Facebook loses final appeal in defamation takedown case, must remove same and similar hate posts globally Austria’s Supreme Court has dismissed Facebook’s appeal in a long running speech takedown case — ruling it must remove references to defamatory comments made about a local politician worldwide for as long as the injunction lasts. […]

New Chinese browser offers a glimpse beyond the Great Firewall – with caveats China now has a tool that lets users access YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and other internet services that have otherwise long been banned in the country. Called Tuber, the mobile browser recently debuted on China’s third-party Android stores, […]

China bans Scratch, MIT’s programming language for kids China’s enthusiasm for teaching children to code is facing a new roadblock as organizations and students lose an essential tool: the Scratch programming language developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. China-based internet users can no longer access Scratch’s website. […]

VPN booms as countries around the world mull TikTok bans As countries around the world ban or threaten to restrict TikTok, interest in virtual private networks has spiked. The use of VPNs can let users access an online service from an encrypted tunnel and thus bypass app blocks. “We are seeing an […]

On illegal hate speech, EU lawmakers eye binding transparency for platforms It’s more than four years since major tech platforms signed up to a voluntary pan-EU Code of Conduct on illegal hate speech removals. Yesterday the European Commission’s latest assessment of the non-legally binding agreement lauds “overall positive” results — with 90% […]

FCC Commissioner disparages Trump’s social media order: ‘The decision is ours alone’ FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks has examined the President’s Executive Order that attempts to spur the FCC into action against social media companies and found it wanting. “There are good reasons for the FCC to stay out of this debate,” he […]

Facebook agrees to restrict anti-government content in Vietnam after months of throttling Facebook has agreed to block access to certain anti-government content to users in Vietnam, following months of having its services throttled there, reportedly by state-owned telecoms. Reuters, citing sources within the company, reported that Vietnam requested earlier in the year […]

TikTok to open a ‘Transparency Center’ where outside experts can examine its moderation practices TikTok, the popular social media app owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has been under a national security investigation by U.S. lawmakers who have raised concerns about the company’s access to U.S. user data and whether it was […]

TikTok’s new set of safety videos teach users about features, the app’s focus on ‘positivity’ TikTok today released a new set of safety videos designed to playfully inform users about the app’s privacy controls and other features — like how to filter comments or report inappropriate behavior, among other things. One video […]