-
The Supreme Court said the communications with social media companies weren’t illegal
US Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that social media companies can be sued if they do not remove misinformation about COVID-19 from their platforms. It also denied a request by President Donald Trump to stay the order, stating it “has no weight” in the case. Social media companies have argued the court’s ruling…
-
Supreme Court seems hesitant about banning government contacts with social media
Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of Knight First Amendment Institute, said that presidents and members of Congress can and do say a lot of “nasty things” about social media companies in public, but it’s the private communications that make people suspicious. Jaffer was appearing before the US Supreme Court in a case involving government influence over…
-
The White House cannot talk to social media platforms according to the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear a case involving the government’s ability to discuss content on social media with the companies. It will decide if the US government’s ability to discuss content on social media violates the First Amendment. The court will also hear a second case involving government influence and the First Amendment.
-
What can we tell you about the ‘confusion’ over the family photo?
After a photo of Princess Kate Middleton, who underwent surgery in January, was widely distributed on social media, Associated Press noted that its standards prohibit substantial editing and removal of “red eye” effects. The picture was released on the United Kingdom’s Mother’s Day, showing Kate sitting in a chair, sharing a hug with her children,…
-
Social media laws in Texas and Florida will be heard by the Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court is set to hear challenges to Florida and Texas social media laws, which were passed in 2019 and 2021 respectively. The court had earlier decided to hear a case filed by Facebook’s Indian-American lawyer Vimal Bhattacharyya against the laws. He claimed social media platforms should face common-sense regulations, including consumer protection…
-
The Supreme Court hears a social media censorship case
The US Supreme Court will hear a challenge by social media companies to two laws in Texas and Florida that seek to censor content. The companies are arguing that the rules for social media have become the “most important speech regulations on the planet”. One of the laws aims to make platforms print every single…
-
The Obscure deal is the reason that America’s privacy protections are broken
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it will review Google’s and Facebook’s “consent decrees” on data collection and retention of children under 13 in an attempt to protect their privacy on social media. The FTC said it will be collecting public comments on the proposal for 60 days after posting notice in the…
-
Dozens of states are being sued over the youth mental health crisis
Forty-four US states have sued Facebook in a lawsuit accusing the social media site of “knowingly allowing” teenagers to post photos and videos with the intention of encouraging others to self-harm. The lawsuit accused Facebook of knowingly violating consumer protection laws and child safety laws. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has denied the allegations and called…
-
Musk’s X is going to charge users in the Philippines and New Zealand $1
Twitter-owner Elon Musk’s social media platform X has announced that it will charge new users in the Philippines and New Zealand an annual fee of $1 to use the platform. The move is aimed at “combating vast armies of bots” and aims to discourage the creation of new fake accounts, Musk said. He added it…
-
The U.S. does not have the power to stamp out false information on social media
Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the US government should engage with social media companies about their content moderation decisions and policies. He said this after a judge ruled that government officials can’t ask for information about moderation. The White House had said tech companies are not…
-
The new bill adds mandatory age verification to social networks
The US Senate has introduced a bill that would make it illegal for children under the age of 18 to use social media. The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act prohibits children from creating accounts on social media apps, while also greatly curtailing the algorithms tech companies could deploy on people between 13 and 17…
-
A suspect is charged in a Pentagon documents leak case
A 21-year-old US Air National Guardsman was arrested by the FBI in connection with the leaking of classified documents on social media, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday. Jack Teixeira was charged with unauthorised retention and transmission of national defence information and unauthorised removal of classified information and defence materials. Teixeira’s arrest comes a…
-
The TikTok CEO is warning users about the ban
The US Congress is considering legislation that would block TikTok from operating in the US and prohibit transactions by social media companies with over a million monthly users based in or under influence of countries that are considered foreign adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. The proposed legislation would also legally…
-
The messaging bill is related to the culture war campaign
US President Donald Trump said that his administration was working on an approach to protect children’s privacy from social media companies. “If it’s a good way to protect children, then it’s a good way to protect children,” he added. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court allowed companies to block access of parents to children’s…
-
Chasing Life with Dr. Gupta
Talking about social media, actress Jennifer Lawrence said, “What I would like is…more people who were who had social media as part of their lives when they were younger have children that we’re at least able to have these conversations better or or talk about like…any new thing…entering into a society is very easy to…
-
There is a stalemate in the Biden White House
A US lawmaker has introduced legislation which would ban TikTok and its parent company ByteDance from operating in the US. The proposed legislation would block and prohibit all transactions in the US by social media companies with at least one million monthly users that are based in or under the “substantial influence” of countries like…
-
When a teen has big feelings
Social media has been shown to affect mental health in adolescents, a meta-analysed study of community-based activities for 12 to 20 years concluded. It found that depression was more common among adolescents on social media than among adolescents in the general population. The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Psychopathology, added that social…
-
A teacher was shot and a child was killed in a Virginia school
A 15-year-old boy in the US took a gun to a school and opened fire on Tuesday, killing himself and two others, police said. “I just got my new beauty today. I’m going to do it,” he posted on social media. While a troubling social media post or a disturbing comment in class might not…
-
A missing link between social media and teen mental health
A preliminary study by a North Carolina-based nonprofit revealed the importance of checking social media for adolescents’ well-being. Researchers studied 169 students in sixth and seventh grade and found the students who reported checking their social media more regularly showed greater neural sensitivity in parts of the brain like the amygdala. The study established a…
-
You will be helped to set up your own Mastodon server by Cloudflare
Mastodon is an online social media platform that is decentralised and allows users to create their own community. It also features a ‘Toot’ feature that lets users post up to 11,000 character messages in a single message. The platform has attracted over five lakh users in just a week, but scientists should not abandon their…
-
The US House of Representatives has banned TikTok.
The US has proposed a bill that would prohibit social media firms from allowing or allowing their platforms to be used by foreign governments. The move comes amid the ongoing tensions between the US and China. The bill was introduced by Democratic senators Mark Warner and Chuck Schumer and would affect social media firms with…
-
Republicans are playing to the Fox News crowd with attacks on TikTok.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance cannot be trusted with user data in US because of the potential national security risk, Senator Marco Rubio said. The proposed legislation would “block and prohibit all transactions” in US by social media companies with at least one million monthly users based in countries like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba…
-
Federal investigators are looking at Musk over his deal on Twitter, according to the company.
Twitter has said that billionaire Elon Musk is being investigated by federal authorities for his acquisition of the social media platform. The company accused Musk’s legal team of failing to produce draft communications with the SEC and a slide presentation to the Federal Trade Commission as part of the two sides’ ongoing litigation over whether…
-
Mastodon is Hurtling towards a tipping point.
Twitter has said it’s working to make Mastodon, Elon Musk-led social media platform, more transparent. Earlier this month, Twitter announced a policy that would ban users from posting content on any other social media platform, including Facebook, Instagram and Truth Social. The move follows the suspension of accounts of journalists covering Twitter and Musk, among…