Meta and Twitter have taken down accounts pushing pro-U.S. and pro-Western themes to Middle Eastern and Central Asian audiences, per a new report.
Driving the news: In July and August, both platforms removed the accounts for violating terms of service around manipulation and inauthentic behavior, researchers from the social media analytics group Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory write in the report.
Apple confirmed an in-person press event for Sept. 7 at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters, where the company is expected to introduce new iPhones and Apple Watch models, along with potentially other products.
Why it matters: The success of the iPhone is not only key to Apple's business, but vital for a variety of firms that supply components and for U.S. wireless providers such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Google on Wednesday announced three new Fitbit wearables, packing additional sensors along with other software and hardware updates.
Why it matters: With the launch, Google is showing its commitment to continue the Fitbit line of trackers even as it works to incorporate some of Fitbit's technology into other products, such as the forthcoming Pixel Watch.
Twitter security is a huge mess, its former security boss charged in a whistleblower complaint — but huge security messes are all too common in the online world.
What they're saying: "Regulators, media and users of the platform will be shocked when they inevitably learn about Twitter’s severe lack of security basics," Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, who had just been fired as Twitter's security head, wrote in a report he intended to deliver to the company's board in February.
People driving cars that mostly operate themselves can drift into a dangerous state of fatigue, but one leading autonomous vehicle (AV) company has suggestions to keep drivers alert.
Why it matters: Autonomous test vehicles and increasingly automated personal cars are already all over the road, meaning we're all part of a big public beta test with potentially fatal consequences.
A new tie-up between a startup content studio and a data science startup aims to flip the way Hollywood green lights movies and shows.
Why it matters: The deal comes as media giants (think Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon-owned MGM) are struggling to decide which movies and shows to fund, which platforms or theaters to release them, when — and for how long.
Ethereum watchers now fret that, when the blockchain upgrades next month, there's more danger that some of its operators will start censoring transactions based on the rules made by nation-states.
Why it matters: It has been argued that the only real value of blockchains is the fact that they offer censorship resistance. Without that, it could be argued, they are just very cumbersome, expensive databases.
Kevin Owocki is the founder of Gitcoin, an Ethereum-based funding marketplace, and author of "GreenPilled: How Crypto Can Regenerate The World."
Why it matters: What gets funded on Gitcoin, with its democratized model for project funding, is effectively a snapshot of the priorities within the crypto software developer community. And its solarpunkian founder is optimistic about a crowdsourced future.
Facebook parent company Meta has reached a $37.5 million settlement in a lawsuit that accused the company of violating user privacy by tracking location data through smartphones without asking users to do so.
Elon Musk may have just gotten some much-needed help in his legal fight against Twitter.
Driving the news: Twitter's former security chief, Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, last month filed a 200-page whistleblower report with Congress and various federal agencies, as first reported by CNN and the Washington Post.
A new whistleblower complaint from Twitter's former head of security suggests the company misled regulators about its efforts to reduce spam and protect Twitter from security threats.
Why it matters: The complaint plays into the narrative from billionaire Elon Musk that Twitter has misled the public about the number of spam accounts on its platform, which he is using to try to end his $44 billion takeover bid in a Delaware court this fall.
DirecTV, the satellite TV provider that has for years exclusively broadcast the NFL's lucrative Sunday Ticket package, has struck a deal with Amazon Prime Video to air Thursday Night Football games in over 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, hotels and other venues outside of homes.
Why it matters: The deal gives fans the opportunity to watch the games, which are only available via streaming on Amazon Prime Video, in places outside of their homes that may not have smart TVs installed.
Yelp is adding a prominent consumer notice to crisis pregnancy center listings to more clearly distinguish them from clinics that provide abortion services, in a policy change shared first with Axios.
The big picture: Yelp's move is the latest tech-company response to a post-Roe world in which abortion information has become a significant online battleground, with both sides of the debate applying intense pressure.
In a six-month trial, New York Cityhas equipped 50 municipal vehicles with "intelligent speed assistance" — software that can make a car obey the speed limit.
Why it matters: While you probably haven't heard of intelligent speed assistance — ISA — you're about to: In July, the European Union mandated its use in new models of vehicles; in 2024, it'll be compulsory in all new cars sold there.
A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers on Monday unveiled an updated journalism competition bill that, if passed, would force tech companies to pay news companies for their content.
Why it matters: Such a law would create a historic lifeline for the news industry, which has struggled in the digital era to compete with Big Tech firms for ad dollars, particularly at the local level.
The FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago has driven outsized conservative social media attention, triggering the wide sharing of news stories and driving tens of thousands of new users to former President Trump’s Truth Social app.
Why it matters: Trump faces serious potential legal implications after the FBI's seizure of 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. But in the near term, it’s fueling Republican echo chambers’ defense of him and attacks on the FBI.
