Social Media

• Activisten beweren dat het gebruik van wetten om internetvrijheden in te perken deel uitmaakt van een goed gedocumenteerde geschiedenis van het neerslaan van dissidenten • Toen de mediaregulator van Gabon in februari grote sociale mediaplatforms voor onbepaalde tijd schorste, met een beroep op veiligheidszorgen tijdens anti-regeringsprotesten, werd dit het gesprek van de dag – letterlijk. • Binnen enkele weken na de aankondiging nam het gebruik van Virtual Private Networks (VPN's) om de beperkingen te omzeilen sterk toe in het Centraal-Afrikaanse land.

President postte meer dan 50 keer in drie uur, waarbij hij Obama, NY Times en het Hooggerechtshof aanviel

• Stuart Prior, die vorige week in Essex werd verkozen, vierde naar verluidt de verkrachting van een Sikh-vrouw en noemde moslims 'ratten'. • Een raadslid van Reform UK is enkele dagen na zijn verkiezing teruggetreden, nadat hij op sociale media naar verluidt de verkrachting van een Sikh-vrouw in the Midlands zou hebben gevierd, witte mensen tot het 'meesterras' verklaarde en moslims 'ratten' noemde. • Stuart Prior werd vorige donderdag verkozen tot raadslid van de Essex county council met 2.404 stemmen, het hoogste totaal van alle kandidaten in het kiesdistrict.

Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaediaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online.The online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit was born in a world before social media, in 2001. But Wales told Guardian Australia that many of the ills of social media existed even in the earlier stages of the internet. Continue reading...

• A bipartisan advisory panel convened under President Biden’s tech‑regulation agenda delivered a draft report recommending that Congress ban politically targeted digital ads that spread “clearly false or misleading information” about voting procedures, candidates, or ballot access. • The panel, whose members include former FEC commissioners and civil‑rights leaders, argues that such ads undermine trust in elections and disproportionately affect voters of color, urging platforms to adopt stricter labeling and ad‑library rules. • The proposal sparks backlash from free‑speech advocates, who warn that any government‑defined standard for political misinformation could chill legitimate debate and benefit incumbent parties.

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their formChildren in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said.Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Continue reading...

Mining magnate also claims children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in a speech to 4,000 people on the Sydney Opera House stepsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, called for immigrants’ social media to be screened and said children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in untelevised remarks before an Anzac memorial service on the steps of Sydney Opera House on Friday.Rinehart’s public appearance was attended by about 4,000 people and sponsored by her company, Hancock Prospecting, and RSL New South Wales. Continue reading...

Peers and campaigners say proposal for three-year window to impose controls breaks promise of quick actionPeers will vote on Monday on a government move that could delay action on children’s access to social media for up to three years, which has triggered a backlash from campaigners and senior figures in the Lords.Ministers tabled an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would allow them to wait before introducing new restrictions, Critics warn it risks watering down earlier commitments to act within months and could result in only limited interventions such as parental controls rather than sweeping measures on access. Continue reading...