policy, and then postponing the implementation of said policy due to online fury, WhatsApp has spent the last few weeks trying not to stir up trouble. However, it has just revealed what will happen to users who do not accept its new … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Knowingly Profited Off Junk Ad Efficacy Estimates, Lawsuit Claims
Facebook, which along with Google accounts for around 60% of advertiser spending online, has knowingly built some of its astonishing success on incorrect data, newly unsealed court documents allege. Incidentally, this may pose a problem for a business which generates over 90% of its revenue from selling ads. In a nutshell, this class action suit, … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Facebook Accidentally Blocks Its Own Page in Australia Following News Ban
Facebook blocked dozens of charity groups, nonprofit organizations, and even random big box retailers in Australia late Wednesday (early Thursday, local time), a move that appears to be collateral damage from Facebook’s ban on news in the country. Facebook even briefly blocked its own page in Australia, according to multiple reports and confirmation from a … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Bans News in Australia and I Feel Fine
As lawmakers in Australia continue to insist on moving forward with legislation to force Facebook to pay publishers for the right to link to their stories, the social network has decided to block users in the country from sharing or viewing news articles on its platform. On Wednesday, Facebook explained in a blog post that, … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
EartherExtreme Weather
Texas Mayor Announces Resignation After Unhinged Facebook Rant About Power Outages Goes Viral
Tim Boyd, the mayor of Colorado City, Texas, announced his resignation on Tuesday following a viral Facebook post where he whined about residents who wanted help during the extreme weather that has caused widespread power outages and dangerously cold conditions for millions of people throughout the state. Boyd accused some Texans who didn’t have power … Continued
By Matt Novak -
How To
These YouTube Settings Will Help You Find What You Actually Want to Watch
More than 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so you’d be forgiven for being unable to keep up with everything happening on the world’s largest video-streaming platform. But there are a few tricks to streamline your YouTube experience so you can get in, find the clips you want, and get out. … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsNews
TikTok Slammed in Europe Over ‘Hidden Advertising’ to Kids
The European consumer advocacy group BEUC filed a complaint against TikTok on Tuesday, including allegations the Chinese-based social media platform isn’t been transparent about why it needs to collect some data on users. The complaint also claims TikTok is deploying “hidden advertising” aimed at children, according to the group’s press release. While most of the … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Parler’s Back With a New Interim CEO
Parler executives have been insisting that the social network would be up any day now. Well, today is apparently the day. After more than a month offline, Parler has risen from the dead, reappearing with a new interim CEO. In a press release, the company announced that its new leader is Mark Meckler, co-founder of … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsNews
Clubhouse Will Strengthen Security After Researchers Find That Data Could Be Accessed by the Chinese Government
A group of researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory has determined that Clubhouse’s data protection practices allowed its users’ data, possibly including their raw audio, to potentially be accessed by the Chinese government. In a new report, SIO researchers reveal that Clubhouse uses Chinese company Agora, which provides a real-time voice and video engagement platform, … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook to Restrict Content From Myanmar’s Military Government Following Coup
Facebook has pledged to restrict the widespread distribution of content from Myanmar’s military regime following a successful coup that toppled the democratically elected government on Feb. 1. The pledge comes from a new blog post at Facebook’s website that seems to implicitly acknowledge the potential for authoritarians to use the social media platform in horrendous … Continued
By Matt Novak