Category «Social Media»

Misinformation dropped dramatically the week after Twitter banned Trump and some allies

Washington Post – Zignal Labs charts 73 percent decline on Twitter and beyond following historic action against the president -“Online misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

The State of Online Harassment

“Stories about online harassment have captured headlines for years. Beyond the more severe cases of sustained, aggressive abuse that make the news, name-calling and belittling, derisive comments have come to characterize how many view discourse online – especially in the political realm. A Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults in September finds that 41% …

Subjects: Internet, Legal Research, Social Media

The Capitol Rioters Weren’t ‘Low Class’

The Atlantic – The business owners, real-estate brokers, and service members who rioted acted not out of economic desperation, but out of their belief in their inviolable right to rule: “They were business owners, CEOs, state legislators, police officers, active and retired service members, real-estate brokers [one of whom arrived in DC via private jet], …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Social Media

How Amazon manipulates consumers to keep them subscribed to Amazon Prime

Report by Norway’s Consumer Council (NCC) / Forbrukerradet – YOU CAN LOG OUT, BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE: “Executive summary In this report, we show how Amazon makes it unreasonably cumbersome to unsubscribe from the Amazon Prime service. The process of cancelling an Amazon Prime subscription is riddled with a combination of manipulative design techniques, …

Subjects: AI, E-Commerce, Financial System, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

How to Hold Social Media Accountable for Undermining Democracy

Harvard Business Review: “The problem with social media isn’t just what users post — it’s what the platforms decide to do with that content. Far from being neutral, social media companies are constantly making decisions about which content to amplify, elevate, and suggest to other users. Given their business model, which promotes scale above all, …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media

Switching to Signal? Turn on these settings now for greater privacy and security

ZDNet – “Many people are making the switch from WhatsApp to Signal. Many are switching because of the increased privacy and security that Signal offers. But with a few simple tweaks, did you know that you can make Signal even more secure? There are a few settings I suggest you enable. There are some cosmetic …

Subjects: Cybersecurity, Knowledge Management, Privacy, Social Media

Questions to Guide an Investigation of the Capitol Attack

Just Security: “The invasion of the United States Capitol was an entirely predictable event, which makes the wholesale security collapse all the more unconscionable. Threats on social media grew more frequent and specific after President Donald Trump called on his supporters to gather in Washington, D.C., and push Congress to overturn the election results. Somehow …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Social Media

Parler Users Breached Deep Inside U.S. Capitol Building, GPS Data Shows

Gizmodo: “At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the horde of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside the U.S. Capitol building and into areas normally restricted to the public, according to GPS metadata linked to videos posted to the platform the day of the insurrection in Washington. …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Legal Research, Social Media

The Capitol riot and its aftermath makes the case for tech regulation more urgent, but no simpler

TechCrunch: “Last week and throughout the weekend, technology companies took the historic step of deplatforming the president of the United States in the wake of a riot in which the US Capitol was stormed by a collection of white nationalists, QAnon supporters, and right wing activists. The decision to remove Donald Trump, his fundraising and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybercrime, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media