Stories about Tech Industry
Social media companies could be liable for user-generated content in India
Twitter in India has found itself outside the “safe harbour” that otherwise would have protected itself legally from being implicated for the content generated by its users.
More internet security for many, not for Central Asians
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are among the few countries that will not enjoy a new privacy tool unveiled by US giant tech company Apple for its users. Apple's focus in 2021 is privacy. On its website, the company states that “Privacy is a fundamental human right.” Yet this policy comes with...
Mexican registry for cell phone users sparks privacy concerns
"The creation of a similar registry was attempted in 2009, but the database ended up being leaked and for sale."
Twitter vs India: The battle of BJP and Congress over a ‘fake toolkit’ on COVID-19
Twitter expressed concern about the “use of intimidation tactics by the police” and “the potential threat to freedom of expression” for the Indian users.
Several NGOs denounce censorship of Palestinian voices by tech companies
The NGOs' statement labelled as "improbable mistakes" the fact that Facebook reported two "technical issues" within 48 hours which they said targeted Palestinian users and "compromised Jerusalemites’ right to freedom of expression..."
Israeli phone hacking firm stops sales to Belarus and Russia
Cellebrite, an Israeli software company known for making tools used to extract data from smartphones, has announced it will halt sales to Russian and Belarus state bodies and law enforcement.
Pakistan bans TikTok for the second time
TikTok was blocked in Pakistan for 10 days in October 2020. Access was restored after the app's parent company ByteDance assured authorities it would bolster moderation.
Google’s plans for Saudi-based Cloud is ‘dangerous,’ says digital rights advocacy group
"With data stored in Saudi Arabia, Google and Snap will find themselves with little ability to resist government demands for users’ personal information."
In Pakistan, social media platforms risk bans under new ‘draconian’ rules
New rules vesting the government with the power to regulate online content and ban entire platforms drew criticism from human rights groups and tech companies.
An internet with borders: A perspective from Pakistan
Pakistan recently adopted new rules imposing fines and bans on services that fail to take down and restrict content within short time frames.
How Facebook derailed Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement
Online free speech advocates insist that Facebook’s flagging of #EndSARS content was neither a “mistake” nor a “bug,” but rather due to sparse investment in content moderation.
Facebook denies accusations of fuelling hate speech and pro-BJP bias in India
On September 16, Facebook India’s chief issued a statement denying accusations that the social media giant is making profits by giving a platform to hate speech in India.
In Sudan, women and minorities targeted by online harassment lack legal protections
Sudan currently does very little to protect women and other minority groups and communities from harassment, putting their ability to exercise their fundamental rights online at risk.
Holocaust denial should be considered hate speech, survivors demand of Facebook
Hate speech is a criminal offense in most European countries that experienced the horrors of World War II, but the US does not have such laws at the national level.
Australian government on collision course with Facebook and Google over news revenue
"The code is justified by a News Corp lie, that Google steals news content and makes billions of dollars from it."
Social media in Latin America: Caught between a rock and a hard place
As researchers, it is very difficult to know how, or even if, high profile global announcements are actually impacting users in Latin America.
A Chinese city withdraws ‘civility code’ following online criticism
Suzhou – a Chinese city near Shanghai – launched a “civility code” in early September to rank citizens’ civility. As negative comments flooded in, the city called an end to the testing.
Moderating harmful content online in Sudan: Policies and measures
In Sudan, social media platforms struggle to enforce guidelines and rules regarding content deemed harmful such as hate speech and disinformation.
Building safer online spaces in Myanmar
“Facebook was, and continues to be, the favored tool for disseminating hate speech and misinformation against the Rohingya people, Muslims in general, and other marginalized communities.”
In the age of misinformation, who holds the power to categorize the ‘truth'?
Over time, the categorization of information can result in the dominance of a single world view, making platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google the central arbiters of truth.
