social media

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Biden Makes It Official: TikTok Must Be Sold or Banned

He signs $95B war aid measure that includes provision regarding China-owned site

(Newser) - President Biden signed into law on Wednesday a $95 billion war aid measure that includes assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and that also has a provision that would force social media site TikTok to be sold or be banned in the US . The announcement marks an end to a...

Truth Social Roller Coaster Sees Another Stock Plunge

Company's shares are at lowest since trading debut, though the volatility is hard to read

(Newser) - Last month, Donald Trump's net worth got a brief boost , thanks to the merger of Truth Social parent company Trump Media and Technology Group with Digital World Acquisition Corp. This month, it's a different story, with NPR reporting that Truth Social shares are "slumping." Most recently,...

Who's Worse for Democracy, Biden or Trump? RFK Jr. Picks

Independent POTUS candidate claims Biden is first president to use feds 'to censor political speech'

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. obviously thinks he's a better man for the Oval Office than either of his two main competitors, President Biden and former President Trump, but he made it clear during an appearance this week on CNN that he thinks one of his political foes looms more...

Canadian Schools Sue Social Media Giants

Lawsuits say apps are wreaking havoc with students' education

(Newser) - Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario launched lawsuits Thursday against TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat, alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits claim platforms like Facebook and Instagram are "designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave,...

DeSantis Signs Strict Social Media Law

It bans social media accounts for under-14s, requires parental consent for under-16s

(Newser) - Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors—if it withstands expected legal challenges—under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill, HB3, will ban social media accounts for children under 14. Those who are 14 or...

Trump's Possible 11th-Hour Cash Cow: Truth Social

Social media company is set to go public, but there are restrictions on what the former president can do

(Newser) - Donald Trump has been struggling to come up with the cash to take care of his massive legal bills as he faces down four criminal indictments, a $454 million civil fraud judgment (bond on that is due by Monday ), and escalating costs owed to E. Jean Carroll , and he'...

Supreme Court Seems to Back Government Lobbying on Posts

Louisiana, Missouri call administration's efforts a First Amendment issue

(Newser) - While looking for when the lobbying would become coercion, the Supreme Court sounded unreceptive to arguments Monday that the government should not be able to try to persuade news or social media companies to not publish certain information. The case began with the Biden administration's efforts last year to...

Justices Bring Orwell Into Social Media Case

Florida, Texas cases could have major effect on online debates

(Newser) - Supreme Court justices sounded hesitant Monday to dismiss First Amendment concerns about state laws that would restrict social media companies' ability to moderate users' posts. The court spent four hours hearing oral arguments about laws passed in Florida and Texas that are blocked for now, the New York Times reports....

Social Sportsbooks Open Virtual Gambling to Minors

And experts are growing concerned

(Newser) - After the Supreme Court lifted a federal ban on sports gambling in 2018, a flurry of new players in the online gambling space emerged. Among them were "social sportsbooks" that take bets using "virtual currency," reports the Washington Post . With loose age restrictions (most are rated for...

Nextdoor Isn't the Neighborly App We Thought
Opinion: Nextdoor Isn't the
Neighborly App We Thought
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 10, 2024 12:45 PM CST

Opinion: Nextdoor Isn't the Neighborly App We Thought

Rick Reilly takes on the 'aspiring vigilantes' and petty complainers he says lurk on the platform

(Newser) - Imagine a friendly app where neighbors could check in on each other, offer sugar and eggs, and talk about pertinent area issues. Perhaps that was the original intent of Nextdoor, the hyperlocal social networking platform, but Rick Reilly, writing for the Washington Post , says it's turned into something else...

Elmo Poses a Question, 'Collective Breakdown' Ensues
An Innocent Question From
Elmo Breaks the Internet
in case you missed it
Feb 4, 2024 7:00 AM CST

An Innocent Question From Elmo Breaks the Internet

It turns out a lot of us are hurting and eager for a listening ear

(Newser) - On a Monday morning toward the end of the seemingly endless month of January, Elmo posed a question : "How is everybody doing?" "The answer, it seems, is not great," the BBC reports, noting there was "a collective breakdown" Monday as X users dumped their woes on...

Apple, Google Pull App Linked to Sextortion Scams

Wizz, a Tinder-style app aimed at teens, says it's trying to remedy the 'technical hiccup'

(Newser) - A Tinder-style app geared toward teens has been yanked from both Apple and Google's app portals after warnings about sextortion. NBC News reports that, according to emails it viewed, Wizz was pulled on Tuesday from the Apple App Store following pushback from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation on...

'You Have Blood on Your Hands,' Senator Tells Zuckerberg

Meta CEO apologizes to parents at Senate committee hearing on child safety

(Newser) - The CEOs of five social media companies—Meta, X, Discord, TikTok, and Snap—testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on efforts to protect children Wednesday, and they did not have a friendly audience. Rolling Stone reports parents holding photos of children who died by suicide "audibly hissed" at Mark...

Some of Your Favorite Music May Vanish From TikTok
TikTok May
Lose Some
Very Big Songs
Jan 31, 2024 11:55 AM CST

TikTok May Lose Some Very Big Songs

Yes, it's over a licensing deal, and it affects Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, and more

(Newser) - Universal Music Group—which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish—says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok after a licensing deal between the two expired on Wednesday. UMG said that it had not agreed to terms of a new deal...

The Boys Star Ditches Insta, Says 'Shame on You, Megyn Kelly'

Erin Moriarty says she's been dealing with harassment following Kelly's plastic surgery remarks

(Newser) - A young Hollywood actor says she's had to ditch Instagram after comments by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly subjected her to a barrage of harassment on social media. "We're all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives but I am horrified," Erin Moriarty, the...

Nature's Taking a Final Toll on This Instagram Star

Storms have ravaged the beached SS Point Reyes, a beloved selfie spot in California

(Newser) - A beloved landmark for selfie-seekers and photographers alike is in its final days. According to SF Gate , winter storms have ravaged the remains of the SS Point Reyes, a beached vessel that's been left to the elements for decades in Northern California. Though it's been dubbed a shipwreck...

Tipping Culture Is Surprisingly Big on TikTok

Users give a collective $11M per day

(Newser) - If you ever considered showing off your skills on TikTok, here's a little incentive. MarketWatch says that users are shelling out a collective $11 million per day in tips. Now the app is "poised to become the highest earning mobile app ever—approaching the $15 billion milestone in...

Shaun King: I've Been Booted From Instagram Over Palestine

Meta says activist's 'praise for designated entities' violated its policies, leading to ban

(Newser) - Social justice activist Shaun King says he was banned from Instagram, where he counted millions of followers, for expressing support for Palestinians. A Meta rep said King's account was disabled on Christmas Eve "due to multiple instances of praise for designated entities in violation of our policies,"...

Study: 'Anomalies' Suggest TikTok Is Suppressing Content

Researchers say content suppressed in China is a lot rarer on TikTok than it is on Instagram

(Newser) - TikTok appears to be suppressing content that China's government doesn't approve of, according to researchers who found huge differences in the volume of posts on certain subjects when they compared TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, to Instagram. The Network Contagion Research Institute researchers at Rutgers...

New Wrinkle in Border Surge: Migrants as 'Influencers'
Migrant Surge at Border
Is 'Unprecedented'
the rundown
Dec 21, 2023 11:54 AM CST

Migrant Surge at Border Is 'Unprecedented'

More migrants are documenting their journey on social media, helping fuel the record numbers

(Newser) - "Wearily" is the word used by the Washington Post to describe how Troy Miller, the acting head of the US Customs and Border Protection, spoke. With good reason: "The numbers we are seeing now are unprecedented," he says of the illegal crossings at the border. Agents are...

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