Science

Twitter CEO on Banning Trump: Online Speech Can Cause Harm Offline

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey finally gave this thoughts on Wednesday about the decision to ban President Donald Trump from the platform, explaining that the move wasn’t easy and that he takes no pride in banning anyone. But Dorsey acknowledged there can be real harm from speech that happens online and he believes…Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Social Media, Jack Dorsey, Donald Trump, Dorsey, President Trump, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Yearly Report on 'Industrialized Disinformation' Finds It's Getting Way Worse, In Case You Haven't Noticed

Professional disinformation campaigns are a boom market, according to a new report from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII); researchers found “evidence of 81 countries using social media to spread computational propaganda and disinformation about politics,” up from 70 in 2019. Among them: Both sides of the civil war…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Technology, Media, Social Media, Cybersecurity, Hoaxes, Misinformation, Fake News, Oxford Internet Institute OII, Disinformation

Amazon Court Filing Includes Chilling Death Threats Published On Parler

Amazon submitted a new filing in federal court on Tuesday in response to an emergency motion by Parler to restore its hosting services through Amazon’s AWS. Parler was kicked offline early Monday after Amazon said the social media company had violated its terms of service and Parler couldn’t find another company…Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Facebook, Science, Instagram, Republicans, Censorship, Social Media, Joe Biden, Coups, Violence, Jack Dorsey, Donald Trump, Militias, Aoc, Paul Gosar, Mo Brooks

YouTube Deletes Latest Trump Video, Suspends Account Through Inauguration Day

YouTube has deleted President Donald Trump’s latest video over concerns that it could inspire violence, the video sharing site announced late Tuesday. Comments are being blocked on all of the president’s remaining videos and his account has been suspended for at least the next seven days. Notably, the inauguration of…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Youtube, Social Media, Coups, Donald Trump, Paul Gosar, Mo Brooks, Rep Mo Brooks, Insurrection, President Trump, Andy Biggs, Rep Andrew Biggs, Rep Paul Gosar

Here Are All the Trump Sycophants Who Got Banned From Social Media After the Capitol Riot

Last week, Donald Trump riled up a mob of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol while members of Congress were voting to certify the results of the 2020 elections—a de facto act of sedition that failed to bring about his fantasized coup and resulted in five deaths.Read more...
Tags: Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Politics, Science, Technology, Pinterest, Congress, Youtube, Social Media, Snapchat, Airbnb, Cameo, Donald Trump, Gofundme

Facebook Warns Employees Not to Wear Company Gear In Public After Banning Trump

Facebook’s internal security team has warned employees not to wear or carry any Facebook-branded gear in public, according to a new report from tech news site the Information. The warning comes after the social media giant banned President Donald Trump from the platform following a violent coup attempt by his…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Social Media, Extremism, Donald Trump, Trump, Fascism, President Trump, Sheryl Sandburg, Neo Fascism, Facebook Warns Employees Not

Twitter Probably Won’t Implode Because It Banned Our Awful President

Twitter finally banned its worst user last Friday, Donald Trump, after he directly incited a ragtag mob of his most rage-addled supporters into an ill-fated Pickett’s Charge on the Capitol last week.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Apps, Twitter, Politics, Science, Technology, Finance, Social Media, Donald Trump, Free Speech, Capitol, Pickett, Stonks

The Instagram Insurrection

The first inkling I had that something was very wrong on Wednesday was when my wife said, “Oh shit, is this real?” as we were en route to Trader Joe’s after spending a few hours on the cold, sun-drenched beaches of Long Island for a winter walk on our last day of a vacation. A friend had texted about the Capitol.Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Long Island, Joe, Capitol, Insurrection, Very Online, Instagram Insurrection

YouTube Kicks Steve Bannon’s War Room Podcast Off the Platform

Banning, it seems, is in this week. Google and Apple have kicked out social media app Parler from their app stores; Reddit has banned r/donaldtrump, the unofficial subreddit dedicated to President Donald Trump; and Twitter has banned the president himself, as well as other high-profile supporters of the QAnon…Read more...
Tags: Apple, Google, Twitter, Science, Podcasts, Youtube, Social Media, Reddit, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Content Moderation

Jack Offs Trump

Rest in piss, @realDonaldTrump: Twitter has permanently suspended the president after he incited a riot at the Capitol this week.Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Politics, Science, Technology, Social Media, Donald Trump, Bans, Capitol, Bye, realDonaldTrump, Jack Offs Trump

Twitter Cracks Down on Qanon Accounts for Role in Capitol Riot

Twitter removed the accounts of a number of high-profile supporters of the Qanon conspiracy theory this Friday after their alleged role in spurring on the violent, pro-Trump insurgency at the U.S. Capitol building Thursday. Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Social Media, Trump, U S Capitol, QAnon, Capitol Riot, Twitter Purge

Far-Right Reddit Clone Voat Has Shut Down, for Real This Time

Voat, the abhorrent Reddit clone that became a home for toxic communities and conspiracy theories like QAnon, has shut down. Although the site has claimed to be closing before, this time it appears to be legit. When you type in its address in your browser, you are not able to access the site, and instead see this…Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Reddit, Hate, Voat, QAnon

Charlie Sheen, Dolph Lundgren, and Danny Trejo All Spread Russian Propaganda on Cameo: Report

The Libyan government released a suspected Russian intelligence agent, Maxim Shugaley from prison, in part because someone paid actors Dolph Lundgren, Charlie Sheen, and Danny Trejo to endorse his release on video app Cameo. Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Technology, Instagram, Social Media, War, Cybersecurity, Libya, Propaganda, Cameo, Misinformation, Muammar Qaddafi, Danny Trejo, Maxim Shugaley, Libyan Civil War

Data scientists are teaming up with influencers to fight dangerous conspiracy theories about COVID-19 as people shun experts' warnings

Shauna Harrison Courtesy of Shauna Harrison Data scientists at Public Good Projects are partnering with a "network of micro-influencers" to spread facts on COVID-19 and vaccines on social media.  Public health officials worry misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media could prevent Americans from getting the shots. Just 129 accounts are predominantly responsible for misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter, according to peer-reviewed PGP data. Everyday social media use...
Tags: Amazon, Facebook, Science, News, Instagram, US, Trends, Social Media, Pgp, Pfizer, Anthony Fauci, Pew Research Center, Cornell University, Influencers, Misinformation, Harrison

Influencers are being recruited to fight dangerous conspiracy theories about COVID-19 as people shun experts' warnings

Shauna Harrison Courtesy of Shauna Harrison Data scientists at Public Good Projects are partnering with a "network of micro-influencers" to spread facts on COVID-19 and vaccines on social media.  Public health officials worry misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media could prevent Americans from getting the shots. Just 129 accounts are predominantly responsible for misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter, according to peer-reviewed PGP data. Everyday social media use...
Tags: Amazon, Facebook, Science, News, Instagram, US, Trends, Social Media, Pgp, Pfizer, Anthony Fauci, Pew Research Center, Cornell University, Influencers, Misinformation, Harrison

How data scientists and influencers are joining forces to fight against dangerous COVID-19 conspiracy theories online

Shauna Harrison Courtesy of Shauna Harrison Data scientists at Public Good Projects are partnering with a "network of micro-influencers" to spread facts on COVID-19 and vaccines on social media.  Public health officials worry misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media could prevent Americans from getting the shots. Just 129 accounts are predominantly responsible for misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter, according to peer-reviewed PGP data. Everyday social media use...
Tags: Amazon, Facebook, Science, News, Instagram, US, Trends, Social Media, Pgp, Pfizer, Anthony Fauci, Pew Research Center, Cornell University, Influencers, Misinformation, Harrison

Twitter's New Labels: Biden Won the Election, No Matter What This Guy Says

Twitter has gone one step further in its efforts to dispel election misinformation, especially the nonsense spouted by one of the most powerful people in the world, President Donald Trump. In fact, its latest initiative may be a particularly painful whack at Trump since it does something that even he hasn’t been able…Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Elections, Science, Social Media, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Misinformation

Twitter Starts Testing Spaces, Its 'Dinner Party'-Like Voice Chat Rooms

The social media company that brought you the Fleet began testing its take on audio-0nly chat rooms on Thursday. In a thread announcing the private beta tests, Twitter said a small group of users would be able to create Spaces, as the feature is now being called, and invite any of their followers or other Twitter…Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Social Media, Voice, Clubhouse

Yes, Donald Trump Had a Twitter Password Any Rube Could Guess, Netherlands Authorities Say

Twitter and the White House have both denied reports that a Dutch security researcher was able to log into Donald Trump’s infamous Twitter account with the impossibly easy to guess password “MAGA2020!” But it turns out that really did happen, at least according to Dutch prosecutors.Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Technology, Privacy, Passwords, White House, Social Media, Cybersecurity, Donald Trump, Two Factor Authentication, 2FA, Victor Gevers, Maga2020

Twitter Is Relaunching its Troubled Verification Process After a 3 Year Hiatus

After suspending the program back in 2017, today Twitter announced that it’s bringing back its verification process supported by an updated policy beginning next month in January 2021. Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, News, Social Media, Twitter Verification, Blue Check, Twitter Reviving The Blue Check

Reddit Swallows Dubsmash, TikTok's Closest Competitor

Reddit is buying up TikTok’s biggest competitor in the U.S., Dubsmash, in a deal with undisclosed terms, the company announced on Monday.Read more...
Tags: Apps, Video, Science, Technology, Race, Social Media, Racism, Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, Steve Huffman, Dubsmash, Tiktok, Mergersandacquisitions, Short Form Video

What the EPA Has in Common With Pornographers

It’s been a few weeks since our last edition of Hellfeed, and in the meantime, things on the feed have gotten somewhat closer to baseline dispiriting: While the president’s efforts to overturn the election results have degenerated from coup attempt to dangerous levels of cringe, social media firms are eager to return…Read more...
Tags: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Politics, Science, Technology, Fcc, Youtube, Social Media, Joe Biden, Terrorism, Epa, Donald Trump, Christchurch, Section 230, Parler

2020 Has Been One Godawful Year, but Not for OnlyFans

While I realize that the world won’t magically reset when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, I’m still counting down the days until this cursed year is over. I mean, the universe has to be running out of ammo to hit us with, right? So far 2020's seen an ongoing global pandemic, the spread of murder hornets, …Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Content, Content Creation, OnlyFans

Beating the anti-vaxxers: how star power can help squash vaccine myths

Analysis: Vaccine hesitancy is growing, thanks in part to social media misinformation. Time for the Elvis approach? President-elect Joe Biden’s statement that he would be happy to be vaccinated publicly against coronavirus to encourage people to follow suit – following similar pledges from Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton – highlights a fundamental concern in global health circles.Vaccine hesitancy – as well as anti-vaccination activism, sometimes promoted by celebrities – is growing...
Tags: Health, Science, Social Media, Society, World news, Joe Biden, US news, Infectious Diseases, Bill Clinton, Health policy, Elvis Presley, World Health Organization, Vaccines and immunisation, Elvis, Barack Obama George W Bush, Coronavirus

Please, Stop Adding Stories to Every Single App

Et tu, Spotify?Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Spotify, Science, Social Media, Linkedin, Stories, Fleets

It's only fake-believe: how to deal with a conspiracy theorist

As the pandemic has taken a grip, so have the misinformation spreaders. Here are five ways to spot the holes in their logicUnless you’ve been on a silent retreat for the past year, you will have almost certainly heard the rumours – that the pandemic is an elaborate hoax, or that the virus was created as a Chinese weapon, or that dangerous elites are trying to kill off the elderly and to establish a new world order, or that the symptoms are caused by 5G.It is troubling enough to see these ideas o...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Society, World news, Infectious Diseases, Bill Gates, Vaccines and immunisation, 5g, Coronavirus

There Are Now Stories Everywhere, Even on Spotify

It’s almost as if the little glowing story circles are following us everywhere. They’re on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Twitter and now, even on Spotify.Read more...
Tags: Spotify, Science, Social Media, Stories, Instagram Facebook Snapchat WhatsApp Twitter

Nerfies Might Be the Future of Selfies, Letting Your Friends Judge You on Social Media in Full 3D

Ever since cameras first existed people have been pointing the lens at themselves to snap so-called selfies—a term first coined back in 2002. At this point they’re long overdue for an upgrade, so a team of researchers have created what could be the next-generation of selfies: easy to capture 3D models of yourself…Read more...
Tags: Photography, Science, Selfies, Social Media, Research, Smartphones, 3D, University of Washington, Google Research, Deformable Neural Radiance Fields, Nerfies

Facebook Experiments With Being Less Awful, Says Not to Get Used to It or Anything

Has Facebook learned jack shit from the past few nightmare years? Not really, per a report in the New York Times on Tuesday. Facebook only started giving more weight to reputable publishers in the News Feed days after the 2020 election and doesn’t plan on making that a long-term thing. Executives on its policy team…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Elections, Science, Technology, Media, Social Media, Facebook Algorithm, Content Moderation, 2020 Election, New York Times on Tuesday Facebook

It Doesn’t Matter If Trump Never Concedes, Twitter Is Giving @POTUS to Biden

Outgoing President Donald Trump is set to receive a rude awakening on Jan. 20, 2021 on his favorite social media platform: Twitter. That day, Trump will no longer see a picture of himself on the popular @POTUS account—the official presidential Twitter account, although Trump prefers to use his own personal, …Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Social Media, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Trump Never Concedes Twitter