Speech
Ad agencies love Instagram’s new speech restriction features as it makes the platform “brand safe”
Advertisers are more likely to advertise on the platform when speech is kept under control.
France “hate speech” bill passes with massive support from lawmakers
The bill has been called a threat to free speech and a bill that gives social media platforms an impossible task.
Court rules that it’s unconstitutional for public officials to block people on Twitter for political views
The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2018 decision which ruled that a public official cannot block a person on Twitter in response to their political views.
Journalist Laura Loomer files defamation lawsuit against Facebook after being called a “dangerous individual”
Loomer was banned from the platform in April and was called “dangerous” by Facebook.
Twitter adds even more rules, bans “dehumanizing” terms against “protected” religious groups
Twitter’s adding more rules for what’s allowed in public discourse on the platform.
Facebook oversight board architects defends the proposed plan
Facebook has been heavily criticized for its censorship in recent months.
Instagram rolls out creepy new AI which warns users that “their comment may be considered offensive”
This is part of Facebook’s wider efforts to create an Orwellian safe space on its platform.
Senator Lindsey Graham to host “Protecting Innocence in a Digital World” hearing tomorrow
There are no details on what the hearing will cover but the title suggests it will focus on measures to protect children online – measures that often result in more censorship and data collection.
UK threatens social media companies with hefty fines if they don’t block “bullying” content
The UK Culture secretary was bullied at school so now he’s on a mission.
Gab’s top new features include mobile app support, self-hosting, video uploads, and two-factor authentication
Gab says that the new features in this open-source and decentralized new Gab make it unstoppable.
Mastodon attempts to censor free speech social network Gab by blocking its domain
Mastodon seems to be struggling to comprehend what a fediverse is supposed to be.
YouTube turns on automatic “hold & review” censorship of comments
YouTube’s war on comments turns things up a notch.