Search results for "elections"

It’s time to start regulating AI from within

This year has been a roller coaster ride for the United States, from the emergence and swift spread of the Covid-19 pandemic to dreadful natural disasters, and the ongoing trade war the U.S. has been waging against China. The main headline that has dominated the news and even shaped the narrative of the U.S. presidential […]

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 […]

We must not neglect the ethical concerns of big tech

It is without a shadow of a doubt that ethical scandals in the tech industry have become the norm everywhere; every week, a new story surfaces about how the titans of social media have been breaching the ethical code of its users. However, we need to ask ourselves what “ethical tech” actually means? “Technologies have […]

Black scholars form effort to fight trolls, disinformation

A group of U.S. Black scholars, activists and writers has launched a new project to combat misleading information online around voting, reparations and immigration, supporters announced Friday. The newly formed National Black Cultural Information Trust seeks to counter fake social media accounts and Twitter trolls that often discourage Black voters from participating in elections or […]

Microsoft attempts takedown of global criminal botnet

Microsoft announced legal action Monday seeking to disrupt a major cybercrime digital network that uses more than 1 million zombie computers to loot bank accounts and spread ransomware, which experts consider a major threat to the U.S. presidential election. The operation to knock offline command-and-control servers for a global botnet that uses an infrastructure known […]

Facebook braces for contested election, voter intimidation

Facebook said it’s readied new safeguards for the 2020 U.S. elections that have it better prepared to deal with candidates who prematurely declare victory or contest official results and the possibility of voter intimidation by alleged — and potentially armed — “poll watchers.” In the former case, Facebook plans to halt all political advertisements once […]

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 […]

Twitter to label or remove misleading claims on vote results

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Twitter said Thursday that starting next week it will label or remove misleading claims that try to undermine public confidence in elections. The policy will apply to tweets that attempt to undermine people’s faith in the electoral process itself, such as false claims about election rigging or ballot tampering, or about […]

Google, ADT partnering on home security products

Google is pairing its Nest smart home technology with ADT and buying a stake in the home security company. Google’s Nest hardware will be integrated at ADT, which does system installations and monitoring. ADT plans to begin offering Google devices to its customers starting this year. Shares of the company, based in Boca Raton, Florida, […]