Latest Social media News
Iran restores access to WhatsApp and Google Play after they were banned amid protests
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's government on Tuesday said it had lifted a ban on access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years, the official IRNA news agency reported. The report said the country’s Supreme Council of Cyber Space made the decision in a meeting led by...
Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots
Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk's X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner's support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta's Threads and its...
Younger generations swap tradition for self-expression with holiday decorations
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether dressed in black, mimicking bare branches or decked out with enough bows for a Taylor Swift concert, the Christmas trees in some U.S. homes this year display an unconventional streak. They beckon visitors to behold the decorator's personality, not a mere symbol of Yuletide...
Program to prevent cyberbullying in tennis has reported 15 abusive posters to law enforcement
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The identities of 15 “highly abusive account authors” were reported to national law enforcement and about 12,000 posts or comments were pointed out to social media platforms this year as part of a new attempt to protect tennis players and officials from...
Apple complains Meta requests risk privacy in spat over EU efforts to widen access to iPhone tech
LONDON (AP) — Apple complained that requests from Meta Platforms for access to its operating software threaten user privacy, in a spat fueled by the European Union's intensifying efforts to get the iPhone maker to open up to products from tech rivals. The 27-nation EU's executive...
What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
NEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world...
Facebook owner hit with 251 million euros in fines for 2018 data breach
LONDON (AP) — European Union privacy watchdogs hit Facebook owner Meta with fines totaling 251 million euros on Monday after an investigation into a 2018 data breach on the social media platform that exposed millions of accounts. Ireland's Data Protection Commission issued the...
Insider Q&A: High hopes for Australia social media ban and channeling parental 'fury' over tech
Julie Scelfo started MAMA — Mothers Against Media Addiction — earlier this year to help parents fight back against the harms of social media on children. A former journalist, Scelfo says she was inspired to take action after reporting on the youth mental health crisis and how screens and social...
Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings
CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It's unclear if it's drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media...
More than a dozen have been injured in a Florida airboat crash
OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — Two airboats collided with each other Friday afternoon in southwest Florida, injuring more than a dozen people, officials said. The airboats were carrying a total of 33 people when they crashed in Ochopee, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Miami, news...
