YouTube scraps 2020 US election misinformation policy

4Jun

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Technology

YouTube scraps 2020 US election misinformation policy

YouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 US presidential election was plagued by "fraud, errors or glitches," the platform said Friday, a decision quickly criticized by anti-misinformation advocates. The announcement by the Google-owned video website is a marked departure from its policy initiated in December 2020, which attempted to curb false claims -- most importantly pushed by then-president Donald Trump -- that his re-election loss to Joe Biden was due to the vote being "stolen." "The ability to openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions, is core to a functioning democratic society -- especially in the midst of election season," YouTube said in a blog post. "We will stop removing content that advances...

26May

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Technology

Twitter’s launch of DeSantis’ presidential bid underscores platform’s rightward shift under Musk

Two years ago, signing a bill intended to punish Twitter and other major social media companies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the platforms as "suppressing ideas” during the COVID-19 pandemic and silencing conservative voices.What a turnaround. The new Elon Musk-owned version of Twitter helped DeSantis launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday. Though it was marred by technical glitches and skewered by the candidate's critics, the forum nevertheless underscored Twitter's unmistakable shift to the right under Musk, who bought it for $44 billion and took over in October. “The truth was censored repeatedly, and now that Twitter is in the hands of a free speech advocate, that would not be able to happen again on this Twitter platform,” DeSantis said during th...

17May

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Technology

Musk says will tweet thoughts regardless of business blowback

Elon Musk on Tuesday said a new Twitter chief executive will let him devote more time to Tesla, but that he will continue to tweet his unfiltered thoughts even if it hurts his businesses."I don't care," the billionaire said during a CNBC interview when asked what he thought of his controversial tweets potentially hurting Tesla shares or making it harder to sell ads on Twitter. "I'll say what I want to say and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it." Named as Musk's successor as Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino is a respected media and advertising executive considered a visionary by some."Twitter is very much an advertising business; Linda is obviously incredible at that and she's just a great executive in general," Musk said."Linda will operate a company and I will build prod...

6May

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Business

2024 US Presidential Bid: Trump Lauds Rival Republican Candidate, An Indian-American

Donald Trump has praised his rival Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-AmericanWashington: Former US President Donald Trump has praised Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for doing well in the recent Republican Primary poll, CBS YouGov.Vivek Ramaswamy has announced his 2024 presidential bid. He is going to constest the Republican presidential primary against Donald Trump and fellow Indian-American candidate Nikki Haley, among others.In a statement, Donald Trump stated he likes Vivek Ramaswamy as he has only nice things to say about him and all the work carried out by the Trump administration."I am pleased to see that Vivek Ramaswamy is doing so well in the most recent Republican Primary Poll, CBS YouGov," Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Socia...

23Apr

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Technology

Confusion as Elon Musk’s Twitter yanks blue ticks from agencies

Twitter has long been a way for people to keep track of tornado watches, train delays, news alerts or the latest crime warnings from their local police department.But when the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification checkmarks this week from accounts that don't pay a monthly fee, it left public agencies and other organizations around the world scrambling to figure out a way to show they're trustworthy and avoid impersonators. High-profile users who lost their blue checks Thursday included Beyonce, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and former President Donald Trump. But checks were also removed from accounts for major transit systems from San Francisco to Paris, national parks like Yosemite, official weather trackers and some elected officials. Twitter had about 300,000 v...

19Mar

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Technology

Trump’s Faltering Cash Machine Can’t Rely on Facebook for a Fix

Donald Trump's back on Facebook, but the technology giant's data changes are hobbling his ability to wring cash from its users as effectively as he did during his astonishing rise to the White House.Trump, who has raised more money online than any other politician, no longer can directly target his tens of millions of Facebook followers with fundraising appeals, nor can he find users who have similar political views, making it harder and more expensive to prospect for contributors. While these changes affect every grassroots campaign that relies on Facebook to raise money — including progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who in 2018 upset a veteran New York congressman — the former president needs to grow his army of small-dollar donors more than ever. On Friday, Trump's “I'M BA...

19Mar

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Technology

YouTube restores Donald Trump’s account

YouTube restored former US President Donald Trump's account on Friday, becoming the latest and last social networking platform to do so.Taking to Twitter, Youtube Insiders said, "Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content. We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run-up to an election." "This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube," YouTube added. Trump's several social media account was suspended after January 6, 2021 attack on the US capitol.Recently, Trump submitted his nomination for the Presidential bid for the 2024 election.Trump now has full access to his Twit...

19Mar

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Technology

Trump and Facebook Are Frenemies Who Can’t Let Go

It has been two years since Facebook hit the snooze button on what to do about Donald Trump. After much dithering, Facebook said in 2021 that it suspend Trump's account for two years for goading rioters and publicly attacking the US democratic process.With that deadline here, signs point to Trump's imminent return — bad news for public discourse but potentially great for Trump as he makes another bid for the White House. Trump's return also would help Facebook. Much as Facebook's policy teams will agonize over the delicate balance between the protection of free speech and the safeguarding of democracy — as one of the firm's former policy directors eloquently laid out here — its priority is to shareholders who are increasingly frustrated about Facebook's financial performance. Many of ...

18Mar

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Technology

YouTube Lifts Restrictions on Trump’s Channel Ahead of Election

YouTube said Friday that it lifted restrictions it had placed on Donald Trump's account, the latest social media service to reinstate full access for the former president in a very public and high-stakes test for the platforms ahead of next year's US presidential election.“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election,” Leslie Miller, YouTube's vice-president of public policy, said in a statement. “This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube.” Two years ago, many tech companies moved to curtail Trump's presence online after a violent mob of supporters stormed the ...

27Jan

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Technology

Meta to reinstate Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

Meta Platforms Inc will reinstate former U.S. President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. Meta Platforms Inc said Wednesday it will reinstate former U.S. President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks, following a two-year suspension after the deadly Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021. The restoration of his accounts could provide a boost to Trump, who announced in November he will make another run for the White House in 2024. He has 34 million followers on Facebook and 23 million on Instagram, platforms that are key vehicles for political outreach and fundraising. His Twitter account was restored in November by new owner Elon Musk, though Trump has yet to post there. Free speech advocates say it is appropriate ...