James Farrell
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Twitter announces new ‘Safety Mode’ to combat harassment
Twitter inc. announced today that it’s testing out a new safety feature that should cut down on trolling, something for which the platform is still notorious. The “safety mode” can be activated by users in the settings menu, after which Twitter’s algorithm will attempt to spot harmful language or repetitive replies and mentions. If the ...
Facebook makes plans to reduce political content on the platform
Following Facebook Inc.’s promise last February to “turn down the temperature” regarding political content in people’s News Feeds, the company has now taken that to another level. It was reported by Axios today that Facebook has received positive feedback after reducing political content in the News Feeds of users in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and ...
China clamps down on gaming addiction, limiting playing time for kids under 18
Children under the age of 18 in China will now be limited to playing online games for one hour only on Fridays and weekends, and also on public holidays, the Chinese government announced today. Three hours per week might seem a hefty curtailment, but in the eyes of the Chinese government, the “spiritual opium” of ...
UK announces it will shake up GDPR data protection rules
The U.K. said today that it will “shake up” data laws previously in line with European data protection regulations. Now that the U.K. is on its own following its Brexit break with the European Union, it’s reported that the country wants to see an end to “endless” cookie pop-ups that ask for permission to use ...
Report: Facebook is thinking about creating a commission to advise on elections
Facebook Inc. is considering forming a commission to advise on decisions it makes around elections in the U.S. and abroad, according to an article published in The New York Times today. According to people familiar with the matter, Facebook has already consulted a number of academics and policy experts about setting up the commission. If ...
Study finds Trump election fraud tweets spread more when labeled misinformation
A study published today found that when Twitter Inc. blocked engagement of former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims, they were shared more often on other social media platforms. The study, undertaken by researchers at New York University researchers and published in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, endeavored to find out what happened when ...
Report: Amazon is planning to get into the department store business
Amazon.com Inc. is branching out again, with reports today saying the company is on the verge of opening several large brick-and-mortar department stores in the U.S. The company hasn’t confirmed the move, calling the details of a report on the matter in the Wall Street Journal “rumors and speculation,” although the Journal said plans are ...
Facebook’s new most ‘Widely Viewed’ content report: Don’t stop the presses
Facebook Inc. today published its first report on what people on the platform look at the most, at least in the U.S., and the result is underwhelming. The move in is line with criticism the company has faced over transparency issues, as well as the fact Facebook has been called out for promoting inflammatory and sometimes ...
Social media companies face new challenges with the Taliban
Following the Taliban’s taking of Kabul and effectively gaining control of Afghanistan, social media companies are having to deal with a novel problem: Should they allow the Islamist group to post content on their platforms? Facebook Inc. doesn’t see the Taliban as just another government, calling the group a terrorist organization. For that reason, it ...
Tinder is making ID Verification available to users globally
The Match Group-owned dating app Tinder announced today that its ID Verification feature will be available to all users around the world. Tinder didn’t specify exactly when this will happen, only that it will be in “coming quarters.” The feature has been available since 2019 in Japan, where it is the law, although in the ...