The Federal Trade Commission announced on Thursday that it will launch a public inquiry into “censorship by tech platforms,” soliciting comments from people who feel they have been demonetized, banned, or otherwise censored due to their speech or affiliations. “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson in a statement.…
Category: social media
ad partnerships, advertising, Apps, Creators, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media
Instagram’s new ad format lets creators get paid for testimonials in comments
Instagram is introducing a new way for creators to work with brands to make money by recommending products. On Thursday, Meta introduced an addition to its Partnership Ads called Testimonials, which allows creators to get paid via written endorsements, shared as comments on the brand’s social media posts and advertisements. The new ad format is…
Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media
Bluesky adds a ‘followers only’ reply option
The new feature lets users limit their conversations to connections of their own choosing. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Apps, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, social media, TikTok, TikTok Ban
What to know about TikTok’s uncertain future in the US and the people who want to buy it
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has been at the center of controversy in the U.S. for four years now due to concerns about user data potentially being accessed by the Chinese government. Just this past month, the app experienced a temporary outage in the U.S. that left millions of users in suspense before…
AI chatbots, AI Risks, Apple Privacy, Canada-US Relations, Click Armor, cyber security, cyber threat, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, Data Security, Deepfake Crimes, Digital Privacy, Employee Cyber Confidence, Encryption Debate, Episodes, Global Issues, Global Security News, Government Backdoors, Information Security, infosec, Podcast, Podcasts, privacy, Security, Security Bloggers Network, social media, Stalking, Technology, UK Investigatory Powers Act, Weekly Edition
UK’s Secret Apple Backdoor Request, AI Chatbots Used For Stalking
In this episode, we discuss the UK government’s demand for Apple to create a secret backdoor for accessing encrypted iCloud backups under the Investigatory Powers Act and its potential global implications on privacy. We also discuss the first known case where AI chatbots were used in a stalking indictment, highlighting the dangers of technology misuse…
Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Marketing, Social, social media, social media analytics
Bluesky gets growth and analytics tools with BlueSkyHunter launch
A new startup is addressing the need for an all-in-one toolset built for people who want to grow, manage, and track their Bluesky presence and following. The subscription service BlueSkyHunter, which launched Friday, introduces an online dashboard that combines access to analytics and other tools to schedule posts and automate DMs (direct messages), alongside other…
Apps, fediverse, Global IT News, Global Security News, Mastodon, Social, social media, social networking
Mastodon is working to add the controversial ‘quote posts’ feature
Mastodon, the decentralized alternative to X, is going to adopt a controversial feature from the platform formerly known as Twitter: quote posts. The company on Friday shared the progress it’s making on the implementation of the feature, which has divided users over its potential to be used for online abuse and bullying. Critics have long…
activitypub, Automattic, fediverse, Global IT News, Global Security News, open social web, Social, social media, social networking, tumblr, wordpress
Tumblr to join the fediverse after WordPress migration completes
Since 2022, blogging site Tumblr has been teasing its plans to integrate with the fediverse — the open social web powered by the protocol ActivityPub also used by Mastodon, Threads, Flipboard, and others. Now, the Automattic-owned blogging platform is sharing more information about when and how that integration could actually happen. As it turns out,…
AI, Buzzfeed, Global IT News, Global Security News, Media & Entertainment, Social, social media
BuzzFeed is taking on Instagram, TikTok, X with a new social platform designed to spread ‘joy’
BuzzFeed, the media site known for its celebrity news and quizzes, announced on Tuesday that it’s developing its own social media platform, in a move to counter the current negativity on the internet. Semafor first reported BuzzFeed’s plan for the platform this past week. Details on the new platform are not yet public. However, the…
Apps, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media
Bluesky will soon let you limit replies to ‘followers only’
Social network Bluesky will soon give its users more control over who can reply to their posts. Confirmed by Bluesky developer Paul Frazee, Bluesky will add a new “followers only” setting that users can configure to limit replies. In addition, he says, Bluesky will create a way for users to set their default reply settings.…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Snap, Snapchat, Social, social media, TikTok Ban
Snap says TikTok uncertainty benefited its business
During Snap’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Evan Spiegel said that the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future has positively affected its business. “We’re not trying to draw too many conclusions from some of the engagement lift we saw when [TikTok] went dark for that brief period of time. I would say that the overall environment…
Bluesky, feeds, Global IT News, Global Security News, Meta, Social, social media, Threads
Challenging Bluesky, Threads now allows for public custom feeds
Meta’s Threads is doubling down on support for custom feeds as it faces challenges from the growing social network Bluesky, now with over 30 million users, which also offers custom feeds as one of its key features. On Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that users can now set their custom feeds to be public…
Enterprise, FCC, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, online censorship, Section 230, Social, social media, social media regulation, Trump Administration
Adam Candeub, a vocal critic of Big Tech, will reportedly join the FCC
Adam Candeub, a known critic of Big Tech, looks poised to join the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Candeub will be general counsel of the FCC, reports Semafor, which cites direct confirmation from FCC chairman Brendan Carr. TechCrunch has reached out to the FCC for more information. Candeub has long been a vocal critic of Section…
Bluesky, bluesky algorithm, Custom feeds, Global IT News, Global Security News, graze, open social web, Social, social media, Startups
Custom feed builder Graze is building a business on Bluesky, and investors are paying attention
A startup called Graze, which lets you build your own feeds for the Bluesky social network, has caught investors’ attention. In addition to offering tools to easily build, customize, publish, and manage Bluesky feeds, Graze will soon allow feed creators to monetize their efforts with advertising, sponsored posts, and subscriptions. In other words, Graze has…
Apps, Facebook, gen z, Global IT News, Global Security News, Meta, Social, social media, social networking, trends
Mark Zuckerberg teases a 2025 return to ‘OG Facebook’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased a “return to OG Facebook” as part of his key goals for 2025 in Wednesday’s Q4 earnings call with investors. While the company was short on details as to what specific changes lay in store, it’s clear that Meta is in desperate need of younger Facebook users to sustain itself…
Cybersecurity, data, EU, Europe, Featured, GDPR, Global Security News, NCC, News, privacy, Security Boulevard (Original), Social - Facebook, Social - LinkedIn, Social - X, social media, Spotlight, TikTok
TikTok’s Project Clover Evolves With PETs, Data Access Controls
The popular and controversial Chinese social media app TikTok is pushing forward with Project Clover, a €12 billion, 10-year initiative aimed at bolstering the protection of European user data. The post TikTok’s Project Clover Evolves With PETs, Data Access Controls appeared first on Security Boulevard.
Apps, at proto, AT Protocol, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, reelo, Social, social media, TikTok, Video, video apps, video sharing
Reelo stands out among the apps building a ‘TikTok for Bluesky’
There are a number of projects now underway that are focused on developing a video-first app for the open source social network Bluesky. However, one stands out from the rest: An upcoming app called Reelo isn’t building on top of the Bluesky social network, as so many others are, but is building on the underlying…
Apps, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media, TikTok, Video
Bluesky adds video to user profiles
Social network Bluesky is doubling down on video. After it added a new TikTok-like custom video feed last week in the wake of the U.S. ban on the popular video app (now on pause), the company on Monday announced it’s adding a new video tab to Bluesky user profiles. The tab will allow people to…
Apps, federated apps, fediverse, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, loops, Meta, open social, open social web, open source, pixelfed, Social, social media, Sup, TikTok
Open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp raise funds on Kickstarter
The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, respectively, is now raising funds on Kickstarter to fuel the apps’ further development. The trio is part of the growing open social web, also known as the fediverse, powered by the same ActivityPub protocol used by X alternative Mastodon. The…
Apps, china, Global IT News, Global Security News, rednote, Social, social media, TikTok, TikTok Ban
US users dumped RedNote after Trump paused the TikTok ban
In the days leading up to the TikTok ban in the U.S. on Sunday, U.S. users flooded the Chinese app RedNote, which offered a similar experience to their favorite short-form video app. The app, which is listed in the U.S. App Store under its Chinese name Xiaohongshu, quickly became the No. 1 free app in…
Apps, Creators, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media, Threads, tools
Threads rolls out a post scheduler, ‘markup’ feature, and more
While Meta lures TikTok creators to Instagram and Facebook with cash bonuses, its X competitor Instagram Threads is now making things easier for creators, brands, and others who need more professional tools to manage their presence on the app. On Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced a small handful of new features coming to Threads,…
AI, Elon Musk, fight, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, sam altman, Social, social media, stargate, xAI
Elon Musk and Sam Altman take to social media to fight over Stargate
Billionaire Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are fighting on X about Stargate, the enormous infrastructure project to build data centers for OpenAI across the U.S. Stargate, announced Tuesday during a press conference at the White House, would funnel as much as $500 billion from investors including SoftBank and Middle East AI fund MGX…
Application Security, bytedance, children, Children and smartphones, china, chinese government, Cloud Security, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, DevOps, disinformation, Donald Trump, Endpoint, Featured, Global Security News, Governance, Risk & Compliance, Humor, Incident Response, Industry Spotlight, malware, misinformation, Mobile Security, Most Read This Week, Network Security, News, online disinformation, Popular Post, president donald trump, president trump, privacy, Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, SB Blogwatch, Security Awareness, Security Boulevard (Original), Social - Facebook, Social - LinkedIn, Social - X, Social disinformation, Social Engineering, social media, socialmedia, Spotlight, Spyware, Threats & Breaches, TikTok, TikTok Ban, Trump, vulnerabilities, Won’t somebody think of the children?
Trump U-Turn: TikTok’s On-Again/Off-Again U.S. Ban
Not For You: The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act shouldn’t be enforced, orders President Trump. The post Trump U-Turn: TikTok’s On-Again/Off-Again U.S. Ban appeared first on Security Boulevard.
App, consumer, Donald Trump, Executive order, Global IT News, Global Security News, In Brief, president donald trump, Social, social media, TikTok, Trump
Trump signs exec order, delaying TikTok enforcement action for 75 days
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at restoring TikTok service in the U.S. The order instructs relevant government agencies to “pursue a resolution” that “protects national security” while “saving [TikTok.]” Via the order, Trump is instructing the U.S. Attorney General not to take any action for 75 days to enforce the Protecting…
Apps, Bluesky, flipboard, Global IT News, Global Security News, open social web, Social, social media, social networking, surf, Video
Flipboard’s new app Surf adds its own video feed, too
After the TikTok ban went into effect on Sunday, social network Bluesky launched a custom feed for videos on its platform. Now, Flipboard’s newest app, Surf, which is dedicated to browsing the open social web and decentralized services like Mastodon and Bluesky, is taking advantage of that move to introduce a video feed of its…
App, Apps, ban, bytedance, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Social, social media, TikTok, TikTok Ban
TikTok goes dark in the US
TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., the result of a federal law that bans the popular short-form video app for millions of Americans — at least for now. TikTok users began receiving a message about the ban around 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday evening, and the app also disappeared from the Apple and Google…
App, Apps, ban, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media, TikTok
TikTok goes dark in the US
TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., the result of a federal law that bans the popular social media app for millions of Americans — at least for now. TikTok users began receiving a message about the ban around 10:30 p.m. Eastern. As of Saturday evening, the app was also no longer available in the…
Apps, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, moderation, Social, social media
Bluesky saw 17x increase in moderation reports in 2024 after rapid growth
Bluesky on Friday published its moderation report for the past year, noting the sizable growth the social network experienced in 2024 and how that affected its Trust & Safety team’s workload. It also noted that the largest number of reports came from users reporting accounts or posts for harassment, trolling, or intolerance — an issue…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Social, social media, TikTok Ban
Instagram Reels rolls out new features for U.S. users as TikTok is banned
Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning, alongside the news that the Supreme Court upheld the law that will ban TikTok in the U.S. on January 19. The update, says Meta, will make it easier for users to discover the content that friends and followers are liking on the platform…
account portability, Apps, federated apps, fediverse, Global IT News, Global Security News, Mastodon, Meta, mobile apps, Social, social apps, social media, social networking, Threads
Instagram Threads won’t share a timeline for account portability
Will Instagram Threads truly integrate with the fediverse, also known as the open social web, to allow its users not only to interact with people on other services like Twitter alternative Mastodon but also to move their account elsewhere if they decide that Meta’s policies are no longer to their liking? Today that answer remains…
Apps, china, chinese apps, duolingo, Global IT News, Global Security News, rednote, Social, social media, TikTok, TikTok Ban
Duolingo sees 216% spike in U.S. users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban and move to RedNote
TikTok U.S. users have been learning Chinese on Duolingo in increasing numbers amid their adoption of a Chinese social app called RedNote ahead of the TikTok ban. The U.S. law, scheduled to go into effect on January 19, unless halted by the Supreme Court, will see TikTok removed from U.S. app stores and will stop…
Apps, Bluesky, Exclusive, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, iOS apps, photo sharing, Social, social media, Social networks
Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes
More good news for those looking to exit Meta’s social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. The soon-to-launch app is powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky, the AT Protocol, and has been built using code from the developer’s…
Apps, china, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media, social networking, TC, TikTok, TikTok Ban
TikTok users’ attempted migration to Chinese app RedNote isn’t going too well
American TikTok users have been thumbing their collective noses at the U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok by spitefully joining another Chinese social media app, Red Note (aka Xiaohongshu), sending it to the top of the U.S. App Store on Monday. Unfortunately, many of those who already made the transition have faced problems with having…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Instagram, pixelfed, Social, social media, TC
Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed launches mobile apps
Pixelfed, a decentralized alternative to Instagram, has launched its official mobile apps. The service today runs on the same ActivityPub protocol that powers an open source X alternative Mastodon, a YouTube competitor PeerTube, and other decentralized social apps, including now Meta’s Threads and Flipboard (plus its newer app, Surf), that are part of a growing…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Media & Entertainment, short form video, social media, TikTok Ban
Xiaohongshu, China’s answer to Instagram, hits no. 1 on the App Store as TikTok faces US shutdown
On the heels of TikTok’s looming shut down on January 19 over its ownership in the U.S. (unless the Supreme Court intervenes), it looks like another Chinese app is catching some attention. American users are flocking Chinese short-form video app Xiaohongshu (known as RedNote in English). The app today surged to the number-one spot for…
Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Social, social media, social networking, supreme court, TC, TikTok, TikTok Ban, TikTok Hearing, Trump
TikTok ban: How both sides made their case to the Supreme Court and what the justices asked
On Friday, the nation’s highest court heard arguments on whether to uphold or block a law that could effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. The bill, signed into law by President Biden in April 2024, gives TikTok’s parent company ByteDance until January 19 to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban in the country.…
Global IT News, Global Security News, la, la fires, la wildfires, rto, Social, social media, TC, TikTok, wfm, wildfires
TikTok tells LA staff impacted by wildfires to use personal/sick hours if they can’t work from home
Wildfires are currently devastating the greater Los Angeles area, burning over 45 square miles, torching over 1,300 structures, and putting nearly 180,000 people under evacuation orders as of Thursday. And yet, TikTok’s LA-based employees are being told to either continue their work from home or use their personal/sick days if that’s not possible, while the…
Apps, Facebook, fact checking, Global IT News, Global Security News, Google Search, google trends, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Media & Entertainment, Meta, meta content moderation, Social, social media, Threads, trends
Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking
Google searches for how to cancel and delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts have seen explosive rises in the U.S. since Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will end its third-party fact-checking system, loosen content moderation policies, and roll back previous limits to the amount of political content in user feeds. Experts see…
AI, chatbot, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, Grok, musk, Social, social media, unhinged model, X
Grok may soon get an ‘Unhinged Mode’
Last April, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, teased a mysterious “Unhinged Mode” for X’s AI-powered chatbot, Grok. Nearly a year later, xAI, the Musk-owned company behind Grok, has updated an FAQ page on its website that sheds light on the new mode. Grok in Unhinged Mode will provide responses “intended to be objectionable,…
Apps, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social apps, social media, social networking, Startups, Threads, Twitter, X
Bluesky bump from X exodus is slowing down, data shows
Social network and X competitor Bluesky’s massive growth slowed in December in the U.S., after having surged from 9+ million in September to north of 20 million users in November. The slowdown is based on an analysis of web traffic and mobile app daily active users by analytics firm Similarweb, which found that Bluesky grew…
Apps, chat app, Global IT News, Global Security News, Social, social media, Telegram, verification
Telegram rolls out third-party account verification, filters
Telegram has rolled out its first update of the year, adding a new account verification method powered by third-parties, new message search filters, and the ability to turn gifts into NFTs. The chat app already had a program to verify public figures and organizations on the platform, and it has now launched a new project…
Apps, Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, social media, Threads Styling, trending topics
Bluesky starts testing a trending topics feature
Social network Bluesky said on Christmas day that it launched trending topics feature in beta. The trending topics are available on both desktop and mobile apps of the social network. On the desktop, you can see trending topics on the right sidebar, and on the mobile apps, you can tap on the search button to…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, iconfactory, mobile apps, Open Web, Social, social media, tapestry
Tapestry, a new app for tracking social media, news, blogs, and more, will launch in ‘early 2025’
A new app called Tapestry promising to unify social media, news, and RSS in one place, is nearing completion. Designed by Iconfactory, the same team that created the third-party Twitter client Twitterific back in the day, Tapestry was unveiled at the beginning of the year as a tool that could better organize today’s fragmented online…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, photos, Social, social media, Threads
Instagram Threads adds ‘Use Media’ feature for resharing photos and videos
Threads is introducing a new way to reshare photos and videos on its social network. Instead of quote posting the original post and then adding commentary, Threads users will instead be able to click a new option, “Use Media,” allowing them to just reshare the photo or video directly to a new post where they…
activitypub, Apps, at proto, Bluesky, fediverse, flipboard, Global IT News, Global Security News, Mastodon, open social web, Social, social media, surf, TC
Flipboard lauches Surf, a new app for browing the open social web
Social magazine app maker Flipboard is reinventing itself for the new era of the open social web. While the company’s original app allowed users to collect content from blogs, news websites, and traditional social media services like Facebook and Twitter in order to create curated magazines, its new app called Surf, launching into invite-only beta…
AI, content moderation, Global IT News, Global Security News, Pavel Durov, social media, TC, Telegram
AI helps Telegram remove 15 million suspect groups and channels in 2024
Telegram launched a new page touting its moderation efforts, which have spiked since its founder’s arrest. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Crypto, Exclusive, fbi, feuds, Founders Fund, Global IT News, Global Security News, Kalshi, Polymarket, presidential election, social media, Startups, Venture
Kalshi CEO admits enlisting influencers to dis Polymarket in a now-deleted podcast segment
Kalshi’s CEO, Tarek Mansour, confirmed on a podcast interview that his employees did ask social media influencers to promote memes about the FBI’s raid on the home of his arch rival, the CEO of Polymarket. Both of these companies offer competing events-betting markets, a new kind of betting industry where people wager about the outcomes…
Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, moderation, Social, social media
Bluesky is at a crossroads as users petition to ban newcomer over anti-trans views
Now with 25 million users, Bluesky is facing a test that will determine whether or not its platform will still be seen as a safe space and place of refuge from the toxicity of X. In recent days, a large number of users on Bluesky have been urging the company to ban one newcomer for…
Bluesky, Global IT News, Global Security News, moderation, Social, social media
Bluesky at a crossroads as users petition to ban Jesse Singal over anti-trans views, harassment
Now with 25 million users, Bluesky is facing a test that will determine whether or not its platform will still be seen as a safe space and place of refuge from the toxicity of X. In recent days, a large number of users on Bluesky have been urging the company to ban one newcomer for…
CCTV, DNA, Global Security News, Guest blog, Law & order, Podcast, Smashing Security, social media, Social networks, vulnerability
Smashing Security podcast #395: Gym hacking, disappearing DNA, and a social lockout
A Kansas City man is accused of hacking into local businesses, not to steal money, but to… get a cheaper gym membership? A DNA-testing firm has vanished, leaving customers in the dark about what’s happened to their sensitive genetic data. And Australia mulls a social media ban for youngsters. All this and much much more…