Jan 29 X blocks some Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images circulate By Associated Press Sexually explicit and abusive fake images of Swift began circulating widely last week on X. It's made her the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have struggled to fix. Continue reading
Jan 23 TikTok is laying off dozens of workers as the tech industry continues to shed jobs in the new year By Associated Press The layoffs follow other job cuts at major tech companies this year. Social media platforms Discord and Amazon-owned Twitch have laid off hundreds of workers this month. Google and Amazon have also cut jobs. Continue reading
Dec 27 As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections By Ali Swenson, Christine Fernando, Associated Press The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger. Continue reading
Dec 27 Social media companies made $11 billion in U.S. ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds By Barbara Ortutay, Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. Continue reading
Dec 26 Watch 3:08 Teens reflect on how social media nearly ruined their friendship By Becky Wandel, Marie Cusick and Rawan Elbaba, Student Reporting Labs The addictive nature of social media doesn't just have parents, lawmakers and advocates worried. Last year, more than half of U.S. teens said it would be difficult to give up social media, including TikTok and YouTube. The latest episode of… Continue watching
Dec 20 Right-wing social media platform Parler plans to relaunch early 2024 By Associated Press The right-wing friendly app, which was temporarily booted offline following the Jan. 6 insurrection, has been offline since April after it was purchased by the digital media conglomerate Starboard. Continue reading
Dec 19 Meta's Oversight Board reversed initial decisions to remove 2 videos of Israel-Hamas war By Associated Press A quasi-independent review board is recommending that Facebook parent company Meta overturn two decisions it made this fall to remove posts “informing the world about human suffering on both sides” of the Israel-Hamas war. Continue reading
Dec 18 EU investigates X over potential violations of social media law By Kelvin Chan, Associated Press The European Union has made Elon Musk’s online platform X the first tech company to face an investigation under Europe’s tough new regulations designed to clean up social media and protect people from toxic online content. Continue reading
Dec 10 Elon Musk restores conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' X account, reversing Twitter's ban By Associated Press Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that came out in favor of the Infowars host who repeatedly called the 2012 Sandy Hook… Continue reading
Nov 15 Nikki Haley walks back her demand that social media ban anonymous posters after backlash By Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Nikki Haley says anonymity online poses a "national security threat." The GOP presidential contender Tuesday called for user verification and said social media networks should reveal their algorithms. Continue reading