Tech + News Working Group
An Old Conspiracy Theory Known As "Agenda 21" Has Been Rebooted By The Coronavirus Pandemic
People on social media are sharing posts that link the pandemic to claims that a totalitarian world government is seeking to kill most of the planet’s population.
We Can Finally End The Myth Of The Lazy Millennial
All those headlines, all the jokes, all the misrepresentations about America's most deliciously hateable adults — they’re fake, people.
Hundreds Of Propaganda Accounts Targeting Iran And Qatar Have Been Removed From Facebook
Facebook took down over 200 accounts associated with a previous operation using the platform for propaganda.
Private Instagram Posts Aren’t Exactly Private
A shockingly simple work-around allows your followers to share private photos and videos posted to both Facebook and Instagram.
We Found Out What Actually Happens To Your Data When You Upload It To FaceApp
There’s no evidence that the app is uploading your whole camera roll to Russia. We ran the tests.
The Zoom Desktop App Lets Any Website Take Over Your Mac’s Camera. Here’s What To Do About It.
Zoom’s video conferencing service is used by Nasdaq, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the US Department of Energy, among others.
Amazon Filed A Patent To Record You Before You Even Say "Alexa"
Amazon Echo devices could one day capture, process, and record audio spoken before the wake word for commands like “Play some music, Alexa.”
Amazon Now Has A Web Form For People To Report Abuses Of Its Facial Recognition Tech
"This yet again underscores the urgent need for Amazon to get out of the surveillance business. They simply do not know what they are doing," said civil liberties attorney Matt Cagle.
I Love Facebook’s Video Chatting Device Because I’m Drunk On Dumb Bitch Juice
I set up the critically reviled device in the BuzzFeed office and every one was utterly, truly delighted with it.
Being An Instagram Influencer Is Hard Work, So This Guy Made A Bot To Do It For Him
A data engineer who created a 100% automated Instagram account to earn free meals at restaurants looking for promotion is offering his services to clients too.
YouTube Just Demonetized Anti-Vax Channels
After advertisers complained about programmatic ad placements on anti-vax videos, YouTube removed ads on videos that advocate against vaccination.
People Are Worried About Singapore Airlines' Entertainment System Cameras. Turns Out, American Airlines Has Cameras, Too.
American Airlines told BuzzFeed News that the camera hardware “has never been activated.”
YouTube Continues To Promote Anti-Vax Videos As Facebook Prepares To Fight Medical Misinformation
While Facebook vows to stop recommending anti-vaccination content to users, YouTube is still promoting videos like “You’ll Be Glad You Watched This Before Vaccinating Your Child!”
Amazon Filed A Patent Application For Tech That Could Link You To Your Identity And Job
The Rekognition technology could one day scan your face, identify who you are, use visual cues to figure out the kind of work you do, and potentially track you as you move around.
We Followed YouTube’s Recommendation Algorithm Down The Rabbit Hole
Despite year-old promises to fix its “Up Next” content recommendation system, YouTube is still suggesting conspiracy videos, hyperpartisan and misogynist videos, pirated videos, and content from hate groups following common news-related searches.
Amazon Employees Aren’t Happy With How Execs Just Addressed Concerns Over Cops Using Its Facial Recognition Tech
“It’s hard to trust that harm and abuse can be prevented if it is only post-mortem and through the Terms of Service,” an Amazon employee told BuzzFeed News.
Twitter Just Published Millions Of Russia- And Iran-Linked Tweets So Researchers Can Study Election Interference
“It is clear that information operations and coordinated inauthentic behavior will not cease,” Twitter said in a new blog post.
There’s A Simple Fix, But Grindr Is Still Exposing The Location Of Its Users
The “high level of precision” of Grindr’s distance data is revealing the location of millions of its users.
Hackers Could Gain Complete Access To Spectrum Customers’ Accounts Through A Security Flaw
Only a customer’s IP address was required to gain complete access to their account. Spectrum fixed the flaws after a BuzzFeed News inquiry.
Security Flaws On Comcast’s Login Page Exposed Customers’ Personal Information
After a BuzzFeed News inquiry, Comcast patched the vulnerabilities.
We Tested The FBI’s Most Wanted List On Amazon’s Celebrity Recognition Tool. Then Things Got Weird.
Bob Ross is not a criminal, y’all.
