USA

Facebook bans ads related to weapon accessories, protective equipment in US

Editorial Bureau January 17, 2021

NEW YORK (US) – Facebook Inc announced on Saturday that it will ban advertisements related to weapon accessories and protective gear in the US with immediate effect until at least two days after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Following the attack by

Tech

Google should focus on paying for original content: Australia

Editorial Bureau January 14, 2021

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – Australia said on Thursday that Google should focus on paying for original content instead of blocking it. This comes after the internet behemoth said it was carrying out tests that limit access to domestic news content, widening the gap between the firm and the government. The search engine provider, which is owned […]

Tech

Advertising integrity chief of Facebook steps down

Editorial Bureau January 2, 2021

NEW YORK (US) – Facebook Inc’s chief of advertising integrity, who handled the company’s ad products around sensitive subjects such as politics and coronavirus misinformation, departed this week. Rob Leathern, director of product management, said earlier this month on Facebook’s internal network that he would be leaving the company on Dec. 30. His

Tech

Facebook takes down page of Aussie celebrity chef for hosting pandemic conspiracy content

Editorial Bureau December 24, 2020

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – Facebook announced on Thursday it has removed the page of Australian celebrity-chef-turned-conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for disseminating canards about the pandemic. This is the latest move by the social media behemoth as far as policing of misinformation about the coronavirus is concerned. Evans, a former judge on prime time Australian cooking

Tech

10 US states blame Google for working with Facebook to flout antitrust law

Editorial Bureau December 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (US) – On Wednesday, Texas and nine other US states sued Google for working with Facebook Inc in an unauthorised manner and flouting antitrust law to bolster its already-dominant online advertising business. The states demanded that Google, which controls a third of the global advertising industry, provide compensation and sought “structural

Tech

US lawsuits against Facebook could force sale of Instagram, WhatsApp

Ren Leen December 10, 2020

WASHINGTON/PALO ALTO (US) – Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly every US state filed lawsuits against the social media company, saying it used a “buy or bury” strategy to snap up rivals and keep smaller competitors at bay. With the […]

Tech

Facebook lawsuits will take longer to be solved

Editorial Bureau December 10, 2020

WASHINGTON (US) – Facebook, faced with two major antitrust lawsuits, could be forced to breakup, settle with changes to its business, or it could prove its government challengers wrong and win in court, antitrust experts said. The Federal Trade Commission and a major coalition of states are asking that Facebook be forced to sell WhatsApp […]

Tech

Facebook stops false claims about COVID-19 vaccines

Editorial Bureau December 3, 2020

PALO ALTO, Calif. (US) – Facebook Inc on Thursday said it would remove false claims about COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts, following a similar announcement by Alphabet Inc’s YouTube in October. The move expands Facebook’s current rules against falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the pandemic. The social media

Tech

Vietnam mulls banning Facebook if it does not accept censorship requests

Editorial Bureau November 19, 2020

HANOI (VIETNAM) – Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the US social media giant said. Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” […]

Tech

Solomon Islands govt mulls banning Facebook

Editorial Bureau November 17, 2020

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – The Solomon Islands is contemplating a ban on Facebook for an indefinite period, reported the Solomon Times. This comes after it carried an inflammatory critique of the government on its platform. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said a formal statement in this regard would be issued on Tuesday. Once the ban comes into […]