“I’m back”: Trump returns to YouTube, Facebook after two-year ban
Reuters Former US President Donald Trump posted to YouTube and Facebook on Friday, in a return to social media platforms that he used to power his political rise until he was cut off following the 6th January, 2021, attack on Congress by his followers. Trump shared a video that appeared to be from one of […]
YouVersion Bible app hires former Facebook exec to fuel growth
United StatesRNS This past Sunday (15th January), more than 12 million people turned on their smartphones to open up the Good Book. It was the highest ever daily engagement in the nearly 15-year history of the YouVersion Bible app. If Bobby Gruenewald, the Oklahoma-based pastor who has overseen the free Bible app since the beginning, […]
A tightening grip: Rising online crackdowns across Asia target citizens, Big Tech
SEN NGUYEN and RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on how new laws on content are restrict users’ freedom on social media in Asian nations…
UN investigator says Facebook provided vast amount of Myanmar war crimes information
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The head of a UN team of investigators on Myanmar said on Monday that Facebook has handed over millions of items that could support allegations of war crimes and genocide. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar aims to build case files for proceedings in national, regional or international courts. It was established […]
Postcards: India Partition – after 75 years, tech opens a window into the past
RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how Facebook, YouTube and VR are helping people in India and Pakistan connect, despite the bloodshed of independence in 1947…
India nixes privacy bill that alarmed big tech companies, works on new law
New Delhi, IndiaReuters India’s government on Wednesday withdrew a data protection and privacy bill which was first proposed in 2019 and had alarmed big technology companies such as Facebook and Google, announcing it was working on a new comprehensive law. The 2019 law had proposed stringent regulations on cross-border data flows and proposed giving the […]
Facebook-owner Meta releases first human rights report
Reuters Facebook owner Meta released its first annual human rights report on Thursday, following years of accusations that it turned a blind eye to online abuses that fueled real-world violence in places like India and Myanmar. The report, which covers due diligence performed in 2020 and 2021, includes a summary of a controversial human rights […]
Essay: The Metaverse – a danger to children and probably you too
MAL FLETCHER argues that, for young people, the metaverse will create real dangers – in the form of sexual abuse, financial scams and harmful social interactions…
Online content moderation: Can AI help clean up social media?
Thomson Reuters Foundation Two days after it was sued by Rohingya refugees from Myanmar over allegations that it did not take action against hate speech, social media company Meta, formerly known as Facebook, announced a new artificial intelligence system to tackle harmful content. Machine learning tools have increasingly become the go-to solution for tech firms […]
Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $US150 billion over Myanmar violence
New York City, USReuters Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, for $US150 billion over allegations that the social media company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence. A US class-action complaint, filed in California on Monday by law firms Edelson PC and Fields […]