Last week, after what must have been a series of extremely grim meetings in Menlo Park, Facebook admitted publicly that part of its revenue includes what appears to be politically motivated fraud undertaken by a shady Russian company. The social network, perhaps motivated by a Washington Post scoop on the matter…
Instagram Is the Most Harmful Social Network for Your Mental Health…
Our addictive feeds of fitness models, exotic travel, and photo-perfect moments don’t often match with our comparatively humdrum and badly lit lives. The discontent caused by that disconnect is enough that a growing body of research suggests social media is contributing to mental-health problems such as anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and body-image issues in young […]
Facebook’s Internal Rulebook on Sex, Terrorism and Violence…
Facebook’s secret rules and guidelines for deciding what its 2 billion users can post on the site are revealed for the first time in a Guardian investigation that will fuel the global debate about the role and ethics of the social media giant. The Guardian has seen more than 100 internal training manuals, spreadsheets and […]
Facebook Deletes Thousands of UK Accounts in Crackdown on Fake News…Ahead of UK General Election…
Facebook has deleted thousands of UK accounts and overhauled its news feed in an attempt to battle fake news, following vocal criticism of the internet giant’s role in the phenomenon. The social network has been under pressure to address “false news” in recent months, following concerns about its impact on elections in the US and […]
Former Facebook Exec: “They’re Lying Through Their Teeth”…
For two years I was charged with turning Facebook data into money, by any legal means. If you browse the internet or buy items in physical stores, and then see ads related to those purchases on Facebook, blame me. I helped create the first versions of that, way back in 2012. The ethics of Facebook’s […]
Meet Babel Street, the Powerful Social Media Surveillance Used by Police, Secret Service, and Sports Stadiums…
Newly released records from the Seattle Police Dept. illustrate the formidable capabilities of Babel Street’s software and offers a look into who is using it. After Geofeedia’s highly publicized PR disaster, in which Chicago Police were found to have used the social media surveillance platform to track racial justice protests and gatherings, the social media […]
STUDY: Just 2 Hours of Social Media Doubles Risk of Social Isolation…
Young adults who use social media for at least two hours a day double their risk of feeling socially isolated, a new study finds. The findings led lead author Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D., director of Pitt’s Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health, to sound the alarm on the effect of too much […]
FBI’s Russian-Influence Probe Includes a Look at Breitbart, InfoWars News Sites…
Federal investigators are examining whether far-right news sites played any role last year in a Russian cyber operation that dramatically widened the reach of news stories — some fictional — that favored Donald Trump’s presidential bid, two people familiar with the inquiry say. Operatives for Russia appear to have strategically timed the computer commands, known […]
No, the Trump Budget Is Not Cutting the Meals on Wheels Program…
Various media outlets have published articles claiming that the Trump administration’s federal budget will eliminate funding for the Meals on Wheels program, whose volunteer drivers deliver hot meals to senior Americans across the country. But the federal budget is cutting funds to a federal grant program that provides just three percent of the Meals on […]
I Invented the Web. Here Are Three Things We Need to Change to Save It by Tim Berners-Lee…
Today marks 28 years since I submitted my original proposal for the worldwide web. I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities, and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries. In many ways, the web has lived up to this vision, though it has been a […]