How Smithsonian Helped Solve the Twitter Mystery of the Unknown Woman Scientist
A few weeks after she first saw the photo, she took to Twitter. “Can you help me know her?” she asked her 500 followers. She shared the full photograph and a cropped version that zoomed in on this mystery person: a pixelated magnification of a black woman wearing a headband, …
Athletes react to Danry Vasquez video on Twitter
Surveillance video from Whataburger Field shows then Hooks player Danry Vasquez and his fiancée on Aug. 3, 2016. The Houston Astros, a parent club, later released him and he's been let go by the Lancaster Barnstormers. Monica Lopez/Caller-Times. Read More
Twitter reacts to Texas’ first-round loss to Nevada
There on the twitter account of those who protect and serve in the hometown of the University of Kansas Jayhawks was this ditty: "Please do not call 911 to complain about the format of the NCAA tournament selection show. We can't do anything about it, no matter how bad it …
Why Facebook’s Masters of the Universe Are More Paranoid Than Ever
Facebook and Google use internal affairs departments to crack down on leakers, and in some cases hire third-party agencies to surveil their employees. (One firm, Pinkerton, counts both companies as clients.) Last year, according to a report from the Guardian, a Facebook employee was told he was in … Read More
Facebook Lite comes to the US and other developed countries
Facebook is bringing the minimalist version of its app to some developed countries, including the United States. Facebook Lite is a parred down version of the social network's mobile app. It is designed as a way for people with older phones, limited data plans, or slow and intermittent internet … Read …
Facebook apologises for sickening suggestions of child abuse videos
“We're very sorry this happened. As soon as we became aware of these offensive predictions we removed them,” Facebook said in a statement. “Facebook search predictions are representative of what people may be searching for on Facebook and are not necessarily reflective of actual content on the … Read More
After Social Media Outcry, French Museum Removes Video of Burning Chickens
A video work by the Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed that showed chickens ablaze and hanging by their feet was removed from an exhibition in France after it drew criticism on social media. The installation, “Spring,” was part of an exhibition by the artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art in …
Should government social media accounts be treated as critical infrastructure?
Attackers understand the power of the latest communications platforms and have targeted social media accounts to sow discord and false information over the years. One such example was a false Tweet sent from the Associated Press Twitter handle, resulting in a $136.5 billion drop in the S&P 500 … Read More
Hate crime ‘police priority’ as social media cases soar
A rise in online hate crimes has prompted a major police campaign. After the number of hate crime files created last year reached almost 6,000, Police Scotland is urging young people to "be greater than a hater". Many cases involved social media being used for bullying, with fake accounts created …
Snapchat patent suggests humans need technology in order to read other humans’ emotions
Snapchat might be planning a surprise move into customer services. The company has patented a system that would make it easier for customer service staff to work out when people they're chatting to are annoyed. The emotion-reading technology would work by mapping people's faces and analysing … Read More