Tech and Gaming - Shore News Network

YouTube Deletes Ron Paul Channel, Rejects Appeal, Then Reinstates It After Getting Called Out On Twitter

The Daily CallerOctober 1, 20210

YouTube deleted one of former Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s channels Thursday and denied his appeal to reinstate it, only restoring the account after Paul voiced his frustrations on Twitter. Paul posted two screenshots on Twitter Thursday of emails sent to him by YouTube informing him his account “RonPaulInstitute” had been removed for “severe or repeated violations of our community guidelines.” A screenshot of another email appeared to show an automatic reply from YouTube informing Paul that his appeal to reinstate the account had been denied. “Very shocked that @YouTube has completely removed the Channel of my Ron Paul Institute: no

Josh Hawley Proposes Bill Holding Tech Companies Liable For Harm To Children

The Daily CallerOctober 1, 20210

Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill Thursday removing liability protections from tech platforms that harm children. The bill would amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to strip liability protections from social media services that are found to have caused “bodily injury or harm to mental health” to users under the age of 16. This allows for users who suffer harm at the hands of social media companies to sue for damages. “Facebook has long had evidence of the harmful effects their products have on children but covered it up because it would hurt their profits,” Hawley said in a

Russia Threatens Facebook With Massive Fine Unless It Removes Banned Content

The Daily CallerSeptember 30, 20210

Russian authorities Thursday threatened to fine Facebook unless the tech giant removes content deemed illegal by the Russian government, signaling Moscow’s commitment to further crack down on social media. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s technology and telecommunications regulator, told Reuters it would send representatives to Facebook threatening the tech giant with a fine of up to 10% of its Russian annual revenue due to the company’s repeated failures to remove banned content. The regulator told Russian newspaper Vedomosti that Facebook had failed to remove traditionally illegal content such as child [censored]ography, as well as politically extremist content. Russia declared groups linked to dissident

Facebook Researched How To Market To ‘Tweens,’ Studied Kids’ Playdates: REPORT

The Daily CallerSeptember 28, 20210

Facebook researched how to market its products and services to preteen users, studying kids’ playdates and developing strategies to address parents’ concerns, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. The tech giant established a three-year project beginning in 2018 to study and develop marketing strategies geared towards preteen users, company documents seen by The Wall Street Journal revealed. Facebook conducted over a dozen studies to figure out which services most appeal to children under the age of 13, and what are parents’ chief concerns. “Why do we care about tweens?” one document from 2020 read, according to the WSJ.

Lawmakers, Child Advocates Say They Aren’t Satisfied With Facebook’s Latest Bid To Protect Kids

The Daily CallerSeptember 28, 20210

Lawmakers and advocacy groups say Facebook’s decision to stop work on a version of its social media platform Instagram specifically aimed at children isn’t enough, demanding the project be abandoned altogether. “Pausing Instagram Kids is not enough. They need to abolish the program completely,” Rep. Ken Buck tweeted Monday. “Facebook knows it is toxic for our kids, they simply don’t care.” Facebook announced it had suspended the project Monday, citing its desire to confer with “parents, experts, policymakers and regulators” before developing it further. The decision to pause the project follows an investigation by The Wall Street Journal which found Facebook had conducted

YouTube Won’t Say If It Took Down Navalny Videos At The Behest Of Putin

The Daily CallerSeptember 27, 20210

YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki dodged whether the digital media company took down material belonging to Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, at the request of the Russian government in an interview with Bloomberg on Sunday. The site removed a number of Navalny’s videos, while Google, YouTube’s parent company, and Apple, pulled a voting app promoted by his supporters ahead of the Russian general election, The New York Times reported. “One of the things that’s important to us at YouTube is the fact that we do enable so many voices and that we do enable people

Google Begins Appeal Of $5 Billion Fine, Disputes Allegations It’s A Monopoly

The Daily CallerSeptember 27, 20210

Google began its appeal Monday of a $5 billion fine levied by a European regulator over alleged market abuses. The European Commission slapped the tech giant with the fine in 2018 for a number of alleged anticompetitive practices, including forcing smartphone makers to pre-install the Google Chrome browser to be able to install the Google Play Store, and imposing restrictions discouraging smartphone makers from manufacturing devices that run unofficial versions of the Android operating system. The commission alleged Google used these requirements to keep out competitors and maintain its monopoly position in Android distribution. Google contested the case Monday before

Is this pollen bellowing Oodhu Paavai real?

Jessica WoodsSeptember 27, 20210

A video circulating on social media this week claims to show the medicinal plant, Oodhu Paavai, only found in dark rain forests in Tamil. It is alleged to blow out pollen grains periodically through its funnel-like structure, but is it real? While impressive by any stretch of the imagination, the Oodhu Paavai is a spectacle to behold. That’s because it’s a CGI animation created by graphic artist Luke Penry. After it began being shared as real, Penry couldn’t believe it. “I see this being spread like a real plant lool,” he tweeted. You can see Penry’s original tweet here: Penry’s

Facebook Suspends ‘Instagram Kids’ Following Investigation Into Platform’s Effect On Teens

The Daily CallerSeptember 27, 20210

Facebook has paused development of a version of its image-sharing platform Instagram specifically geared towards children, the company announced Monday. The tech giant decided to suspend work on the project in order to “work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators,” and “demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today,” Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote in a statement Monday. Instagram Kids was conceived as a way to “create a version of Instagram for young people or kids where parents have transparency or control,” Mosseri told BuzzFeed News in a March interview when announcing plans for the project.

Overwhelming Majority Of Voters ‘Very Nervous’ About Social Media’s Impact On Kids: POLL

The Daily CallerSeptember 23, 20210

Almost nine in ten voters are very concerned about the impact social media is having on children, according to a new poll. When asked whether they were “very nervous about the effects social media is having on kids today,” 84% of registered voters said they at least somewhat agreed, according to the results of a poll conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and released Thursday by the Future of Tech Commission. Roughly 6 out of 10 parents polled agreed that they felt like they had no control over what their children see online, while 85% of voters overall supported special online

Republicans Press State Department On Security Risks Posed By Chinese Cloud Services

The Daily CallerSeptember 23, 20210

Republicans Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Rep. Mark Gallagher of Wisconsin sent a letter to the State Department warning of the security risks posed by foreign governments’ use of cloud services provided by Chinese technology company Huawei. The letter, addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, expressed concerns regarding over 70 foreign governments’ and state-backed companies’ use of Huawei’s cloud infrastructure, which the lawmakers argued could be used by the Chinese government to spy on foreign countries. “If allowed to proliferate, Huawei’s cloud services could give the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) similar access to additional governments, companies, and other

Tech Industry Groups Sue Texas Over Anti-Censorship Social Media Law

The Daily CallerSeptember 22, 20210

Groups representing major tech companies filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state of Texas over a social media law passed earlier this month that aimed to curb online censorship. The lawsuit, filed by technology trade associations NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) that represent tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, alleged a law signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month violated their First Amendment rights. The law, known as HB 20, prohibits social media platforms from banning or suspending users and removing or suppressing content based on a political viewpoint. “This unconstitutional Texas law

TikTok Parent Company Limits Screen Time For Chinese Kids To 40 Minutes Per Day

Breaking Local News ReportSeptember 20, 20210

TikTok maker ByteDance announced Saturday it was limiting screen time for Chinese users under 14 years old. The Chinese version of video sharing platform TikTok, called “Douyin,” unveiled a new “youth mode” feature that limits the use of its app for children under 14 to 40 minutes a day, its parent company ByteDance announced Saturday. The app will also be unavailable for children between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., ByteDance said, according to The Wall Street Journal. The screen time cap applies to all child users registered under their real name, and is designed to protect children

Facebook Accuses Critics Of ‘Cherry-Picking’ After Leaks Spark Outrage, Senate Probe

The Daily CallerSeptember 20, 20210

Facebook accused critics of mischaracterizing its policies Saturday, following an investigation of leaked internal documents by The Wall Street Journal that prompted outrage and congressional scrutiny. “At the heart of this series is an allegation that is just plain false: that Facebook conducts research and then systematically and willfully ignores it if the findings are inconvenient for the company,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, wrote in a blog post Saturday. Clegg’s comments come in response to the WSJ investigation revealing Facebook’s knowledge of how its platform negatively affects users. Clegg argued that the investigation was framed to portray Facebook

Arizona Senate Candidate Blake Master’s Plans To Tackle Big Tech’s ‘Predatory’ Business Practices

The Daily CallerSeptember 20, 20210

Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters wants to break up Big Tech and ban their business practices he believes are harmful. “I think Republicans need to reacquaint themselves with their history of antitrust enforcement, and realize huge concentrations of power in private hands can violate people’s liberties just as much as government,” Masters said in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Masters, who announced his candidacy in July, serves as chief operating officer at investment firm Thiel Capital and runs the Thiel Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded by billionaire investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. He competes in a crowded

Apple, Google Delete Putin Critic’s App As Russian Parliamentary Voting Begins

The Daily CallerSeptember 17, 20210

Google and Apple removed a voting app promoted by supporters of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny from its app stores Friday, the day Russian parliamentary elections begin. The tech companies removed the Smart Voting app, promoted by supporters of Navalny and designed to provide information to Russian voters as well as messages from Navalny, early Friday morning, according to The New York Times. Russian officials had approached the tech companies Thursday and threatened them with large fines unless they deleted the app, according to Reuters. Google removed the app after Russian officials threatened its employees with criminal prosecution, a person familiar with

Internet Watchdog Says Ex-Intelligence Community Officials Are Echoing Big Tech Talking Points

September 16, 20210

A warning by former national security officials about the dangers of regulating technology companies is in lockstep with arguments made by Big Tech chief executives, according to a report from an internet watchdog group. A group of former intelligence community officials sent a letter Wednesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy arguing against the passage of a series of antitrust bills advanced in the House Judiciary Committee in June. The warnings echo talking points made by groups lobbying for the tech industry and major tech firms themselves, according to a report by the Internet Accountability Project,

Facebook Will Fund Fact-Checkers Fighting ‘Climate Misinformation’

September 16, 20210

Facebook announced a grant program Thursday to fund fact-checking groups combating the spread of “climate misinformation.” The program is designed to provide Facebook users with accurate and reliable information on topics related to climate change, such as sea levels and global warming, Facebook announced. The company said it launched the initiative partly in response to an August report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that highlighted the negative impact humans have on the environment. Fact-checking organizations will consult with climate scientists and researchers to identify and refute climate misinformation, according to the program’s description. “Through our $1 million investment in

NSA Director Promises ‘Intense’ Crackdown On Foreign Cyber Attacks

September 15, 20210

National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone said he was launching an offensive to crack down on the rising threat of cyber attacks in a Tuesday interview with the Associated Press. Nakasone told the AP about “an intense focus” among government agencies to improve cyber attack responses and better gather information about cybersecurity threat origins. The general also discussed the NSA’s willingness to “impose costs when necessary,” including tying countries to major hacks and publicizing information on how attacks were carried out. President Joe Biden prioritized cybersecurity since he took office, taking a number of actions to bolster government and private

Facebook Aware Instagram Makes Teen Girls Feel Bad, Leaked Research Shows: REPORT

September 14, 20210

Facebook is aware that Instagram, an image-sharing social media platform it owns, has harmful effects on the self-esteem of teen girls, according to leaked research seen by The Wall Street Journal. Internal research, documents and research reportedly show that Facebook has studied the harmful effects Instagram can have on its users, especially teen girls, according to the WSJ. “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” one slide from an internal research report read, with another saying that “teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression.” “Thirty-two percent of teen girls said

Facebook exempts celebrities, some politicians, Hollywood elite from its overreaching rules and censorship

Breaking Local News ReportSeptember 14, 20210

Facebook is exempting certain popular accounts from its platform rules, according to company documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Facebook has constructed a content review system known as “XCheck” that privileges certain high-profile and celebrity accounts, allowing them to engage in conduct that would otherwise be against the platform’s rules and applying different review criteria to their posts, The Wall Street Journal reported. Traditionally, Facebook uses an automated review system to determine whether a post may have violated the platform’s rules, and removes or suppresses the offending content without human review, according to the WSJ. In some cases, Facebook outsources

Security flaw allowed spyware to infect Apple iPhones, watches and Mac computers

September 14, 20210

Apple sent out several emergency security updates Monday after researchers detected a flaw that allowed spyware to infect iPhones, Apple Watches and Mac computers. The updates were issued for the operating systems of most Apple devices in response to an investigation by Citizen Lab, a Canadian cybersecurity watchdog and research group, that discovered the mechanism used for infecting a Saudi activist’s iPhone with spyware developed by Israeli technology firm NSO Group. The spyware, known as “Pegasus,” allows for users to infect devices, such as computers, smartphones, and smart accessories, through messaging services without requiring the receiver to click on a

FEC says Twitter did nothing wrong when it suppressed Hunter Biden laptop story from the public

The Daily CallerSeptember 13, 20210

The Federal Election Commission reportedly ruled in August that Twitter did not violate election laws by blocking users from sharing a New York Post article based on a cryptographically authentic email from Hunter Biden’s laptop less than a month before the 2020 presidential election. READ IT HERE: Photo of Hunter Biden Smoking Crack Released from Abandoned Laptop The FEC ruled that Twitter had “credibly explained” its move to temporarily block the New York Post story from being shared on its platform, according to The New York Times, which obtained an unreleased document outlining the commission’s decision to dismiss a complaint

Adam Schiff Calls for More Censorship on Amazon, Facebook to ban vaccine “misinformation” content

September 9, 20210

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff sent letters to Amazon and Facebook on Wednesday urging the companies to remove content promoting alleged COVID-19 misinformation. The letters, addressed to Amazon’s Andy Jassy and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, asked the companies to take “immediate action” against materials promoting “anti-vaccine conspiracies” and “vaccine misinformation.” Schiff also requested the companies provide information on their content removal practices and policies to prevent the spread of alleged misinformation. “Research has shown that combatting anti-vaccine conspiracies by posing factual and counter-factual information as opposing, but equal viewpoints is ineffective at combatting misinformation and disinformation,” Schiff wrote. The lawmaker argued

TikTok Promotes Sexual Content, Drugs And Alcohol To Children, Investigation Finds

The Daily CallerSeptember 8, 20210

Ailan Evans on September 8, 2021 Video sharing platform TikTok promotes sexual content to underage users through its suggestion algorithm, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. Investigators for The Wall Street Journal set up 31 fake TikTok accounts registered to users between the ages of 13 and 15 and studied their “For You” feeds, which consist of videos recommended to users by TikTok’s suggestion algorithm. TikTok showed the underage accounts thousands of videos depicting drugs, [censored]ography and sexual content, and alcohol use, including over a hundred videos promoting [censored]ography subscription services and sex products, according to the investigation,