Latest Social media News

2 journalists are detained in Belarus as part of a crackdown on dissent

Dec. 08, 2023 15:07 PM EST

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Two journalists were detained in Belarus on Friday, a Belarusian journalist association reported, the latest step in a crackdown against dissent in recent years. Chief editor of the Ranak television channel, Yulia Dauletava, and correspondent Lyudmila...

Missouri House Democrat is kicked off committees after posting photo with alleged Holocaust denier

Dec. 08, 2023 14:29 PM EST

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri House Democrat has been removed from her committee assignments after posting a photo on social media showed her with a man cited by the Anti-Defamation League as a Holocaust denier. State Rep. Sarah Unsicker of St. Louis County is also running...

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

Dec. 08, 2023 10:07 AM EST

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ The NCAA is not...

Meta makes end-to-end encryption a default on Facebook Messenger

Dec. 07, 2023 12:09 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday. Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient — not even Meta — can decipher people’s...

Facebook parent sued by New Mexico alleging it has failed to shield children from predators

Dec. 06, 2023 15:05 PM EST

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Facebook and Instagram fail to protect underage users from exposure to child sexual abuse material and let adults solicit pornographic imagery from them, New Mexico's attorney general alleges in a lawsuit that follows an undercover online investigation. “Our...

Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practices

Dec. 04, 2023 08:36 AM EST

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection. In a statement, the Information Media...

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

Dec. 01, 2023 10:14 AM EST

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ Elon Musk and...

Paraguay official resigns after signing agreement with fictional country

Nov. 30, 2023 14:16 PM EST

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A Paraguayan government official was replaced after it was revealed that he signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives of a fugitive Indian guru’s fictional country, who also appear to have duped several local officials in the South American...

Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024

Nov. 30, 2023 08:06 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year's elections, Meta said Thursday. The network...

Canada says Google will pay $74 million annually to Canadian news industry under new online law

Nov. 29, 2023 15:05 PM EST

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's government said Wednesday it reached a deal with Google for the company to contribute $100 million Canadian dollars annually to the country's news industry to comply with a new Canadian law requiring tech companies to pay publishers for their content. The...