Search results for "democracy"

Report: Social media manipulation affects even US senators

The conversation taking place on the verified social media accounts of two U.S. senators remained vulnerable to manipulation, even amid heightened scrutiny in the run up to the U.S. presidential election, an investigation by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence found. Researchers from the center, a NATO-accredited research group based in Riga, Latvia, paid […]

UK cybersecurity body ramping up support to shield burdened NHS

Cybersecurity efforts in the UK have been focused on the health industry, as hackers and cybercriminals set their sights on a burdened NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, a recent report by the Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) stated. “What we’ve done as an organization is really pivot towards the health sector to try and […]

Facebook demands academics disable ad-targeting data tool

Academics, journalists and First Amendment lawyers are rallying behind New York University researchers in a showdown with Facebook over its demand that they halt the collection of data showing who is being micro-targeted by political ads on the world’s dominant social media platform. The researchers say the disputed tool is vital to understanding how Facebook […]

Is Facebook really ready for the 2020 election?

Ever since Russian agents and other opportunists abused its platform in an attempt to manipulate the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook has insisted — repeatedly — that it’s learned its lesson and is no longer a conduit for misinformation, voter suppression and election disruption. But it has been a long and halting journey for the […]

Women in Technology - Negating the ‘Bro-Culture’

Men need to be part of the solution for there to be more women in technology – AfricaCom and AfricaTech set the stage for necessary robust discussion in 2020. An exceptional line-up of speakers at this year’s Africa Tech Festival, are set to raise awareness around the different challenges facing Africa London, 26 August 2020 […]

Celebs join Instagram 'freeze' to protest Facebook inaction

LONDON (AP) — Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities are taking part in a 24-hour Instagram “freeze” on Wednesday to protest against what they say is parent company Facebook’s failure to tackle violent and hateful content and election misinformation. Hollywood stars and influencers are lending their backing to the “#StopHateforProfit” movement’s […]

Netflix film dissects a technology-driven 'social dilemma'

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — A new Netflix documentary is setting out to expose technology’s corrosive effects on society during a pandemic that’s left people more dependent than ever on tools that keep them connected with friends, family and colleagues they can no longer meet in person. So the timing for Wednesday’s release of “The […]

Facebook curbs political ads - for 7 days before US election

Bracing for a contentious election with no immediate results and possible “civil unrest,” Facebook is enacting a host of measures to ensure its platform is not used to sow chaos and spread misinformation before, during and after the U.S. presidential election. But it’s not clear the changes are enough. The company said Thursday it will […]

As Trump digs in, will it be US versus China in tech?

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s bans on two popular Chinese social media apps — TikTok and WeChat — are the latest moves in an escalating U.S.-China rift, and point to a future where technology and innovation are increasingly walled behind political barriers. In China, the Communist Party has long limited what foreign tech […]

4 Big Tech CEOs getting heat from Congress on competition

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Big Tech CEOs — Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple — are set to answer for their companies’ practices before Congress as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market dominance in the industry. The four command corporations with gold-plated brands, […]