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After US president’s ban, some wonder if action will be taken against populists accused of using social media to stir chaos“I do not celebrate or feel pride,” the Twitter boss Jack Dorsey said this week after banishing Donald Trump.But for many around the world the decision brought hope: might similar action soon be taken against other populist provocateurs they accuse of using social media...

Following Trump’s Twitter ban, Polish government wants to protect posts that do not break nation’s lawsPolish government officials have denounced the deactivation of Donald Trump’s social media accounts, and said a draft law being readied in Poland will make it illegal for tech companies to take similar actions there.“Algorithms or the owners of corporate giants should not decide which views are right and which...

Company places limits on phrase behind false election claims as Sheryl Sandberg says she’s ‘glad’ president was blockedFacebook is cracking down on content using the phrase “stop the steal”, the rallying cry of Donald Trump supporters who claim without evidence that there was voter fraud in the 2020 elections. Continue reading...

Actions spark debate on free speech and whether chief executives of tech firms are fit to act as judge and juryAs rioters were gathering around the US Capitol last Wednesday, a familiar question began to echo around the offices of the large social networks: what should they do about Donald Trump and his provocative posts?The answer has been emphatic: ban him. Continue reading...

Allies of president claim company restricted free speechOpponents say suspension was long overdueWoman killed in Capitol riot was devoted conspiracy theoristTwitter’s decision to permanently suspend Donald Trump’s account in the wake of the storming of Capitol Hill on Wednesday continues to stoke fierce debate, supporters and critics split on partisan lines as they contest what the suspension means for a cherished American tradition: freedom...

Trump’s banishment is likely to further enrage an already volatile president, but many hailed the move as a long overdue milestoneFrom his first executive tweet on the morning of inauguration day 2017 to his final tweet on Friday, announcing that he would not attend his successor’s inauguration, Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account has served as the president’s official platform.For four years, the @realDonaldTrump Twitter...

Selfies abound and company rakes in $1.3m in sales following press conference that become symbol of incompetenceOnce far off the beaten path in north-east Philadelphia, the snappilynamed Four Seasons Total Landscaping has become fertile ground for selfie tourism since November’s presidential election.The owner of the commercial gardening company has spoken out about her “overwhelming” experience, after the business went down in political infamy as...

President says he will allow Chinese-owned app in US Walmart could acquire stake and seat on global boardDonald Trump has said he “approves a deal in concept” that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the US, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app. Related: China attacks US 'bullying' over ban on Tiktok and WeChat Continue reading...

Jury is out on whether video-sharing site could make Microsoft a social media giantAs the clock ticks on Microsoft’s fast-track talks to buy TikTok the jury is out on whether it marks a unique opportunity to become a global social media giant overnight, or a $50bn (£38bn) geopolitically fuelled business blunder.Donald Trump’s trade war with China has forced ByteDance, the privately owned Beijing-based parent...

Trump has threatened to ban the app amid privacy concerns. But young people say they’re used to being trackedMauren Sparrow downloaded TikTok in March to pass the time during lockdown. Since then she’s posted tutorials on crafting and videos of her two cats, Calcifer and Jiji, some of which have accrued millions of views and likes. But with the Chinese-owned app now under fire...

Post included video in which Trump wrongly said that children were ‘almost immune’ from illnessFacebook has removed a post from Donald Trump’s page for spreading false information about the coronavirus, a first for the social company that has been harshly criticized for repeatedly allowing the president to break its content rules.The post included video of Trump falsely asserting that children were “almost immune from...

Proposed deal would see Microsoft take over TikTok in US, insiders say, after president said he would ban video appChina’s ByteDance has agreed to divest the US operations of TikTok completely in a bid to save a deal with the White House, after Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app, two people familiar with the matter said...

Microsoft is reported to be looking into buying the TikTok’s US operations as the app’s data privacy practices have come under fireDonald Trump will reportedly order the parent company of TikTok to sell the popular video sharing platform because of national-security concerns.Trump on Friday again suggested the US may take action against the Chinese-owned social media platform. Continue reading...

Service adds to firms shunning Facebook over refusal to act against Donald Trump postsThe messaging service Viber, the fifth biggest with more than a billion users around the world, is severing all ties to Facebook as part of a growing boycott of the company by commercial partners. The campaign, initially started in the US after Facebook’s refusal to take action against posts from Donald...

Labeling of video made to look like a CNN report marks Twitter’s latest effort to label misinformation amplified by the US presidentTwitter has flagged a video tweeted by Donald Trump, which contained a fake CNN news segment about a “racist baby”, adding a warning label that the post contained manipulated media.The video, which had been doctored to make it appear as if were a...

Move comes amid president’s feud with Twitter after it fact-checked him for the first timeDonald Trump has fired a shot across the bows of “big tech” companies by signing an executive order that aims to narrow their protections from liability over the content posted on their services.The move came as the US president stepped up his attacks against social media giants after Twitter fact-checked...

President announced plan to strip social media companies of liability protections after Twitter factchecked his tweetsTwo years after admitting under political pressure that Facebook must do more to prevent disinformation campaigns on its platform, founder Mark Zuckerberg told Fox News on Thursday that the company should step away from regulating online speech. Related: Trump expected to sign executive order in bid to target Twitter...

Review planned of law that protects social media firms from responsibility for users’ contentDonald Trump is expected to order a review of a law that has long protected Twitter, Facebook and Google from being responsible for material posted by their users, according to a draft executive order seen by Reuters. Trump has threatened to shut down websites he accuses of stifling conservative voices, after Twitter...