Twitter, Facebook muzzle Trump amid Capitol violence
In an unprecedented step, Facebook and Twitter suspended President Donald Trump from posting to their platforms Wednesday following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
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Regulators homing in on social media companies’ data collection
The Federal Trade Commission is ordering Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, TikTok’s parent and five other social media companies to provide detailed information on how they collect and use consumers’ personal data and how their practices affect children and teens.
Gmail, YouTube go down briefly as Google suffers short, massive outage
The problem affected users across the world, but appeared especially widespread in the northeastern United States, Britain and other parts of Europe.
Landmark suits call Facebook illegal monopoly, setting stage for potential breakup
The lawsuits together represent the most significant political and legal threats to Facebook in its more than 16-year history, setting up a high-profile clash between U.S. regulators and one of Silicon Valley’s most profitable firms that could take years to resolve.
U.S. government, states sue Facebook for ‘predatory’ conduct
Federal regulators on Wednesday sued to force a breakup of Facebook as 48 states and districts accused the company in a separate lawsuit of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors.
TikTok asks court to intervene as Trump order looms
TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has until Thursday to sell off its U.S. operations under an executive order that Trump signed in August.
Facebook, Twitter CEOs ordered to testify by GOP senators
The push against Facebook and Twitter accelerated Thursday after Republican senators threatened the CEOs of the companies with subpoenas to force them to address accusations of censorship in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign.
Twitter pulls back on key policy after New York Post article controversy
Twitter was wrong to block web links to a political story, CEO Jack Dorsey said on Friday, as the company responded to criticism over its handling of an article that led to cries of censorship.
Hogsett’s top aid tweets, then deletes controversial image
Chief of Staff Thomas Cook told IBJ in an email that the “weekend post was intended to be a joke about my relationship with my coworkers, not anyone else. I took it down when I saw people were misinterpreting things.”
TikTok picks Oracle over Microsoft in Trump-forced sales bid
It’s not clear if the proposed acquisition will only cover TikTok’s U.S. business, and, if so, how it will be split from the rest of TikTok’s social media platform, which is popular worldwide.
Instagram’s new copycat video tool likely to have TikTok reeling
Facebook-owned Instagram released its new service, Reels, in the United States and dozens of other countries Wednesday, adding a tab to the existing app that will let users make and watch short-form videos.
Florida teen charged in massive Twitter hack, Bitcoin theft
A 17-year-old hacked the Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls to scam people around globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin, authorities said Friday.
Lawmakers question Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google chiefs about market power
The four chief executives—Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai—took the witness stand to fiercely defend their businesses Wednesday.
Era of free news for Facebook, Google could soon be over
A regulator will this month publish draft rules forcing the two U.S. tech giants to share revenue generated from news with the original publishers. Should others follow, it would chip away at two of the most wildly successful business models of the 21st century.
Civil rights groups denounce Facebook over hate speech
On Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg met with a group of civil rights leaders, including the organizers of a growing advertising boycott over hate speech on Facebook.
Starbucks latest company to say it will pause social media ads
Several companies say they will halt social media ads after a campaign led by civil rights organizations called for an ad boycott of Facebook, saying it doesn’t do enough to stop racist and violent content.
Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order challenging the lawsuit protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet.
Coronavirus restrictions scramble Second Helpings’ fundraising plans
The Indianapolis-based hunger relief organization has seen demand for its services soar because of the coronavirus pandemic. The health crisis has forced the group to convert its biggest annual fundraiser into an online event.
Democrats laud Twitter for political advertising ban
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign decried the move as an attempt to muzzle conservatives on social media.
Buttigieg calls Facebook’s political ad policy a ‘mistake’
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has come under criticism from rival Elizabeth Warren, who charges that Buttigieg is too cozy with Facebook. Buttigieg’s aides confirmed that his campaign hired two digital analytics staff recommended by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.