Social media
Maryland hate crime commission member suspended for anti-Israel social media posts
The Maryland Attorney General has suspended a member of the state’s new commission aimed at addressing hate crimes after she posted on social media criticizing the recent actions of Israel in Gaza.
Air Force base defends itself from claims of political bias over conservative rally warning
The Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota is defending itself from claims of political bias after an unofficial message cautioning airmen to not attend a conservative political rally began circulating on social media.
FTC warns food industry trade groups and influencers about disclosures on paid social media posts
The Federal Trade Commission says it issued warnings to two food and beverage industry groups, as well as to a dozen online influencers and dieticians for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted a sweetener and sugary products.
Moms for Liberty removes two Kentucky chapter leaders who posed with far-right Proud Boys
Moms for Liberty says it’s removed two Kentucky chapter chairs from leadership positions after they posed in photos with members of the far-right group the Proud Boys.
Nikki Haley walks back her demand that social media ban anonymous posters after facing GOP backlash
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.
Matthew Perry’s ‘Friends’ co-stars reminiscence about late actor
Matthew Perry’s “Friends” co-stars are sharing more remembrances of the star in their first personal social media posts since the actor’s death last month.
To help 2024 voters, Meta says it will begin labeling political ads that use AI-generated imagery
Microsoft and Meta have released initiatives designed to help voters know when they see a political ad containing altered images, video or audio.
A Meta engineer saw his own child face harassment on Instagram. Now, he’s testifying before Congress
On the same day whistleblower Frances Haugen was testifying before Congress about the harms of Facebook and Instagram to children in the fall of 2021, Arturo Béjar, then a contractor at the social media giant, sent an email to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the same topic.
Mark Zuckerberg undergoes knee surgery after the Meta CEO got hurt during martial arts training
Mark Zuckerberg’s latest martial arts sparring session sent him to the operating table. The Meta Platforms CEO and mixed martial arts enthusiast posted on social media Friday that he tore one of his anterior cruciate ligaments, or ACLs, while training for a fight early next year.
European privacy officials widen ban on Meta’s behavioral advertising to most of Europe
European privacy officials have widened a ban on Meta’s “behavioral advertising” practices to most of Europe.
The Supreme Court wrestles with social media cases that have echoes of Donald Trump
The Supreme Court is wrestling with whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts.
The Supreme Court takes up social media cases similar to one about Donald Trump’s Twitter feed
The Supreme Court is tackling the question of when public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts.
Meta rolls out paid ad-free option for European Facebook and Insta users after privacy ruling
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe are getting the option to pay for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.
In Myanmar, a Facebook post deemed inflammatory led to an ex-minister’s arrest
A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been arrested and charged with spreading false or inflammatory news.
A year after Musk takeover, X struggles with usage decline and misinformation
One year ago, billionaire Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X.
Facebook parent Meta posts sharply higher profit in 3Q thanks to increase in ad revenue
Facebook parent Meta has posted sharply higher earnings for the third quarter, boosted by an increase in advertising revenue and lower expenses after it laid off thousands of workers.
States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
Dozens of U.S. states, including California, New York, Arizona and Indiana are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people’s mental health and contributing the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to the platforms.
States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
Dozens of US states, including California, New York, Arizona and Indiana are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people’s mental health and contributing the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to the platforms.
The Supreme Court allows the White House to continue work to combat controversial social media posts
The Supreme Court says it will indefinitely block a lower court order curbing Biden administration efforts to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.
Illinois government employee fired after posting antisemitic comments on social media
An employee with the Illinois comptroller’s office has been fired after she posted antisemitic comments on social media during an exchange about the latest Israel-Hamas war.
Bayern Munich decides not to sanction Noussair Mazraoui for pro-Palestinian social media posts
Bayern Munich has decided not to sanction Noussair Mazraoui after the Morocco right back expressed support for Palestinians on social media.
EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war
The European Union has demanded Meta and TikTok detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.
Far-right influencer sentenced to 7 months in 2016 voter suppression scheme
A right-wing social media influencer has been sentenced to seven months in federal prison for spreading falsehoods via Twitter, now known as X, in an effort to suppress Democratic turnout in the 2016 presidential election.
Musk’s X tests $1 fee for new users in the Philippines and New Zealand in bid to target spam
Elon Musk’s social media platform X is charging a $1 fee to new users in the Philippines and New Zealand.
The internet is littered with fake reviews. Amazon, Glassdoor and others are trying to fight back
Some of the most used platforms for travel and online shopping said Tuesday they’re going to team up to battle fake reviews.
LinkedIn cuts more than 600 workers, about 3% of workforce
LinkedIn said Monday it is laying off hundreds of workers. The Microsoft-owned career network is cutting about 668 roles across its engineering, product, talent and finance teams.
Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely
The lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators based in Kenya who have sued the site’s parent company, Meta, over working conditions and pay has told the judge that Meta was not sincere in trying to reach an out-of-court settlement as agreed in the last court session.
Australian safety watchdog fines social platform X $385,000 for not tackling child abuse content
Australia’s online safety watchdog has fined X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — 610,500 Australian dollars ($385,000) for failing to fully explain how it tackled child sexual exploitation content.
EU asks Musk’s X for information on hate speech and ‘illegal content’ related to Israel-Hamas war
The European Commission has made a formal, legally binding request for information from Elon Musk’s social media platform X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the Israel-Hamas war.
‘Addictive’ social media feeds that keep children online targeted by New York lawmakers
New York is bidding to put new controls on social media platforms that state leaders say will protect the mental health of younger users. Gov.
Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk’s X is the most egregious
While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world.