Last year, Facebook issued a stark warning to the Australian government over a proposed law that would require the social-media giant to pay publishers: Pass it and we’ll restrict news Down Under.  “Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on …

Facebook is testing new tools aimed at curbing searches for photos and videos that contain child sexual abuse and at preventing the sharing of such content. “Using our apps to harm children is abhorrent and unacceptable,” Antigone Davis, who oversees Facebook’s global safety efforts, said in a blog post Tuesday.  The move comes as the social network faces more pressure …

Facebook started restricting users from viewing or sharing Australian news on Wednesday, because of a proposed law in the country that would require the social network to pay news publishers for content.  Called the News Media Bargaining Code, the legislation also affects Google, which surfaces news articles in search results. News outlets have struggled to compete with tech firms for …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Facebook and its photo-service Instagram pulled down more than 1 million pieces of content during the last three months of 2020 for containing misinformation about COVID-19 that could lead to “imminent harm.”  This content included fake preventative measures for COVID-19, the respiratory illness …

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Wednesday he envisions his short-message service becoming less centralized over time, a development that will give social media users more control over their data and the type of content they see. The remarks build on earlier comments Dorsey has made about the future of social media. In 2019, Twitter said it was working on Bluesky, a …

Facebook is reportedly throwing its hat in the ring to compete with Clubhouse, the buzzy social app based on audio chats. The social media giant’s employees have been ordered to develop a product, known internally as Fireside, that’s similar to Clubhouse, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter. An invite-only social media app, Clubhouse has been attracting …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Facebook said Monday it’s taking a tougher stance against misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines as part of an effort to prevent the online lies from causing harm. The social media giant is expanding a list of debunked claims about COVID-19 and vaccines it …

When WhatsApp users started freaking out about privacy on the messaging app last month, Kevin Woblick knew it was time to encourage his family to move to another chat service: Signal. The 30-year-old German software developer had broached the topic after Edward Snowden leaked classified documents detailing America’s mass surveillance program. But Woblick couldn’t convince his family to delete WhatsApp …

Facebook is trying to encourage more people to use the social network to give back during the holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the company said it’s releasing a new tool in the US that will allow users to create and donate to holiday drives where people collect food, clothes and other necessities for those in need. To create …

Facebook said Thursday that it’s catching more hate speech before users report it, because of improvements to its artificial intelligence technology.  From July to September, Facebook’s AI tools proactively detected 94.7% of the hate speech removed by the company, up from 80.5% in the same period last year, Facebook said. The social network attributed the uptick to improvement in its …