UK
Facebook blocked art gallery images of cows for being “sexual content”
The problem with being controlled by algorithms.
Instagram starts deleting accounts that post “hate speech” in their private DMs
The crackdown on private conversations continues.
UK government reportedly considering phone GPS tracking to enforce quarantine
A privacy-invasive move.
Organized cancel group seeks to financially damage news channel GB News before it even launched
A pre-emptive cancel attempt.
UK: 4-year-old referred to anti-extremism group after mentioning Fortnite “guns and bombs”
A threat to free speech.
Google reinstates decentralized chat app Element after sudden ban
A federated alternative to Google’s own Hangouts and Duo Android apps got suspended from the Play Store without explanation on Saturday. Element (previously known as Riot.im) is one of the clients, and a popular one, for Matrix, a federated open source messaging protocol. Judging by the comment
UK terror police: online privacy is “putting lives at risk”
End-to-end encryption, which tech companies implement in their products and services to keep them safe and secure for their users, are a constant target of certain segments of law enforcement apparatuses in various countries. This time it was the turn of UK’s anti-terrorist “cyber police” chief
Facebook censors anti-lockdown group Save Our Rights UK, backed by British lawmaker
Facebook removed the videos under its coronavirus “misinformation” rules.
New UK law allows police to access data of people who are self-isolating
Civil liberties are being crushed.
Facebook apologizes after suspending users for referring to Plymouth Hoe, a UK tourist spot
Facebook removed posts referring to a popular seafaring spot in the UK called Plymouth Hoe. The social media platform has since apologized for the mistake of thinking people were using the word “hoe” in a “misogynistic” way. Plymouth Hoe is a popular spot in the UK, with rich maritime history.