Social Media

Buzzfeed News reports: The phrase “I hired Donald Trump to fire people like Yovanovitch” trended on Twitter Friday morning as former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified in front of the impeachment inquiry held by the House Intelligence Committee. And while it may have seemed like a spontaneous outcry from supporters of the president, the phrase has spread at …

NPR reports: Like seriously, if you post something to the ‘gram and not one of your followers hits “like” is it even worth sharing? Beginning next week, some U.S. users of Instagram will be able to test this theory as the social media platform will begin hiding the “likes” counter that appears underneath a posted photo or video. “Right now …

The Associated Press reports: Facebook says it is deleting the name of the person who has been identified in conservative circles as the whistleblower who triggered a congressional impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions. The company said Friday that mention of the potential whistleblower’s name violates Facebook’s “coordinating harm policy,” which prohibits material that could identify a “witness, informant, …

CBS News reports: A 25-year-old New Zealand lawmaker shut down a heckler during a climate change speech with a two-word comeback aimed at older people. Chlöe Swabrick, who belongs to the Green Party, silenced a fellow Parliament member by retorting, “OK, boomer” — a phrase popularized by young people to call out folks from the baby boomer generation. The phrase …

The Washington Post reports: The DOJ  has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia in a case that raises concerns about the ability of Silicon Valley to protect the private information of dissidents and other users from repressive governments. The charges came a day after the arrest of one of the former Twitter employees, Ahmad Abouammo, a …

Politico reports: False news reports that attack U.S. politicians have been viewed more than 150 million times on Facebook since the beginning of 2019, according to an analysis published Wednesday that points to a growing threat of deception swamping next year’s elections. The analysis, from the activist group Avaaz, highlights how misinformation — often targeting political figures like House Speaker …

Axios reports: More young teenagers use TikTok than Facebook, according to a new report from Morning Consult. Instagram and Snapchat still beat TikTok by wide margins, but the viral Chinese karaoke app has quickly become popular amongst Generation Z. Why it matters: TikTok is following a familiar trajectory, beginning with beating out Facebook as a more popular app for young …

The Daily Beast reports: YouTube banned Sebastian Gorka from its platform on Monday, apparently because the former Trump White House adviser refused to stop playing songs from pop rock band Imagine Dragons on episodes of his radio show that were later uploaded to the site. Gorka, a notoriously combative Trump ally, has regularly played Imagine Dragons songs on his radio …

Axios reports: Top Republicans are privately worried about a new threat to President Trump’s campaign: the possibility of Facebook pulling a Twitter and banning political ads. Facebook says it won’t, but future regulatory pressure could change that. If Facebook were to ban — or even limit — ads, it could upend Trump’s fundraising and re-election plan, GOP officials tell Axios. …

The Verge reports: Twitter is banning all political ads globally, starting November 22nd, according to tweets by the company’s CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday. The changes will affect both candidate ads and issue ads, although ads encouraging voter registration will still be allowed, along with other exceptions. Dorsey said a full policy will be made available to the public on …

CNN reports: The fight between Facebook and the UK government’s data regulator over Cambridge Analytica has come to an end. Facebook has agreed to pay the £500,000 ($645,000) penalty imposed by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which found the company failed to safeguard user data gathered by political data firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook will not admit to any liability under …

CNN reports: A San Francisco man is going to extreme lengths to call out Facebook’s controversial policy of allowing politicians to run false ads on its platform. On Monday morning, he registered as a candidate in California’s 2022 gubernatorial election — not with the primary goal of becoming governor, but so he can run false Facebook ads of his own. …

Popular Information reports: The Daily Wire, the right-wing website founded by pundit Ben Shapiro, is a cesspool of misogyny, bigotry, and misinformation. Its toxic content is also fantastically successful on Facebook, with each story reaching more people than any other major media outlet. A Popular Information investigation reveals some of this success is attributable to a clandestine network of 14 …

Business Insider reports: Facebook’s handling of news content on the platform has previously proved controversial, but the social media giant is taking steps to prioritize “high quality” journalism in a new tab that launched for some US users on Friday. The news tab allows users to see top stories from across around 200 platforms, which include major publications like The …

The Washington Post reports: Two senior members of Congress, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), asked U.S. intelligence officials late Wednesday to determine whether the Chinese-owned social-networking app TikTok poses “national security risks.” In a letter to Joseph Maguire, the director of national intelligence, the lawmakers questioned TikTok’s data-collection practices and whether the app …

Wired reports: Facebook and Congress have a lot to talk about. In the past week, the company has careened through controversies over misinformation, squabbles over election ads, and an oddly statesmanlike speech in DC that sought to put a fresh spin on the Facebook origin story. But, unless grandstanding on other Facebook issues gets in the way, Wednesday’s hearing featuring …

Axios reports: The multi-state antitrust investigation into Facebook, which moved forward Monday as state officials met with experts, now counts 47 attorneys general among its membership. Facebook is facing attacks on all fronts, with antitrust scrutiny of the company’s size and power also taking shape at the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department and Congress. New York Attorney General Letitia …

NBC News reports: Facebook unveiled new plans Monday to fight 2020 election interference. It will clearly label news that comes from state-owned media, and will give greater transparency for the origins of Facebook pages. And it has already found interference coming from authoritarian regimes overseas. In an interview with NBC News, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company has thwarted …

Axios reports: As the 2020 election inches closer, Republicans continue to enjoy the digital edge they seized in 2016. Why it matters: Online ad spending offers President Trump an efficient way to target sympathetic voters with fundraising pitches and barrage them with inflammatory messages on issues ranging from immigration to impeachment. It’s especially cost-effective on Facebook, because there, the more …

The Atlantic reports: While the president spent a too-online Saturday earlier this month unloading on Twitter—launching #IMPEACHMITTROMNEY into the canon of viral Trump taunts—Romney enjoyed a quiet afternoon picking apples with his grandkids in Utah and refusing to take the bait. When I met him in his office a couple of weeks later, I asked if the Twitter insults bothered …