Internet — Software — February 18th, 2025

Bluesky adds a 'followers only' reply option
Social networking startup Bluesky, a rival to X, on Monday rolled out a new update to its app that now includes the recently promised addition of a "followers only" option for restricting replies to your posts, as well as a "search posts" feature for user profiles.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Building Intelligent Microservices With Go and AWS AI Services
The development of intelligent applications has seen exponential growth since the convergence of Microservices architecture and cloud-based AI services.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Container Checkpointing in Kubernetes With a Custom API
This article discusses using a Kubernetes sidecar for container checkpointing: build, push, deploy to K8s, and trigger checkpoints via API for state management.
February 18, 2025 — Source

How to speed up an Instagram Reel
Instagram Reels, but faster.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Implement Amazon S3 Cross-Region Replication With Terraform
Learn how to configure Amazon S3 Cross-Region Replication using Terraform to automate and streamline data redundancy, compliance, and disaster recovery setups.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Instagram is testing a private downvote button for comments
Dislike but say it in a whisper
February 18, 2025 — Source

Instagram is working on a Dislike button that will anonymously downrank comments
Across pretty much every social platform there is a strange focus on responding positively to content through the use of a 'like' button. Instagram is no different in this regard, but this could be about to change.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Microsoft clarifies it will not keep your account auto signed in yet
Last month, Microsoft published a new support document with a notification about changes to how its systems handle customer accounts, claiming that users would remain signed into their accounts by default (unless logged in using InPrivate or signed out manually). The change was supposed to go live in February, but a few days ago, users noticed that the document had been removed. Now, Microsoft has a word to clarify the situation.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Multimodal RAG With Colpali, Milvus, and VLMs
Build a multimodal RAG app with ColPali, Milvus, and a visual language model to enable Q&A on PDFs using text and visual data indexed for efficient search.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Right now, there is no right or wrong SASE answer
Adoption of SASE, or secure access service edge, is accelerating -- especially, according to IDC, at organizations of over 1,000 employees, while it's estimated the global SASE market will grow from last year's $1.83 billion to over $17 billion by 2033.
February 18, 2025 — Source

Windows Security versus Microsoft Defender: Vital differences you should know
Telling these two apps apart would be easier if Microsoft had clearer product names.
February 18, 2025 — Source

The hunt for the next Twitter: all the news about alternative social media platforms
It's been more than two years since Elon Musk officially took over as the owner of Twitter — now X — and while a lot of platforms rushed in to try and be the next big microblogging service, many haven't survived. Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky have all proven to be viable alternatives, but places like Pebble (formerly T2) and Post News didn't make it.
February 18, 2025 — Source

X almost doubles its Premium+ pricing following Grok 3 launch
Elon Musk-owned xAI recently unveiled its Grok 3 generative AI model with advanced capabilities and claims it's the "smartest AI on Earth." The new model is part of the Premium+ paid subscription tier, which is now pricier than before (read almost double).
February 18, 2025 — Source

X Briefly Blocked Then Unblocked Signal Links as Federal Workers Seek Security
For a few days, Elon Musk's platform blocked links that used the encrypted messaging app.
February 18, 2025 — Source or Source

X challenges German court order granting data access to election researchers
Earlier this month, a Berlin court ordered Elon Musk-owned X to provide immediate access to public platform data to two civil society organizations seeking to study systemic risk around the country's upcoming election. In a post on X, the social media company said Tuesday it is challenging the order, claiming the summary proceeding "egregiously undermines our fundamental right to due process and threatens the privacy rights and free speech of our users."
February 18, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — February 17th, 2025

Elon Musk's X blocks links to the messaging app that DOGE whistleblowers use to communicate
Elon Musk's X blocks links to the messaging app that DOGE whistleblowers use to communicate
February 17, 2025 — Source

Instagram could pick up a dislike button reminiscent of YouTube's days gone
When the negativity gets too strong, it's best to remove it from sight.
February 17, 2025 — Source

Reddit CEO confirms plans to introduce paywalls for exclusive content later this year
Current subreddits won't be affected
February 17, 2025 — Source

Reddit paywall plans now confirmed by Huffman
Plans for a Reddit paywall of some kind have now been confirmed by CEO Steve Huffman, after hints about it last summer.
February 17, 2025 — Source

What to know about TikTok's uncertain future in the US and the people who want to buy it
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has been at the center of controversy in the U.S. for four years now due to concerns about user data potentially being accessed by the Chinese government. Just this past month, the app experienced a temporary outage in the U.S. that left millions of users in suspense before it was quickly restored.
February 17, 2025 — Source

X is blocking links to Signal
Users attempting to add their Signal.me URL to posts, DMs, and bio descriptions are being met with error messages.
February 17, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source

Internet — Software — February 14th, 2025

Creating YouTube Posts in 2025 A Complete Guide
In 2025, building a thriving YouTube channel requires more than just uploading videos. YouTube Community posts have emerged as a powerful tool for creators to engage with their audience, maintain visibility, and drive channel growth. By understanding the features and strategies behind Community posts, you can create meaningful connections with your viewers and significantly enhance your channel's performance. The video below from Howfinity shows us how this is done.Source
February 14, 2025 — Source

Don't like someone's cringy Instagram comment? You'll love this feature
We've all done it; we've all gotten into an argument on social media over something ridiculous. Most of us would just like to share a downvote or thumbs-down and be over with it, but not every platform has that luxury. Well, according to a new post, Instagram could get a dislike feature for comments.
February 14, 2025 — Source

Instagram tests a 'dislike' button for comments
After users noticed a new button on Instagram to downvote or dislike comments, the company confirmed that it is testing a way for users to signal that they either didn't like the comment or don't think it's relevant.
February 14, 2025 — Source or Source

Kagi's search engine adds a more private way to search
Kagi's new Privacy Pass ensures your searches aren't traced back to you.
February 14, 2025 — Source

Mastodon is working to add the controversial 'quote posts' feature
Mastodon, the decentralized alternative to X, is going to adopt a controversial feature from the platform formerly known as Twitter: quote posts. The company on Friday shared the progress it's making on the implementation of the feature, which has divided users over its potential to be used for online abuse and bullying.
February 14, 2025 — Source

Mastodon will add quote posts, even though some users don't want them
Mastodon wants to encourage people to transition to the open social web.
February 14, 2025 — Source

Reddit CEO Says Paywalls Are Coming Soon
Some subreddits will require you to pay to see content.
February 14, 2025 — Source

TikTok Is Back In The App Stores. Here's What You Need to Know
The return means new TikTok users can now get the app and existing ones can again get software updates.
February 14, 2025 — Source or Source or Source

TikTok's My Emergency Contact trend, explained
Yikes, that's who they'd call in an emergency?
February 14, 2025 — Source

YouTube by the numbers: uncovering YouTube's ghost town of billions of unwatched, ignored videos
What 18 trillion YouTube guesses uncovered about the platform
February 17, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — February 10th, 2025

Elon Musk swipes left on TikTok acquisition drama, doesn't use the app
If you're a fan of X -- the former Twitter platform -- you're probably secretly hoping for Elon Musk to take over TikTok as well. Not to rain on your parade, but that won't happen -- at least for now.
February 10, 2025 — Source

How To Automate Your Social Media Posts with AI and Make (No Code)
Managing social media can often feel like an endless juggling act—balancing content creation, scheduling posts, tracking analytics, and engaging with your audience, all while trying to stay creative and consistent. If you've ever found yourself wishing for a way to simplify the chaos, you're not alone. Make, is a powerful automation tool that can take the heavy lifting off your plate, freeing up your time and energy for what really matters: connecting with your audience and growing your brand.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Instagram Alternative Flashes is Now Running in Beta
A new photo-sharing app closely linked to Bluesky has been launched in beta with thousands of users signing up immediately.
February 10, 2025 — Source

Meta Set to Lay Off Thousands of Workers Today
Meta is expected to lay off hundreds, if not thousands of workers in the U.S. this morning while also pushing to hire more machine learning engineers.
February 10, 2025 — Source

Musk dismisses TikTok acquisition rumors, says he prefers to build companies from scratch
MrBeast expressed relief
February 10, 2025 — Source

Photographer Sues Over Canvas Prints Inspired by His Iconic Portrait of Notorious B.I.G
A photographer has filed a lawsuit against major retailers which allegedly sold canvas art prints that were inspired by his iconic "King of New York" portrait of rapper Notorious B.I.G.
February 10, 2025 — Source

Swiping is so 2024: let Tinder's AI propose the best match for you
Tinder, probably the most popular dating app out there, is not getting the love lately: it's steadily losing users month after month now. So, changes have to be made: upgrades are to be introduced soon. It's 2025, so you know what that means, right? Correct, it means more AI.
February 10, 2025 — Source

TikTok influencers are wearing Apple Watches on their ankles
A report from The New York Times over the weekend highlights the small — but apparently growing — trend of users wearing their Apple Watches on their ankles. What's becoming something of a viral sensation on social platforms like TikTok is the result of a pragmatic decision. Some Apple Watch owners' wrists are simply too small to get a proper read with on-board sensors like heart-rate monitoring.
February 7, 2025 — Source

TikTok Now Lets US Android Users Download App on its Website
TikTok now allows U.S. Android users to download and connect to the video app through package kits on its website — as the platform remains unavailable on app stores.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — February 7th, 2025

Bluesky will soon let you limit replies to 'followers only'
Social network Bluesky will soon give its users more control over who can reply to their posts. Confirmed by Bluesky developer Paul Frazee, Bluesky will add a new "followers only" setting that users can configure to limit replies. In addition, he says, Bluesky will create a way for users to set their default reply settings. That means if you want to always limit your replies to followers only, for instance, you could.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Microsoft 365 price rises are coming -- pay up or opt out (if you can find the button)
It's not auto-enrollment. It's just your current plan with extra Copilot for more money. Completely different
February 7, 2025 — Source

Microsoft Teams and Zoom calls are about to get better in your web browser
A proposed feature would support customizable buttons for call notifications in a browser.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Organize Your Inbox with Gmail Labels : Tips to Improve Your Productivity in 2025
Managing your email inbox can often feel overwhelming, but Gmail labels offer a practical and efficient way to organize your messages. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of using Gmail labels, from basic setup to advanced features like filters and plugins. By following these steps, you'll gain the tools to declutter your inbox and streamline your email management for greater productivity.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Social media's double-edged sword: Study links both active and passive use to rising loneliness
In an age where social media promises to connect us, a Baylor University study reveals a sobering paradox—the more time we spend interacting online, the lonelier we may feel.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Senate Committee Advances Controversial Bill to Keep Kids Off Social Media
American legislators have floated yet another law to ban children from accessing social media. This week, the Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation prohibiting children under 13 from social media.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Stop texting, start sexting: The best apps for NSFW chats
Burn after reading
February 7, 2025 — Source

The best services for deleting yourself from the internet
Erasing your digital footprint isn't easy, especially when so much of our data is in the hands of data brokers. Our favorite data removal services can help streamline the process.
February 7, 2025 — Source

The new TikTok ban deadline looms: When it hits and what has to happen
Not again.
February 7, 2025 — Source

TikTok creators can easily share their content to YouTube thanks to new Repurpose.io partnership
YouTube has announced a partnership with Repurpose.io designed to make multi-platform publishing easier than ever. An automated system makes it possible to repost TikTok content, as well as Instagram Reels, as YouTube Shorts.
February 7, 2025 — Source

UK parents sue TikTok for teen deaths related to online challenges
TikTok's future in the United States remains up in the air as potential buyers battle it out in a bidding war. Meanwhile, another controversy has arisen involving the deaths of children and teenagers allegedly stemming from "challenges" on the platform. Parents based in the UK have sued TikTok through an American organization.
February 7, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — February 5th, 2025

Kagi search engine won't bill you next month if you forget to use it
The Google Search alternative now credits your account if you 'forget to use Kagi.'
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Let's Encrypt is ending expiration notice emails—for some very good reasons
To save money and protect privacy, the successful service won't bug you.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

New Microsoft Loop Features That Will Transform Your Teams Workflow
Have you ever found yourself juggling multiple tools just to keep your team on the same page? Between endless emails, scattered documents, and the constant back-and-forth of updates, staying organized can feel like a full-time job. Many of us have struggled to find a single, streamlined solution for collaboration—one that doesn't just promise efficiency but actually delivers it. That's where Microsoft Loop comes in. While its early iterations left much to be desired, recent updates are turning Loop into a fantastic option for anyone looking to simplify their workflows and boost team productivity.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Rate of DMARC adoption doubles thanks to bulk sender requirements
A year on from Google and Yahoo implementing stricter requirements for bulk email senders, the rate of DMARC adoption has more than doubled.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Reddit blames 'bug' after banning more than 90 NSFW subreddits
The communities briefly went dark for being "unmoderated."
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Reddit tells communities threatening Elon Musk and DOGE workers to cool down
The company has temporarily banned r/WhitePeopleTwitter 'due to a prevalence of violent content' after users made threatening posts aimed at DOGE staffers.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Snapchat is developing its in-house image generator tool
Snapchat is working on its in-house image generator tool. Previously, the social media company has relied on third-party AI generative image tools like Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT to power some of its features. However, Snapchat's parent company, Snap, has just introduced an in-house AI text-to-image research model for mobile devices.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

This popular app will benefit greatly if TikTok is shut down
These days, it's hard to tell what is not soaked in politics: sports, shows, films, and even technology. The TikTok issue that's been making headlines in recent headlines may seem like it's about software and apps, but in reality, it's just another manifestation of the same zeitgeist.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Threads now allows you to share your custom feeds
Meta-owned Threads is one of the fastest-growing social networking platforms in the world. The social media app recently reached 320 million monthly active users. Since its launch, Threads has continuously introduced new features to attract more users to grow the user base. Recently, the app added a new 'media' tab and photo tagging feature. Now, a new feature allows Threads users to share their custom feeds.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Threads users can now make their custom feeds public and share them to other users
Mark Zuckerberg has announced the new ability on his recent Threads post.
February 5th, 2025 — Source

Will he, won’t he? Elon Musk denies rumors he’s buying TikTok
Elon Musk is no stranger when it comes to making controversial statements and making bold business moves. Stories of how he acquired Twitter (now known as X) have become the stuff of Silicon Valley legend. The internet went wild when rumors spread that Elon Musk would buy TikTok. But Musk quickly shut it down.
February 10, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — February 3rd, 2025

Custom feed builder Graze will monetize itself on Bluesky
The goal of every business is to make money. Even when services are free, like Google Search, Gmail, X, Facebook, etc., these companies find ways to monetize them. So it's no surprise that Graze, a custom feed builder for the Bluesky social media platform, might have found a way to monetize itself.
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

Discord now runs on Windows 98 (and even Windows 95) with this unofficial client
A retro-friendly version of Discord for machines with slower hardware
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

NetChoice sues to block Maryland's Kids Code, saying it violates the First Amendment
The tech industry group has successfully sued to block other such regulations from taking effect.
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

TikTok Could Be Bought By Newly Created US Wealth Fund, Says Trump
President Donald Trump has announced that he is looking into a workable solution for TikTok's ban in the US after granting the application a temporary reprieve last month. Trump signed an executive order on the first day he took power that allowed TikTok to operate for 75 days, and the President's latest remarks came as he announced a US sovereign wealth fund.
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

TikTok traffic rises in the US, now close to pre-ban levels
Last month, TikTok went offline for a few hours in the US after the deadline for the law that forced its ban in the country passed. The service was available again shortly after, but with lower levels of traffic. Now, a report reveals that TikTok's traffic in the US is almost back to its pre-ban levels.
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the X competitor
Is the grass greener on the other side? We're not sure, but the sky is most certainly bluer. It's been two years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, leading people to set up shop on alternative platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations) and Spill have been presented as potential replacements, but few aside from Meta's Threads have achieved the speed of growth Bluesky has reached.
February 3rd, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 24th, 2025

Ads are coming to Threads (don't act surprised)
When Threads first hit the app stores, it lacked many of the traits that defined X (Twitter at the time). Well, one of those traits is ads. Since its launch a year and a half ago, the Meta-owned platform has been ad-free. Well, that’s about to change, as Threads will eventually display ads.
January 24th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source

Board member thinks ban can be resolved without TikTok being sold
Thanks to US President Donald Trump, TikTok bought itself a 75-day reprieve that would have banned it from the US. However, the company isn’t completely out of the woods yet. There are still a lot of things that need to be done, but according to ByteDance board member William E. Ford, he thinks the TikTok ban can be resolved without having to sell off the company.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Can apps stop you doomscrolling? Yes, but not how you think.
You don't have to shut off access to any app on your phone. There's another way — thanks to your brain.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Ditching Meta? Open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp fundraise on Kickstarter
The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, respectively, is now raising funds on Kickstarter to fuel the apps’ further development.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Elon Musk email to X staff: ‘we’re barely breaking even’
The Wall Street Journal reports banks are close to selling some of the $13 billion in debt they took on while helping Musk buy Twitter in 2022.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Flip, the TikTok Shop rival, launches a creator fund that grants up to $100M of equity value
Flip is a social commerce app that lets shoppers become creators. They can share honest reviews and earn cash based on engagement on the platform. As Flip competes with TikTok Shop and other platforms in a highly competitive market, it has introduced a new creator fund that offers a unique opportunity to help it stand out.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

I'm quitting Instagram. You should too.
Mark Zuckerberg's horrible changes for Instagram — and Facebook — have become untenable, writes Lennon Torres.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Man Arrested for TikTok Trump Assassination Threat
According to the FBI, Douglas Thrams started posting threats on TikTok after Trump's inauguration.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Meta begins a 'small test' of ads on Threads
Ads will be visible to "a small percentage of people" in the US and Japan to start.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Meta’s censoring of abortion information is nothing new
Posts on Instagram sharing educational information about abortion pills were blurred or blocked, without an option for audiences to view them.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

People are hawking TikTok-loaded phones for thousands on eBay, Facebook
People are listing phones preloaded with TikTok for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other online storefronts—though it is not clear if there are many buyers at those prices.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Phones with TikTok installed are being listed on eBay for thousands of dollars
The most expensive is a million dollars
January 24th, 2025 — Source

The EU completes its probe into X with a fine on its way
It seems that Apple, Meta, Google, and Microsoft aren’t the only ones facing scrutiny in the EU. The EU Commission has completed its probe into social media platform, X, and is expected to impose a fine worth millions of euros, according to a report from Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

The Supreme Court’s TikTok ruling is an ominous turn for online speech
There’s a mix of opinions about the impact of the justice’s TikTok ban ruling on future tech cases.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

TikTok still isn’t in the App Store
It’s been almost a week since the app was pulled from Apple and Google’s mobile stores, and there’s no indication of when it might return.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

US users dumped RedNote after Trump paused the TikTok ban
In the days leading up to the TikTok ban in the U.S. on Sunday, U.S. users flooded the Chinese app RedNote, which offered a similar experience to their favorite short-form video app. The app, which is listed in the U.S. App Store under its Chinese name Xiaohongshu, quickly became the No. 1 free app in the U.S. But after Trump paused the ban, use of RedNote in the U.S. rapidly declined. By Monday, RedNote had lost over half its daily active users in the U.S. after reaching a high of 32.5 million daily actives on the day of the ban.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Users claim YouTube shows unskippable ads as long as movies!
Ads are a part of life now, and they permeate our internet experience. This is especially true for people who use YouTube for free. Users are subject to the obligatory 15-second unskippable ads, but how about an ad as long as The Lord Of The Ring: Fellowship Of The Ring?
January 24th, 2025 — Source

X expands its vertical video feed to global users
Elon Musk’s X has started expanding the rollout of its dedicated vertical video feed to users around the globe just days after its debut in the U.S., TechCrunch has exclusively learned and confirmed with the company.
January 24th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 22nd, 2025

Dewey launches a solution to save your TikTok favorites … just in case
TikTok is back online in the U.S. for the time being, but its future remains uncertain. While many apps have been scrambling to attract TikTok users and creators, a bookmarking backup service called Dewey has launched a solution that saves your favorite TikTok videos and allows you to access them at any time — even if TikTok disappears again.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Dozens of subreddits are banning X links from their communities
Hundreds more are discussing a similar move.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source or Source

How Instagram and TikTok are changing young people's view of nature
Young people's engagement with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Minecraft is shaping how they understand and interact with the natural world, offering opportunities to connect their online experiences with meaningful encounters with nature, a new study reveals.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Is Outlook Crashing When You Write Emails? Here's A Temporary Fix
Do you need to fix classic Outlook crashes after updating to version 2412? We've got you covered. If your classic Outlook application crashes when you forward, write, or reply to an email, don't fret, you're not alone. The good news, however, is that you can temporarily fix this issue by reverting to the previous Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162).
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Lawyer explains why Apple can’t bring TikTok back to the App Store yet
TikTok’s deactivation for US users may have been short-lived, but the app is still missing from the iPhone’s App Store. Here’s why one lawyer says Apple can’t bring it back yet.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

MrBeast Is Officially Trying to Buy TikTok
The guy who brought you a bunch of dumb online videos wants to buy the site that distributes dumb online videos.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Nearly 10 years later, Tumblr TV launches to all as a TikTok alternative
In 2015, the blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF discovery feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. Now, with the U.S. TikTok ban leaving the fate of the short-form video app uncertain, Tumblr has decided it’s finally time to launch Tumblr TV, which has since evolved to support video, to all its users as one of its standard features.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

NFL teams can’t use Bluesky
The NFL, which has deals with X and Meta, told the New England Patriots to shut down their Bluesky account.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Photographer Sued for Waging Campaign Against TikTok-Famous Photo Booth
A photographer has been sued for $2 million for throwing a bucket of urine at a TikTok-famous vintage photo booth that was set up next door to her home.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Should You Use Lemon8? Here's How It's Different From TikTok
TikTok is no longer banned in the US, but you might still be curious about its sister app, Lemon8.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

The Future of Social Media: Can TikTok Be Replaced?
The US officially banned TikTok for a short period of time in January 2025. However, after the Supreme Court upheld the decision and no US buyer stepped in before the deadline, the app went dark. A few hours later, it resumed services when Trump vowed to save it.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

TikTok Says It's Not Censoring 'Free Palestine' Comments. Users See Something Different
When TikTok returned after being pulled from the U.S., hours before President Trump's inauguration, users reported "free palestine" comments were being instantly removed.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Trump Backs Elon Musk as Possible TikTok Buyer, Suggests Government Stake
Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed support for Elon Musk potentially acquiring TikTok, and also proposed a joint ownership structure with the U.S. government.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source or Source or Source

YouTube launches speed controls and high-quality audio tests for Premium users
YouTube said Wednesday that it is adding new experimental features for Premium users, including high-quality audio, a faster playback speed option on mobile, and the ability to "jump ahead" on the web to skip to the more intriguing part of the video.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

Programming — Resources — January 22nd, 2025

How to Test QR Codes in Your Applications
You’ve embraced QR codes in your applications, but are you actually testing them? See how easy it can be to include this crucial step in your SDLC.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Make Your Design System Work for You and Your Team
Sarah Rambacher discusses how a well-structured design system will increase collaboration between developers and UX team, and how to make the implementation of pixel-perfect designs easier.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Practical Coding Principles for Sustainable Development
Over 15 years of software development experience and best practices for sustainable code, including reducing technical debt, refactoring, and automated testing.
January 22nd, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 20th, 2025

Apple pulls TikTok, other banned ByteDance apps in America
On Saturday in the United States, TikTok went dark. When the app was launched, the service was unavailable. On Sunday, it was again available within the app. Both actions were accompanied with notifications within the TikTok app for American users.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Bluesky adds TikTok mode while Elon mulls reviving Vine in the latest banning drama
You can now scroll videos exclusively in a new mode within Bluesky
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Bluesky introduces custom feeds for vertical videos on its mobile app
TikTok and other ByteDance-associated apps, such as CapCut and Marvel Snap, received a lifeline as they resumed their services in the US. This was made possible by President Donald Trump's intervention to halt the ban and allow TikTok's parent company to find a potential US buyer. Amidst this, Meta's Instagram sought to position itself as an alternative to TikTok by enabling users to create reels up to three minutes long.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Bluesky and X launch new video feeds amid TikTok uncertainties
The US-based social media platforms have introduced new feeds to help users discover and watch vertical videos.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Bluesky created its own TikTok-like feature called 'Trending Videos'
It joins other platforms in trying to capitalize on TikTok's US difficulties.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Bluesky introduces a custom feed for vertical videos, like TikTok
On January 19, the US government banned ByteDance's TikTok video-sharing app. However, the company managed to start restoring its services in the region after President-elect Donald Trump assured to extend the date of the ban. In the meantime, many apps like Instagram are trying to take advantage of the situation. They are launching TikTok-similar features for their apps to gain attraction from the users.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

China suggests it's open to a US deal for TikTok after all
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to suspend a ban on the app.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Elon Musk complains about China's ban on X
"Something needs to change," he posted on X.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Elon Musk's X prepares to hunt TikTok refugees with more video-driven features
With TikTok being on a knife-edge in the United States, rival social platforms are all in to take advantage of the situation and attract refugees from the ByteDance-owned video-sharing platform. One of them is X, a social platform owned by Elon Musk.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Flipboard's new app Surf adds its own video feed, too
After the TikTok ban went into effect on Sunday, social network Bluesky launched a custom feed for videos on its platform. Now, Flipboard's newest app, Surf, which is dedicated to browsing the open social web and decentralized services like Mastodon and Bluesky, is taking advantage of that move to introduce a video feed of its own.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

How do street gangs use social media? Study sheds light on 'cyberbanging'
"Instead of hanging out on street corners, they're hanging out on social media." That's how Francesco Carlo Campisi, a Ph.D. student at Universite de Montreal supervised by criminology professor Francis Fortin, describes the online presence of Canadian street gangs.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

HPE investigates breach as hacker claims to steal source code
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is investigating claims of a new breach after a threat actor said they stole documents from the company's developer environments.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

In China, social media apps are changing how people buy and read books—selling more than physical bookshops do
While the Australian book market was down 3% last year, genre fiction—popular on BookTok—was among the rare categories that grew.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

In the wake of TikTok uncertainty, Elon Musk's X and Bluesky go all in on video
With TikTok's future still uncertain, other social media platforms are rushing to grab the opportunities it might leave behind. Instagram just launched a new app, kind of like TikTok's video editing counterpart, CapCut. Meanwhile, X and Bluesky are both looking to cash in on the chaos surrounding ByteDance apps.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Instagram Adds A Video Editing App And More Tricks Borrowed From TikTok
With the future of TikTok in the US remaining uncertain, Instagram is positioning itself to fill the potential gap in the market. To this end, it has extended the maximum length of Reels on the app to 3 minutes. Additionally, the platform has introduced "Edits," a video editing app offering an alternative to CapCut, which is affiliated with TikTok.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Instagram introduces a new app in the midst of the TikTok drama
With all the drama around TikTok and its fate in the US, Instagram has decided it's the perfect moment to unveil a brand-new app.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Instagram launches video-editing app called 'Edits' to rival CapCut
ByteDance's popular video-sharing app TikTok shut down its operations in the US on January 19. However, the app's services are back online for several users, after some assurance from President-elect Donald Trump. In the meantime, other social networking apps like Instagram are trying to fill the void created by TikTok in the same space.
January 20th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source

Meta confirms it will keep fact-checkers outside the US 'for now'
Meta says it plans to keep its fact-checking program in place outside the U.S. for the time being, though it could eventually expand it elsewhere.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Meta readies its CapCut clone amid TikTok ban and unban
After Meta potentially had a hand in lobbying against TikTok, Instagram's Adam Mosseri has announced it is working on a CapCut knock off called Edits as the photo sharing platform races toward TikTokification.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Microsoft shares temp fix for Outlook crashing when writing emails
Microsoft has shared a temporary fix for a known issue that causes classic Outlook to crash when writing, replying to, or forwarding an email.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Microsoft Teams Phishing Scams Are on the Rise -- Here's How to Stay Safe
Phishing attacks targeting Microsoft Teams users are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using both technical vulnerabilities and human trust to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. These attacks often involve impersonation, deceptive domains, and other manipulative tactics designed to exploit user behavior. By understanding these methods and implementing effective security measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to such threats.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Numbers using 'QuitX' service swell before Trump inauguration
"Millions of connections" from social network X will be re-established on rivals BlueSky or Mastodon from Monday, a French researcher said, in a campaign timed to coincide with Donald Trump's inauguration.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

RedNote, Flip, Clapper, and Likee claim the top of the App Store as TikTok comes back online
TikTok may be back, but that hasn't prevented other Chinese competitors from gaining users. In the lead-up to a ban on TikTok — which kicked off Sunday and lasted a day — a number of other video apps rose through the ranks and now dominate the App Store's Top Charts.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

Teen enraged by TikTok ban sets fire to Wisconsin congressman's office
The 19-year-old has admitted to the crime
January 20th, 2025 — Source

The 850 billion reasons Apple and others aren't taking a chance on TikTok
This weekend was quite the roller-coaster ride for TikTok. While some headlines report that TikTok is back and imply that the matter is resolved, that's not entirely the case.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

The European Commission wants Elon Musk to reveal the secrets of the X recommendation algorithm (don't we all?)
Elon Musk -- or his company, X, at least -- has been given until mid-February to provide the European Commission with details of how its recommendation algorithm works.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

TikTok is back in the US, but it's not on the App Store: Here's what you need to know
It's been a tumultuous several days for TikTok in the United States. The app went offline on Saturday night and was removed from the App Store by Apple. On Sunday afternoon, however, TikTok restored service in the United States thanks to "necessary clarity" provided by President Trump.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

TikTok is mostly restored after Trump pledges an order and half US ownership
Users are in, new downloads are paused, and Trump's order will face scrutiny.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

TikTok Restores Service for US Users Based on Trump's Promised Executive Order
TikTok restored service to users in the United States on Sunday just hours after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban.
January 20th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source

TikTok's Uncertain Future Opens Doors For Bluesky And X As They Introduce New Video Feeds That Mimic The Popular Platform
The past week has been a roller-coaster ride for TikTok users in America. With speculations regarding the potential divestiture, the official ban coming into effect, and the ray of hope given to users regarding the possible reinstatement of the platform, users have been left confused with the contrary decisions being heard about the future of the app. However, one man's loss is another man's gain seems to stand true, as benefiting from the growing uncertainty, Bluesky and X found the opportunity to introduce their new video feeds to allow users to watch vertical videos.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

What's happening on the RedNote social platform? A media scholar explains the cultural moment unfolding there
TikTok refugees fled by the millions to RedNote, a Chinese app, in response to the TikTok ban, which went into effect Jan. 19, 2025. The company shut down the app shortly before midnight on Jan. 18 but restored service the following day. The app was unavailable to download from the Apple and Google app stores on Jan. 19.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

When Will TikTok Be Back on the Apple Store?
TikTok's status in the Apple App Store is complicated and could be changing as of January 20, 2025. This update comes after the enforcement of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, TikTok was removed from the U.S. App Store.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X adds a dedicated video tab to fill the TikTok void
TikTok's fate in the US remains uncertain.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X and Bluesky are rolling out the same new feed. You can probably guess what it is.
No surprises there.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X and Bluesky launch dedicated video feeds on the back of TikTok uncertainty
Social media apps X and Bluesky are both rolling out dedicated video feeds, in apparent attempts to take advantage of the continued uncertainty around TikTok.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X is rolling out a dedicated vertical video feed for US users
Social network X is trying to capitalize on the uncertainty surrounding ByteDance apps like TikTok and Lemon8 by launching a dedicated vertical video feed.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X wants to be more like TikTok in latest update
X is introducing a new dedicated vertical video feed for its US users in an attempt to capture attention in the social media space. This move comes on the heels of TikTok's temporary ban in the US, where X and other social media companies are positioning themselves to fill the gap left by TikTok.
January 20th, 2025 — Source

X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube sign EU pledge to tackle hate speech
The commitments are entirely voluntary.
January 20th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source

Internet — Software — January 17th, 2025

6 TikTok creators on where they'll go if the app is banned
Time is running out for TikTok to avoid being pushed out of the US — and millions of creators are trying to figure out what's next.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Are Instagram and YouTube about to get $11 billion after TikTok's ban?
What happens to $11 billion in annual US advertising dollars if TikTok is banned? That's the question facing the digital marketing world as advertisers brace for the potential disappearance of the popular app.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

As TikTok Ban Looms, Instagram Reels Introduces a New Way to Interact With Friends
TikTok refugees making their way over to the Meta platform should know about this update.
January 17th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

As TikTok faces a ban, creators brace for an uncertain future
What happens if TikTok is taken away?
January 17th, 2025 — Source

As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out
TikTok has warned of a looming shutdown in just six days, as the Supreme Court is currently weighing the law that would ban the app. So we thought it's time to take a look at other platforms that may be able to fill the TikTok-shaped hole in our lives.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Behind the Blog: The TikTok Ban and Joyless AI
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss joylessness in the AI industry and the TikTok ban.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Biden signs sweeping cybersecurity order, just in time for Trump to gut it
Ransomware, AI, secure software, digital IDs -- there's something for everyone in the presidential directive
January 17th, 2025 — Source or Source

Bluesky saw 17x increase in moderation reports in 2024 after rapid growth
Bluesky on Friday published its moderation report for the past year, noting the sizable growth the social network experienced in 2024 and how that affected its Trust & Safety team's workload. It also noted that the largest number of reports came from users reporting accounts or posts for harassment, trolling, or intolerance — an issue that's plagued Bluesky as it's grown, and has even led to wide-scale protests at times over individual moderation decisions.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd returns as CEO amid a dating app decline
Wolfe Herd left the post in January 2024, but soon, she'll be back running the dating app company she started in 2014 after co-founding Tinder.
January 17th, 2025 — Source or Source

Clock ticking for TikTok as US Supreme Court upholds ban
With Biden reportedly planning to skirt enforcement and kick the can to Trump, this saga might still not be over
January 17th, 2025 — Source

EFF Statement on U.S. Supreme Court's Decision to Uphold TikTok Ban
We are deeply disappointed that the Court failed to require the strict First Amendment scrutiny required in a case like this, which would've led to the inescapable conclusion that the government's desire to prevent potential future harm had to be rejected as infringing millions of Americans' constitutionally protected free speech.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Europe orders Elon Musk's X to submit documents on its recommendation algorithms
The European Commission (EC) says it has requested information from Elon Musk's X related to the algorithms that determine the content it recommends to users. The EC wants to determine how those algorithms may or may not be compliant with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes key obligations on online platforms operating across the bloc.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

'Goodbye to My Chinese Spy' -- TikTok Users Mock Impending Ban
With TikTok expected to be banned in the United States on Sunday leaving 170 million users locked out, Americans on the app have been poking fun with "Thank you to my Chinese spy" videos.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Google Releases Open Source Library for Software Composition Analysis
Google releases OSV-SCALIBR, an open source library for software composition analysis and file system scanning.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

How to Block TikTok on iPhone and Eliminate Distractions for Good
TikTok videos are addictive, so you or your children can keep scrolling through the app for more videos and easily waste hours watching brain rots. If you wish to regain control of your time, you should learn how to block TikTok on your iPhone. Stay with me as I walk you through the most effective and trusted methods to regain focus and balance by blocking TikTok.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

If TikTok is banned in the U.S., this is what it will look like for everyone else
Think you won't be affected by the TikTok ban? Think again.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

If You Think A TikTok Ban Will Fix Things, You've Not Been Paying Attention
This Sunday, millions of people may be extremely disappointed when they open their favorite app. TikTok, which has seen a ridiculous amount of popularity, and essentially constructed its own creator ecosystem, faces a ban from the United States government if it doesn't sell itself to a U.S.-based firm before January 19.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

In Other News: Lawsuits and Settlements, CrowdStrike Phish, MITRE's D3FEND 1.0
Noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar: several multi-million dollar settlements, CrowdStrike-themed phishing emails, and MITRE launches D3FEND 1.0.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Industry Reactions to Biden's Cybersecurity Executive Order: Feedback Friday
Industry professionals comment on the Biden administration's new executive order on cybersecurity.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Joe Biden reportedly leaving the US TikTok ban in Trump's hands
There are only a couple of days left until the deadline set by the "anti-TikTok bill" signed by Joe Biden last year is met. If ByteDance does not sell its US stake before January 19, it will not be able to continue operating in the country. That said, it seems that Joe Biden's government will leave the implementation of the US TikTok ban in the hands of the Trump administration.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Should You Use Lemon8? Here's How It's Different From TikTok
TikTok is no longer banned in the US, but you might still be curious about its sister app, Lemon8.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Mark Cuban Says He'll Back a TikTok Alternative Built Off Bluesky's Protocol
Could we get a decentralized version of TikTok?
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Meta could make billions from TikTok ban, but the app's future remains uncertain
Shares in Meta and Snap are down amid reoprts that TikTok could be saved
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Music industry girds for looming US TikTok ban
TikTok has dramatically changed music discovery and marketing—a reliance the looming US ban on the popular app has underscored as the music world braces for an unknown future.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Nintendo's Switch 2 is here — sort of
On The Vergecast: what we know about the Switch 2, the TikTok ban, and the future of Sonos.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

No, RedNote is not the new TikTok - and here's why
The Chinese app is still attracting an influx of so-called TikTok refugees, but you may want to think twice before downloading it.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Six vulnerabilities in ubiquitous rsync tool announced and fixed in a day
Turns out tool does both file transfers and security fixes fast
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban
TikTok said it's going dark on January 19 unless the Biden administration prevents its shutdown.
January 17th, 2025 — Source or Source

The Supreme Court backs TikTok's ban. What comes next?
The US Supreme Court ruled that a law banning TikTok is constitutional. Here's what that means for you.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

The Supreme Court ruled on TikTok — and nobody knows what comes next
The government sounds like a sore winner.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

The EU wants to know just how X's recommendation algorithm works
Regulators have asked for documents as part of a Digital Services Act probe.
January 17th, 2025 — Source or Source

Threads could soon let you add music to your posts
Meta's Threads is one of the fastest-growing social networking platforms. Launched around 1.5 years ago, the micro-blogging platform reached the 100 million daily active users milestone last month. Since its launch, the company has been introducing more and more features for the newly hatched X competitor.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok and more hit by EU privacy complaints in Austria
Austrian advocacy group Noyb has filed privacy complaints against TikTok and five other Chinese companies in the EU. Noyb claims that these tech firms are unlawfully transferring the data of users in the European Union to China.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok ban countdown: See the latest updates as time runs short
The ban could go into effect on Jan. 19.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok ban set to go into effect on Sunday as Supreme Court upholds law
TikTok's last-ditch effort to avoid its impending ban in the United States has failed. On Friday, the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok or else face a ban in the United States.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok ban: How to download your videos and data
The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on TikTok. Before the app goes dark on Sunday, you're probably wondering how to back up the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of videos you may have on the platform.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok CEO flatters Trump ahead of US ban deadline
But he didn't say what the company will do on Sunday when the ban takes effect.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok CEO lavishes Trump with praise after Supreme Court upholds the ban
Kissing the ring.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok CEO responds to Trump, thanks him for trying to solve US ban
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to comments made by Donald Trump regarding Friday's Supreme Court ruling to ban the app in the U.S.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok Facing U.S. Ban on January 19 After Supreme Court Upholds Law
On Sunday, January 19, Apple will need to remove TikTok from the U.S. App Store, because the app will be officially banned in the United States. On the 19th, app distributors and websites will be prohibited from distributing, maintaining, or updating the TikTok app, though the app itself could continue to function on devices where it has already been downloaded.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok loses Supreme Court fight, prepares to shut down Sunday
TikTok has said it's preparing to shut down Sunday.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok shows dominance among young Americans amid looming US ban, new research reveals
Social media is widely viewed as dynamic, innovative and driven by the ethos to "move fast and break things."
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok's CEO Turns on the Charm: Will Flattery Save the App?
Earlier today, the US Supreme Court upheld the TikTok Ban, which means that at this point, the app will go dark on Sunday.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

TikTok, AliExpress, Temu and more hit with GDPR complaints over unlawful data transfers to China
Austria-based data protection and privacy advocating NGO noyb (none of your business) has filed a series of complaints against AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, TikTok, WeChat, and Xiaomi for violating European general data protection regulation (GDPR).
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Trump could suspend the US TikTok ban for 60 to 90 days
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has been fighting against the app's potential US ban for a long time. However, the company's efforts have been in vain. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on the case soon. If unfavorable, Donald Trump could temporarily suspend the US TikTok ban.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Trump Says He Won't Enforce TikTok Ban Until Spring
President Trump signs executive order delaying enforcement of the ban for 75 days, but will it hold up?
January 17th, 2025 — Source

US Announces Sanctions Against North Korean Fake IT Worker Network
The US Treasury has sanctioned two individuals and four entities involved in the North Korean fake IT worker scheme.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

US Government Agencies Call for Closing the Software Understanding Gap
CISA and other agencies call to action for the US government to take steps to close the software understanding gap.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Want To De-Google Your Life? These 6 Apps Can Help You Get Started
Have you ever searched for a product on Google, only to find an ad for that exact item as soon as you open YouTube? This happens because Google tracks nearly everything— from the searches you make to the emails you send. Understandably, this might feel invasive. So, if you're uneasy about relying on one giant company for all your digital needs, you might want to explore alternatives.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Why TikTok isn't vanishing this weekend
Does the Supreme Court's ruling mean TikTok is going dark this Sunday? Here's what to know.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Wolf Haldenstein Data Breach Impacts 3.4 Million People
Law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP says more than 3.4 million people were impacted by a December 2023 data breach.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

YouTube to test its 'likeness management technology' early next year
YouTube has partnered with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and will start testing its likeness management technology early next year. YouTube has been building tools to give creators and artists more control and awareness over how AI is being used to depict them on the video-sharing platform.
January 17th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 13th, 2025

Chinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban
Self-described 'TikTok refugees' are trying to find new communities on RedNote.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

Does the social media ban for Australian children go too far, or not far enough?
Under a controversial new law, which comes into force in Australia at the end of 2025, children under 16 will not be permitted to hold an account on social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

Free Our Feeds wants to build a social media ecosystem 'resistant to billionaire influence'
The project aims to raise $30 million to develop a social ecosystem atop Bluesky's AT Protocol.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

Mastodon's CEO and creator is handing control to a new nonprofit organization
Mastodon says the decentralized network 'should not be owned or controlled by a single individual.'
January 13th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source

Meta is already working on Community Notes for Threads
Mark Zuckerberg announced the eventual move to Community Notes last week as part of sweeping changes to Meta's moderation policies.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

Social media upstart Mastodon is transitioning into a non-profit organization
X and Bluesky rival Mastodon has announced plans to transition into a non-profit organization. The decentralized social network is looking to further differentiate it from the competition, and the latest move "affirm[s] the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual".
January 13th, 2025 — Source

The dynamics that polarize us on social media are about to get worse
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced big changes in how the company addresses misinformation across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Instead of relying on independent third-party factcheckers, Meta will now emulate Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) in using "community notes." These crowdsourced contributions allow users to flag content they believe is questionable.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

TikTok Users Are Flocking to Another Chinese Social Media App as U.S. Ban Looms
Congress is going to have to play whack-a-mole.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

What is RedNote? The Chinese app, aka Xiaohongshu, TikTokkers are flocking to
TikTokkers are being petty to the U.S. government.
January 13th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 10th, 2025

10 Outlook Features You're Not Using (But Should Be!)
Microsoft Outlook is far more than just an email client; it is a comprehensive platform designed to enhance communication, streamline task management, and organize schedules effectively. Whether you are an experienced user or new to the platform, using its advanced features can significantly improve your productivity.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

Copy a YouTube link that starts and stops at a specific time [Pro Tip]
Say you want to send someone a YouTube link with a timestamp, to show them a specific part halfway through. Doing this is really easy from both the YouTube website or the app.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
In the wake of Meta's decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

U.S. Supreme Court Appears Likely to Uphold TikTok Ban
The Supreme Court heard arguments today after which it will determine the fate of TikTok, which stands to be banned in the United States on January 19. The company has already said it would rather be banned than sell.
January 10th, 2025 — Source or Watch Video

TikTok Ban Looking Likely After U.S. Supreme Court Hears Case
TikTok is likely to be banned in the United States on January 19, after the United States Supreme Court indicated that it's leaning toward upholding the sell or ban law.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

TikTok ban: How both sides made their case to the Supreme Court and what the justices asked
On Friday, the nation's highest court heard arguments on whether to uphold or block a law that could effectively ban TikTok​ in the U.S.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

TikTok warns of looming shutdown as Supreme Court weighs sell-or-ban law
A lawyer for TikTok argued before the Supreme Court on Friday that a ban on the social network would violate TikTok's and Americans' First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court this morning heard arguments on whether to overturn or delay a law that could effectively ban TikTok​ in the U.S.
January 10th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

X Creates a New Parody Label for Accounts, Solving a Problem Elon Created
Blue checkmarks addressed this issue just fine before Elon Musk took a sledgehammer to them.
January 10th, 2025 — Source or Source or Source or Source

X's Grok AI Chatbot Comes to iOS as a Standalone App
The chatbot from Elon Musk's AI company was previously only available for users on X.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

xAI finally launches a dedicated Grok app for iPhone users
Elon Musk-led AI company, xAI, has launched a dedicated iPhone app for its popular Grok chatbot. For the uninitiated, Grok is a conversational AI tool similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini that can also generate images from text prompts and summarize texts for you.
January 10th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 9th, 2025

DoorBox debuts its new and improved smart delivery box
Millions of packages are stolen each year. DoorBox aims to change how packages are delivered with its smart package box that features a theft-proof design with live camera feeds and an alarm that activates automatically if the box is tampered with.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

How To Keep Your Microsoft Teams Status Green
If you've been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic, and you're in the corporate world, then you've undoubtedly used Microsoft Teams on a regular basis. Teams is a useful tool for anyone who works out of the office, but working out of office has its drawbacks, including distractions, kids, and more distractions. Most companies expect you to be available during your working hours. When you're active on Teams, it'll display your status with a green bubble but a yellow one when you're away.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

Instagram and Threads will now recommend political content
Yet another change in Meta's political posting policies, and users are not happy.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

Meta Is Making Instagram Political Again
Pair that with minimal moderation and what could go wrong?
January 9th, 2025 — Source

Microsoft fixes bug causing Outlook to freeze when copying text
Microsoft has fixed a known issue causing the classic Outlook email client to stop responding when copying text with the CTRL+C keyboard shortcut.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

More teams are merging into Google DeepMind
Over the past few years, especially since the launch of ChatGPT, some have perceived Google as a sleeping giant. The influential paper Attention Is All You Need, published under Google, introduced the Transformer model, the same foundation that powers ChatGPT.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

TikTok tells LA staff impacted by wildfires to use personal/sick hours if they can’t work from home
Wildfires are currently devastating the greater Los Angeles area, burning over 45 square miles, torching over 1,300 structures, and putting nearly 180,000 people under evacuation orders as of Thursday. And yet, TikTok’s LA-based employees are being told to either continue their work from home or use their personal/sick days if that’s not possible, while the company’s LA office remains closed due to power outages caused by high winds.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

X CEO signals ad boycott is over. External data paints a different picture.
Data shows election didn’t spike X users or end ad boycott.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

X's Grok AI assistant is now a standalone app
The chatbot became free to use in December 2024.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

YouTube is testing a new video snippet tool in Studio for creators
YouTube is constantly updating the platform to offer new experiences for viewers and creators. Late last year, the video streaming platform announced that users could upload longer Shorts, of up to three minutes in length. Now, YouTube appears to be testing a new video snippet tool that allows creators to make the most of their videos’ key moments.
January 9th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 8th, 2025

ByteDance's Lemon8 gains traction amid TikTok ban threat as creators push the app
Amid a looming U.S. ban on TikTok, content creators have been pushing the platform's sister app. Lemon8 resembles an amalgamation of the types of short-form videos found on TikTok and the picture-perfect aesthetic of Instagram and Pinterest.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

EU races to conclude investigation into X’s content moderation efforts
The EU is assessing whether X’s moderation practices — which have since been adopted by Meta — breach DSA rules.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Instagram Has Started Showing AI-Generated Pictures of Users
AI-generated pictures of people have started appearing in their Instagram feeds and it’s alarming folk.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Instagram's Filter Glitch Impacts LGBTQ+ Hashtags and Search Content
Meta says it has fixed the error that resulted in restricting LGBTQ+ content in teens' search and explore pages, but it's unclear how long the bug was active.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Social networking alternatives for the Meta- and Musk-averse
If you’re among those who are thinking of dropping X, Instagram, Facebook, or any of your other current social networks, there are a host of others to try.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Threads and Instagram are for politics now, says Adam Mosseri
Under Meta’s ‘More Speech and Fewer Mistakes’ moderation overhaul, the Instagram boss says their default settings will reset to enable recommendations of political content from people you don’t follow.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Triller launches a tool to back up users’ TikToks ahead of the US ban deadline
Triller, a would-be competitor to TikTok, is hoping to capitalize on the potential TikTok ban in the U.S. by pitching to creators to move their content from the popular short-form video app to its own. The company has now launched a website, SaveMyTikToks.com, which promises to back up all your TikTok videos by uploading them to Triller.
January 8th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 7th, 2025

After Founder’s Arrest, Telegram Began Sharing Info on Thousands More Users With Police
The social media platform changed its policies in September and began responding to law enforcement requests at significantly higher rates than it had previously.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

Create Stunning Faceless YouTube Videos Without Lifting a Finger
Have you ever wanted to create engaging YouTube videos but felt held back by the thought of being on camera or spending hours editing? Many aspiring creators face the same hurdles—whether it’s camera shyness, lack of time, or simply not knowing where to start. The good news? Technology has come a long way, and with the power of AI, you can now produce high-quality, faceless YouTube videos without breaking a sweat.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

Instagram blocked LGBTQ+ content by accident, Meta claims
The error, which Meta blamed on classification technology, has been addressed.
January 7th, 2025 — Source or Source

Q&A: TikTok's case could set a precedent for social media app bans
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week about a pending ban on social media app TikTok, an outcome of a law signed by President Biden last April that would take effect Jan. 19.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

The unlicensed OneDrive free ride ends this month
Kind old Microsoft is worried about security and compliance ... nothing to do with a free storage loophole
January 7th, 2025 — Source

TikTok ban thrusts Apple, Google into US-China geopolitical fray
TikTok creators are posting videos promoting ways to get around a looming shutdown of the app in the U.S., which could spell trouble for Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google and other American tech companies required by law to enforce the ban or risk potentially billions in fines.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

Xiaomi Mix Flip 2 could outshine the competition with a much bigger battery and slimmer design
Xiaomi introduced its first flip foldable smartphone last year alongside the book-style Xiaomi Mix Fold 4. Although it only hit the global market in late September, buzz about its successor is already building – and the rumors sound pretty exciting.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

Will TikTok lay off 7,000 of its US employees this Friday?
This Friday, the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments from TikTok and ByteDance regarding the law signed by Biden that could ban the app starting January 19 unless ByteDance divests its ownership. Naturally, TikTok needs the Supreme Court to pause the ban during the legal proceedings, though the court has not yet acted on the request.
January 7th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 6th, 2025

Ahead of SCOTUS Hearing, Study Finds TikTok Is Likely Vehicle for Chinese Propaganda
A forthcoming paper analyzed how different social media platforms surfaced content that displayed positive and negative sentiments toward the Chinese Communist Party.
January 6th, 2025 — Source

Meta Purges AI-Generated Facebook and Instagram Accounts Amid Backlash
Meta has deleted some of the AI-generated users created for Facebook and Instagram after a severe backlash over the existence of the accounts.
January 6th, 2025 — Source

Meta shuts down this annoying AI feature, but is it gone for good?
Those who have nothing good to say of Meta's AI profiles on Facebook and Instagram will be extremely pleased to learn that the company is now getting rid of them.
January 6th, 2025 — Source

Utah sues TikTok alleging its live streams could be used to exploit underage users
TikTok has been in trouble for quite some time now, with its potential ban in the US ever looming... now, the social media giant has found itself facing a lawsuit filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok was aware that TikTok Lives were exposing minors to concerning messages from adults, and that the company profited off of some of the exchanges through TikTok Live's virtual gifting system.
January 6th, 2025 — Source

You Can Now Schedule Chat Messages On Instagram - Here's How
For social media managers and ad marketing professionals, the ability to automate their social media workflow is nothing short of a lifeline. However, platforms, especially the likes of Facebook and Instagram, are not always functionally tuned for such activities owing to their self-proclaimed focus on fostering personal connections. As a result, users have had to rely on third-party hacks and tools to get the job done, but they often come at a cost, literally as well as figuratively. Instagram is finally easing at least one such aspect of automation.
January 6th, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 3rd, 2025

Utah AG Accuses TikTok of Knowing Minors Were Being Groomed on 'Live'
The lawsuit also alleges TikTok Live facilitated money laundering, drugs sales, and terrorism.
January 3rd, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 2nd, 2025

All the states Pornhub is blocked in as of January 1
Age-verification laws have spread throughout the U.S. in the last two years.
January 2nd, 2025 — Source

Instagram and Facebook to Fill Platforms With AI-Generated Accounts
Meta plans to fill Facebook and Instagram with AI-generated users that will exist on its platforms similar to real humans.
January 2nd, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — January 1st, 2025

Bluesky and Threads showed us very different visions for a post-X future
The two text-based platforms share some of the same goals, but almost none of the same tactics for getting there.
January 1st, 2025 — Source

Decentralization Reaches a Turning Point: 2024 in review
The steady rise of decentralized networks this year is transforming social media. Platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads are still in their infancy but have already shown that when users are given options, innovation thrives and it results in better tools and protections for our rights online. By moving towards a digital landscape that can't be monopolized by one big player, we also see broader improvements to network resiliency and user autonomy.
January 1st, 2025 — Source

Pornhub Is Now Blocked In Almost All of the U.S. South
As of today, three more states join the list of 17 that can't access Pornhub because of age verification laws.
January 1st, 2025 — Source

Internet — Software — December 31st, 2024

Bluesky and Threads showed us very different visions for a post-X future
The two text-based platforms share some of the same goals, but almost none of the same tactics for getting there.
December 31st, 2024 — Source

Bluesky saw a 763% rise in users in 2024, including 13 million new users in just the past month and a half
2024 was a massive year for Bluesky in terms of user count, added features, and community engagement.
December 31st, 2024 — Source

Trump's Former FCC Head Ajit Pai Asks Supreme Court to Uphold TikTok Ban
Trump's former FCC head is breaking from the president-elect on this issue.
December 31st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 30th, 2024

12 useful tips for the new Microsoft Outlook
With the new Outlook, you can increase your efficiency both at home and in the office.
December 30th, 2024 — Source

Instagram's Request inbox may get a keyword search feature in the future
Instagram's head Adam Mosseri recently posted a reel answering a query from a user to his AMA on the platform. The question involved making the Instagram DM search better, and Mosseri has some good news to deliver.
December 30th, 2024 — Source

Volkswagen Subsidiary Exposed Data of 800,000 Cars Online
A security snafu at a Volkswagen subsidiary exposed vehicle information and ownership details on approximately 800,000 cars, including precise location data and owners' personal profiles. A whistleblower found a vulnerability in the cloud storage accounts of Volkswagen subsidiary Cariad.
December 30th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

YouTube copies Netflix's old 'Play Something' button in new test
YouTube is testing a new "Play Something" floating action button, borrowing a now-defunct Netflix feature of the same name. It works in much the same way, playing a random video that's likely based on your previous selections, 9to5Google reported.
December 30th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 28th, 2024

10 Microsoft OneDrive Hacks You Need to Know in 2025 for Improved Productivity
Microsoft OneDrive continues to distinguish itself as a versatile and reliable cloud storage solution, meeting the needs of both personal and professional users. Whether you're organizing personal files, collaborating on team projects, or managing critical data, OneDrive offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to boost productivity and Sourcestreamline workflows.
December 28th, 2024 — Source

Trump asks the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the TikTok ban hearing until he takes office
Trump asks the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the TikTok ban hearing until he takes office
December 28th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 27th, 2024

Bluesky adds trending topics
The app continues to become a newer (and better?) version of Twitter.
December 27th, 2024 — Source

Global Age Verification Measures: 2024 in Review
EFF has spent this year urging governments around the world, from Canada to Australia, to abandon their reckless plans to introduce age verification for a variety of online content under the guise of protecting children online. Mandatory age verification tools are surveillance systems that threaten everyone’s rights to speech and privacy, and introduce more harm than they seek to combat.
December 27th, 2024 — Source

In 2024, using social media felt worse than ever
I am straight up not having a good time.
December 27th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 26th, 2024

15 of the Biggest Fake Images That Went Viral in 2024
From smoking at McDonald's to AI Tom Cruise, 2024 was a busy year for viral hoaxes.
December 26th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky launches a Trending Topics feature in search
It's available both on desktop and the most recent mobile apps.
December 26th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 25th, 2024

Instagram invites creators to alter videos with new AI editing tools
Meta's social network is betting big on AI-fueled content, will users follow?
December 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 20th, 2024

AI video editing coming to Instagram next year, using text prompts
AI video editing based on text prompts is coming to Instagram next year, with the company's head showing off the ability to do things like change your clothing and video background, as well as some funkier stuff like adding animated characters.
December 20th, 2024 — Source

How to delete your X/Twitter account for good (and protect your data)
Leaving X isn't as simple as logging off. Here's what to do before joining the exodus.
December 20th, 2024 — Source

YouTube will finally start removing clickbait videos
YouTube can be a very useful tool for fun, studies, problem solving, and even work. There are tens of thousands of channels that address practically every niche. However, the "clickbait fever" prevalent on the Internet has also infected Google's video platform. YouTube will begin to attack this by removing videos labeled as "egregious clickbait."
December 20th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — December 16th, 2024

TikTok Denied Emergency Bid to Stop US Ban Taking Effect on January 19
TikTok lost an emergency bid to pause the law that could lead to its U.S. ban — meaning that the video app will likely leave the country on January 19 unless a last-ditch Supreme Court appeal can save it.
December 16th, 2024 — Source or Source

Instagram head believes the right approach is needed for AI-generated content
In the age of artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, Character.ai, Perplexity.ai, and more, it’s hard to identify what is real. That’s why, many people including some of the CEOs of the biggest tech companies have raised concerns about using these products.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

Instagram now lets you schedule DMs
Instagram has quietly rolled out the ability for users to schedule direct messages. The Meta-owned social network confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday that the new feature is rolling out to all users globally.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

Instagram will let you recap 2024 with a collage for your story
You can combine your favorite pictures from the year and share them with friends.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

Snapchat begins testing unified monetization program for creators
According to a report from The Verge, the new program will cover content posted to Stories as well as Spotlight. Previously these two formats had separate monetization programs but now they will be under one system.
December 16th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

Social media deepfake scams push fraudulent investment schemes
Social media has seen a 335 percent boom in new scams using deepfake videos and company-branded posts to lure victims into fraudulent investment schemes.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

What Does A Green Dot On Someone's Snapchat Profile Mean?
There was a time when Snapchat was all the rage, but more popular social media platforms like TikTok have since taken over. What once used to be the go-to platform for every other "cool" person has now lost its charm. However, despite its decline and the shady side of Snapchat, it hasn't stopped people from using the social media app altogether.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

YouTube is testing creator voice replies
The latest experimental YouTube feature is like voice notes for comment replies.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

YouTube's new parent code hopes to outsmart tech-savvy kids
Password required for any TV viewing, even when signed out of an account with parental controls.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

X's declining user base: Elon Musk's platform projected to lose millions of users in 2025
Millions of people have and will continue to leave X.
December 16th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 13th, 2024

Activision's former CEO still wants to buy TikTok, but has to wait
With the U.S. about to get a new-old president, all eyes are on the video-sharing platform TikTok. The Biden administration has been going to great lengths to ban the app in the U.S. unless its parent company sells it off.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Teens abandon X and Facebook as TikTok and WhatsApp gain momentum, report
Half of all teens are online almost constantly, but traditional social media is losing its appeal
December 13th, 2024 — Source

The best streaming mics: Expert tested for Twitch and TikTok
Whether you're looking to launch your platform or upgrade your current setup, we tested the best streaming microphones that can make all the difference.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

The TikTok ban is worse than you think and will cost Americans billions - here's why
If you're a small business owner, creator, influencer, or investor, I have 1.3 billion reasons why you should read this.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Threads testing curated profile collections, inspired by Bluesky
Threads is testing curated profile collections for users to discover and follow interesting accounts. The new feature will suggest groups of accounts based on popular topics. These will show up when you sign up for Threads or when you're browsing the "For You" feed.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Tumblr adds Reddit-like 'communities'
/ First announced a year ago, but now out of beta and available to everyone, Communities creates topic-based groups on Tumblr.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Where to Find the Best Virtual Backgrounds for Microsoft Teams
A host of websites offer creative and clever background images for your Teams meetings.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Why social media algorithms hurt after a breakup
Breaking up is hard to do — especially when you can't control what you see online.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

YouTube degraded video embeds to prevent another 'Adpocalypse'
YouTube's video player is one of the easiest tools for publishers to use. Embedding a video can be as simple as copying and pasting a link, which is pretty convenient. However, it seems that the company has quietly made a change to how the player works on third-party websites.
December 13th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 10th, 2024

7 things to know about Bluesky before you join - and why you should
It's not a direct replacement for Twitter (X), but Bluesky has a lot to offer those who want a fresh start in a decentralized, privacy-minded network.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky may get ads in the future, but reportedly they won’t disrupt your experience
There's no free lunch, and when there's a free platform on the internet, it's only a matter of time before it gets ads. Decentralized social media Bluesky currently doesn't have ads, but its CEO, Jay Graber, hinted that we may see ads on there soon - but not entirely how you would think.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky reveals early look at Bluesky+, its subscription service
Nothing's certain yet.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Classic Outlook gets an official ‘death date’ as users are urged to switch
Microsoft wants everyone off classic Outlook by April 2026, but will continue to support it until at least 2029.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Content moderation in Trump's America is a political minefield
In the battle between free speech and content moderation, who sets the rules?
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Emergency motion: TikTok asks US court to delay the January 19 ban
ByteDance is concerned that its short-video TikTok app will be, in fact, banned on January 19 and has contacted a US appeals court, asking to delay what's coming.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Instagram Creators Can Now Share Test Reels With Nonfollowers
The new feature may seem counterintuitive, but here's why it's popular with creators.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Instagram rolls out ‘trial reels’ that aren’t shown to a creator’s followers
Instagram is officially rolling out “trial reels” to give creators a way to test out new content by publishing videos that don’t appear to their followers. The feature, which launched in testing in May, allows creators to experiment with new ideas and see what performs best without having to worry about how their followers may react.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Instagram now lets you post trial reels to experiment with fresh content
Meta announced a new Instagram feature called trial reels that lets you test your fresh content by showing it to users who don't follow you. The feature aimed at creators is designed to eliminate guesswork and explore new formats without fearing how the content will perform among your followers.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Instagram will let creators test experimental reels on random people
Trial reels won’t appear on the creators main reels tab or be shown to their existing followers.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Instagram’s new ‘trial reels’ feature lets creators test content with non-followers
Meta is introducing a new way for creators to test content performance before sharing with followers. The new Instagram feature called trial reels allows creators to share videos with non-followers as a way to gauge reactions. This will allow creators to push the most engaging videos to their actively following audience.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft To Transition Enterprise Users to New Outlook
Microsoft has announced plans to transition Microsoft 365 for Enterprise users from the classic Outlook for Windows to the new Outlook experience starting in April 2026.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

'News influencers' are racking up billions of views—and not checking their facts
The way many people get their news today would be unrecognizable to broadsheet devotees of decades past. You may read email newsletters, scroll headlines on social media, or go directly to the BBC's own TikTok account to find out what's happening in the world.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Panicked US TikTok Creators Ask Users to Follow Them on Other Apps
American TikTokers are asking users to follow them on other social media apps — as TikTok’s threatened U.S. ban next month seems even more likely after a federal appeals court’s ruling last week upheld the law.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Test Content With Non-Followers Using Trial Reels
Today, we’re introducing trial reels, a new way to try out content and see what performs best by sharing reels with people who don’t follow you.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

TikTok requests emergency injunction to delay U.S. ban
The platform's last hope is a Supreme Court appeal.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

TikTok’s e-commerce ‘Shop’ platform launches in Spain
TikTok’s e-commerce Shop feature is going live in Spain, the company announced on Tuesday, marking the first step of a wider European rollout. The launch indicates that TikTok parent ByteDance is speeding up the expansion of the TikTok Shop in European markets as a potential U.S. ban looms.
December 10th, 2024 — Source

When will TikTok be banned in the U.S.? And what can stop it from happening?
TikTok, Trump, Biden, and the Supreme Court — a love story?
December 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 6th, 2024

Bluesky sits at 24 million users following explosive growth
Bluesky, an alternative to X (formerly known as Twitter), now has 24 million users. Various reasons led X users to search for alternatives, and Bluesky benefited from that the most, it would seem.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

ChatGPT will allow users to organize their chats into Projects
Back in June, Anthropic introduced the concept of Projects in its Claude experience. Claude Projects allowed users to better organize their chat activity. Each project could have a set of custom instructions and the ability to ground responses based on uploaded files.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Could your VPN get around the TikTok ban? What you need to know
TikTok could disappear for U.S. users, but a VPN might be the answer.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Elon Musk's Grok Chatbot Is Free for All X Users Now
There are limits for free users, though.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Federal appeals court upholds U.S. ban of TikTok
A panel of three federal Appeals Court judges have ruled that TikTok can be banned in the United States due to national security concerns. The court upheld a federal law that mandates TikTok to divest its Chinese ownership to remain operational in the country. The court's decision emphasizes Congress's authority to take measures to safeguard American interests.
December 6th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source

If you're really bored, X's Grok AI chatbot is now free to use
Is this enough to bring people back to the platform?
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Instagram locks out developers of third-party consumer apps
A change to Meta's developer tools is impacting third-party consumer apps that had previously integrated with Instagram. Among those affected by the changes are the Match-owned dating apps Tinder and Hinge, which had allowed their users to link their Instagram profiles to their accounts to display their posts to potential matches.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Moderators Across Social Media Struggle to Contain Celebrations of UnitedHealthcare CEO's Assassination
While Reddit mods and admin try to keep up with the site's "no violence" terms of use, Facebook and LinkedIn is reacting with tens of thousands of laughing emojis.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

The EU revives plan to scan your private chats for child sexual abuse material
The European Union's (EU) plan to scan encrypted messages on platforms like WhatsApp to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is back in the spotlight. This controversial plan, nicknamed "Chat Control" by critics, has been through various iterations since its introduction in May 2022.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Files for Injunction to Stop Ban: What to Know
TikTok is asking for the ban to be put on hold until the US Supreme Court can take up its case.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

US appeals court upholds TikTok ban
A federal appeals court has unanimously voted to uphold a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. unless the social network divests from Chinese ownership.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Want analytics for your Threads posts? Meta is testing the feature now
In its ongoing rivalry with Bluesky to attract X defectors, Meta is testing a feature that brands and creators have been clamoring for.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

"We've always been a fan of blueskies": Is Microsoft losing faith in Elon Musk's X as it migrates to his fastest-growing competitor?
Microsoft joins Bluesky citing a more connected digital ecosystem that enhances its inclusivity and empowerment values.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

X's Grok AI chatbot is now available to all users
You no longer need a Premium subscription to access the 'humorous' chatbot.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

You no longer need an X Premium account to chat with Grok
You no longer need to pay for Premium access to use X's chatbot, Grok. The feature, initially exclusive to paying subscribers, now has a free version available, albeit with limitations. For example, free users can send only 10 messages every two hours and accounts must be at least seven days old access it.
December 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — December 1st, 2024

Bluesky promises more verification and an 'aggressive' approach to impersonation
As more celebrities and popular influencers join Bluesky, the fast-growing social media service has been facing more concerns around impersonation and verified identity.
December 1st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 29th, 2024

Bluesky app's latest update sorts replies by 'Hotness'
Bluesky has recently gained significant attention, driven by growing user dissatisfaction with how platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta handle content. Promising greater transparency and more user control, Bluesky has positioned itself as a Twitter successor.
November 29th, 2024 — Source or Source

Instagram and TikTok used to recruit money mules; risk prison and bank account ban
A law enforcement agency has said that both Instagram and TikTok are increasingly being used to recruit money mules, who are either knowingly or unknowingly helping criminal gangs to launder money.
November 29th, 2024 — Source

Opinion: Why banning social media for under 16s is not a good idea
With the passing of the bill this week to ban young people from social media, we need to keep talking about alternatives so the Senate approaches this with a long-term view, not a quick fix. Adults created this online genie, that we now seem to want to put back in the bottle, but at what cost to young people?
November 29th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 27th, 2024

Bluesky may not train AI on your posts, but others can, and users are furious
Bluesky has positioned itself as a haven for users who are frustrated with how platforms like X and Meta handle user content, particularly in training AI models. It’s built on the decentralized AT Protocol, which is supposed to give users more control and transparency. Yet, a recent incident has shown how being open-source and decentralized has its downsides.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky has a verification problem
The company says it’s working to verify more accounts, but its approach is flawed.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky has growing pains. Here's what it can learn from X/Twitter
The new darling of social media is running into the same headwinds as its predecessors. This is what it must do next.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky’s open API means anyone can scrape your data for AI training
Bluesky might not be training AI systems on user content as other social networks are doing, but there’s little stopping third parties from doing so.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Can stan Twitter be recreated on Bluesky? Swifties think so.
Is stan Bluesky finally here?
November 27th, 2024 — Source

How to share your live location on Instagram
Finally, Instagram has added the feature pretty much every other messaging app has.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

I switched from X to Bluesky: What I love and hate about it so far
Bluesky isn't the perfect replacement for X, but I'm happily sticking with it.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

One million public Bluesky posts scraped for AI training
The data was posted to an AI company, then later removed after an outcry.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Starter Packs are the latest Bluesky feature that Threads is going to shamelessly adopt
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Study: One in five young people spend a dangerous amount of time on TikTok, more than two hours a day
One in five young Spaniards spend more than two hours a day on TikTok and exceeds the recommended limits for the use of social media, which may lead to an increase in the likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. The proportion of girls whose use is above this risk threshold (24.37%) is considerably higher than that of boys (15.45%).
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Study: One in five young Spaniards spends over two hours daily on TikTok
One in five young Spaniards spends more than two hours a day on TikTok and exceeds the recommended limits for the use of social media, which may lead to an increase in their likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. The proportion of girls whose use is above this risk threshold (24.37%) is considerably higher than that of boys (15.45%).
November 27th, 2024 — Source

The best TikTok food trends of 2024
Who could've guessed that 2024 would be the year of Chili's Triple Dipper?
November 27th, 2024 — Source

Threads now lets you swipe between different feeds right from the home screen
Threads is rolling out a redesign that keeps your feeds visible on the home screen, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced on Wednesday. The redesign allows you to quickly swipe between different feeds just like you can on X.
November 27th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is limiting appearance altering effects for anyone under 18
"Some" filters will be restricted globally.
November 27th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

Internet — Software — November 25th, 2024

Bluesky is breaking the rules in the EU
Even if it's not a 'very large platform' yet.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky falling foul of EU rules by not reporting user numbers across the bloc
Bluesky, the social network that's currently surging in popularity due to an exodus of users from rival X, is in breach of European Union (EU) regulations that stipulate all online platforms must regularly publish regional user numbers.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky needs to be more professional to meet increasing regulatory demands
Bluesky has turned into a refuge for millions of people flocking from Elon Musk's X platform, formerly known as Twitter. However, there are a few issues that have come to light in recent days that show that even Bluesky needs to learn from established players like Meta to avoid regulatory issues.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Elon Musk hints that X throttles posts with links
Don't bother sharing.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

From 'That's So True' to 'Apple,' here are TikTok's most viral songs of 2024
TikTok bounced back from its UMG woes just in time for an 'Nasty' summer.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

How to Delete Your X (Twitter) Account
If you want to cut ties with Twitter, you can deactivate and delete your account in just a few steps. And yes, you can change your mind if you decide to come back.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Instagram takes on Snapchat with new location-sharing feature
Instagram is introducing the ability for users to share their locations with their friends via DMs (direct messages), the company announced on Monday. The feature indicates that the Meta-owned social network is looking to challenge services like Apple's Find My and Snapchat's Snap Map, both of which are popular ways for users to see their friends' and loved ones' live locations.
November 25th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

Is TikTok right? Are there health benefits to eating sea moss?
Sea moss is the latest "superfood" wellness influencers are swearing by. They claim sea moss products—usually in gel form—have multiple health benefits. These include supporting brain and immune function, or protecting against viruses and other microbes.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

New Ways to Connect Through DMs
Whether you're sharing your mood or finding time to catch up IRL, DMs are a great way to connect with your friends, and we're introducing new features to make it easier and more fun to do that. These features include 17 new sticker packs and an updated DM sticker tray, nicknames for you and your friends and location sharing to make it easier to meet up in person.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Pestle recipe app can now save dishes from TikTok
Recipe app Pestle is rolling out a new feature that can automatically turn your favorite TikTok recipe videos into detailed, step-by-step instructions, using AI.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Threads testing option to let users choose which feed they want to see by default
As we reported last week, Threads has begun to globally roll out Custom Feeds based on specific topics. And Meta seems to be really listening to users recently, as the company is now testing an option to let users set which feed they want to see by default.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

TikTok CEO goes to Elon Musk for counsel with Trump administration
TikTok CEO Shou Chew has sought insights from Elon Musk. It is regarding the looming danger of facing a ban in the US. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chew has been in talks with Musk for the past few weeks regarding the Donald Trump administration. Musk is one of President-elect Trump's closest confidants if you are unaware. TikTok CEO and owner ByteDance's executives met with people close to both Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
November 25th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

Why Won't Elon Musk Let Me Follow This Palestinian Journalist?
Musk admitted X is throttling links but this is a new level of weird.
November 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 24th, 2024

Can't See Who Viewed Your Instagram Story? This Might Be Why
When we post things to social media, most of us are interested in knowing if anyone saw what we shared. Whether we're waxing philosophical about the meaning of life or simply sharing a picture of a tasty meal, there's something satisfying about knowing someone out there is interested in the things that are important to us. After all, most of us would like to think we're not posting into the void.
November 24th, 2024 — Source

Fastest VPN of 2024
Most virtual private networks will ruin your internet speeds. We tested VPNs to find the fastest ones on the market for your streaming, gaming and browsing needs.
November 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 23rd, 2024

Australia's proposed social media ban for kids is a 1950s solution to a 2024 problem
If you think like a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
November 23rd, 2024 — Source

Threads Update Brings Landscape Video Mode After User Demands
Meta released a silent update allowing Threads users to watch landscape videos in the mobile app.
November 23rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 21st, 2024

Australia banning social media use by kids; 9to5Mac readers want the same in the US
The impact of social media use by kids is perhaps one of the hottest topics in tech. There's significant evidence that social media apps like Instagram can be harmful to the mental health of children, while others argue that it can also enable social connection.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Australia introduces a bill that would ban children under 16 from social media
Companies could face fines of up to AUD$49.5 million ($32.2 million) for violations.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

How to Delete Your X (Twitter) Account
If you want to cut ties with Twitter, you can deactivate and delete your account in just a few steps. And yes, you can change your mind if you decide to come back.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

I tried replacing Twitter with Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon: Here's what I found
More and more ex-Twitter/X users are seeking new online homes. I kicked the tires on these three nascent services. Here's what you need to know about them.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Now BlueSky hit with crypto scams as it crosses 20 million users
As many more users are flocking to BlueSky from social media platforms like X/Twitter, so are threat actors.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Now Online Safety Act is law, UK has 'priorities' -- but still won't explain 'spy clause'
Draft doc struggles to describe how theoretically encryption-busting powers might be used
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Reddit Up and Down as Bug Apparently Causes Outages
#2693
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Signal 7.34.0 brings official support to Windows on ARM devices
For the handful of people sticking with Signal, rejoice! The latest update, 7.34.0, brings official support for Windows 11 devices powered by ARM-based processors, like the Surface Laptop 7 or the HP Omnibook X. Here's the changelog straight from the team at Signal:
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Solving the "This Operation Has Been Canceled Due to Restrictions" Error in Outlook
Are you getting blocked by your own computer when trying to click links in Outlook? Don't Panic! The "This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer" error is common and fixable.
November 21st, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

Supply chain attacks up over 400 percent since 2021
A new report from cyber insurance provider Cowbell shows that supply chain attacks have increased by an astounding 431 percent since 2021.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Threads adjusts its algorithm to show you more content from accounts you follow
After several complaints about its algorithm, Meta's X competitor Instagram Threads is making changes that will allow it to surface more content from people you follow in the algorithmic feed.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Threads' algorithm will focus more on the people you follow
As Bluesky's user numbers continue to rise, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says Threads will change its For You page to show fewer posts from accounts you don't follow.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Tired Of Your Instagram Feed? Just Reset The Recommendation Algorithm
Have you noticed how much your Instagram recommendations have sucked lately, swaying so far from your interests and preferences that sometimes you feel like tossing your phone across the room? Well, Meta has heard your cries as it will be releasing a new feature that allows you to reset your feed recommendation from scratch and rebuild from there.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Will your Facebook page and Google photos outlive you? New clinic helps preserve digital life after death
From family photos stored on the cloud to social media posts cataloging life's pivotal moments, to music, art and stories we create and share online, the digital world is infused with representations of who we are.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

WordPress.com owner Automattic snaps up grammar checker Harper
WordPress.com owner Automattic has added another company to its portfolio of online content creation tools and services with its acquisition of Grammarly competitor, Harper. Although it's competing in the same space as the popular grammar checker used by many online writers, Harper's tool is aimed at developers, open source, and works to maintain privacy by processing its checks locally on your device, the company says.
November 21st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 18th, 2024

Beeskie is the first native Bluesky app built for Windows 11, and a Microsoft engineer makes it
If you’re using the social network Bluesky more and more, then you’ll want to follow this new app’s real-time development
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Best Weightlifting Shoes for 2024
New to weightlifting shoes? Here are the key things you want to look for when buying a pair.
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Can TikTok survive under Trump?
Whatever happens in the end – I mean, if TikTok gets banned in the US or not – many people will be disappointed.
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Company behind TikTok is now valued at $300 billion
China’s ByteDance is one of the most notable tech companies nowadays. The company owns some of the most popular apps including TikTok and Toutiao. ByteDance launched its first app in March 2012. Now, after 12 years, TikTok owner ByteDance’s value has reached around $300 billion, suggest the industry insiders.
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Serious WordPress Plugin Security Flaw Discovered Affects Millions Of Websites
Wordfence, a cybersecurity company that specializes in making WordPress security products, has found a critical vulnerability in a plugin used by over 4 million internet websites. The company says that “this is one of the more serious vulnerabilities that we have reported on in our 12 year history.”
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Your Instagram Story Highlights might be moving to the grid
Mosseri admits that "this one is contentious."
November 18th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 17th, 2024

A study found that X's algorithm now loves two things: Republicans and Elon Musk
Researchers' findings suggest X made 'platform-level' changes to boost Musk and other conservatives' posts when he endorsed Donald Trump.
November 17th, 2024 — Source

Best Vitamins and Supplements for Joint Health in 2024
To support your joint health as you age, talk to your doctor about these vitamins and supplements.
November 17th, 2024 — Source

What is Bluesky when it's not the underdog?
Bluesky is having a moment — a moment that's already stretched on for nearly three months.
November 17th, 2024 — Source

Why Follower Count is No Longer King in Social Media
In the ever-changing world of social media, a significant shift is occurring in how influence is measured and cultivated. The traditional metric of follower count is losing its dominance as a key indicator of success. Instead, the focus is increasingly on building engaged audiences around shared interests and passions. Sophisticated algorithms now prioritize content relevance over creator popularity, fundamentally altering the dynamics of social media engagement and reach.
November 17th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 16th, 2024

As Bluesky gains popularity, Threads responds by testing out Custom Feeds
Threads is testing out a new feature that lets users create custom feeds around specific topics or people. This is similar to how X (formerly Twitter) has Lists and how Bluesky allows for personalized feeds. It seems like this might be a response to Bluesky's recent surge in popularity.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky confirms it won't train generative AI on your posts
Bluesky has been seeing a sign-up surge following the announcement of a change in X's blocking policy. As the platform is growing more than ever, Bluesky has now addressed its users saying it doesn't train generative AI on their posts and has no intention to do so down the line.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

'Croissant' App for Cross-Posting on Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon Coming to Mac and iPad
Over the past few weeks, millions of people have signed up for Threads and Bluesky. With those platforms and Mastodon, there are now three prominent alternatives to X, but this means there are now more social media communities to be part of than ever. Posting across all three platforms can be tedious, but thankfully there is an app for that.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

Here's some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky
The social network has some unique and fun features to try.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok parent ByteDance reportedly values itself at $300B
ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, valued itself at $300 billion in a recent share buyback offer, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

What a second Trump term means for the future of ransomware
The U.S. government has made big strides over the past four years in the ongoing fight against the "scourge of ransomware," as President Joe Biden described it.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

What is Bluesky, the fast-growing social platform welcoming fleeing X users?
Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk.
November 16th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 15th, 2024

Bluesky says it won't train AI on your posts
'We do not use any of your content to train generative AI, and have no intention of doing so.'
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Bluesky's quest to be the next Twitter
On The Vergecast: checking in on the future of social, Apple's smart home plans, AI slowdowns, and Project Gene5is.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

How social app Spill plans to capitalize on the exodus from X
Social networking rivals continue to benefit from the user exodus from X. Spill, the social app founded by two former Twitter employees, released a statement claiming it has also seen a jump in users after the U.S. presidential election, following similar news by Bluesky, which gained more than 2 million users during that time.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Meta is testing custom feeds for Threads
It's very similar to a popular Bluesky feature.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Reporters Without Borders says it's pressing charges against X
A fake video impersonating the nonprofit reportedly garnered half a million views through September.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

The Great Migration to Bluesky Gives Me Hope for the Future of the Internet
There were periods over the weekend where I was getting more than 1,000 new Bluesky followers every hour. This was very exciting not just because I was enjoying the dopamine of seeing a number go up, but because it was happening to many other people on Bluesky, too.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Threads is testing custom feeds for better content control
As social media continues to evolve, more users are looking for alternatives to X, especially after some of its more controversial changes.
November 15th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for generating marketing clips, becoming the latest platform to let advertisers tap into the technology.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Threads attracts over 15 million signups in November alone
Social media platform X might have a hard time retaining users, especially after the recent US presidential elections, where Donald Trump emerged victorious. Championed by former Twitter (now X) CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky gained over 1 million users as some X users sought an alternate platform to post their thoughts and views.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

YouTube rolls back controversial new PiP mini-player, brings the old one back
YouTube is now rolling back a controversial change to its picture-in-picture mini-player design that many users criticized for being too distracting and buggy.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

X sues California over deceptive AI-made election content ban
The state calls it election disinformation. X calls it censorship.
November 15th, 2024 — Source or Source

X users are fleeing to Bluesky: Here's a quick-start guide on how to sign up
Everything you need to know to get started on Bluesky.
November 15th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 12th, 2024

Chrome for iOS now lets you add text to Google Lens visual searches
It arrives ahead of iOS 18.2's Visual Intelligence feature for iPhone 16 owners.
November 12th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

French newspapers want social media platform X to pay for news reuse
It's rare when French newspapers team up and agree on something. But major publications, such as Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Le Parisien, have collectively decided to take legal action against X over neighboring rights, according to a statement sent to Reuters and the AFP.
November 12th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft is officially killing Windows Mail and Calendar by year's end
If you're still using either of these apps, you'll need to switch to the new Outlook or find alternatives soon.
November 12th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 10th, 2024

Good News: Instagram Chief Says App Won't Refresh Right When You Open It Anymore
Users long complained about seeing an interesting photo or video atop their feeds as they opened the app, only for it to quickly disappear.
November 10th, 2024 — Source or Source

Youth social media: Why proposed legislation won't fix harms related to data exploitation
Ontario school board lawsuits against social media giants including Meta, Snapchat and TikTok are seeking damages— money paid as a remedy—for the disruption of the educational system.
November 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 9th, 2024

Governments are pushing teen social media bans—but behind the scenes is a messy fight over science
As governments worldwide move to restrict teenagers' access to smartphones and social media, a fierce scientific debate has erupted over whether these digital technologies actually harm young people's mental health.
November 9th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 7th, 2024

Canada orders shutdown of TikTok offices over security risks (but won't block app)
With all eyes on how a new Trump administration in the U.S. will interface with China Tech in the years ahead, its neighbor to the north has leveled a blow to one of the biggest apps to come out of the country.
November 7th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Outlook now has dynamic AI-powered themes
You'll need a Copilot license to get Microsoft's new personalized Outlook themes.
November 7th, 2024 — Source or Source

Nokia says hackers leaked third-party app source code
Nokia's investigation of recent claims of a data breach found that the source code leaked on a hacker forum belongs to a third party and company and customer data has not been impacted.
November 7th, 2024 — Source

Reddit's 'Interesting as Fuck' Community Rules That AI-Generated Video Is Not Interesting
An AI-generated video of a cute parrot got thousands of upvotes before moderators removed it and locked the thread.
November 7th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's latest feature lets music fans 'Share to TikTok' from Spotify and Apple Music
TikTok on Thursday debuted a new feature that will more closely connect its app, which already influences which songs top the charts, to the streaming services where users discover and play their favorite music. With the launch of a new "Share to TikTok" feature, music fans will be able to directly share tracks from both Apple Music and Spotify to the short-form video app, including by posting to their For You feed, their Stories, or DMs (direct messages).
November 7th, 2024 — Source

You can now post tracks to TikTok from Spotify and Apple Music
Share to the feed or via DM.
November 7th, 2024 — Source

You can now share streaming music directly to TikTok posts
New integrations with Spotify and Apple Music allow users to link songs, podcasts, and other content in videos and photos on TikTok.
November 7th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 5th, 2024

Classic Outlook explodes when opening more than 60 emails
Don't do that, or risk a memory error
November 5th, 2024 — Source

EFF Lawsuit Discloses Documents Detailing Government's Social Media Surveillance of Immigrants
Despite rebranding a federal program that surveils the social media activities of immigrants and foreign visitors to a more benign name, the government agreed to spend more than $100 million to continue monitoring people's online activities, records disclosed to EFF show.
November 5th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Wants You To Switch To Bing So Badly It's Offering Up A $1 Million Prize
The search engine battle has been heating up, with new contenders like OpenAI's ChatGPT search engine emerging onto the scene, as well as a possible breakup of Google by the Department of Justice looming in the background. So, it is no surprise that Microsoft is looking at new ways of trying to persuade people to use its own search engine, Bing, and it is using the chance of winning a cool $1 million to do so.
November 5th, 2024 — Source

X starts the rollout of update that renders blocking near-pointless
Back in September, Elon Musk announced upcoming changes to the blocking feature of X. Once fully implemented, the change means that when an X user blocks someone, that blocked user will still be able to see all of the content posted by the blocker, although no interaction will be possible.
November 5th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 2nd, 2024

Instagram is adding some features to DMs for content creators
Instagram has announced a new feature tailored for content creators who receive a huge load of direct messages (DMs) on the platform. As per Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, the new update fixes one of the frustrating issues for content creators; filtering messages that are important to them.
November 2nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — November 1st, 2024

Apple urged TikTok to revise age recommendations, reveal leaked lawsuit pages
Apple had strongly urged TikTok to revise age recommendations on the app, leaked pages of an ongoing lawsuit have revealed. Apple was aware and cautious of mature content and expletives-laden language on TikTok.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Cross-posting social app Openvibe now supports Threads, too
The decline of X (formerly Twitter) under Elon Musk has boosted engagement with alternative social networks like Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon, but it has also challenged early adopters who now have too many places to post.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Don't Count Sheep: Banish Your Nighttime Anxiety With This New Sleep Hack
Cognitive shuffling is the latest sleep hack after trending on TikTok. Here's how it works and what you need to know.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

How we test VPNs
We test and review virtual private networks so you don't have to.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Instagram upgrades DMs with focus on creators
Instagram on Friday announced an update to DMs, its direct messages inbox, which will improve the experience for those who receive a lot of inbound messages, like creators and influencers. Now, the app is introducing tools that will allow users to sort and filter their “message requests” — meaning those messages that don’t arrive in their main inbox, based on controls the user sets.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Instagram’s New Tools Help Creators Manage the Flood of DMs
Instagram has updated DMs with new features to help creators manage the deluge of message requests.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Microsoft's AI Recall Tool Faces Another Delay Amid Privacy Concerns
It comes as companies continue to navigate security and privacy challenges associated with generative AI.
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's social media posts have had a 'sudden boost' since July, new research reveals
On July 13, shortly after Donald Trump was targeted by an assassination attempt, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), tweeted to his more than 200 million followers:
November 1st, 2024 — Source

UK councils bat away DDoS barrage from pro-Russia keyboard warriors
Local authority websites downed in response to renewed support for Ukraine
November 1st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 30th, 2024

Best free VPN of 2024: It's important to choose wisely
VPNs are best when they're paid for, but if a premium account isn't in the cards then here are our top recommendations for a free service.
October 30th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Teams will become "more inclusive, personalized, and engaging" thanks to this new feature
Customizing the skin tone of your emojis and reactions will soon sync across Microsoft Teams clients.
October 30th, 2024 — Source

Social media feeds toxic fandoms. Is there a solution?
With social media fueling toxic fan behavior, can fandom rediscover genuine connection?
October 30th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 28th, 2024

Brazen crims selling stolen credit cards on Meta's Threads

The platform 'continues to take action' against illegal posts, we're told
October 28th, 2024 — Source

Engagement Dictates Video Quality Says Instagram Head Mosseri

Instagram users may notice differences in video quality across their content, especially for less-viewed videos, according to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri.
October 28th, 2024 — Source

Google Drive update adds a better video player

Google Drive is hardly an app specifically designed to watch videos, but sometimes you want/need to watch one before deciding whether or not it's worth storing.
October 28th, 2024 — Source

Instagram might make your video look terrible if it's not popular

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has admitted that the company may reduce the quality of your video if it thinks it's not getting enough views ...
October 28th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Teams is getting threads and combined chats and channels

Chats and channels are being combined ahead of a new threaded conversations experience in 2025.
October 28th, 2024 — Source or Source

Open-source TikTok alternative Loops coming to the fediverse

TikTok is getting it's own Mastodon-like competitor.
October 28th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 25th, 2024

AI-powered photo expansion is coming to Instagram
When you try to upload a photo captured on any smartphone to Instagram, you might have noticed that the photo doesn't fill the entire Instagram post, causing those annoying borders. This is because Instagram expects photos in a 4:5 aspect ratio, while modern smartphones capture images in a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. When you upload photos, Instagram either crops them to fit or adds white borders to maintain the original photo if you choose the 'Fit' option.
October 25th, 2024 — Source

Judge green-lights school lawsuits against social media giants Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap
School districts are suing platforms for fostering "compulsive use" by students.
October 25th, 2024 — Source

Say Goodbye to Tedious Tasks with Microsoft Teams Copilot
In today's fast-paced work environment, finding ways to streamline communication and enhance productivity is more important than ever. Enter Microsoft Teams Copilot, a innovative tool that promises to transform how we collaborate within organizations. Imagine having a virtual assistant that not only helps you manage your meetings and messages but also integrates seamlessly with your existing Microsoft 365 tools.
October 25th, 2024 — Source

The fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor called Loops
Similar to how Mastodon offers an open source, distributed version of X, the fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor. This week, an app called Loops began accepting signups on its new platform for sharing short, looping videos. Still in the early stages, Loops is not yet open sourced, nor has it completed its integration with ActivityPub, the protocol that powers Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, and other federated apps.
October 25th, 2024 — Source

X Payments delayed after Musk's X weirdly withdrew application for NY license
Will X Payments launch this year? Outlook not so good.
October 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 22nd, 2024

Facebook and Instagram bring back facial recognition to 'protect people'
Do you trust Meta to scan and analyze your face?
October 23rd, 2024 — Source

Threads and Instagram Accounts Tracking Private Jets of Celebrities Suspended
Meta has suspended several Threads and Instagram accounts that track the private jets of some of the world's wealthiest and most famous personalities.
October 23rd, 2024 — Source

Verified users on social media networks drive polarization and the formation of echo chambers, study finds
When X (formerly Twitter) changed its verification system in 2022, many foresaw its potential to impact the spread of political opinions on the platform. In a modeling study published October 22 in iScience, researchers show that having verified users whose posts are prioritized by the platform's algorithms can result in increased polarization and trigger the formation of echo chambers.
October 23rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 20th, 2024

Streamline Your Digital Life with These 3 Notion Alternatives
Finding the right tools to optimize your productivity is essential, while Notion has gained popularity for its versatility, its extensive features and multifunctionality can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for those who prefer a more streamlined approach to task management and digital organization. If you find yourself seeking simpler, more focused alternatives to Notion, consider exploring these three options that excel in specific areas: The video below walks us through three Notion alternatives that you should consider.
October 20th, 2024 — Source

X Block Feature Sparks User Privacy Debate
X's upcoming block feature update will allow blocked users to view public posts, raising issues related to safety and harassment for vulnerable users.
October 20th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 18th, 2024

Google is testing YouTube Premium Lite again, but this time with some ads
The subscription tier is limited to Australia, Germany and Thailand for now.
October 18th, 2024 — Source

Half a million users could be leaving X due to "blocking" changesX, formerly known as Twitter, has undergone multiple changes under Elon Musk's administration. In some cases, the changes have led to backlash from users who try alternative platforms in response. That's what's been happening in the last few hours with modifications to the behavior of the "blocking" feature and terms of use on X. Up to half a million users could be leaving X, according to reports.

#2693
October 18th, 2024 — Source

Instagram adds a quick and easy way to add songs to Spotify library
Instagram recently announced an update to the profile card, which now shows a QR code and username. Users can also add a name, photo, display name, pronouns, bio, favorite song, occupation, website links, and even choose a custom background image. Another update is now available for Instagram users, which will be much appreciated by music lovers.
October 18th, 2024 — Source

X to allow third parties to train AI on your posts
You can't opt out yet
October 18th, 2024 — Source

X's new privacy policy states your data may be shared to train AI, but you would be able to opt out
X has now updated its privacy policy with indications that it can provide users' data to third-party 'collaborators' in order to train generative AI models. The new policy will go into effect on November 15 this year. It seems it will allow outside companies to pay for license data from X to train their AI models.
October 18th, 2024 — Source

You Can Now Add Songs to Spotify Directly from Instagram Posts: Here's How
Instagram and Spotify have teamed up to introduce a new integration on Instagram that allows users to add songs directly to their Spotify libraries.
October 18th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 16th, 2024

AI-Powered Social Media Manipulation App Promises to 'Shape Reality'
A prototype app called Impact describes “A Volunteer Fire Department For The Digital World,” which would summon real people to copy and paste AI-generated talking points on social media.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

Boost Your Instagram Reels Engagement with These Automation Hacks
In a world where social media dominates, keeping up with the constantly changing landscape can feel like a full-time job. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the ongoing need for fresh, engaging content on platforms like Instagram, you’re certainly not alone. The good news is that there’s a way to streamline your efforts and reclaim your time without sacrificing quality or engagement.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

Instagram's new profile card lets you add your own links and favorite song
Instagram has introduced a new profile card feature that acts like a digital business card, making it easier to connect and share your profiles with your friends. The new profile card has two sides, on the front side, the profile card displays your name, photo, display name, pronouns, bio, favorite song, occupation, and your website links.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

Threads Rolls Out Controversial Activity Status: Is Your Online Presence Safe?
Meta’s Threads announced an “activity status” feature on October 15 to show when users are online.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's retro dating dance trends harken back to the days of courtship
Three trending dances to attract suitors — or please their parents — are taking over FYPs.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

Viral TikTok Mechanic Explains The Key Difference Between Major Oil Brands
Owning and caring for an automotive vehicle is all about managing a lot of different fluid levels. You need to regularly top off the gas, change out the motor oil, refill the windshield wiper fluid, and so on. If you want your vehicle to have a long, happy life, it's understandable that you'd only want to provide it with the very best fluids you can get your hands on.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

X deemed not important enough to face EU antitrust regulations
Good news for X, but also not really.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

You can make money on Threads, but not even those doing it understand how
If you’re looking to make money on Threads, it is possible, say creators, but there’s currently no clear roadmap on how to do so. Even those making thousands of dollars a month say they don’t know how it works…
October 16th, 2024 — Source

YouTube gets shared playlists and a sleep timer in latest update
This is a major update for the video platform.
October 16th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 13th, 2024

Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly: Teams will soon get some new people search improvements
It's time once again for another look back at the past week's new entries that have been added to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap website. As always, these new listings can, and sometimes do, change their release dates so keep that in mind.
October 13th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 12th, 2024

Human Reviewers Behind Instagram Glitches
Instagram and Threads users report losing access to their accounts and posts, often without a substantial reason. Instagram stated that human reviewers were the cause of the current platform moderation problem.
October 12th, 2024 — Source

The Australian government's social media ban for kids will exempt 'low-risk' platforms: What does that mean?
In a speech to the New South Wales and South Australian government social media summit today, Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland announced more details of how the federal government's proposed social media ban would actually work.
October 12th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is reportedly aware of its bad effects on teen users
NPR published details from the unredacted documents part of Kentucky's lawsuit against the app.
October 12th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 11th, 2024

Why send a message when you can get your Zoom digital video clone to read the script?
We're sure colleagues will find your lookalike, soundalike avatar's missive very warm and human
October 11th, 2024 — Source

7 New Microsoft Teams Features You NEED to Know
Microsoft Teams, the powerful collaboration platform, has recently introduced a suite of new features designed to transform the way you work. These updates, ranging from channel management to desk booking automation, are set to significantly boost your productivity and streamline your workflow. Let’s dive into the details of these innovative enhancements and explore how they can benefit you and your team.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Adam Mosseri acknowledges ‘mistakes’ in Threads’ broken moderation
Instagram’s head is speaking out about posts and accounts that were deleted and blocked, saying a tool human reviewers used was ‘broken.’
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Behind the Blog: Sensitive Sourcing and Job Application Hell
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss a sensitive data breach, the terrible process of sorting and sending job applications, and how Wikipedia is battling AI slop.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

BlueSky is pitching itself as a Threads alternative now
Threads is struggling with engagement bait. BlueSky says it's the solution.
October 11th, 2024 — Source or Source

ByteDance lays off hundreds of TikTok employees in shift to AI content moderation
ByteDance’s TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees, mainly in Malaysia, according to Reuters. The cuts come as the social network is increasingly turning to AI for content moderation. The cuts do not impact employees in the U.S.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Elon Musk’s X Faces UK Police Exodus Over Extremism and Disinformation
A survey of British police forces has revealed many are reducing their presence on the social media site X amid rising concern about the proliferation of extremist content on the platform.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Instagram blames some moderation issues on human reviewers, not AI
Instagram head Adam Mosseri on Friday addressed the moderation issues that saw Instagram and Threads users losing access to their accounts, having posts disappear, and more, saying that the company “found mistakes” that it’s attributing to human moderators. The company did not initially blame faulty AI systems, as many believed would be the case.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Meta 'found mistakes and made changes' to address Threads moderation issues
Adam Mosseri said an internal tool "broke" and prevented human reviewers from making the right call.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

TikTok slashes hundreds of human jobs and moves to AI
TikTok, the absurdly popular social media platform owned by China’s ByteDance, has announced the layoff of hundreds of employees worldwide – including a significant number in Malaysia.
October 11th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source

X drops Unilever from its ‘advertiser boycott’ lawsuit
Elon Musk’s X previously claimed that a group of advertisers and brands were participating in an ‘illegal boycott’ of the platform.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

YouTube is testing 'Save' button for Shorts by burying the 'Dislike' button
YouTube has announced that it is testing UI improvements for Shorts. The updated interface makes it easier for users to bookmark Shorts that they would like to save or watch later. For this, YouTube has added a 'Save' button to the Shorts user interface, though it has replaced a key button important to many.
October 11th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 10th, 2024

Canva Reverses Price Hikes and Introduces New Pricing Promise for Teams Users
​​After facing backlash over price increases, Canva announced it will honor original pricing for Teams users and commits to providing 60 days' notice for future changes.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

Creators on X will now get paid based on Premium subscribers and not ads, as revenue dips
X is changing the way how it pays creators on its platform. Starting November 8, 2024, X will shift from paying creators based on ad revenue to paying them for engagement from X Premium subscribers.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Outlook bug blocks email logins, causes app crashes
Microsoft is investigating an Outlook bug causing desktop app crashes, high system resource usage, and preventing users from logging into their accounts.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

Reports of nonconsensual nude images are ignored on X
The platform neglected to remove deepfakes reported for nonconsensual nudity, a new study found.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

The 'hear me out' cake TikTok trend, explained
People are... into... cartoon characters.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

X won't be considered as a 'gatekeeper' in EU's Digital Markets Act
Elon Musk's X won't be labeled as a "gatekeeper" in the European Union and will not have to face the wrath of the Digital Market Act (DMA), as the platform has not met the criteria needed to classify as such.
October 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 8th, 2024

'Appeals Center' to referee EU social media disputes
An independent appeals panel was unveiled Tuesday to decide disputes between social media firms and their users in the European Union over content posted on their platforms.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

Code in Meta’s Threads app references a communities feature, similar to Elon Musk’s X
Meta’s take on a Twitter/X rival, Instagram Threads, may be inching further into its competitor’s territory with the development of a communities feature that would presumably allow users to better organize their discussions on the platform by topics. At least that’s what references in the app’s code seem to imply.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

Fourteen AGs sue TikTok, claiming that it harms children’s mental health
Fourteen U.S. attorneys general sued TikTok on Tuesday, alleging that the platform negatively impacts minors’ mental health and harvests data without their consent.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

EU residents will have a new way to dispute content moderation decisions by Facebook, YouTube and TikTok
A new Appeals Centre will begin accepting complaints later this year.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

Meta promises a fix to Threads' engagement bait problem
Also, it's fine to wear mini skirts after 50, you weirdos.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

More than a dozen states sue TikTok for its allegedly addictive algorithm
The states argue the platform is falsely advertising its content as safe for children.
October 8th, 2024 — Source or Source

OneDrive is getting a new mobile app, better search, and colored folders in File Explorer
Microsoft has just revealed lots of new features for its cloud storage service that are rolling out over the months ahead.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

The 'typical U.S. adult' follows no politicians or journalists on TikTok, survey finds
Pop culture and entertainment news make up 56 percent of accounts followed by surveyed users.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

The X Corp. Shutdown in Brazil: What We Can Learn
Brazil lifted a ban on the X Corp. social media platform today after the country's Supreme Court said the company had complied with all of its orders. Regulators have 24 hours to reinstate the platform, though it could take longer for it to come back online.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

This easy email trick will make your inbox clutter vanish - automagically
Is your inbox overflowing with ads, newsletters, and social media updates? This one feature that's built into most email solutions will fix that for you.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok hit by over a dozen state lawsuits for allegedly harming teens
They accuse TikTok of misleading the public about the app’s safety for kids.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is sued by 13 US states and DC over claims it is harmful to teenagers
TikTok is once again facing legal trouble in the United States. This time, the action was taken by the attorneys generals in 13 US states, along with the District of Columbia. They have all filed lawsuits claiming the social network is causing harm to its teenage users.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

X rival Mastodon rolls out revamped notifications, a refreshed look, and more
Mastodon, the open source, decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter), is rolling out a handful of new features, including refreshed notifications, new discovery tools, and an updated look. Although some of these changes were available in nightly releases, they are now officially rolling out in a stable release.
October 8th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 7th, 2024

Meta is working to fix Threads' engagement bait problem
"Not all comments or replies are good,” Adam Mosseri said.
October 7th, 2024 — Source

Threads knows it has an engagement bait problem
Meta is trying to get the flood of bait posts in your Threads feed ‘under control,’ according to Adam Mosseri.
October 7th, 2024 — Source

TikTok parent company ByteDance has a tool that's scraping the web 25 times faster than OpenAI
What we know about ByteDance's web crawler and its massive appetite.
October 7th, 2024 — Source

Twitch makes its complicated rulebook easier to follow
Enforcement Notes will list specific examples of where its policies do and don’t apply.
October 7th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 6th, 2024

2 Years Since Musk Bought Twitter: How Is X Faring?
X published its first or transparency report (PDF) since 2021 last week, detailing efforts to deal with hateful content, purge spambots and quell 'platform manipulation' activity. Ethics, cybersecurity, and free speech all seem to be firmly on the company's agenda -- alongside attempts to seed confidence in a medium some advertisers find too toxic to touch.
October 6th, 2024 — Source

10 Reddit Hidden Features You Need To Browse Like A Pro
There's a good chance you already know plenty about Reddit, the social aggregation site where people can share news stories, personal anecdotes, and funny memes in a litany of subsections known as subreddits.
October 6th, 2024 — Source

Brazil's Supreme Court Postpones Decision on X's Service Resumption, Citing Payment of Fines to Wrong Bank
Brazil's Supreme Court announced on Friday that it has postponed its decision to allow social media platform X to resume operations, citing a payment error.
October 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — October 5th, 2024

Neo-Nazis head to encrypted SimpleX Chat app, bail on Telegram
App swears there's no way for law enforcement to track users' identities.
October 5th, 2024 — Source

Texas adds to TikTok's legal woes over children's safety concerns
It's one thing after another for TikTok.
October 5th, 2024 — Source

What's in the rug? How TikTok got swept into a real-time true crime story
A woman in Ohio is being haunted by ghosts. Or maybe she's not. There's a dead body buried underneath her house, rolled up inside a rug. Or there's actually no body at all, despite signals from cadaver dogs.
October 5th, 2024 — Source

X reportedly paid its Brazil fines to the wrong bank, causing further delay in reinstatement case
Its pending fines are the last thing standing in the way of having services restored in Brazil.
October 5th, 2024 — Source

YouTube starts restoring accounts, playlists, and channels accidentally removed by a "bug"
Have you been banned from YouTube for uploading videos that violate the video streamer's "spam, deceptive practices, and scams policy?" Has YouTube accused you of violating this policy even though you've never uploaded a video in your life?
October 5th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 29th, 2024

Linux 6.12 x86 Platform Drivers Brings Improvements For Laptops Plus Intel ELC
The x86 platform driver changes that were merged last week for the Linux 6.12 kernel continue to be quite lively with changes for enhancing Linux laptop support along with other Intel platform improvements.
September 29th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 28th, 2024

Custom AI Posts in Our Instagram Feeds? No Thanks, Meta
Commentary: Meta's starting to test out integrating custom AI images into our Instagram and Facebook feeds. It won't end well.
September 28th, 2024 — Source

Threads Blocks Posts on Allegedly Leaked JD Vance Documents
Threads is following X's lead by blocking links to documents allegedly leaked about vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
September 28th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 25th, 2024

Elon Musk's X is losing users in the U.S., UK, and EU. X's own data proves it.
The former Twitter continues its decline under Musk.
September 25th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft Outlook Mobile build 4.2437.0 rolls out with menu changes
Microsoft has released the latest version of Outlook Mobile, taking it up to Build v4.2437.0. It introduces the same feature update for iOS and Android, that is, a rejigging of the overflow menu in the compose toolbar. Here are the release notes:
September 25th, 2024 — Source

Reddit is rolling out AI-powered translations to 35 countries
The new feature will allow for posts and comments to be automatically translated.
September 25th, 2024 — Source

The EU versus X: How big could the fines be for Musk?
Elon Musk's X is in hot water with the EU for allegedly breaking new content rules—and the world's richest man risks multibillion-dollar fines even he might find prohibitive.
September 25th, 2024 — Source

X just released its first transparency report in years. Here's what they aren't saying.
X's new philosophy: Restriction over removal.
September 25th, 2024 — Source

X releases first transparency report since Musk's takeover
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has released its first transparency report since Elon Musk assumed control of the company in 2022. The 15-page document, which covers the first half of 2024, is the first of its kind in over a year and provides a comprehensive look into the platform's enforcement practices.
September 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 23rd, 2024

File won't download from Google Drive? Here's how to fix that
If your browser is suddenly refusing to download files from Google Drive, there's likely a very simple reason.
September 23rd, 2024 — Source

Scientists become a source of hope and information on TikTok, Instagram
Peter Neff understands the allure of the world's fifth-largest continent.
September 23rd, 2024 — Source

Thunderbird e-mail client will soon stop supporting older Windows and macOS releases
Very few people are using the mail client on Windows 7
September 23rd, 2024 — Source

TikTok rolls out expanded live Subscription feature for creators
TikTok has just announced that its new "Subscription" monetization tool for creators has started rolling out. It is an expanded version of the LIVE Subscription monetization feature, which the company renamed to "Subscription" in March.
September 23rd, 2024 — Source or

Why is this Michigan school district suing social media companies?
Hint: They aren't the only ones.
September 23rd, 2024 — Source or Source

X ban in Brazil: "Allowing Musk to disregard court orders sets a dangerous precedent"
As the situation shows signs of resolution, we talk to Brazilian indie devs about the impact of X's ban on their operations
September 23rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 22nd, 2024

A social network where everyone's a bot
Plus, in this week's Installer: A bunch of highly anticipated new TV, a worthy AirPods competitor, the new Snapchat, and much more.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

Another Round of Fee Increases Hits YouTube Premium Subscribers
YouTube Premium raised prices for individual and family plans in over a dozen countries on September 21, with some users seeing increases of over 50%, prompting cancellations.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

How to Stop Snapchat's My Selfie Feature From Using Your Face in Ads
Snap says no selfies are currently being used in ads, but here's how to opt out.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly: Teams will launch a new calendar feature in November
Welcome once again to our weekly look at what's new on the Microsoft 365 roadmap website. In case you are not aware, the site offers up info on what's to come from Microsoft's productivity apps.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
Social media platform X has named a legal representative in Brazil—a first step toward being able to resume service in the country—but its suspension will continue until it meets further requirements, a judge has ruled.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

X May Return To Brazil After Apparent U-Turn To Comply With Court Orders
X could return to Brazil after the company appeared to capitulate to the country's supreme court following a ruling on Friday night.
September 22nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 21st, 2024

Elon Musk reportedly surrenders to Brazil in battle over X ban
It seems Musk has caved.
September 21st, 2024 — Source

X Loses Battle to Protect Genshin Impact Leaker's First Amendment Anonymity
In November 2023, the publisher of hit videogame Genshin Impact obtained a DMCA subpoena at a California district court to unmask an anonymous alleged infringer.
September 21st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 19th, 2024

Censorship accusations loom over Big Tech hearing on election threats
Even after a Supreme Court decision, tech companies can't escape concerns about how they respond to government input.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

Instagram has announced it will be removing beauty filters—but the damage is done
Meta has announced third-party augmented reality (AR) filters will no longer be available on its apps as of January 2025. This means more than 2 million user-made filters offered across WhatsApp, Facebook and, most notably, Instagram will disappear.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

More ads are coming to YouTube - this time to your pause screen
The next time you pause a YouTube video to take a closer look at something, you might see an advertisement instead.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

Substack wants writers to get into live video streaming
Another move to scoop up audiences from TikTok, YouTube et al.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

Sweeping FTC study finds that social media sites engage in 'vast surveillance' of its users
This includes children and teens.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

YouTube will shove ads in your face even when you pause videos
YouTube is rolling out ads on paused videos to all users. Surely that'll get you to cough up $14 a month?
September 19th, 2024 — Source

Zoom fatigue? Try some nature in your background: Study
Feel drained after a long video call? Your tiredness could be partly linked to the background on your screen, according to a study published on Thursday which suggested trying an image depicting nature.
September 19th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 16th, 2024

As TikTok ban heads to court, ByteDance's Lemon8 surges
As TikTok heads to court on Monday to argue against a U.S. ban, parent company ByteDance's newer social app, Lemon8, is once again surging to the top of the App Store in the U.S. The push is due, in part, to increased advertising.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

How to use Sprout Social media management platform -- Beginners Guide
Struggling to keep up with the demands of managing multiple social media profiles? You're not alone. Many businesses face the same challenge, but there's a solution: Sprout Social an all-in-one social media management platform.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft 365's new Pages feature makes Copilot crucial for teams
Unlike a lot of the newer features, Pages is one that you won't necessarily need a Copilot Pro subscription for.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok and the US government battle in court today over TikTok's possible ban
In April, US President Joe Biden signed a law requiring the TikTok social network to sell itself off from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, within 90 days of the law's signing. If it doesn't, the US government could ban access to TikTok completely in the country.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok ban update: Court case against U.S. government set to begin
Will TikTok stay?
September 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok ban: all the news on attempts to ban the video platform
President Joe Biden signed a bill on April 24th that would ban TikTok, the shortform video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, if the company doesn't sell the platform off within a year. ByteDance has nine months from that date to divest itself from the app, with a potential three-month extension if the president is satisfied with its progress.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's US future hangs in balance at federal court
TikTok will attempt to convince a federal court on Monday that a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the United States is unconstitutional.
September 16th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 14th, 2024

Why is Gen Z trauma-dumping on TikTok using candy salad?
Nara Smith can't make this from scratch.
September 14th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 13th, 2024

Elon Musk Brands Australian Govt ‘Fascists’ Over Disinformation Law
Elon Musk has branded the Australian government “fascists” over proposals to fine online platforms if they do not assist in preventing the spread of disinformation.
September 13th, 2024 — Source

TikTok and ByteDance Set for Crucial Court Hearing as Potential US Ban Looms
TikTok and parent company ByteDance will face a crucial court hearing on Monday that could see the video-hosting platform banned in the United States.
September 13th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is making another court appearance in days, seeking to avoid the nation-wide ban
Another day, another court hearing: that's the TikTok (and its parent company ByteDance) routine these days.
September 13th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 10th, 2024

Car Rental Giant Avis Got Hacked. Was Your Data Exposed?
Avis is offering credit monitoring and identity theft restoration services to nearly 300,000 customers.
September 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 9th, 2024

Instagram DMs get a creative boost with new features
Instagram is rolling out a set of new features designed to make your Direct Messages more expressive and fun. The updates include the ability to add stickers, text, and drawings to photos and videos, create custom stickers from your camera roll, celebrate birthdays with special effects, and personalize your chats with new themes.
September 9th, 2024 — Source

Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI extends innovation across the hybrid cloud
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) AI is Red Hat's foundation model platform, enabling users to develop, test, and run GenAI models to power enterprise applications.
September 9th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 7th, 2024

Google Meet gets a new edge-to-edge video feed UI on Android
Google has announced a new update for the Google Meet app on Android, introducing a redesigned user interface for everyone. Currently rolling out, the new UI brings an edge-to-edge video interface, making the feed a "more streamlined, space-efficient experience."
September 7th, 2024 — Source

YouTube gives parents enhanced tools to monitor teens' online activity
Mutual control based on a "trust, but verify" principle
September 7th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 6th, 2024

Instagram jazzes up its DMs with stickers, photo editing, and themes
Meta-owned Instagram is jazzing up the inbox by adding new features for photo editing, sticker creation and themes. The company is trying to make Instagram more appealing as a messaging app with features to make conversations more engaging. While some of these features might not sound new, it's all about removing friction for users that might prevent them from sending a message.
September 6th, 2024 — Source or Source

ChromeOS just copied one of Windows 11’s best features
The ChromeOS 128 update adds snap layouts for apps, OCR text extraction from images, and improves camera and mic controls.
September 6th, 2024 — Source or Source

Elon Musk’s X could still face sanctions for training Grok on Europeans’ data
Earlier this week, the EU’s lead privacy regulator ended its court proceeding related to how X processed user data to train its Grok AI chatbot, but the saga isn’t over yet for the Elon Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s received — and will “examine” — a number of complaints that have been filed under the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
September 6th, 2024 — Source

Forget TeamViewer, RustDesk is the open-source alternative you've been looking for
Are you frustrated trying to use TeamViewer in a non-professional capacity? As its personal-use restrictions lock more and more people out, it’s easy to think that the Holy Grail of a single platform covering all your personal remote desktop and remote support needs is slipping from your grasp.
September 6th, 2024 — Source

Skip the Ads: A Clever Trick to Watch Youtube Ad Free
Tired of those pesky YouTube ads? Here's a neat trick: add a dash in the URL, like changing youtube.com to yout-ube.com. This simple tweak removes ads, the related videos sidebar, and the comments section, giving you a cleaner viewing experience.
September 6th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

Telegram founder commits to moderation on Telegram as platform reaches 10M paid users
Following the first public statement since his surprising arrest in France last month, Pavel Durov announced some major changes coming to Telegram. Today, the platform launched another one of its regular updates with new features and improvements, such as star giveaways, improvements for the in-app browser, new optimizations, and more.
September 6th, 2024 — Source

Telegram will allow users to report illegal content in private chats
The rule change comes after its founder, Pavel Durov, promised to address abuse on the platform.
September 6th, 2024 — Source or Source

Why isn't anyone tagging their friends on IG anymore?
Tagging is for losers now?
September 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 3rd, 2024

As more Instagram users engage with Stories, the app adds a comments feature
Instagram's latest feature aims to boost user interaction within Stories. The social media platform now allows followers to comment on each other's Stories, making the experience more community-focused, akin to livestreaming where users can engage in larger discussions.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Bluesky added over 2 million Brazilian users after Brazil banned Elon Musk's X
The platform added a total of 2.6 million users over a few days.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Federal judge rules that social media platforms are not required to filter content for children
Online child safety remains a cause for concern
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Instagram adds comments for Stories with anti-trolling feature
Instagram Stories, one of the most popular parts of the Instagram app today, is getting a big new feature: comments. Here are all the details you should know, including how they're designed to help eliminate trolls.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Research reveals huge volume of sports gambling advertising on social media in the US
Sports fans are being bombarded daily with gambling advertising via social media in the United States—and the majority of ads could be in breach of regulations, according to a new study.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Social media not obliged to prevent teens from viewing certain content, says judge
Social media platforms cannot be obligated to block teens from viewing certain content, stated a federal judge. It appears the judge may have considered a new law in Texas as a threat to free speech online.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

TikTok viral Chase Bank money glitch is just bank fraud. Don't do it.
It is a crime.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Warning labels from fact checkers work—even if you don't trust them—says study
Do you trust fact-checkers? It might not matter. A new Nature Human Behaviour paper from MIT Sloan School of Management Ph.D. candidate Cameron Martel and professor David Rand reveals a surprising truth: fact-checker warning labels on social media can significantly reduce belief in and spread of misinformation, even among those who harbor doubts about the fact-checkers themselves.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

X will stay banned in Brazil following Supreme Court decision
The feud continues.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Xavier Niel replaces Coatue's Laffont on board of TikTok parent ByteDance
French billionaire Xavier Niel is joining the board of directors of TikTok's parent, ByteDance, the company told the South China Morning Post. It's an interesting move as Niel isn't a name that comes up very often for high-profile board positions.
September 3rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 2nd, 2024

Social networks can't be forced to filter content for kids, says judge
The Texas SCOPE Act requires large social networks to keep ''harmful' content away from minors.
September 2nd, 2024 — Source

South Korea opens Telegram deepfake porn probe
South Korean police said Monday they had launched an investigation into encrypted messaging platform Telegram for allegedly "abetting" the distribution of so-called deepfake porn, including explicit AI generated images of teenagers.
September 2nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — September 1st, 2024

Week in review: SonicWall critical firewalls flaw fixed, APT exploits WPS Office for Windows RCE
Here's an overview of some of last week's most interesting news, articles, interviews and videos:
September 1st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 31st, 2024

Brazil orders "complete and total suspension of X" after fiery dispute with Elon Musk
On Friday, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes officially ordered Elon Musk's social network X (formerly Twitter) to be banned in the country, The Guardian reports. It means the "immediate, complete and total suspension of X's operations."
August 31st, 2024 — Source

Elon Musk's X gets banned in Brazil amid disinformation feud
Elon Musk's social networking platform X is in troubled waters, once again. A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has banned X in the country amid a disinformation feud.
August 31st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 27th, 2024

Instagram lets you add texts on photos and layer images for grid posts
The new text tools can help you personalize your posts on the app.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

Instagram now lets you add text over photos; more new features
The latest set of options aims to increase the ways to make your posts stand out from the crowd. Among the new features, the one to add text over photos directly from the Instagram editor seems especially useful.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

Mavely’s platform for everyday influencers is taking off
Coined as the “Everyday Influencer” platform, Mavely is a social commerce app that enables users to earn commissions by sharing and recommending products from more than 1,250 brands, including Adidas, Anthropologie, Foot Locker, Lululemon, Macy’s, Nordstrom Rack and Old Navy.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

Snapchat Finally Comes to iPad After 13 Years
After 13 years, Snapchat has finally rolled out an update that brings native app support to the iPad.
August 27th, 2024 — Source or Source

Telegram CEO charges include distributing CSAM and money laundering
There are 12 charges in total.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

Who Owns TikTok & Its Parent Company ByteDance?
There is much debate about the ownership of TikTok, the popular video-based social media app. Critics claim it is controlled by the Chinese government and collects its users’ personal data, which raises concerns about data privacy and censorship. However, the company states that it is primarily owned by investors outside China.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

Why TikTok is full of teleshopping right now
You're not imagining it.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

X is testing a video conferencing tool
Elon Musk’s X has already declared it aims to compete with LinkedIn for job listings and PayPal for payments. Now, it wants to take on the likes of Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams with a video conferencing tool.
August 27th, 2024 — Source

X Tests a Zoom-style Vdeo Conferencing Feature
In its continued bid for global domination, X is taking on video meeting giants like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams with its own video conferencing tool, according to TechCrunch.
August 27th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — August 26th, 2024

Telegram: The global rise of libertarian chat app
The boss of social media platform Telegram has been arrested in France, accused of allowing the sharing of illegal content.
August 26th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 25th, 2024

Threads testing new option for temporary 24 hour posts
Meta began experimenting with an option for auto-archiving posts on Threads back in April, but the feature never came to fruition in that form. However, the company has now confirmed that they’re experimenting with a new ephemeral post format, where users can choose to have a post disappear after 24 hours.
August 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 24th, 2024

Do you know where your children are? Maybe on X
Do you know where your children are? Maybe on X
August 24th, 2024 — Source

Threads confirms it is experimenting with ephemeral posts
Automatically disappearing posts on social networks could be handy for users who have a habit of deleting their posts through third-party tools, or if the context of those posts is short-lived.
August 24th, 2024 — Source

X shareholders as of June 2023 included funds tied to Bill Ackman, Binance, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs
A court order recently forced Elon Musk's X to reveal its full list of shareholders, as of June 2023, to the public.
August 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 22nd, 2024

Choose Your Own Adventure with Microsoft 365
You awake to find yourself in a dark room... with an empty wallet
August 22nd, 2024 — Source

Scrolling YouTube videos is making us more bored - and the antidote will surprise you
Whether it's YouTube, TikTok, or Netflix, switching between videos makes everything worse. Why does digital media do this to us? Psychologists have a theory.
August 22nd, 2024 — Source

Welcome back, MySpace: Instagram adds profile songs
Will you add Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' or Charli XCX's '360'?
August 22nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 21st, 2024

A Recipe For Disaster, Microsoft Unites Professional And Personal Teams Into One App
Teams has generally carried a bad reputation with many users, as Microsoft endeavours to find a way to develop an app even worse than Skype. In business usage, it's integration with SharePoint Online does make it useful for collaboration, but for anything more than basic meetings or large meetings with a single presenter the competition has much better products.
August 21st, 2024 — Source

Microsoft rolls out one Teams app to rule them all
That annoying requirement to switch between home and work accounts has finally gone
August 21st, 2024 — Source

TikTok Wants You to Wear a Chin Strap to Bed. Is This Trend Legit?
Creators on TikTok are now wearing chin straps to bed, boasting about the benefits. Does it really help you during the night?
August 21st, 2024 — Source

UK competition regulator's cloud probe remedies have global implications
Egress fees? Ticked. Spend discounts? Not yet. Software licensing? Might need to shape up, Microsoft
August 21st, 2024 — Source

YouTube rolls out customizable NFL multiview, but there is a catch
You'll soon be able to build a two-, three-, or four-game display to catch multiple NFL games at once, but the option isn't open to everyone.
August 21st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 16th, 2024

TikTok continues to deny China links, argues against US ban in court
The DoJ says TikTok's content curation decisions are "the speech of a foreigner"
August 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok claims that it's not a spy agency, because it operates on US-based Oracle servers
Remember when Biden signed the bill that forces TikTok to be sold or get banned back in April? ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has until January 2025 to sell the absurdly popular social media platform to a US-based party, or face ban in the US.
August 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok denies US claims regarding China ties in latest filing
Last month, the US Justice Department accused TikTok of collecting sensitive personal user data from the US. The accusations claimed that the company sends the data to ByteDance engineers in China.
August 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok ban: ByteDance says app is run and controlled in US, not China
ByteDance's appeal against a US TikTok ban is underway, and the company has accused the Department of Justice of factual errors in presenting its case -- intended to force the sale of the app to an American company.
August 16th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Wants You to Wear a Chin Strap to Bed. Is This Trend Legit?
Creators on TikTok are now wearing chin straps to bed, boasting about the benefits. Does it really help you during the night?
August 16th, 2024 — Source

Video dominates mobile app revenue; TikTok coins reward live streamers
Video dominates mobile app revenue, according to a new report. Of the total $3.8B smartphone owners spent on entertainment apps last quarter, three billion of it was spent on streaming and short video apps.Video dominates mobile app revenue, according to a new report. Of the total $3.8B smartphone owners spent on entertainment apps last quarter, three billion of it was spent on streaming and short video apps.
August 16th, 2024 — Source

What is Instagram's Threads app? All your questions answered
Twitter alternatives — new and old — have found audiences willing to try out a newer social networks since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill and T2 are some of the social media platforms people are among them. So is Meta's Threads platform.
August 16th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 14th, 2024

Instagram is failing to protect female politicians from abuse and hate speech
According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the social media platform failed to act in 9 out of 10 cases of abuse.
August 14th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's direct messaging gets even better thanks to new features and bigger group chats
Including support for up to 32 people in group DMs now
August 14th, 2024 — Source

You won't believe that Microsoft Teams has existed 7 years without this simple feature
You'll soon be able to rename the General channel in Microsoft Teams.
August 14th, 2024 — Source

YouTube is testing longer-form video recommendations in Shorts feed
In its latest experiment, YouTube has started showing longer-form videos in the Shorts feed. The Alphabet-owned video-sharing platform is experimenting with long-form video recommendations in the Shorts feed of select users. The company's latest experiment aims to boost the visibility of longer-form videos by inserting them in more places across the platform.
August 14th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 8th, 2024

Instagram setting "views" as the primary metric for all content
Instagram is getting a tweak to make metrics easier to read across all types of content. Before, different types of content (photos and videos) used different names for metrics that basically meant the same thing. Now, Instagram is making "views" the primary metric to avoid confusion.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

New Microsoft Teams features for Summer 2024
Microsoft Teams is rolling out a set of nine new features aimed at enhancing user experience and boosting productivity. These updates bring improvements to chats, channels, notifications, and customization options, making collaboration more efficient and enjoyable for teams of all sizes.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

Social media platforms warned against inciting violence by UK regulator
Ofcom pleads for tighter moderation amid far-right riots.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok adds in-app hubs for videos about movies and TV shows
The hubs will feature information about a title, along with options to purchase tickets or watch on a streaming service.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok owner ByteDance now has an AI video generator
2023 was the year of the AI image, and 2024 is the year of the AI video. The moment OpenAI unveiled Sora, the writing has been on the wall. Now, we're seeing a slew of AI video generators hitting the market, and it's doing nothing to fight our growing fears.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's ByteDance rivals Sora with its own AI text-to-video models, now available for Android and iOS
Forget AI-generated images: that's so 2023! In 2024, it's all about AI-generated videos! That's why ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is doubling down on its efforts to stay ahead in the AI clips race.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

X makes its Premium+ subscription fully ad-free, but there is (again) a catch
"No more ads, anywhere on X."
August 8th, 2024 — Source

X makes its Premium+ subscription tier fully ad-free
The $16-a-month tier still showed ads on some parts of the website.
August 8th, 2024 — Source

X's Premium+ subscription is now completely ad-free
X (formerly Twitter) has updated its most advanced subscription tier, X Premium+. The updated X Premium+ subscription now offers a completely ad-free experience on Elon Musk's social networking platform. Replying to the announcement post on X, Elon Musk said "Your time is worth it".
August 8th, 2024 — Source

YouTube tests Twitter-style community notes to fight misinformation
Using the community to fight YouTube BS
August 8th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 6th, 2024

Social Media Bans Could Deny Teenagers Mental Health Help
Social media’s effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood. That hasn’t stopped Congress, state legislatures, and the U.S. surgeon general from moving ahead with age bans and warning labels for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
August 6th, 2024 — Source

Users call on Microsoft to update Outlook's friendly name feature
That one weird thing in Outlook that gives phishers and scammers an in to an inbox
August 6th, 2024 — Source

X's AI chatbot spread election misinformation, US officials say
Five US states sent an open letter Monday to Elon Musk, urging him to fix his social media platform X's AI chatbot after it shared misinformation about the upcoming presidential election.
August 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 3rd, 2024

Microsoft releases the new Outlook for Windows for anyone who wants it, including commercial customers
After a lengthy period of testing, Microsoft has announced that the oddly named "new Outlook for Windows" has hit general availability. This means that commercial users as well as those with personal accounts are now able to take advantage of the latest version of Microsoft's email client.
August 3rd, 2024 — Source

TikTok in hot water with US Justice Department for breaching Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
In the headlines again.
August 3rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — August 2nd, 2024

If you cross the line, YouTube will cut you some slack… for a moment
YouTube is known for its strict approach to handling accounts that violate its policies, often taking action first and asking questions later. But great news for YouTubers: Google is rolling out some creator-friendly updates to how it manages suspensions!
August 2nd, 2024 — Source

Potential terrorists can be identified from social media posts, new research shows
Potential terrorists can be identified from social media posts, new research shows
August 2nd, 2024 — Source

Snapchat gains users but continues to lose money
Snap shares plunged more than 16 percent on Thursday when a disappointing financial outlook eclipsed a rise in users of the image-centric social network Snapchat.
August 2nd, 2024 — Source

The U.S. is suing TikTok for allegedly violating children's privacy laws
Yet another legal battle for TikTok.
August 2nd, 2024 — Source

Turkey blocks access to Instagram
Turkey on Friday blocked access to the Instagram social media network, the national communications authority said without explanation, following censorship accusations against the US company by a high-ranking Turkish official.
August 2nd, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — July 29th, 2024

DOJ says TikTok collected sensitive user data on issues like abortion and gun control
The ongoing battle between the US government and TikTok owner Bytedance continues, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) saying that TikTok collected sensitive user data on a variety of controversial topics …
July 29th, 2024 — Source

Still no way to stop Grok's AI training on your X posts on the mobile app
It seems that Grok – the AI chatbot by Elon Musk's social media X – is not making headlines as often as, say, ChatGPT, or Google's Gemini; when it finally did over the weekend, things took a turn for the worse.
July 29th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Built Tool to Gather US User Views on Hot-Button Topics: DOJ
The search tool would have allegedly collected users' opinions on abortion, gun control, and religion, as well as their personally identifiable information.
July 29th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is collecting, sharing user views on issues like abortion, DOJ fires back in ban lawsuit
ByteDance maintains it's never shared American TikTok data abroad.
July 29th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's Sound Search lets you sing or hum to find your favorite song
Now, it looks like the short-video platform giant is rolling out a new feature called “Sound Search” that allows you to search for the songs you love. TikTok’s Sound Search is very similar to Google’s hum-to-search feature that allows you to sing, hum, or play a tune to search for a particular song.
July 29th, 2024 — Source or Source

Twitch completes its TikTok makeover with new app update
Twitch’s revamped app will open on a feed of recommended content that you can thumb through.
July 29th, 2024 — Source

X (formerly Twitter) is developing DM editing feature
X (formerly Twitter) is reportedly developing a new DM editing feature for its users. This is big news for users who have been asking for this feature for a while, as it allows for fixing typos and errors in messages without having to send a new one. This functionality is already offered by other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
July 29th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 28th, 2024

Embed videos & playlists
You can add a YouTube video or playlist to a website or blog by embedding it.
July 28th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly: Check out the new features coming to Teams
It's time once again to take a look back at last week's new entries that were put in the Microsoft 365 roadmap website. Last week, we decided to make the column all about the new Outlook features that are coming soon. This week, we will do the same for all the Teams features that are due in the coming weeks and months.
July 28th, 2024 — Source

Skip the Ads: A Clever Trick to Watch Youtube Ad Free
Tired of those pesky YouTube ads? Here's a neat trick: add a dash in the URL, like changing youtube.com to yout-ube.com. This simple tweak removes ads, the related videos sidebar, and the comments section, giving you a cleaner viewing experience.
July 28th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

Internet — Software — July 27th, 2024

TikTok rolling out a song identification tool that lets you sing or hum
TikTok, the popular short-video sharing app, has unveiled a new feature called Sound Search that aims to make it easier for users to find songs they love. This innovative tool allows you to identify a song by simply singing, humming, or playing it within the app. The feature is currently being tested in select regions and is not yet available to all users.
July 27th, 2024 — Source

US defends law forcing sale of TikTok app
TikTok's collection of user data makes it a national security threat, the US Justice Department said Friday in response to a civil suit by the Chinese-owned firm aimed at preventing the forced sale of the app.
July 27th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 26th, 2024

Kamala Harris just joined TikTok. Here's how to watch her content.
Harris broadens her reach with a new TikTok account.
July 26th, 2024 — Source

Rawdogging Trend Is Taking Over TikTok! Wait, What?
What do you actually do when you are traveling via flight? A normal person would consume the in-flight entertainment or mind their own business. But have you ever thought of rawdogging your flight? No, it's not what you think it is. Get your mind out of the gutter.
July 26th, 2024 — Source

TikTok rolls out a new feature that lets you find songs by singing or humming them
TikTok is looking to take on YouTube Music and Shazam with a new feature called "Sound Search," which lets you find a sound by singing, humming or playing it. The company confirmed to TechCrunch that the feature is available to some users in select regions and is not yet widely available.
July 26th, 2024 — Source

X's Grok AI is scanning your tweets. Here's how to disable it
The large language model AI borrows from the web and the billions of interactions on the network formerly known as Twitter. Users are automatically opted in without alert.
July 26th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 24th, 2024

Twitch is cracking down on sexual harassment in chats
witch has 'removed ambiguity' from its sexual harassment policy and introduced new moderation features for blocking abusive messages.
July 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 22nd, 2024

Mozilla Thunderbird finally gets system tray notifications
After 24 years, bug report finally gets fixed
July 22nd, 2024 — Source

Record Audio from YouTube Free on PC/Mac/iOS/Android
We outline six ways to record YouTube audio across a range of devices.
July 22nd, 2024 — Source

X is working on a feature that allows you to disable links in replies to your post
X is working on addressing spam posts on the platform. One of its latest efforts on this front is a new feature that's been discovered by Nima Owji, an independent app researcher. The researcher has uncovered unreleased X features in the past and now says that X is working on the ability to disable links in replies.
July 22nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 20th, 2024

X is working on a way to block links in replies
It could help cut down on spam.
July 20th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 19th, 2024

Elon Musk's X tests letting users request Community Notes on bad posts
X to fight spiking disinformation by letting users request Community Notes.
July 19th, 2024 — Source

Millions of users affected by massive Pinterest data leak
Pinterest may have suffered a major data breach affecting millions of users. While the company has denied any breach of its system, a hacker has leaked a database allegedly containing 60 million rows of Pinterest user data.
July 19th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 18th, 2024

Instagram is adding expiring and semiprivate comments
Users will be able to leave Notes on Reels and grid posts that disappear after three days.
July 18th, 2024 — Source

TikTok fast-tracks artist account creation for DistroKid members
TikTok is partnering with the music distribution service DistroKid to fast-track the creation of artist accounts for members.
July 18th, 2024 — Source

Viral On TikTok: Is This Smart Lock Door Handle As Good As They Say?
Many front doors have two locking mechanisms — a deadbolt and a knob or level. There are now many smart deadbolts that allow you to use passwords, fingerprints, and even your smartphone to unlock your front door.
July 18th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 9th, 2024

New Blast-RADIUS attack breaks 30-year-old protocol used in networks everywhere
Ubiquitous RADIUS scheme uses homegrown authentication based on MD5. Yup, you heard right.
July 9th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 5th, 2024

Threads Expands To 175M Users In First Year, Can It Catch Up To X In Year Two?
Mark Zuckerberg's power on the internet continues to grow whether you like it or not. After a year of operation, Zuck's X/Twitter alternative Threads has reached a whopping 175 million monthly active users. The Meta CEO made the announcement this week on, you guessed it, Threads.
July 5th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — July 2nd, 2024

Google Drive storage still full after deleting files? Here's why
Here's the solution for when deleted files continue to take up storage space in Google Drive.
July 2nd, 2024 — Source

Google might abandon ChromeOS Flex. Here's why - and what you can do about it
With Google's free-to-use lightweight operating system facing possible end-of-life, users looking to sustain older hardware functionality and environmental benefits should explore these alternatives.
July 2nd, 2024 — Source

YouTube yet again responds about its NSFW ads issue
YouTube has been encountering NSFW ads-related issues for some time now, but the problem seems never-ending. Late last year there were several reports about YouTube users spotting NSFW ads on the platform to which Google responded via an official statement.
July 2nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 28th, 2024

10+ New Microsoft Teams features to improve your productivity and efficiency
Struggling to keep your Microsoft Teams workspace organized and efficient? You're not alone. Many users find it challenging to manage notifications, channels, and group chats effectively. But there's good news! Microsoft has rolled out six new features designed to address these common pain points.
June 28th, 2024 — Source

Instagram is rolling out AI chatbot versions of creators, Mark Zuckerberg says
Chatting with AI versions of celebs! Nothing sad about that!
June 28th, 2024 — Source

Intel Battlemage "Xe2 GPU" Receives New Device IDs At Linux Ahead of Potential Late 2024 Launch
Intel's Battlemage based on the Xe2 GPU architecture has received extensive support in Linux, as the firm adds five different new device IDs, showing that enablement is on track./span>
June 28th, 2024 — Source

New Microsoft Teams features revealed for June including intelligent message translation
It's the end of June, which means Microsoft has created a new blog post that covers all of the new features and improvements it has added to its Teams service for the entire month.
June 28th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is (still) obsessed with exposing cheating. But are internet sleuths going too far?
Another viral video catching a stranger cheating is raising questions of surveillance and empathy in the age of TikTok.
June 28th, 2024 — Source

YouTube demonetises DrDisrespect's channel "following serious allegations" against streamer
Leading video site said action applies to all exisiting channels and any Beahm may create in future
June 28th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — June 26th, 2024

Meta says its 'error' only appeared to limit political content on Instagram and Threads
Your choice in Instagram's political content settings tool 'mistakenly appeared to have reset,' the company says.
June 26th, 2024 — Source

Pioneering internet messenger ICQ shuts after 28 years
A pioneering internet messaging service that once boasted 100 million accounts has shut down, a message on the Russian-owned ICQ website said Wednesday.
June 26th, 2024 — Source

Proton VPN launches credential-less login on Android and expands free VPN to more countries
Proton has announced some upgrades for its VPN service. With elections coming up in dozens of countries, the company strives to provide its customers with easier access to information, especially in countries with heavy censorship and media manipulation. Now, Proton VPN's free servers are available in five more countries that will be holding elections later this year.
June 26th, 2024 — Source

Viral TikTok Tech: Does This Portable Monitor Live Up To The Hype?
TikTok is teeming with cool gadgets you can get on a modest budget. One such item that has been making the waves lately is the Arzopa portable monitor — also known as the S1 Table — currently one of the top 10 best-selling computer monitors on Amazon. As someone who regularly multitasks on a laptop and tends to have several windows open at one time, I find that having a secondary screen is somewhat of a necessity.
June 26th, 2024 — Source

Threads fediverse integration enhanced, but still some key limits
Meta has just made a significant enhancement to its Threads fediverse integration -- though there are still some key limits to what is possible in the app ...
June 26th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 24th, 2024

Instagram users can now livestream to close friends only
Instagram has recently added the ability to livestream to a list of close friends. The new feature is now rolling out globally and makes it possible for Instagram users to broadcast from either Instagram Live or Live Room to the select followers on their Close Friends list.
June 24th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's AI avatars could briefly make problematic content
We're in a world where it's getting harder to believe what we see on the internet. The advent of AI avatars is making this worse. TikTok is testing something like this, but it might have hit a bump
June 24th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's AI Video Generator Let Avatars Recite Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'
TikTok mistakenly released a version of its AI video generator that let avatars recite Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America" on command.
June 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 22nd, 2024

TikTok reveals "kill switch" offer to the US government to avoid ban
It would've given the US government the power to shut down the app in case of any mischief
June 22nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 21st, 2024

CyberGhost VPN Review (2024)
Ghost through the web unseen.
June 21st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 20th, 2024

Instagram teens are regularly recommended sexual and explicit videos, new report finds
The Reels algorithm may be stronger than the platform can handle.
June 20th, 2024 — Source

Lost the TikTok video you were watching? This iPhone trick will help you find it again
A TikTok watch history?
June 20th, 2024 — Source

TikTok challenges Swifties to collect digital beads for a digital friendship bracelet
Do you like TikTok? Do you like Taylor Swift? You'd be happy to hear that TikTok unveils challenges celebrating Taylor Swift: look out for the #TSTheErasTour hashtag.
June 20th, 2024 — Source

YouTube cracking down on discounts obtained via VPN workaround, users report
If you used a VPN to get a lower priced Premium account, your subscription may not last long.
June 20th, 2024 — Source

YouTube may be canceling Premium plans contracted with VPNs
Do you usually subscribe to YouTube Premium using a VPN? Well, the company may cancel your plan. It appears that YouTube is canceling premium subscriptions for users who paid using VPNs. Resorting to a VPN to contract a digital service is a common practice among people looking to spend less money.
June 20th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 17th, 2024

5 of the best — and worst — social media apps in 2024 (so far)
From Lapse to AirChat, here are the apps to have on your radar.
June 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok's Commercial Music Library is Now Available on Adobe Express
During Monday's Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity, Adobe and TikTok announced a new collaboration that would integrate the social media app's commercial music library into Adobe Express.
June 17th, 2024 — Source

YouTube is experimenting with Notes, a crowdsourced feature that lets users add context to videos
YouTube is introducing a new experimental feature that will allow viewers to add "Notes" to provide more context and information under videos, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. If the feature sounds similar, it's because it follows the same concept as Community Notes on X.
June 17th, 2024 — Source

YouTube will soon ask audiences to add context to videos
Contributors can write notes on YouTube to clarify whether a video is a parody or if it contains footage wrongly presented as a current event.
June 17th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 14th, 2024

YouTube tests new features to help you find, watch, and engage
YouTube, the world's most popular online video platform, is constantly experimenting with new features. Just recently, YouTube started testing AI summarizer on Shorts, and now the Google-owned service has even more features in the works.
June 14th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 12th, 2024

How to Upload & Share Files on Google Drive
Google Drive is a powerful cloud-based storage and collaboration platform that simplifies file management and sharing. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Google Drive enables you to efficiently store, organize, and access your files from anywhere, at any time. The videos below from Hopwfinity will walk us through the essential steps to leverage Google Drive for seamless file management and effortless collaboration.
June 12th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 10th, 2024

YouTuber's wild fireworks stunt with Lamborghini and helicopter could result in 10-year prison term
An ill-advised stunt
June 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 7th, 2024

What is Cara, the anti-AI social media app for artists?
It's 'a social media and portfolio platform for artists.'
June 7th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — June 6th, 2024

Apple quietly adds Thread smart home radios to its latest iPads, iMacs and MacBooks
Recent reports have been surfacing that the most recent generation of iPad, iMac and MacBook contain the Thread smart home radio, which was announced as an included feature of the latest iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.
June 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 31st, 2024

Twitch removes every member of its Safety Advisory Council
It will replace all nine council members with Twitch Ambassadors.
May 31st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 30th, 2024

Instagram Limits tool offering increased harassment protection for teens
Meta is offering teenagers a strengthened version of its Instagram Limits tool. When set to its highest level, only Close Friends will be able to comment, reply, tag, mention, or message them.
May 30th, 2024 — Source

Instagram makes its status update feature more interactive
"Hey, I'm with @soandso, text! :)"
May 30th, 2024 — Source

How to download YouTube videos for free, plus two other methods
Want to download a YouTube video? Here are two easy download options and a more advanced Linux command line option.
May 30th, 2024 — Source

Meta deleted over 2,000 accounts last quarter for posting fake content, Israel identified as major source
Not surprisingly, generative AI was used in the propaganda campaigns
May 30th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 29th, 2024

TikTok ban: Fast-track appeal granted as company sues US government
A US court has fast-tracked the appeal, which will be heard in September. TikTok owner Bytedance has just three weeks to file its arguments for the ban to be overturned.
May 29th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 28th, 2024

Tumblr launches its semi-private Communities in open beta
Tumblr, the blogging site acquired twice, is launching its "Communities" feature in open beta, the Tumblr Labs division has announced.
May 28th, 2024 — Source

Using adblockers will now skip YouTube videos to the end
The number of users using adblockers for websites and YouTube is increasing daily. However, Google doesn't want this to happen and is taking every possible step to tackle adblockers. YouTube has tried multiple ways to ban adblockers. Some users have reported that YouTube is now skipping the videos to the end for those who are using an adblocker.
May 28th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 27th, 2024

Jumping between Zoom, Teams, Webex and Google Hangouts video calls? This Mac app will make your life easier
Manage all your calls in one place with Meeter.
May 27th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 25th, 2024

'Uh Oh', VK is pulling the plug on its nostalgic ICQ (I Seek You) instant messaging platform after nearly three decades of keeping people connected
You won't be able to use ICQ after June 26, 2024.
May 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 24th, 2024

TikTok creators don't believe a ban is coming
The U.S. government is in the midst of banning TikTok, but its loyal users don't buy it.
May 24th, 2024 — Source

TikTok will soon introduce generative AI social media campaigns
TikTok is under the radar of the Government of the US. The authority has even passed a bill that bans TikTok in the United States. However, the brand's future strategies and plans seem unaffected because of it.
May 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 23rd, 2024

TikTok just announced a bunch of new AI tools for advertising
Introducing an AI-assistant, video generator, and more.
May 23rd, 2024 — Source

X Confirms Plan to Make 'Likes' Private, Remove Likes Tab From Profiles
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) will soon stop showing public "likes" on users' profile pages, the company has said. The plan was confirmed on Wedndesday by X engineers, after MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris uncovered a flag in X's iOS app revealing the coming change.
May 23rd, 2024 — Source

X is hiding likes to encourage 'edgy' engagement
Soon, you won't see what posts and replies users have liked on the platform in order to 'protect their public image.'
May 23rd, 2024 — Source

X Likes will be made private, but Likes count will still show
The social network formerly known as Twitter has confirmed that X Likes are to be made private, so only the author of the post can see who has liked it. The company says that this is to protect people who are afraid to publicly Like "edgy" content, though users have mixed views ...
May 23rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 21st, 2024

12 YouTube Features You'll Kick Yourself For Not Using
YouTube has made a lot of questionable choices in the past when it comes to adding (or removing) features. Who can forget the infamous decision to scrap the dislike button out of fear it would be used for harassment, making it harder for users to skip genuinely problematic videos with a high dislike-to-like ratio. Or the epically broken automatic copyright removal system that was so bad some opportunists made millions off fraudulent claims.
May 21st, 2024 — Source

Google made a mistake with YouTube Premium
Google canned its Premium Lite option, tying YouTube Music to an ad-free streaming experience. It's still disappointing.
May 21st, 2024 — Source

TikTok buyout could cost $100 billion even without its algorithm
TikTok is facing a nationwide ban in the US, and potentially Europe. A buyout by an American company might be the only way for the popular video app to continue its operations stateside. However, a sale could severely impact the user experience. ByteDance reportedly won"t sell its core algorithm that makes the platform, currently estimated to be worth $100 billion, special.
May 21st, 2024 — Source

Zoom Adding Post-Quantum End-to-End Encryption to Products
Zoom is announcing post-quantum end-to-end encryption on Meetings, with Phone and Rooms coming soon.
May 21st, 2024 — Source

Zoom adds post-quantum end-to-end encryption to video meetings
Zoom has announced the global availability of post-quantum end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Zoom Meetings, with Zoom Phone and Zoom Rooms to follow soon.
May 21st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 17th, 2024

EFF Urges Ninth Circuit to Hold Montana's TikTok Ban Unconstitutional
Montana's TikTok ban violates the First Amendment, EFF and others told the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a friend-of-the-court brief and urged the court to affirm a trial court's holding from December 2023 to that effect.
May 17th, 2024 — Source

Threads is trying to bring back TweetDeck's functionality
With each new feature added, Threads becomes more powerful and ... useful. If we are to compare the app at launch and the one that's getting regular updates today, the difference is absolutely huge.
May 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok could soon allow you to upload hour-long videos
TikTok is mainly famous for short-form content, but it's constantly increasing the duration limit. TikTok is actually testing hour-long video uploads, according to TechCrunch.
May 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is testing a new option to upload 60-minute videos, YouTube style
Is ByteDance ready to go against YouTube? (and the US government)
May 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Made Them Successful. Now Your Favorite Creators Face a New Hurdle
Pushing back against a potential TikTok ban, content creators say the app is essential to their livelihoods.
May 17th, 2024 — Source

Twitter has officially moved to X.com
Farewell, Twitter.com.
May 17th, 2024 — Source or Source

Turn a Live Photo into a Boomerang
Most iPhone users are familiar with Apple's Live Photos, which capture 1.5 seconds of video before and after you take a picture, with the aim of adding a little bit of life and movement to still images. What some users might not know is that you can also make a Live Photo bounce back and forth like a boomerang.
May 17th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 14th, 2024

Bumble apologises for 'anti-celibacy' ads after furious backlash
The billboards were criticised as shaming women for refraining from sex.
May 14th, 2024 — Source

Could your VPN get around the TikTok ban? What you need to know
TikTok could disappear for U.S. users, but a VPN might be the answer.
May 14th, 2024 — Source

Gmail is getting more Gemini AI to become smarter
The company announced several new features for Gmail on Android and iOS. Google is bringing the 'Summarize' feature to Gmail. This option/button will appear under the subject line at the top of your screen. Do note that it may only appear for longer threads, though.
May 14th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft's latest Outlook update makes it easier to squash spam
It will be easier for you to check whether an email belongs in your spam folder and to unsubscribe from various mailing lists.
May 14th, 2024 — Source

Telegram CEO calls out rival Signal, claiming it has ties to US government
Drama between two of the leading secure messaging services
May 14th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is testing out AI-powered search results
The AI game is getting stronger every day, with more and more companies adding AI features to their technology. TikTok is one of the leading participants in this game, as it already has a few AI-related features on its app. Now, TikTok is testing a new feature that will show AI-generated search results.
May 14th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 13th, 2024

Microsoft will add improvements in Outlook to better fight off spam and malicious mails
No one likes to see spam emails in their Inbox folder. No matter how many of those emails get directed to the spam folder, there are always some that slip under the radar. There's also a danger that these emails could be trying to deliver links to malware or unsafe websites.
May 13th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 12th, 2024

How To Add Music To An Instagram Story, Post, Or Note
Instagram has changed how we share and savor life's precious moments by providing an option to add music to stories, posts, and notes. Music plays a significant role in giving life to the visual content you post on Instagram and making it resonate with audiences.
May 12th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 11th, 2024

What parents of tweens and teens need to know about BookTok
BookTok can be great for young readers, but some of the recommended content can be explicit and violent.
May 11th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 10th, 2024

Bluesky is repeating all Twitter mistakes, Jack Dorsey says
Bluesky recently confirmed that Jack Dorsey is no longer part of the company's board. Now, Dorsey has revealed more details about it, including his vision of the company's current situation with respect to its original idea. The Twitter co-founder feels that Bluesky is repeating the same mistakes that Twitter made.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

Skype Insider gets another big update with new features and improvements for PC and mobile
Skype Insiders have a big new update to try under version 8.119. New features include a refresh call UI on mobile web, a picture-in-picture call monitor on iOS, better audio device controls on Windows, SMS improvements, and minor fixes.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Becomes First Social Network to Auto Label AI-Generated Content
TikTok this week announced that it has started automatically labeling AI-generated content created on third-party platforms, preventing AI images and videos from confusing and misleading viewers.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 8th, 2024

How to use Instagram's 'Reveal' sticker
More new features from Instagram.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

Massive webshop fraud ring steals credit cards from 850,000 people
A massive network of 75,000 fake online shops called 'BogusBazaar' tricked over 850,000 people in the US and Europe into making purchases, allowing the criminals to steal credit card information and attempt to process an estimated $50 million in fake orders.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

Meta is testing a cross-posting feature for Threads
Threads is an X (formerly Twitter) alternative announced by Meta. The tech giant wants more and more users to use its app and hence they keep adding new features to give it an edge over other apps. The Meta is now testing a cross-posting feature for Threads using which the users would be able to soon post directly to Threads from their Instagram account.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is suing the US government, arguing that banning it is unconstitutional
Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is suing the US government, arguing that the threatened ban is unconstitutional. The company had previously said it would do so, though it had been unclear whether it would follow through.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Bill Requiring Sale
TikTok parent company ByteDance today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in an effort to put a stop to the bill requiring TikTok to be sold off to a non-Chinese company in a matter of months, or face a U.S. ban.
May 8th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 7th, 2024

Threads gain new ability to limit users from quoting posts
You can now limit who responds to your threads, just like comments.
May 7th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is suing the U.S. government over the potential ban
Apple just announced the new iPad Air and iPad Pro, heating up the battle between iPad and Galaxy Tab. However, that's not the only battle going down. There is going to be a legal battle, as TikTok is suing the U.S. government over the looming ban. This comes after the news of a potential TikTok ban in Europe.
May 7th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Is Suing the United States Government Over 'TikTok Ban' Law
A bill to ban or divest TikTok was signed into law last month.
May 7th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 3rd, 2024

ChromeOS finally steals a faster multitasking feature from Windows and MacOS
Now rolling out to the Stable channel, ChromeOS M124 kicks in a faster Split Screen setup, smoother video play and gaming, and some tidbits for your mouse.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker now lets you share songs
There are also some interactive new features for Stories.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source or Source

Instagram's new Stories stickers let you turn your story into a music template
The 'Add Yours Music' sticker makes it simpler to swap favorite tunes with friends.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

Latest ChromeOS update expands Fast Pair support, improves Wi-Fi, and more
Update M124 is rolling out now and over the next few days.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

New Stickers in Instagram Stories
Today, we are launching new stickers in Instagram Stories, giving you more ways to connect with friends over the things you care about most. Whether you want to share your favorite song of the day or create your own custom stickers from your photos or videos, we hope these new tools inspire you to get creative in Stories.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

TikTok faces a potential ban in Europe, too
Major European politicians are willing to ostracize the Chinese-owned social network
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

X, formerly Twitter, is changing how the block button works
Elon Musk has long been vocal about his dislike for social media block features, and now X (formerly Twitter) is showing signs of implementing his vision. In a move that's sure to spark some discussion, X is changing how blocks function, beginning with the visibility of replies in the context of a block. While this is not a total removal, which is most certainly Musk's stated preference, it's a clear shift in the platform's approach.
May 3rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — May 1st, 2024

How 'blue comments' turned the TikTok algorithm into a protest tool
SEO for social justice?
May 1st, 2024 — Source

Instagram will show more original content moving forward
Instagram has updated its recommendations algorithm to promote more content from smaller and original creators. If you are an Instagram user, then you might be aware of clickbait accounts and posts that take other's content, which not only ruins the app's overall experience but also diminishes the credibility of the content.
May 1st, 2024 — Source

LinkedIn is the Twitter/X rival no one is talking about
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in the fall of 2022, the market for Twitter alternatives has been saturated with would-be competitors ranging from smaller startups to open source apps to well-funded efforts like Threads from Instagram. But there's one overlooked Twitter/X alternative that's been growing right under our collective noses: LinkedIn.
May 1st, 2024 — Source

TikTok is bypassing the Apple App Store fee
No app developer likes paying 30% of their in-app purchase revenue to app stores, and this issue has come up countless times over the years. Famously, Epic Games has been extremely vehement about this. Well, it appears that TikTok is the next company to defy Apple's store fee. According to a new report, TikTok is bypassing Apple's App Store fee.
May 1st, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 30th, 2024

Bumble revamps the 'first move' and other features
The dating app "evolves" women making the first move with a concept called Opening Moves.
April 30th, 2024 — Source

Is the White House being hypocritical about TikTok?
By posting on TikTok and courting influencers, the government appears to be sending mixed messages while signing a ban into law.
April 30th, 2024 — Source

Threads bonus program will allow some creators to monetize posts
Meta announced a bonus program for Threads that will pay creators based on views and how often they share posts. However, access seems somewhat limited, and it will be active temporarily.
April 30th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Could Be Banned In The U.S. As Well As Europe, Following Remarks By The EU President
The EU has recently announced that it has identified Apple's iPadOS as a digital gatekeeper. This means that the regulatory authorities could force the platform to be opened and made available to third-party developers and businesses.
April 30th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — April 29th, 2024

Supreme Court rejects Elon Musk's efforts to get rid of his 'Twitter sitter'
Musk argued that a consent decree with the SEC violated his First Amendment rights, but the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
April 29th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 28th, 2024

How to Create Amazing Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels have emerged as a powerful tool for individuals and brands alike to captivate audiences and expand their online presence. This comprehensive guide delves into the strategies and techniques that will enable you to create compelling Reels, elevate your personal branding, and engage with a broader audience on this thriving platform.
April 28th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

TikTok Ban Backups: 6 Similar Apps for Your Daily Dose of Fun
The legal firestorm heats up again with legislation being signed to ban TikTok. Here are other apps worth downloading to get your fix.
April 28th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 27th, 2024

5 Snapchat Plus Features That Make It Worth Subscribing To
Widely used among millennials and Gen Z, Snapchat has always been one of the most popular social media apps around. Its unique approach to communication sets itself apart from the rest. There was something exclusive about letting users send snaps that could only be viewed once and then deleted forever.
April 27th, 2024 — Source

Here's how the TikTok ban will likely play out in the courts
There's a long legal battle ahead.
April 27th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 26th, 2024

Microsoft is making security its top priority
It's no mystery that Microsoft has gone crazy over AI development. But that's not the only thing that the company should be focusing on. Microsoft is one of the largest companies in the world, and that makes it a big target for hackers. As such, Microsoft stated that security is its top priority.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft recommends upgrading to its new 'lightning fast' Teams app — If you want actual support, new features, and important security updates
Microsoft will cut support for its classic Teams client in two months.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

Self-Spreading PlugX USB Drive Malware Plagues Over 90k IP Addresses
More than 90,000 unique IPs are still infected with a PlugX worm variant that spreads via infected flash drives.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Owner Would Reportedly Rather Shut Down in U.S. Than Sell
But will fight the law first.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

What is Google One?
A guide to the cloud storage subscription service.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

With the help of AI and Copilot, Microsoft Bing has seen an increase of over 40M daily active users compared to the previous year
Microsoft Bing has surpassed over 140 million daily active users.
April 26th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 24th, 2024

Biden Signs TikTok Ban Bill Into Law, Forcing ByteDance to Sell TikTok in Nine Months Or Risk Being Banned
TikTok is planning to legally challenge the ban.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

Chinese sellers go to TikTok school to reach buyers abroad
Donning hijabs and floor-length abaya gowns over shorts and tank tops, Chinese students at an e-commerce school perform into a smartphone camera as they learn how to sell the clothes to overseas TikTok users.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

How to unblock TikTok for free
The best way to bypass online restrictions is with a VPN.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

Skype Insider gets camera improvements, better chat sorting and faster GIF picker
Skype Preview 8.118 is now available to all Skype Insiders on supported platforms. The latest build makes it easier to use cameras by remembering your preference and defaulting to the last used camera (front or rear). It also features a modernized chat sorting UI, allowing you to toggle between recent chats, unread messages, or active conversations. In addition, desktop users get performance improvements for the GIF picker, and iOS users can enjoy better message sync.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

Study finds X's (formerly Twitter's) community notes provide accurate, credible answers to vaccine misinformation
As the proliferation of misinformation continues to pose a significant challenge on social media platforms, a beacon of hope emerges in research from the University of California San Diego.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

Threads wants to let you wipe your old posts away
Threads is only rolling out the feature to a 'small number' of users for now.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

TikTok faces nationwide ban as US Senate passes the bill
TikTok is a step closer to facing a nationwide ban in the US. The bill that could ban the Chinese-origin social media app has passed the Senate. It is almost certainly to become law as President Joe Biden said he would sign the legislation. Once signed into law, TikTok's Chinese owner will have to sell its US arm or face a ban in the country.
April 24th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

What is Threads? Everything you need to know about Instagram's Twitter clone
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus, launched its Twitter clone on Wednesday, June 5, 2023, after a ton of hype. A lot of that hype was manufactured by Twitter owner, Elon Musk, as he continues to tear apart the site. The latest straw in favor of Threads was actually limiting how many tweets people could read in a day.
April 24th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 22nd, 2024

EU opens probe of TikTok Lite, citing concerns about addictive design
The European Union has opened a second formal investigation into TikTok, announcing Monday that it suspects the video sharing platform of breaking the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA), an online governance and content moderation framework.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

House Passes TikTok Ban Bill: What It Means for TikTok Users
The House of Representatives, led by a Republican majority, passed legislation on Saturday that will ban the popular social media app TikTok in the United States if its Chinese owner does not sell its stake in the next year.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

OneDrive could let you import files from Google Drive soon
It looks like OneDrive could soon let you import your files from Google Drive and other rival cloud services. This would make the migration to Microsoft's cloud storage platform much easier.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

Outlook: How to set up breaks between your meetings
You can configure Outlook so that it automatically schedules breaks when you enter several appointments in succession.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

Post News, a Twitter alternative is shutting down
In the fast-paced world of social media apps, the rise and fall of new contenders are all too common. One such platform, Post News, emerged as a potential rival to Twitter with its unique features and innovative approach to content consumption.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

The great conundrum of campaigning on TikTok
Political strategists aren't throwing away TikTok, even after their election candidates try to force its sale on national security grounds.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is reportedly readying an AI voice-cloning feature
TikTok is preparing to join the AI race as it is reportedly working on an AI voice-cloning feature. The alleged feature will let users generate an AI version of their voice in just 10 seconds. According to the recent TheSpAndroid report, code-digging by AssembleDebug revealed a few code strings that point to the next big update coming to the platform.
April 22th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

TikTok ready to "move to the courts" to prevent ban in US
Company points out that proposed ban would run afoul of the First Amendment.
April 22th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 19th, 2024

Microsoft may be planning to add a way to import files from other cloud services to OneDrive
Microsoft has been adding quite a few features to its OneDrive cloud storage services lately. However, a new examination of the code inside a recent beta build of the OneDrive Android app shows evidence that the company may be about to add a much-requested feature.
April 19th, 2024 — Source

What's the Future of TikTok if U.S. Ban Goes Through? Here's What the Experts are Saying
The clock is ticking.
April 19th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 17th, 2024

Google Drive dark mode for web finally starts rolling out
Google has finally officially announced dark mode for Drive on the web. The app already supported a dark theme on its mobile app counterpart and now it is available for desktops as well.
April 17th, 2024 — Source

In biggest-ever election year, tech platforms are wide open for voter manipulation
To nobody's surprise, Elon Musk's X received the worst review
April 17th, 2024 — Source

Snap is adding a watermark to AI-generated images
A sparkly ghost watermark will appear on saved and exported content.
April 17th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

The Microsoft Teams iOS app has added mixed reality-based spatial annotations for workers
Microsoft is adding a new feature to its Teams mobile app for iOS devices that's been made specifically for frontline workers who use their smartphones to view and record items for their jobs.
April 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Notes is basically Instagram for your TikTok account
The experimental app is available in Australia and Canada.
April 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok just launched Notes
Instagram took inspiration from Twitter to make Threads; well, TikTok took inspiration from Instagram to make its new platform. TikTok just launched Notes, its Instagram-inspired social media platform that prioritizes sharing images.
April 17th, 2024 — Source

TikTok must provide a risk assessment for TikTok Lite
We're all familiar with TikTok, but the company has a few more apps that it is distributing. One app that is making waves is the new TikTok Notes app. Aside from that, the company recently launched TikTok Lite. Well, the EU demands that TikTok provide a risk assessment for TikTok Lite. If not, then the ByteDance-owned company could be in some hot water.
April 17th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 15th, 2024

Threads to get a new messaging feature soon
Meta is reportedly testing a new messaging feature for Threads, soon after the platform surpassed 130 million users. That means earlier who complained about missing messaging capabilities in the Threads app would certainly benefit from this big update.
April 15th, 2024 — Source

We Will Temporarily Shut Down Threads in Türkiye
To comply with an interim order of the Rekabet Kurumu/Turkish Competition Authority (TCA), we will shut down Threads in Türkiye from Monday 29 April. We know this will be very disappointing for the many people in Türkiye who engage on Threads with their community.
April 15th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

Zoom gets its first major overhaul in 10 years, powered by generative AI
Zoom Workplace moves into general availability, giving the platform a huge AI facelift. Here's what's new and how to see for yourself.
April 15th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 12th, 2024

Are free VPNs any good?
Free VPNs might do the trick, but users should beware.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Elon Musk's X to stop allowing users to hide their blue checks
X previously promised to "evolve" the "hide your checkmark" feature.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Instagram lets you create custom stickers
Instagram is always looking for ways to make the platform better, and the company recently brought some changes. One change that the company introduced will make your posts and Stories that much better. According to the company, Instagram will allow you to make custom and animated stickers.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Meta is testing an AI-powered search bar in Instagram
Meta is pushing ahead with its efforts to make its generative AI-powered products available to more users. Apart from testing Meta AI chatbot with users in countries like India on WhatsApp, the company is also experimenting with putting Meta AI in the Instagram search bar for both chat with AI and content discovery.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Spotify to launch remix feature to rival TikTok tunes
In a time when social media impacts cultural trends, Spotify can use a TikTok-inspired remix feature. By allowing users to remix songs from their beloved artists, the music-streaming platform is looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of social media-driven music alterations. This move adheres to changing user tastes and opens up new possibilities for revenue streams in the digital music scene.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Taylor Swift songs back on TikTok after Universal row; AI influencers coming
Taylor Swift songs have returned to TikTok, after a ten-week gap resulting from a dispute between the short video app and Universal Music. That dispute hasn't ended, but it appears that Swift has reached an individual agreement with TikTok.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

TikTok explores using AI influencers for ads
TikTok is testing the use of AI for advertisements, where AI-powered avatars could create sponsored content directly for brands. This signals a move beyond TikTok's previous AI experiments like the Song Generator feature, that allows users to create original songs.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

Why TikTok is obsessed with Donghua Jinlong's industrial grade glycine
It also comes in food and pharmaceutical grades.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

YouTube might change the web video player drastically, and users aren't thrilled
It could be the biggest change to YouTube's UI in years.
April 12th, 2024 — Source

X takes away the ability to hide blue checkmark verification
X (formerly Twitter) no longer allows users to hide their blue checkmarks, regardless of subscription status. This move has sparked a contentious discussion within the app's community, especially among those who cherished their anonymity or wanted to uphold fairness.
April 12th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — April 11th, 2024

Flipboard deepens its ties to the open source social web (aka the fediverse)
Flipboard, a Web 2.0-era social magazine app that is reinventing itself to capitalize on the renewed push toward an open social web, is deepening its ties to the fediverse, the social network of interconnected servers that includes apps like Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube and, in time, Instagram Threads, among others.
April 11th, 2024 — Source

Meta blurring nudity in Instagram DMs
Meta rolls out nudity warnings and blurs DMs to protect teens
April 11th, 2024 — Source or Source

YouTube is testing a new layout for the web
YouTube is no stranger to revamping its UI, as the company continues to do so rather often. However, not all of its changes garner praise. According to a new report, YouTube is testing a new layout for the web, and people are already hating on it.
April 11th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 10th, 2024

Elon Musk's X rolls out worldwide support for passkeys on iOS
After debuting for U.S. iOS users in January, Elon Musk's X is rolling out support for passkeys, a new and more secure login method compared with traditional passwords, to all iOS users worldwide.
April 10th, 2024 — Source

US Senate proposes bill to make Zoom and Teams work together
The US Senate has proposed a bill aimed at improving the security and interoperability of Unified Communications (UC) and collaboration platforms used by the federal government.
April 10th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 5th, 2024

I've been forcibly blue-checked on Elon Musk's X. Here's what it's like.
Plus, here's how to hide the blue check if you have one and don't want it.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Next Big Thing -- Robots?
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's recently rumored "personal robotics" projects, iOS 17.5, Apple Pencil rumors, and more.
April 5th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

TikTok national security briefing may have had 'interesting' source
A classified TikTok national security briefing given to senators may have been in part based on claims made by a fired member of staff who is now making further ... interesting claims.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 4th, 2024

Google's ChromeOS M123 update brings joyous customization options
Full control over your keyboard and mouse makes this a ChromeOS to remember.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

No longer possible to hide the blue badge of shame on X [U]
Ah, the saga of X's blue checkmarks! Originally a sign that someone was who they claimed to be, and later sold so that cryptocurrency scammers could see their posts boosted, the company is now coming full circle with some journalists.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — April 2nd, 2024

Microsoft Teams (free) adds automatic welcome messages for Windows 11 and more
Microsoft constantly adds new features and improvements to its Teams service for paid commercial users. However, it also adds a few new features every month for personal users, under the Microsoft Teams (free) brand. This week, the company revealed what it added to the free edition for the month of March 2024.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

School board social media lawsuits: For too long, we've sought individual solutions to a collective problem
Four of the largest school boards in Canada are suing the companies behind popular social media apps Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok. According to the Ontario boards, students are "experiencing an attention, learning and mental health crisis because of prolific and compulsive use of social media products."
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

TikTok casts its educational STEM feed to Europe
TikTok's critics often highlight the difference in the way the virulent app behaves and operates in the Far East and in the west. Namely, there are grave concerns with the "western" TikTok's algorithm and the content it feeds to kids and young users.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 29th, 2024

X is working on NSFW Communities for adult content
The groups will only be visible to users "who have specified their age" in the app.
March 29th, 2024 — Source or Source

Internet — Software — March 28th, 2024

Elon Musk's Twitter a year later: Everything you need to know
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO announced his bid to buy Twitter in April 2022, zealously driven to rid the platform of spam bots and protect free speech; now, it's the one-year anniversary since he made his dramatic entrance to the company in October 2022, and the platform has changed so much that even its name is different.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

How Much Money Do People Actually Make On TikTok?
When it's not in the process of getting banned in the U.S., TikTok is one of the world's largest social media platforms, with over one billion monthly users. Naturally, it didn't take long for "TikTok influencers" to become a thing, with the platform offering creators many ways to make money.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

How to Fix The Spacebar Pause / Play Not Working in YouTube
With some assurance, we can assume that everyone reading this has watched something on YouTube. If so, you may have wanted to pause the video you were watching at some point. Maybe you need to take a break; you are at a spot you want to share, stop at a specific timeline reference, or attend to one of the life interruptions. #IHaveHuskies But pausing happens.
March 28th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

LinkedIn is testing a TikTok-like video feed
Another day, another platform trying to be like TikTok.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

LinkedIn targets users caught between TikTok and what used to be Twitter
With games and short-form videos, Microsoft tries to unlock LinkedIn's latent potential
March 28th, 2024 — Source or Source

Microsoft Teams to See Copilot Enhancements
Microsoft is enhancing user interaction with Copilot in Microsoft Teams, introducing several new features optimized based on user feedback.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

YouTube's latest experiment lets you jump to the best part of a video
Will this new experimental feature finally convince you to subscribe to YouTube Premium?
March 28th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

Internet — Software — March 27th, 2024

X / Twitter use is down by nearly a quarter since the Musk Era started, report says
Musk's platform says the data is incorrect, but has not provided contradictory stats.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 25th, 2024

Feds demanded ID of YouTube users who watched certain videos
Investigators sent a video link to a suspect, then demanded Google identify anyone who'd watched it ina a week, potentially thousands of users.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

TikTok launches Youth Council to advise on safety issues surrounding teens
TikTok, the beloved (and sometimes controversial) short-form video app, is caught in a political crossfire. Facing a potential US ban due to Chinese ownership concerns, TikTok is scrambling to defend its place in the hearts of its most loyal users -- teens.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

TikTok national security briefings "deeply troubling" and should be made public -- senators
Two senators who have received classified TikTok national security briefings say that the information revealed to them has left them "deeply troubled."
March 25th, 2024 — Source

Woz calls out US lawmakers for TikTok ban: 'I don't like the hypocrisy'
Go look at Facebook and Google, says Mac man
March 25th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 22nd, 2024

Fastest VPN 2024: We identify the speediest performers
If you have the need, the need for VPN speed, we've got recommendations about the best choices for you.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Instagram porn bots' latest tactic is ridiculously low-effort, but it's working
Scammers are now just posting ass and... 'insect'?
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Meta Is Limiting the Political Content You See on Instagram. Here's How to Prevent It
If you've noticed less political content on Instagram, it's not just you. It's happening to everyone.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Meta enters the fediverse by allowing some users to cross post between Threads and other platforms such as Mastodon
The groundswell of interest in the fediverse really kicked off when Elon Musk took over at Twitter, renamed it X, and made a seemingly endless series of controversial changes and decisions. A large number of users sought new homes, and the likes of Bluesky and Mastodon reaped the benefits.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Threads is adding live scores for sports games, starting with the NBA
Threads, the Twitter-like app from Instagram, is adding live scores for sports games. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday that Threads has started testing live scores for NBA games, and that the platform plans to add support for additional leagues in the future.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

TikTok's duet, green screen and stitch turn political point-scoring into an art form
Since its astronomical rise in popularity during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, TikTok has played an increasing role in all aspects of American life, including politics, from the White House briefing key TikTok creators on the war in Ukraine to Joe Biden's presidential campaign launching a TikTok account.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

US election: Turning off TikTok is a big risk for the Democrats
Popular social media platform TikTok stands accused of holding US data in China, fostering censorship, and spreading disinformation. Its popularity poses a dilemma for US politicians, but especially Democrats who have heavily relied on the app to reach its core base of young voters.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Using Twitter/X to promote research findings found to have little impact on number of citations
A team of researchers with varied backgrounds has found that using X (formerly Twitter) as a means to increase citations on research papers has little impact. In their study, published on the open-access site PLOS ONE, the group compared the number of citations for papers that had been promoted on X and those that had not.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 20th, 2024

Amid the TikTok chaos: someone added a ByteDance analyst to a US intelligence group chat
Someone made a big no-no last week, when a ByteDance researcher was mistakenly added to a group chat for American artificial intelligence safety experts.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Microsoft is forcefully upgrading users to the new Outlook app for Windows before it imminently replaces Mail & Calendar apps to "become familiar with the new and improved experience"
Microsoft is forcefully trying to get more users to switch to the new Outlook app for Windows.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Terrorist content lurks all over the internet—regulating only six major platforms won't be nearly enough
Australia's eSafety commissioner has sent legal notices to Google, Meta, Telegram, WhatsApp, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) asking them to show what they're doing to protect Australians from online extremism. The six companies ave 49 days to respond.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Threads gains trending topics in a move making it more like X
You can now easily spot what other users are talking about on Threads.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Thunderbird 115.9.0
The developers of Thunderbird have released another update of the email client to version 115.9.0 on March 19, 2024. It is an update that is intended to fix some bugs and vulnerabilities.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 18th, 2024

Australia demands tech giants tackle 'extremist' content
Australia's internet watchdog hit Google, X and Meta with legal notices on Tuesday, demanding the tech giants explain how they are clamping down on "violent extremist material".
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Does TikTok pose a security threat to Canadians?
Concerns about the threats TikTok poses to privacy and liberty were raised again, as a bill to divest TikTok of its Chinese ownership or ban it gathered steam in the United States Congress. And Canada's federal government revealed that it began investigating months ago whether foreign control of the app poses a threat to national security.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

GitHub Announces Upgrade to Action Runners with 4-vCPU, 16 GiB Memory
GitHub recently announced an enhancement to their GitHub Actions-hosted runners. Moving forward, workflows from public repositories on Linux or Windows that utilize GitHub's default labels will be executed on the new 4-vCPU runners.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

How to download YouTube videos for free with 4K Video Download+
This software makes quality YouTube downloads quick and easy.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

The Supreme Court is skeptical of restricting the White House from talking to social media platforms
Liberal and conservative justices alike seemed wary of conservative states' arguments against the Biden administration in arguments over Murthy v. Missouri.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is paying creators to up its search game
The platform's new creator monetization program called Creator Rewards will use four core metrics to determine payout, including "search value."
March 18th, 2024 — Source

TikTok is Working on a New Photo App That Could Rival Instagram
TikTok is reportedly working on a new stand-alone photo app called "TikTok Photos" in a platform that could potentially rival Instagram.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Unblock Pornhub for free with this quick hack
Texas is the latest state to get banned.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Twitter/X's ChatGPT rival Grok is now open source. Here's how to get it.
Elon Musk announced the AI chatbot would become open source last week.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

What Do the Planets Mean on Snapchat? Snapchat Planet Order, Explained
Who wouldn't want to be a Mercury?
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 15th, 2024

Gumroad no longer allows most NSFW art, leaving its adult creators panicked
Gumroad, an e-commerce company for creators, updated its rules to more strictly limit NSFW content, citing restrictions from payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.
March 15th, 2024 — Source

Entrepreneurs who used TikTok to help build their businesses blast potential ban in U.S.
Seattle-based money expert and self-described financial feminist Tori Dunlap credits TikTok with transforming her business, HerFirst100k, an education platform that helps women gain financial knowledge and independence.
March 15th, 2024 — Source

Say 'bye' to Mark Zuckerberg: How to delete your Instagram account.
Bye, Instagram. I'm going Insta-less.
March 15th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 11th, 2024

X will launch a YouTube-like video app on Samsung and Amazon TVs
A dedicated app is "coming soon."
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 6th, 2024

Deepfake ads featuring Jenna Ortega ran on Meta platforms. Big Tech needs to fight this.
The harrowing crisis of deepfakes continues, once again targeting women.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Hacked WordPress sites use visitors' browsers to hack other sites
Hackers are conducting widescale attacks on WordPress sites to inject scripts that force visitors' browsers to bruteforce passwords for other sites.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Proposed U.S. TikTok ban could impact all Chinese apps
Other apps like WeChat could be the tip of the iceberg.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

TikTok Creator Rewards Program available to all, with great revenue opportunities
TikTok videos were once just 15 seconds long, an interesting creative challenge for creators, and a way to give instant entertainment hits to users.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

TikTok faces US ban if ByteDance fails to sell app
ByteDance will have around five months to divest TikTok if the bill passes
March 6th, 2024 — Source

TikTok will reward creators making longer videos
Longer, high-quality videos = creator rewards.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Twitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019
It promises "a more modern, immersive viewing experience" later this year.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 4th, 2024

Your Instagram DMs just got better as an edit button arrives
New themes and a way to make sure you see the most important chats first.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

YouTube's version of TikTok video editing tool is now out in more countries
The YouTube Create app has arrived in 13 additional markets.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 3rd, 2024

Google Drive update makes videos load faster and refreshes the search experience
Google Drive videos are about to get a speed boost.
March 3rd, 2024 — Source

Internet — Software — March 1st, 2024

The best cheap VPNs in March 2024
Secure a saving on the best services for cybersecurity and streaming.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

The best VPN deals in March 2024
Secure a big saving on the best VPNs.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

The best VPNs in March 2024
Find the best VPNs for streaming, online security, anonymity, and everything else.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

In Other News: Google Flaw Exploited, 3D Printers Hacked, WhatsApp Gets NSO Spyware
Noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar: Unpatched Google vulnerability exploited, 3D printers hacked by white hats, WhatsApp will get NSO spyware.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

X deadnaming and misgendering policy reinstated; not doing well in hate speech lawsuit
In an update to its abuse and harassment page, the X deadnaming and misgendering policy which was quietly removed last year has been equally quietly reinstated ...
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Internet Software — Resources

CloudMe
Upload, access and share your files from anywhere, even your phone
Provides a Service — Source

Docs can be friendly too.
Now you can discover, create, and share Microsoft Office documents with your Facebook friends. Built using Microsoft Office 2010 — Docs for Facebook lets you work from just about anywhere with the familiar Office experience.
Provides Information — Source

FolderShare
Keep important files at your fingertips — anywhere. all file changes are automatically synchronized between linked computers, so you are always accessing the latest documents, photos, and files.
Provides a Service — Source

How to Fix Print to PDF Missing in Windows 10 & 11
If your Print to PDF is missing in Windows 10 or 11, here are some steps to get it back.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Outlook.com
A preview of modern email from Microsoft
Provides a Service — Source

Text Chat Operators | Bulk SMS Messaging Services | Chat Room Help
Text chat operators offers Live text chat services, SMS messaging services Email processing, Live website chat support, Chat Room Help and SE0 service.
Provides a Service — Source

Tucows
Dive into Tucows-tested and rated Internet software. all manner of editors, Internet utilities, viewers, Web-design programs and browser tools are at hand.
Provides Products — Source