Australia passes social media ban for under 16s
After a period of intense public and political debate, Australia has approved laws that will ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media.
While the laws were passed yesterday, it may well be a year until they come into effect -- and they will be the strictest in the world. Once in force, tech companies such as Meta could be hit with fines of up to AUS$50 million (US $32.5 million) for failing to comply.
All social media platforms can learn from Instagram’s option to reset content recommendations
A huge proportion of what you encounter on social media platforms is selected by algorithms (this should be news to very few people), and algorithms are problematic.
The content that is pushed to you is supposed to be based on your past interactions, the people you are connected to, the things you like, and so on, but it is easily polluted and corrupted. And this is why Instagram’s current test that gives users a way to reset their recommendations and start afresh is so welcome.
European Commission says Bluesky is breaking European rules
Social media darling Bluesky is wooing users and drawing many away from X. But while the platform is enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity, the European Commission is unimpressed with its failure to disclose information.
The commission points out that all social media platforms operating within the European Union must clearly publish key pieces of information, including how many EU users there are. Bluesky does not do this, nor reveal where the company is legally established.
Google is making YouTube and other services delightfully free of political ads... in Europe
The nature of modern-day politics means that parties of all colors, all leanings, spend millions on advertising -- it is something that was painfully apparent during the run-up to the US presidential election. Technology firms and social media platforms are under a lot of pressure to take steps to prevent election interference, and to increase transparency.
This is something that has been playing out in Europe with regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) due to come into force in the EU. With concerns about the, “operational challenges and legal uncertainties” this could lead to, Google has announced that it will not only will stop serving political advertising in the European Union, but will do so before the TTPA comes into force.
Bluesky thinking -- why left-wingers are leaving X and why X will get over it
Are you still on Twitter (sorry, X)? You can tell us, we won't judge. If you are you may have noticed something interesting since the recent US election.
Celebrities along with people and organizations of a left-wing persuasion have been announcing -- in a markedly flouncy manner it must be said -- that they're leaving the platform. This peaked yesterday with the UK's standard bearer of the liberal left the Guardian broadcasting its intention to depart X -- on X, ironically.
The Guardian’s exit from Elon Musk’s X shows a lack of journalistic courage
The Guardian’s recent decision to stop posting on X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, is a move that screams weakness. The outlet, which proudly touts itself as a champion of bold reporting, announced it would cease activity on the platform due to “often disturbing content,” such as far-right conspiracy theories. But instead of taking a stand and contributing to the conversation with balanced reporting, The Guardian is turning tail and walking away.
This move doesn’t look like a show of strength. In fact, it comes across as a cop-out, a move fueled by fear rather than the backbone you’d expect from a major news organization. By withdrawing, The Guardian is giving up any chance to challenge misinformation head-on or offer perspectives that counter the narratives it finds so troubling. It’s ironic, really -- an organization that prides itself on being fearless and forthright suddenly choosing the path of least resistance.
X starts the rollout of update that renders blocking near-pointless
Back in September, Elon Musk announced upcoming changes to the blocking feature of X. Once fully implemented, the change means that when an X user blocks someone, that blocked user will still be able to see all of the content posted by the blocker, although no interaction will be possible.
The precise reasons for changing the functionality of blocking in this way is not really clear, but it is something that has sparked concern. In addition to risks to privacy, there are also worries about what the changes could mean for victims of cyber-stalking.
Elon Musk risks privacy backlash by permitting accounts you’ve blocked on X to see your posts
If you’ve decided to stick with X after Elon Musk took over Twitter and started to systematically destroy anything good that was left there (which, admittedly was not much) you’ve probably made extensive use of the Block function to filter out some of the crap that flows through the social media sewer. Now the value of blocking is about to be diminished.
Musk has confirmed that the functionality of the block button is changing. The change means that while an account you have blocked will not be able to interact with you or your posts, they will be able to see any posts that you’ve written. It’s an idea that has already been met with criticism, with many voicing concerns about privacy implications.
Social media could be good for your mental health
It's a pretty fair bet that if you asked most people they would skeptical about the effects of social media on well-being. However, new research from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford suggests there are positive benefits of social media usage on adults' mental health.
Academics conducted a six-month study of 1029 adults, with participants' daily time using social platforms on their Android mobile device unobtrusively tracked and their well-being measured every two weeks.
Meta is training its AI using an entire nation’s data… with no opt-out
The question of how to train and improve AI tools is one that triggers fierce debate, and this is something that has come into sharp focus as It becomes clear just how Meta is teaching its own artificial intelligence.
The social media giant is -- perhaps unsurprisingly to many -- using data scrapped from Facebook and Instagram posts, but only in Australia. Why Australia? Unlike Europe where General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) necessitated Meta to give users a way to opt out of having their data used in this way, Australia has not been afforded this same opportunity. What does this mean?
Meta announces Threads is weaving deeper into the fediverse
The fallout from Elon Musk taking over at X continues as former Twitter-users flock to any of a growing list of alternatives on the fediverse. As well as options like Mastodon there is also Threads which comes from the same stables as Facebook -- Meta.
Much to the chagrin of Twitter exiles who flocked to Socialhome, Mastodon, Pixelfed et el, Threads has been gradually beavering its way into the fediverse. Now Meta has taken its next steps in this direction by making it possible for Threads users to see likes and replies from other networks.
VPN demand surges in the face of government social media restrictions
Governments, particularly those with a more authoritarian bent, really aren't keen on social media as it threatens their ability to control the narrative.
They especially don't like X since Elon Musk's takeover and stated commitment to free speech. In Venezuela the government recently banned the platform for 10 days. Even in the UK fingers have been pointed at the influence of social media following recent riots.
Tweak your settings in X if you don't want Elon Musk using your data to train Grok AI
Artificial intelligence is underpinned by the data used to train it, and even in this early stage of the game this has already proved controversial. In addition to complaints about the use of copyrighted content to train AIs, concern has also been voiced about the use of personal data.
Elon Musk, unsurprisingly, wants a slice of the AI pie, and is looking to train up the Grok AI model. The social platform formerly known as Twitter, X, is being used as a source of training data, meaning that your tweets (sorry, posts) are, by default, being sucked up for this very purpose.
Elon Musk announces that Likes are now private for all X users
Making good on a promise made earlier this year, X has confirmed that Likes have now been made private for all users on the social platform. Elon Musk says that that change has been made because it is "important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so".
Hiding Likes was something that was only previously available to paying X subscribers, but now it has rolled out to everyone. Musk is already claiming that there has been a "massive increase" in Likes since they were made private.
Ex-Twitter X goes XXX with relaxation of adult content rules
Adult content is now explicitly permitted on X. The platform formerly known as Twitter has updated its rules and policies to permit users to post "consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or sexual behavior that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal". AI-generated content is also covered by the policy.
Users are free to post content such as "full or partial nudity, including close-ups of genitals, buttocks, or breast" as well as depictions of sexual acts. The only proviso (aside from material having been consensually produced and distributed) is that any posts containing such material needs to be labelled with a warning. There are a handful of exceptions, however.
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