Addressing the winners of the Russia-wide Teacher of the Year competition on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin said that “these platforms are, of course, primarily businesses … and what is the primary concern of a business? Making a profit.” “They don’t care if this content or that content causes harm for the …
Read More »UN chief ‘particularly worried’ about power of social media giants & calls for laws to keep them in check
When asked during a press conference on Thursday if Twitter was “right” in permanently suspending rump, then still a sitting US president, Guterres did not answer directly, instead suggesting that social media behemoths should follow a clear set of rules – to be created – instead of wielding unchecked power. …
Read More »Rupert Murdoch bemoans social media censorship, but critics say media mogul’s ‘malign influence’ is far greater threat
In a pre-recorded acceptance speech thanking the Australia Day Foundation for honoring him with a lifetime achievement award, the Fox News owner expressed dismay over a “wave of censorship that seeks to silence conversation, to stifle debate and ultimately stop individuals and societies from realizing their potential.” He went on …
Read More »‘Hall monitors’ for social media? Twitter launches new ‘Birdwatch’ program, enlisting users to help hunt down ‘misleading’ speech
“We believe this approach has the potential to respond quickly when misleading information spreads, adding context that people trust and find valuable,” Twitter Vice President Keith Coleman said on Monday. Birdwatch is starting out as a pilot project in the US only. During the pilot’s first phase, notes will only …
Read More »Biden requests ‘threat assessment’ on ‘domestic extremism & role of social media’ in Capitol riot
The “comprehensive threat assessment” was assigned to Biden’s intelligence chief on Friday, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, announcing a three-pronged effort against “domestic violent extremism,” what she deemed a “serious and growing” danger. “The Biden administration will confront this threat with the necessary resources and resolve,” Psaki said. “We …
Read More »Social media, have mercy! FBI laments that deplatforming of ‘extremists’ makes it harder to spy on Americans
A former FBI profiler recently took to NBC to complain that while Big Tech restricting Americans’ ability to freely communicate was all well and good, it was making it harder for the US intelligence apparatus to properly snoop on every aspect of these people’s lives. FBI alum Clint Van Zandt …
Read More »‘They act as a Spanish Inquisition’: Mexico’s president vows to lead international push against social media censorship
Obrador – perhaps better known by his initials, AMLO – said his administration would contact other governments to find common ground on the issue on Thursday, adding that he would raise the matter at the next international G20 summit. “I can tell you that at the first G20 meeting we …
Read More »Personal social distancing alarms & ‘no jab, no job’ show that individual freedoms at work will be the next victims of Covid
Across Europe, the coronavirus lockdown screws continue to tighten but that is not enough for some power-crazed bosses, scared out of their wits by this damned bug, deciding to take matters into their own hands – no matter how much they trample over the liberty of others. French employees of …
Read More »Twitter permanently suspends more than 70,000 QAnon accounts as social media purge continues
The company has publicly argued that removing the accounts – including those belonging to President Donald Trump, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell – is a necessary step to combat “behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm.” “Given the violent events …
Read More »Parler goes offline as Amazon pulls the plug on the conservative social network
On Monday morning, at 3am EST, Parler, the social networking site popular among American conservatives, was taken offline after Amazon pulled support, claiming the site was hosting allowing “threats of violence” in the wake of a deadly riot at the US Capitol. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Read More »