US
Digital rights groups hit back after US and UK alliance push to cut privacy in messaging apps
For one thing, the intent seems one-sided as it would make life easier for law enforcement, but at the same time putt users in jeopardy – for example, journalists, activists, and abuse victims who rely on safe, encrypted communication, sometimes for their lives.
82% of adults believe social media platforms are biased towards select news organizations
The survey results reflect wider concerns about the negative effects of the way social media companies handle the news.
Andrew Yang proposes policy that would classify all digital data as personal property
Yang is proposing digital rights that make us wonder: why they don’t exist already? In this sense, the candidate is proposing things like the right to be informed of the data that is being collected from you, and how it will be put to use.
YouTube reverses at least some of the censorship of Steven Crowder and others
Crowder highlighted how the search results looked before and after his lawyer contacted YouTube about the issue.
Early reports about a US-UK message sharing partnership won’t include encryption “back doors”
Not everyone thinks these reports might be particularly dire when it comes to free speech and online freedoms.
Microsoft expresses concern over gag orders when feds are snooping on its users
Microsoft is unhappy with the US government’s decision to prevent the company from disclosing the federal inquiry to the two account holders.
Facebook says politicians are exempt from third-party fact-checking program but still fact-checks their posts
The exemption will only apply to “organic content” that has been created by the politician.
YouTuber Drift0r used the n-word in an anti-racism video. Now an online mob is trying to get him cancelled
Brad Overbey, AKA Drift0r, is a popular gaming YouTuber with over 1.41 million subscribers and has been on the platform for over a decade.
Yahoo says only users in US and Israel will be compensated for data breach
The settlement is related to massive data breaches between 2013 and 2016 which affected all of Yahoo’s approximately 3 billion accounts worldwide.
YouTube’s anti-conspiracy algorithm has boosted legacy media at the expense of YouTubers
Independent creators are consistently drawing the short end of the stick.
EFF warns that frantic push to crush “extremist” speech online will hurt innocent users
Hard questions are being asked about the way content is treated and censored online by some of the world’s most powerful platforms.
World’s largest and oldest commercial archive Adland taken offline after questionable DMCA claim
Adland had been online for 23 years and often hosted ads that had been banned or censored elsewhere.