Hate speech: social media fuels hate crimes, and has an obligation to fix it
6 years, 2 months ago

Hate speech: social media fuels hate crimes, and has an obligation to fix it

CNN  

New York CNN Business — After virtually every mass shooting, every high-profile hate crime over the past decade, the story played out much the same: All the warning signs were on full display on social media. “Every hour and every dollar spent policing content is a dollar and hour spent not investing in growing the company,” said PW Singer, senior fellow at liberal think tank New America and author of “LikeWar: the Weaponization of Social Media.” “But this has become a political football that has hurt social media companies’ branding and their reputations.” A difficult balance Facebook announced in July it would invest billions of dollars a year to improve safety and security on the platform. “Twitter rules are a living document and we’re continually looking for ways to improve them,” a spokesperson for Twitter said. People routinely post screenshots of death threats, hate speech or other violence along with Twitter’s response to their complaints: “We have reviewed your report carefully and found there was no violation of Twitter rules.” “We do not look at content with regards to political ideology. “They’re not sitting around the board room saying let’s decrease our profit margins by acting today.” Although social networks have invested in tools to combat dangerous speech, to a large degree they continue to act like they’re online town halls where the free flow of ideas and expression will build up society.

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History of this topic

Social-media companies decide content moderation is trending down
1 week ago

Social-media companies decide content moderation is trending down

Live Mint  

Social-media companies never wanted to aggressively police content on their platforms. Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta Platforms will end fact-checking and remove speech restrictions across Facebook and Instagram shows how Donald Trump’s presidential election, and the U.S. political winds that swept him into a second term, have sharply accelerated a move by social-media giants away from refereeing what is said …

How George Orwell was right — and Steve Jobs was wrong
2 weeks, 4 days ago

How George Orwell was right — and Steve Jobs was wrong

Raw Story  

A fascinating article in The New York Timesthis week by Kurt Gray, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gives us the beginnings of an understanding of how and why social media is so destructive to society. Whether we’re scrolling social media or voting for a presidential candidate, we all still carry the …

Celebrities hit back at social media trolls with defamation suits to safeguard their reputations
1 month ago

Celebrities hit back at social media trolls with defamation suits to safeguard their reputations

Live Mint  

Celebrities are increasingly considering filing suits against media platforms that carry defamatory content by trolls, having become more cognisant of the damage that can be caused as the dissemination and consumption of content on the Internet surges. “In India, celebrities increasingly resort to filing defamation suits against media outlets, including traditional media houses and social media platforms. This trend has …

Reddit overtakes X as the most popular social media platform in the UK
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Reddit overtakes X as the most popular social media platform in the UK

Firstpost  

Reddit’s has seen remarkable growth, with a 47 per cent increase in users compared to May 2023. The platform now sits behind YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok in the UK’s social media standings While Reddit’s user base grew, X experienced an 8 per cent decline in UK users over the same period. Image Credit: Reuters Reddit, the popular online discussion …

Growing social media app vows to shake up ‘toxic’ status quo
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Growing social media app vows to shake up ‘toxic’ status quo

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. They've cleverly addicted us to our own egos Zoe Kalar, WeAre8 founder Zoe Kalar, the app’s founder, …

Expect This Election to Play Differently than 2020 on Social Media
2 months, 1 week ago

Expect This Election to Play Differently than 2020 on Social Media

Bloomberg  

Heading into the US presidential election four years ago, Facebook and Twitter instituted substantial policies to combat misleading political content, touted their investments into content moderation and promised to do all they could to avoid a free-for-all on their platforms. Just before Election Day in 2020, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told investors the election would be a test …

Ahead of the Election, Social Media Platforms Have Given Up
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Ahead of the Election, Social Media Platforms Have Given Up

Wired  

Our social media platforms and government have had four years to get this right. In the days following January 6, Meta, Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch suspended former president Donald Trump over posts the companies said glorified the violence at the Capitol. Jim Jordan was elevated to chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee and immediately launched investigations stifling the work …

Hate speech against Jews surges more than a third after Oct 7 attacks
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Hate speech against Jews surges more than a third after Oct 7 attacks

The Telegraph  

Hate speech targeting Jewish people on social media surged by more than a third in the year following Israel’s military response to the Hamas October 7 attacks, a report has found. Analysis of social media platforms such as X, TikTok and Facebook, showed an 86 per cent surge in posts attacking Jews in the first three weeks after Oct 7. …

Regulating the spread of mis/disinformation online is not an attack on freedom of speech
3 months, 1 week ago

Regulating the spread of mis/disinformation online is not an attack on freedom of speech

ABC  

Freedom of speech does not exist in Australia — at least not in the way Americans refer to it, the way it’s been popularised on social media. The Communications Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 looks to grant the Australian Communications and Media Authority powers to hold social media platforms to account, compelling them to disclose their policies and plans to combat …

It’s time for somebody to step in and regulate social media
4 months, 4 weeks ago

It’s time for somebody to step in and regulate social media

The Independent  

I thoroughly enjoyed Alan Rusbridger’s recent article, in which he proposed a mass exodus from Elon Musk’s Twitter/X. It’s time for Elon Musk to realise his warped notion of “free speech” cuts both ways, by exercising our freedom to go somewhere else. Simon Calder begins his article on Wizz Air’s £427 “all you can fly” promotion with a question: “How …

Keir Starmer under pressure to order inquiry into social media to prevent it fuelling future riots
5 months ago

Keir Starmer under pressure to order inquiry into social media to prevent it fuelling future riots

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We cannot let this moment go by without a proper …

Independent readers say ‘X is the disinformation company’ – and call for Elon Musk boycott
5 months ago

Independent readers say ‘X is the disinformation company’ – and call for Elon Musk boycott

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Independent readers have slammed social media companies, accusing them of allowing disinformation to …

Musk ‘one of the most dangerous men on the planet’, says Yousaf
5 months, 1 week ago

Musk ‘one of the most dangerous men on the planet’, says Yousaf

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He is accountable to nobody, …

Has Elon Musk been radicalised by his own platform?
5 months, 1 week ago

Has Elon Musk been radicalised by his own platform?

The Independent  

It is no secret that Elon Musk’s politics have shifted significantly over the past few years. In particular, a fake news account on Twitter/X known as “Channel3 Now” posted the entirely false claim that the attacker was known as “Ali Al-Shakati”, a Muslim asylum seeker on MI6’s watchlist who supposedly arrived in the UK last year by boat. What is …

Swinney: Social media giants must crack down on ‘dangerous’ disinformation
5 months, 1 week ago

Swinney: Social media giants must crack down on ‘dangerous’ disinformation

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy John Swinney has urged social media giants to …

Elon Musk wades into far-right riots row again as war of words with UK MPs grows
5 months, 1 week ago

Elon Musk wades into far-right riots row again as war of words with UK MPs grows

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Elon Musk has …

People spreading hate online should have ‘nowhere to hide’, says minister
5 months, 1 week ago

People spreading hate online should have ‘nowhere to hide’, says minister

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. I expect platforms to ensure that those seeking to spread …

Those stoking violence online could face jail, Keir Starmer says
5 months, 1 week ago

Those stoking violence online could face jail, Keir Starmer says

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Anyone whipping up …

As disinformation swirls around Southport stabbings and Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif, are social media companies doing enough to tackle it?
5 months, 1 week ago

As disinformation swirls around Southport stabbings and Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif, are social media companies doing enough to tackle it?

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. On Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer warned social media companies after …

Starmer warns social media firms over misinformation sparking violent disorder
5 months, 1 week ago

Starmer warns social media firms over misinformation sparking violent disorder

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer has warned social media “carries responsibility” over tackling misinformation in …

Revealed: The most HATED social media sites around the world - so, is your nemesis on the list?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Revealed: The most HATED social media sites around the world - so, is your nemesis on the list?

Daily Mail  

If you're fed up with Facebook but can't get enough of TikTok, you're not alone. Research has revealed the most hated social media apps around the world, with Facebook, Reddit, and X taking the top three spots Mailsuite compared the Google Play Store reviews of 1.500 popular apps to find which social media sites had the lowest ranking in each …

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter
7 months ago

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Back when I worked at Twitter, …

Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk’s X against nonprofit researchers tracking hate speech on platform
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk’s X against nonprofit researchers tracking hate speech on platform

Associated Press  

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk’s X Corp. against the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by the Tesla owner. X, formerly known as Twitter, had argued the center’s researchers violated the site’s terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets, …

Musk’s X asks judge to penalize nonprofit researchers tracking rise of hate speech on platform
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Musk’s X asks judge to penalize nonprofit researchers tracking rise of hate speech on platform

Associated Press  

Attorneys for X Corp. and a research organization that studies online hate speech traded arguments in court Thursday after the social media platform sued the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate for documenting the increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased by Elon Musk. X, formerly known as Twitter, alleges the center’s researchers violated the site’s …

Musk's X asks judge to penalize nonprofit researchers tracking rise of hate speech on platform
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Musk's X asks judge to penalize nonprofit researchers tracking rise of hate speech on platform

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Attorneys for X Corp. and …

How bad is social-media misinformation going to get?
11 months ago

How bad is social-media misinformation going to get?

Live Mint  

Get Offline Mass propaganda has infected the world for generations. —Evan Carlisle, Ohio University, mathematics Government Should Provide a Framework Misinformation poses an escalating problem that government officials and tech companies must face. —HeavenLee Vasquez, Baylor University, finance and management Do Your Research We take much of what we see on social media at face value, especially if it’s something …

Happy 20th birthday, Facebook… isn’t it now time you grew up?
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Happy 20th birthday, Facebook… isn’t it now time you grew up?

The Independent  

They may be mighty, those new tech giants, the digital masters of the universe, their owners some of the richest people in the history of the world, and wielding vast power and influence over the lives of people who use their services – but they can still be forced to account for their actions and made to apologise for the …

The New Digital Dark Age
1 year ago

The New Digital Dark Age

Wired  

For researchers, social media has always represented greater access to data, more democratic involvement in knowledge production, and great transparency about social behavior. In 2024, we will face a grim digital dark age, as social media platforms transition away from the logic of Web 2.0 and toward one dictated by AI-generated content. However, changes in data access by social media …

Experts warn of AI's impact on 2024 US election as deepfakes go mainstream and social media guardrails fade
1 year ago

Experts warn of AI's impact on 2024 US election as deepfakes go mainstream and social media guardrails fade

ABC  

Nearly three years after rioters stormed the US Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and that country's television news. Defence force chief's deepfake and AI warning Photo shows Angus Campbell stands alongside Anthony Albanese at a press conference at parliament house General Angus Campbell warns the world is entering an …

As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections
1 year ago

As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting. In June, YouTube announced that while it would still regulate content that misleads about current or upcoming elections, it would …

Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024
1 year, 1 month ago

Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year’s elections, Meta said Thursday. “Foreign threat actors are attempting to reach people across the internet ahead of next year’s elections, and …

Elon Musk bought Twitter one year ago. Here’s everything he broke there.
1 year, 2 months ago

Elon Musk bought Twitter one year ago. Here’s everything he broke there.

Slate  

He didn’t want to, but Elon Musk closed his purchase of Twitter one year ago. The lawyers representing Twitter’s outgoing board of directors were better than Musk’s—or, maybe more accurately, had a close-to-ironclad case against a reputably brilliant billionaire who tried to call “backsies!” on a contract he’d inked. Related From Slate The Elon Effect Is Real: Twitter Users Are …

How Big Tech Is Shaping the Israel-Palestine Conflict & What It Means for Others
1 year, 2 months ago

How Big Tech Is Shaping the Israel-Palestine Conflict & What It Means for Others

The Quint  

Since Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a 'surprise attack' against Israel on 7 October, major tech companies like Meta, Google, and X have outlined the following steps to 'ensure the safety of users': Hamas ban: "Hamas is banned from our platforms, and we remove praise and substantive support of them when we become aware of it, while continuing to allow …

Commentary: Elon Musk bought Twitter just to break it. With a new war, we’re paying the price
1 year, 3 months ago

Commentary: Elon Musk bought Twitter just to break it. With a new war, we’re paying the price

LA Times  

It’s been nearly a year since Elon Musk acquired Twitter, and more than the average landlord, he’s made some changes to the storefront: replacing the social media platform’s cheerful winged mascot with an ominous “X,” stripping all but paying subscribers of verified status, and turning it from a frenetic crossroads of breaking news and opinion to a playground for falsehoods …

X kept up majority of 300 posts reported for “extreme hate speech:” Report
1 year, 3 months ago

X kept up majority of 300 posts reported for “extreme hate speech:” Report

The Hindu  

September 20, 2023 01:27 pm | Updated 02:15 pm IST The Center for Countering Digital Hate, which studies prejudice across digital platforms, published a report this month which stated that out of 300 posts reported for hate speech, X continued to host 86% of them. “X continued to host these posts even after they were reported, despite them clearly violating …

Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, sues California over social media law
1 year, 4 months ago

Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, sues California over social media law

LA Times  

X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is suing California over a state law passed last year that lawmakers say aims to make social media platforms more transparent. In the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Sacramento on Friday, X alleges the law violates the 1st Amendment’s free speech protections and would pressure social media companies to moderate “constitutionally-protected” …

Elon Musk’s social media site X sues California over the state’s content moderation law
1 year, 4 months ago

Elon Musk’s social media site X sues California over the state’s content moderation law

Associated Press  

Elon Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter has sued the state of California over a law requiring social media companies to publish their policies for removing offending material such as hate speech, misinformation and harassment. In a lawsuit filed Friday against state Attorney General Robert Bonta, X Corp. challenges the “constitutionality and legal validity” of the law, saying …

Experts: Elon Musk offers "economic incentive" to spew "most shocking and hateful" rhetoric on X
1 year, 5 months ago

Experts: Elon Musk offers "economic incentive" to spew "most shocking and hateful" rhetoric on X

Salon  

Several far-right conspiracy theorists with a history of spreading falsehoods and hate online are now earning thousands of dollars from X's new ad revenue-sharing program, alarming extremism experts who say this initiative is being used to incentivize hateful messages. Elon Musk, the owner of X – the platform previously known as Twitter – announced in February that eligible creators would …

"Straight out of the authoritarian playbook": Hate speech watchdog sued by Musk's X hits back
1 year, 5 months ago

"Straight out of the authoritarian playbook": Hate speech watchdog sued by Musk's X hits back

Salon  

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. The internet watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate hit back at billionaire Elon Musk Tuesday after X—his company formerly known as Twitter—sued the organization over its research into the dissemination of hate speech on the social media platform. In a complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Northern California in San …

X marks the lawsuit: Elon Musk’s social media company sues nonprofit highlighting site’s hate speech
1 year, 5 months ago

X marks the lawsuit: Elon Musk’s social media company sues nonprofit highlighting site’s hate speech

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has sued a group of researchers — alleging their work highlighting an increase in hate speech on the platform cost the company millions of dollars of advertising revenue. With offices in the U.S. and United Kingdom, the center regularly publishes reports on hate speech, extremism and harmful behavior on …

X marks the lawsuit: Elon Musk's social media company sues nonprofit highlighting site's hate speech
1 year, 5 months ago

X marks the lawsuit: Elon Musk's social media company sues nonprofit highlighting site's hate speech

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy X, the social media platform …

Elon Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hateful tweets
1 year, 5 months ago

Elon Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hateful tweets

The Hindu  

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. An attorney representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal action over …

Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hateful tweets
1 year, 5 months ago

Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hateful tweets

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. An attorney representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal …

Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hate tweets
1 year, 5 months ago

Musk threatens to sue researchers who documented the rise in hate tweets

Al Jazeera  

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. A lawyer representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal action over …

Deep divides on social media, but algorithm tweaks may not help: Study on FB, Insta
1 year, 5 months ago

Deep divides on social media, but algorithm tweaks may not help: Study on FB, Insta

Hindustan Times  

There is significant ideological divide in the political information Facebook and Instagram users are exposed to, and they spend less time on these services when specially curated feeds are switched off, a set of new studies from what is the largest under-the-hood analysis of social media platforms has found, including clues that many problems that exist on these technologies may …

Deep dive into Meta’s algorithms shows that America’s political polarization has no easy fix
1 year, 5 months ago

Deep dive into Meta’s algorithms shows that America’s political polarization has no easy fix

LA Times  

The powerful algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram to deliver content to users have increasingly been blamed for amplifying misinformation and political polarization. “We find that algorithms are extremely influential in people’s on-platform experiences and there is significant ideological segregation in political news exposure,” said Talia Jomini Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas …

Twitter commits to safety amidst content concerns
1 year, 5 months ago

Twitter commits to safety amidst content concerns

India TV News  

Linda Yaccarino, the new CEO Twitter has strongly denied a recent report which claims an increase in "hateful, violent, and inaccurate" content on the platform, which is owned by Elon Musk. Yaccarino stated that Twitter has actually made significant progress in addressing harmful content, with the majority of tweets in a user's feed now considered safe. Image Source : FREEPIKTwitter …

Opinion: How I looked past Twitter and learned to like social media again
1 year, 6 months ago

Opinion: How I looked past Twitter and learned to like social media again

LA Times  

I had no plan to join Bluesky. Bluesky is one of many social networks that have emerged to compete with Twitter, which, since Elon Musk gained control last October, has grown increasingly toxic. Then last Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, which operates Instagram and Facebook, launched Threads, another Twitter-esque platform that within less than a week signed up more than 100 …

Column: Social media promised us democracy — but gave us dictatorships
1 year, 6 months ago

Column: Social media promised us democracy — but gave us dictatorships

LA Times  

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen says she became a whistleblower after coming to believe Mark Zuckerberg’s absolute control of the company made it impervious to reform. “Thirty-plus people across the company,” Haugen recalls in her new book, “ The Power of One,” convened to determine the “conditions under which Facebook should step in and take down speech from political …

Why Social Media Platforms like TikTok Are Being Blamed for Fueling Riots in France?
1 year, 6 months ago

Why Social Media Platforms like TikTok Are Being Blamed for Fueling Riots in France?

News 18  

Social media companies are once again under scrutiny, this time in France as the country’s president blames TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms for helping fuel widespread riots over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver. Macron, who in tandem castigated video games for the rioting, said the French government would work with social media sites to take down “the …

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