Twitter said Thursday it has suspended 360,000 accounts since mid-2015 for violating its policies banning the promotion of terrorism and violent extremism. The San Francisco-based company said in a blog post that it has also made progress in preventing users who were suspended from immediately returning to the platform using different accounts, which has been a problem…
Judge Dismisses Suit Accusing Twitter of Supporting IS Group
A federal judge in San Francisco has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Twitter of supporting the Islamic State group. The families of two men killed in Jordan claimed that Twitter had contributed to their deaths by allowing the group to sign up for and use Twitter accounts. The judge agreed with Twitter that the company cannot…
Father of Paris Attacks Victim Sues Social Media Companies
The father of a young woman killed in the Paris massacre last November is suing Google, Facebook and Twitter, claiming that the companies provided “material support” to extremists in violation of the law. Reynaldo Gonzalez, whose daughter Nohemi was among 130 people killed in the Paris attacks, filed the suit on Tuesday in the U.S.…
The Latest Way to Pay Someone from Your Phone: Facebook
New York (AP) — Facebook’s Messenger app will soon let you send your friends money, the latest in a crowded field of services aimed at an increasingly wireless and cashless generation. Services including PayPal, its Venmo unit and the disappearing-photo app Snapchat let you beam money to friends and family using smartphones linked to bank…
Got Battery? Lots of Low Battery Hacks But No Quick Fix
New York (AP) — At a cozy watering hole in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, bartender Kathy Conway counted four different phone chargers behind the bar. Call it the scourge of the red zone, call it battery anxiety. Smartphone users are tired of begging to charge devices behind bars or hunting for hidden electrical outlets in airports…
Twitter Sues FBI, DOJ For NSA Request Documents
NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter is suing the FBI and the Department of Justice to be able to release more information about government surveillance of its users. The social media company filed a lawsuit Tuesday in a California federal court to publish its full “transparency report,” which documents government requests for user information. Twitter Inc.…
Your Life after Death
New York (AP) — Sure, you have a lot to do today — laundry, bills, dinner — but it’s never too early to start planning for your digital afterlife, the fate of your numerous online accounts once you shed this mortal coil. Facebook, Google, Twitter and other sites have different policies on dealing with dead…
Ferguson Fallout: A Call for Police ‘Body Cams’
New York (AP) — The fatal police shooting of the unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, is prompting calls for more officers to wear so-called body cameras, simple, lapel-mounted gadgets that capture video footage of law enforcement’s interactions with the public. Proponents say the devices add a new level of accountability to police work. “This…