News

OnlyFans to ban sexually explicit content starting October

U.K.-based subscription service OnlyFans announced on Thursday its plans to ban sexually explicit content starting October. The platform enables creators to post different range of content and charge subscribers a monthly fee, however, it is best known for pornographic content.  While the company will still allow their adult-content creators to post nude photographs and videos […]

Clubhouse enforces safety measures to protect Afghan users

U.S.- based audio chat app Clubhouse announced earlier this week safety measures to protect Afghan users living in the Taliban-ruled country. As the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan earlier this month, many residents tried to delete photos from their social media accounts and phones showing any connection to the West, or the former Afghan government. […]

Facebook shuts down yet another research project into its algorithms

AlgorithmWatch, a Berlin-based non-profit organization exploring Instagram’s algorithm and data sets, got “bullied” by Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, into seizing the project and erasing the data it collected. In a blog post published on Friday, AlgorithmWatch researchers explained that they’re “committed to evaluating and shedding light on algorithmic decision-making processes that have social relevance.” The […]

Facebook announces new security measures to protect Afghani users

Facebook announced on Thursday new security measures for users in Afghanistan, as the Taliban regained control over the country after its government collapsed this week. “We’ve launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account. When their profile is locked, people who aren’t their friends can’t download or share their […]

New China law tightens control over companies' data on users

China is tightening control over data gathered by companies about the public under a law approved Friday by its ceremonial legislature, expanding the ruling Communist Party’s crackdown on internet industries. The data protection law follows anti-monopoly and other enforcement actions against companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba and games and social media operator Tencent that caused […]

Moscow court fines Google for controversial material

A Moscow court penalized on Tuesday Alphabet Inc’s Google with a sum of $142,877 for violating the state’s rules on prohibited content, amidst the latest clash between Big Tech companies and the Russian state. The Tagansky District Court fined search engine titan Google with five independent fines of approximately $190,000 for not deleting content banned […]

Despite seizing power, Taliban is still banned from Facebook

The Taliban’s content will remain banned on Facebook, the company confirmed to Sky News on Tuesday, as the group is considered a dangerous terrorist organization under the site’s policies. The Taliban seized power over Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. war with the country ended. However, the organization is listed under a Specially Designated […]

US agencies scrub websites to protect Afghans left behind

Multiple federal agencies that operated in Afghanistan and worked with Afghan citizens have been hastily purging their websites, removing articles and photos that could endanger the Afghan civilians who interacted with them and now fear retribution from the Taliban. The online scrubbing campaign appeared to begin late last week when it became clear that the […]

Fed's Powell: There's no returning to pre-pandemic economy

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the U.S. economy has been permanently changed by the COVID pandemic and it is important that the central bank adapt to those changes. “We’re not simply going back to the economy that we had before the pandemic,” Powell said at a Fed virtual town hall for educators […]

BES sues Huawei over data theft and backdoors in Pakistan

Business Efficiency Solutions (BES), a U.S. cloud software company has filed a lawsuit against Chinese telecom vendor Huawei, citing allegations of data theft and installing a backdoor that acts as an open-ended gateway of sensitive data on Pakistan’s citizens and the country’s national security.  According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the lawsuit claims that in 2015, Huawei contacted BES asking for a collaboration in creating a duplicate of the Lahore network in […]