Science

Facebook Is Reportedly Under Investigation for 'Systemic' Racial Bias in Its Workplace

Facebook’s hiring practices and promotions are under federal scrutiny following reports of widespread racial bias, according to Reuters. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched a “systemic” investigation into the social media giant, indicating that it suspects internal policies may be contributing to…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Science, Labor, Articles, Social Media, Software, Social Issues, Gizmodo, Operating Systems, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Workplace Bullying, Mark Luckie, Employment Discrimination, Second Wave Feminism, Andy Stone, Oscar Veneszee Jr

For Whatever Reason, People Are Willing to Pay up to $10 Million for an NFT of Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet is well-known on the platform. Published nearly 15 years ago, the tweet reads, “just setting up my twttr.” While there’s no doubt that it’s meaningful in popular culture, Dorsey apparently also seems to believe it’s got monetary value. And it appears he’s right. Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Tweet, Software, Computing, Auction, Grimes, Jack Dorsey, Ethereum, Operating Systems, Dorsey, NFT, Non Fungible Token, Donna Redel, Hakan Estavi, Oracle Systems

Stop Letting Google Get Away With It

After spending more than a decade building up massive profits off targeted advertising, Google on Wednesday that it’s planning to do away with any sort of individual tracking and targeting once the cookie is out of the picture. Read more...
Tags: Google, Science, Privacy, Marketing, Web Browsers, Software, Tracking, World Wide Web, Targeted Advertising, Online Advertising, Alphabet Inc, Internet Privacy, David Temkin, Http Cookie, Internet Search Engines, Technology Internet

Are You Happy Now, You Jackals?

You whined and you complained and you moaned. And no, you’re not getting your “Edit Tweet” button, but Twitter is testing something nearly as good. Will it make you happy?Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Technology, Software, Jack Dorsey, Operating Systems, Real Time Web, Text Messaging, UNDO, South of Market San Francisco, Facebook Like Button, Jane Manchun Wong, Technology Internet

A Ghost Radio Station Has Been Broadcasting the Same Traffic Report for Obama's 2013 Inauguration for 8 Years

Here’s something that you’d normally see in a post-apocalyptic, zombie TV show, only instead of a mysterious radio message luring Rick and the gang to a group of cannibals, it’s a road closure notice from Obama’s second presidential inauguration. According to The Drive, the same AM radio station in Washington, D.C.…Read more...
Tags: Science, Obama, Washington, Articles, Software, Radio, Free Software, Signal, Rick, Matt Blaze, Bill Curry, Radio Receiver

What If Clubhouse, But With State Censorship, TikTok Owner ByteDance Ponders

China’s ByteDance, is planning on launching its own version of audio chat app Clubhouse for the Chinese market, Reuters reported on Thursday.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, China, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Tencent Holdings, Reuters, South China Morning Post, Mobile Applications, Bytedance, Tiktok

WhatsApp Can Now Do the Same Thing as Google Meet and Zoom and FaceTime

WhatsApp on Thursday announced the introduction of voice and video calls on its desktop apps for Mac and PC, expanding the ways in which you can create the illusion of meaningful human interaction in this moment of crushing isolation. Read more...
Tags: Google, Facebook, Science, Social Media, Whatsapp, Walgreens, Software, Facetime, Operating Systems, Zoom, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Videotelephony

Study: Far-Right Propaganda Gets the Most Engagement on Facebook, Especially When It's Lies

Shocker: Despite conservatives’ endless kvetching about the supposed liberal bias of Silicon Valley technocrats, one of the easiest ways to go viral on Facebook is spouting extreme, far-right rhetoric, according to a new study by New York University’s Cybersecurity for Democracy project.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Science, Articles, Social Media, Software, Computing, Silicon Valley, The New York Times, Misinformation, Deception, Ben Shapiro, Fake News, QAnon, NewsGuard, Laura Edelson

Apple's New Service Helps You Transfer Your Pics and Videos From iCloud to Google Photos

For anyone who feels like they’ve been held hostage by iCloud’s 5GB of free storage or just wants to try out a different photo storage app, this week Apple launched a new service designed to make it way easier to transfer photos and videos stored in iCloud over to Google Photos. Read more...
Tags: Apple, Ios, Google, Science, Software, Computing, Icloud, Apple Id, Pages, Google Photos, Webmail, Epic Games, Apple Photos, Cloud Applications, Application Software, Data Synchronization

Parler Drops One Lawsuit Against Amazon, and Files Another

Alleged domestic terrorist haven/free speech network Parler has bowed out of its antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. For a blessed moment it seemed we might get a break from conservative bitching and moaning about unfairness. No such luck.Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Twitter, Science, Buzzfeed, Linkedin, Software, Computing, Amazon Web Services, Real Time Web, Elaine Chao, Tea Party Patriots, Mobile Applications, Mark Meckler, Rebekah Mercer, Stacey Abrams, Parler

12 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in Google Chrome

Even if you’ve been using Google Chrome since it first rolled out back in 2008, the browser is capable of some tricks you may have not discovered yet. Google adds new features on a regular basis, while older features get lost and forgotten about if you’re not using them every day. Here are 12 things you might not…Read more...
Tags: Chrome, Google Chrome, Google, Science, Web Browsers, Software, Netflix, Chrome Os, Freeware, Tab, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Gnome Web, Technology Internet, Google Chrome Version History, Blisk

'Frustrated' Facebook Oversight Board May Seek to Examine Its Algorithm (or 'Whatever')

Facebook’s so-called “Supreme Court” is reportedly planning to seek the company’s permission to review the underlying machine-learning models that determine which posts are granted the most prominence in each Facebook user’s feed.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Science, Supreme Court, Software, Edward Snowden, The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, Operating Systems, World Wide Web, Anna Eshoo, Tom Malinowski, Oversight Board, Facebook Oversight Board, Technology Internet

Someone Made a Fully Playable Game of Pong Inside a macOS Icon

Apple has always pushed its hardware as tools for creative types—not toys for gamers—but that hasn’t stopped creative developers from turning Macs into unique gaming machines, like putting Lemmings on the Touch Bar, and now putting an icon-sized playable version of Pong in the dock.Read more...
Tags: Apple, Science, Software, Icon, Github, Pong, Next, Finder, Dock, Chris Jones, Pointer, macOS, Touch Bar, Taskbar, System Software, Technology Internet

Twitter Launches Five-Strike System to Ban Users Who Spread Covid-19 Lies

Twitter will ban users who spread misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and covid-19 vaccines under a new five-strike system, according to a new blog post from the social media company. Twitter bans all medical information that’s “demonstrably false or misleading and may lead to significant risk of harm.”Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Articles, Software, Operating Systems, Text Messaging, Misinformation, David Duke, Fake News, QAnon, Pseudohistory, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Covid 19 Pandemic, Covid 19 Misinformation

Instagram Rolls Out New Way to Say Something Stupid in Public

Instagram is expanding its livestreaming offerings with a new feature dubbed Live Rooms, which is just like Instagram Live but with up to three more people haphazardly broadcasting their thoughts into the world simultaneously. Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Instagram, Social Media, Software, Computing, Streaming, Livestreaming, Twitch, Operating Systems, Instagram Live, Video Software, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Technology Internet, Internet Broadcasting

Plastic Surgeon Makes Court Appearance Over Zoom With Patient on Operating Table

A plastic surgeon in Northern California went viral over the weekend after video surfaced showing the doctor in traffic court via Zoom while a patient was on his operating table. Dr. Scott Green, who appeared in court by videochat dressed in mask and operating gown, confirmed he was in surgery but insisted he could do…Read more...
Tags: Science, California, Software, Patient, Yelp, Zoom, Sacramento California, Scott Green, South of Market San Francisco, The Doctor, The Sacramento Bee, Geosocial Networking, Creative Works, English Language Films, Health Medical Pharma, Gary Link

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.Read more...
Tags: Science, Nokia, Social Media, Software, Computing, Reddit, Share Trading, Gamestop, Steve Huffman, World Wide Web, Reuters, Short Selling, Facebook Twitter, Facebook Instagram Twitter, Business Finance, AMC Entertainment

Go Update Your Passwords Right Now

Hey, you, casual internet user. Why not go and update your passwords right now? I’m not trying to boss you around or anything, but semi-frequent password changes are widely considered a great way to avoid getting hacked and having your information spilled all over the web. Read more...
Tags: Science, Identity Management, Cryptography, Software, Password, Password Manager, Donald Trump, Lastpass, Solarwinds, Google Chrome Extensions, Bitwarden, Gunnebo, Computer Access Control, Cryptographic Software, Microsoft Edge Extensions, Firefox Add Ons

‘Deep Nostalgia’ Can Turn Old Photos of Your Relatives Into Moving Videos

It’s hard to feel connected to someone who’s gone through a static photo. So a company called MyHeritage who provides automatic AI-powered photo enhancements is now offering a new service that can animate people in old photos creating a short video that looks like it was recorded while they posed and prepped for the…Read more...
Tags: Science, Software, Nostalgia, Microsoft Windows, Shutter, MyHeritage, Microsoft Photos, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Windows Camera, Graphics Software, Image Viewers

TikTok to Pay $92 Million Settlement in Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Privacy Violations

TikTok has agreed to fork over $92 million to settle a class-action complaint regarding alleged privacy violations, including claims that the app and its predecessor, Musical.ly, collected personal data without users’ consent for tracking and ad targeting purposes. Read more...
Tags: Science, Privacy, Identity Management, Articles, Software, Gizmodo, Terms Of Service, John Lee, Internet Privacy, Privacy Law, Video Software, Bytedance, Musically, Tiktok, US TikTok, Application Software

'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.Read more...
Tags: Google, Facebook, Science, Technology, Social Media, Siri, Software, Computing, Oculus, Alexa, Human Interest, Social Information Processing, Technology Internet

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.Read more...
Tags: Apple, Facebook, Science, Instagram, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, Ipads, Software, Grace Jones, Operating Systems, Targeted Advertising, Online Advertising, Internet Privacy, Dipayan Ghosh, Social Information Processing

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.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Instagram, Social Media, Software, Pandora, News Feed, Computing, Operating Systems, Venmo, Real Time Web, Text Messaging, Elliott Management, South of Market San Francisco, Samantha Cole

Now You Can Filter Your Liked Spotify Jams by Mood

Finally, you can sort the music in your Liked Songs playlist on Spotify.Read more...
Tags: Spotify, Science, Software, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Playlist, Phoebe Bridgers, Steely Dan, Filter, Entertainment Culture

Google's Live Caption Tool Is Now Available as a Hidden Feature in Chrome

Live Captions is one of the most useful features on Android phones, allowing your mobile device to automatically transcribe any audio it’s currently playing. And now it seems Google is bringing Live Captions to Chrome, with the feature already available as a hidden option in the browser.Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Google, Android, Science, Software, Chrome Os, Chromebook, Computing, Operating Systems, Alphabet Inc, Closed Captioning, Assistive Technology, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Technology Internet

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.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Politics, Science, Social Media, Software, Myanmar, Operating Systems, World Wide Web, Facebook Read, Tatmadaw, Social Information Processing, War Conflict, Myanmar Protests, Facebook Finally Bans Myanmar Military

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. Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Science, Technology, Social Media, Software, Nick Clegg, Computing, News Corporation, Social Software, Like Button, Social Information Processing, Entertainment Culture, Technology Internet, News Media Bargaining Code, Global Affairs Nick Clegg Read

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. Read more...
Tags: Google, Science, Youtube, Social Media, Software, World Wide Web, Video Hosting, Alphabet Inc, YouTube Premium, Entertainment Culture, Technology Internet

Your Travel Guide to the Rudderless Right-Wing Web After Trump

Moving into 2021 and forward, conservatives angry about cancel culture, censorship, shadowbans, or the attention of the FBI have a rich array of social destinations to choose from. We’ve prepped a travel guide for the unwitting observer who might be thinking of checking any of these conspicuous and lesser-known…Read more...
Tags: Science, Fbi, Software, Donald Trump, Internet Culture, World Wide Web, Cassie Miller, Dan Bongino, Gab, 8chan, Parler, QAnon, MeWe, DLive, Alt Tech, Bitchute

Firefox's Latest Update Promises Complete Cookie Control—With Just A Few Caveats

Mozilla beefed up Firefox’s already impressive arsenal of privacy-preserving tech on Tuesday with the addition of a new tool in its flagship browser: Total Cookie Protection. As the name suggests, the feature promises to put the lid on any creepy cookies or third-party tracking tech that might want to track your…Read more...
Tags: Firefox, Science, Web Browsers, Software, Hacking, Mozilla, Tracking, Free Software, World Wide Web, Internet Privacy, Session, Computer Access Control, Http Cookie, Technology Internet