Search results for "instagram ban"

Microsoft’s CEO says trying to buy TikTok was “the strangest thing”

During an interview with journalist Kara Swisher at the Code conference, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella came forward with new information regarding the negotiations that happened while trying to acquire TikTok.  “It was the strangest thing I’ve ever worked on,” Nadella Said, describing his attempt to save the TikTok app in the U.S. and elsewhere after Donald Trump’s administration threatened to ban it.  If you haven’t heard about Trump’s efforts in banning TikTok from the […]

Social media's 70-up 'grandfluencers' debunking aging myths

Joan MacDonald’s health was in shambles at age 71. She was overweight and on numerous medications with high cholesterol, rising blood pressure and kidney trouble. Her daughter, a fitness coach, warned that she’d wind up an invalid if she didn’t turn things around. She did, hitting the gym for the first time and learning to […]

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 […]

Facebook removes anti-vax Russian disinformation campaigns

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it has removed 65 and 243 Facebook and Instagram accounts respectively that were involved in anti-vax disinformation campaigns operating from Russia.  The Big Tech company highlighted in its report that accounts originated in Russia targeted audiences primarily in India, Latin America, and to a lesser extent, the U.S.   Facebook’s investigation found links between this campaign and Fazze, a subsidiary of a U.K-registered marketing firm AdNow, whose operations were […]

King of the hill: TikTok is officially the most downloaded app in 2020

Step aside Facebook, as TikTok just got crowned the most downloaded social media app in the world as of 2020, according to survey conducted by digital analytics company App Annie.  Launched in 2016, The Chinese video-sharing platform has since overtaken Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, all of which make up Facebook’s ecosystem. This isn’t a milestone to overlook, as Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey began in […]

Online racial abuse targets England’s football players

England’s loss against Italy in the UEFA Euro 2020 final on Sunday night did not only crush the dream of millions who believed the championship was coming home, but it also unleashed a wave of deeply rooted racism that remains embedded in today’s modern world.  Social media, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, were flooded with racial abuse and slurs targeted towards England’s Black football players.   As anger boiled […]

Cuba's internet cutoff: A go-to tactic to suppress dissent

Cubans facing the country’s worst economic crisis in decades took to the streets over the weekend. In turn, authorities blocked social media sites in an apparent effort to stop the flow of information into, out of and within the beleaguered nation. Restricting internet access has become a tried-and-true method of stifling dissent by authoritarian regimes […]

QAnon has receded from social media -- but it's just hiding

On the face of it, you might think that the QAnon conspiracy has largely disappeared from big social media sites. But that’s not quite the case. True, you’re much less likely to find popular QAnon catchphrases like “great awakening,” “the storm” or “trust the plan” on Facebook these days. Facebook and Twitter have removed tens […]

Facebook suspends Trump for 2 years, then will reassess

Facebook announced Friday that former President Donald Trump’s accounts will be suspended for two years, freezing his presence on the social network until early 2023, following a finding that Trump stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. At the end of the suspension, the company will assess whether Trump’s “risk […]

Gaza-based journalists in Hamas chat blocked from WhatsApp

A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger — a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip. The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists […]