Search results for "harmful content online"

Ex-Facebook employee bringing sharp criticisms to Congress

A former Facebook data scientist has stunned lawmakers and the public with revelations of the company’s awareness of apparent harm to some teens from Instagram and her accusations of dishonesty in its fight against hate and misinformation. Now she is coming before Congress. Frances Haugen has come forward with a wide-ranging condemnation of Facebook, buttressed […]

EXPLAINER: Why Facebook is holding off on kids' Instagram

Bowing — perhaps only for a moment — to pressure from lawmakers, critics, the media and child development experts, Facebook said Monday it will “pause” its work on a kids’ version of its photo and video-oriented Instagram app. But what’s not yet clear is just how seriously Facebook is taking the concerns of experts and […]

Parents in China laud rule limiting video game time for kids

Li Zhanguo’s two children, ages 4 and 8, don’t have their own smartphones, but like millions of other Chinese children, they are no strangers to online gaming. “If my children get their hands on our mobile phones or an iPad, and if we don’t closely monitor their screen time, they can play online games for […]

Facebook just added more regulations that can get you banned

Facebook is taking a unique spin on handling harmful activates on its platform. The tech giant is giving moderators the responsibility to take a number of actions besides just banning troll accounts, as the social-media platform is aiming to eliminate any form of misinformation and harassment. Reuters first reported on the new policy on Friday, […]

Twitter is aiming to restore privacy to users

Twitter is about to become a safe haven for social media users, as the tech giant is planning on releasing a number of features aimed at giving people more privacy options. According to Bloomberg, the micro-blogging site will allow users to archive old tweets that’ll become invisible to others after a period of time passes. […]

Apple to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse

Apple unveiled plans to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused, including by governments looking to surveil their citizens. The tool designed to detected known images of child sexual abuse, called “neuralMatch,” will scan […]

What's in a tag? Twitter revamps misinformation labels

Last May, as Twitter was testing warning labels for false and misleading tweets, it tried out the word “disputed” with a small focus group. It didn’t go over well. “People were like, well, who’s disputing it?” said Anita Butler, a San Francisco-based design director at Twitter who has been working on the labels since December […]

New update for WhatsApp video places quality at the helm

Facebook and WhatsApp are currently testing two separate new updates, that will look to make both platforms a safer space for people to network, while the latter focuses more on its video-sharing quality. WhatsApp Messenger, a subsidiary of Facebook since 2014, is developing a new feature allowing users to control the quality of videos sent […]

Facebook, Twitter, and Google sue Florida over new social media law

Two tech trade groups consisting of Facebook, Twitter, and Google have filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida over a new law that would fine social media companies that bar political candidates, citing a violation of free speech. The lawsuit – which highlighted that the bill was signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeStantis […]

EU outlines ambitious AI regulations focused on risky uses

Risky uses of artificial intelligence that threaten people’s safety or rights such as live facial scanning should be banned or tightly controlled, European Union officials said Wednesday as they outlined an ambitious package of proposed regulations to rein in the rapidly expanding technology. The draft regulations from the EU’s executive commission include rules for applications […]