Internet giants such as Facebook and Twitter must be made accountable for content they publish | Letters

Ian Bartlett says the ruling that Uber is a transport company not a digital service could also change the way we view other digital giants; and Derek Wyatt suggests a post-Brexit Britain could create a Global Digital Foundation to address these issuesUber is officially a transport company and not a digital service, the European court of justice (ECJ) has now ruled (Report, 21 December), making it assume greater responsibility for its business methods and duty to employees and customers. In addition to emphasising the important role played by the ECJ in looking beyond national parochiality, may I suggest that the principles should now be examined in the wider context of online communication. The likes of Twitter, Google, Facebook and YouTube argue from a similar standpoint as Uber has done – namely that they are a mere platform, with limited or no responsibility for what happens as a result of their (lucrative) commercial activity. So death threats, instructions for bomb-making, abusive messages, sexting, hate mail and the like can be published with relative impunity under the “freedom of the internet” banner. I suggest these organisations are publishers, not mere platforms, and must therefore take greater responsibility for the content that they, well, publish. Just like newspapers and broadcasters. Yes, they may be scrabbling to increase the number of moderators and checkers to close stable doors, but that merely underlines the scale of the problem. If they and others... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former NASA contractor hacked into women's accounts, threatened to publish their nude photos

Richard Gregory Bauer didn’t hide his identity when he gathered information to hack into the email and social media accounts of his female friends, family members and co-workers. In some cases, the U.S. attorney’s office said, he told them via Facebook that he was working on a class project and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recycling an old scam: Facebook book exchange chain letter rip-off returns

Another day, another scam doing the rounds on Facebook - although this time, this one is being recycled.  Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unilad: Facebook viral publisher goes into administration

Hundreds of jobs at risk with parent company owing £6m and administration loomingUnilad, one of the biggest publishers on Facebook, has gone into administration, putting hundreds of jobs at risk and casting doubt on whether outlets that rely on the social media platform for distribution can... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook says 50 million user accounts have been affected by a security breach

Nearly 50 million Facebook accounts have been affected by a security breach that enabled hackers to take over users’ accounts, the social media giant announced Friday. The new breach comes as Facebook strives to convince its more than 2 billion users that it can be trusted. It is grappling with... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former content moderator files lawsuit against Facebook, claims the job gave her PTSD

A woman who worked as a content moderator for Facebook has filed a lawsuit against the social media giant, claiming she developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of “disturbing” images the job required her to watch. The suit, filed in San Mateo County last week, alleges negligence and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Like it or not, publishers are stuck with the platform giants

Publishers are tempted to try to go it alone but from a traffic and ad tech perspective, there's no getting around reliance on Google and Facebook. The post Like it or not, publishers are stuck with the platform giants appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Started Indexing News Pages to Determine Which Publishers Belong in Its Ad Archive

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[ AdWeek | 2018-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook rolls out system to include news publishers in its controversial Ad Archive

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[ Digiday | 2018-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Who are the real pirates in academic publishing? | Letters

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[ The Guardian | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU copyright law may force tech giants to pay billions to publishers

Legislation opposed by firms like Facebook and Google and groups warning of detrimental consequences for the internetMusic companies, film-makers and media publishers could be in line for billions in payouts after EU lawmakers voted to accept controversial changes to copyright rules that aim to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Is Exploring a Way for Publishers to Test Different Versions of Organic Posts

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[ AdWeek | 2018-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Watch Is Now Available Globally, as Are Tools for Publishers and Creators

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[ AdWeek | 2018-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Continuing charm offensive, Facebook creates tool to boost news publishers’ reach on the platform

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[ Digiday | 2018-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google AMP beat Facebook Instant Articles, but publishers start to question AMP’s benefits

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[ Digiday | 2018-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook removes accounts tied to influence campaign from Iran and Russia

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Education Publishers Push Digital Content as the New School Year Begins

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury to publish account of case that inspired Netflix hit 'The Staircase'

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Is Committing Another $4.5 Million to Initiatives for News Publishers

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[ AdWeek | 2018-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aiming for TV dollars, digital publishers adopt Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings

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[ Digiday | 2018-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magic Leap signs content deal with comics giant Grant Morrison

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[ Engadget | 2018-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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