Category: Internet

In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump try to open a door of the U.S. Capitol as they riot in Washington. New internal documents provided by former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen provide a rare glimpse into how the company, after years under the microscope for the policing of its […]

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Banning right-wing extremists from social media can reduce the spread of anti-social ideas and conspiracy theories, according to Rutgers-led research. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, examined what happens after individual influencers with large followings are banned from social media and no longer have […]

by Kaitlynn Mendes, Jacquelyn Burkell, Jane Bailey, Valerie Steeves, The Conversation Credit: Shutterstock In September, the Wall Street Journal released the Facebook Files. Drawing on thousands of documents leaked by whistle blower and former employee Frances Haugen, the Facebook Files show that the company knows their practices harm young people, but fails to act, choosing […]

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Google is developing a new feature called Big Moments, which will compete with rivals Facebook and Twitter in delivering the latest breaking news updates during major events. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the search engine to react quickly and constantly to its users’ needs for the latest and most authoritative information, according […]

Credit: CC0 Public Domain WhatsApp has become a lifeline for humanitarian aid and preserving ties between families torn asunder—making this month’s hours-long shutdown of the app, alongside other Facebook products, more than a mere inconvenience. Among Lebanon’s Syrian refugee households in 2017, 84% used WhatsApp to relay their needs to international organizations. The United Nations […]

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A Facebook representative provided false testimony in a lawsuit that accuses the social media giant of violating state campaign finance laws, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson alleges in court filings. Both Facebook and Facebook’s attorneys knew the testimony was false, Ferguson says in court filings. He also alleges that Facebook set […]

Credit: Shutterstock More than half of the most popular New Zealand websites may be unfairly manipulating visitors, according to our latest research into the use of “dark patterns” in sites with a “co.nz” domain name. While legal, dark patterns have been described as a type of online design employed to manipulate users into “making decisions […]

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain You may have read recently that TikTok allegedly “serves up” sex and drug videos to minors. Media reports have described the video-sharing platform, which is designed predominantly for young people, as an “addiction machine” that promotes harmful content. In an investigation, reporters at the Wall Street Journal created 31 bot accounts […]

Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Since Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, came forward with troubling information about the far-reaching harms caused by the company’s algorithms, talk of potential regulatory reforms has only intensified. There is now wide agreement among experts and politicians that regulatory changes are needed to protect users, particularly young children and girls, […]

Facebook has released new anti-harassment protections as it battles a crisis over the impact of its products. Facebook unveiled fresh protections Wednesday against online attacks on journalists, activists and celebrities as the social media giant battles a crisis over its platforms’ potential harms. The company has faced a storm of criticism and a a Senate […]