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☆ Palestinians share their lives in war-torn Gaza via TikTok, X, and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Palestinians on social media are a window into the warLike millions of others around the world, Noor is witnessing the war in Gaza through the eyes of Palestinians who are sharing their daily realities on social media. Eyewitness accounts on social media are critical in understanding global conflicts, including past flare-ups between Israelis and Palestinians. Before October 2023, Azaiza had about 25,000 Instagram followers, according to the social media analytics firm Social Blade. Now watching from afar in Melbourne, she’s the one refreshing her social media feeds and anxiously texting relatives, friends and colleagues to make sure they’re safe. Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty ImagesEven as people flock to learn from and support these Palestinians on social media, Noor says the exchange is overshadowed by feelings of powerlessness.

Persons: Motaz Azaiza, Azaiza, “, ” Noor, she’s, Noor, He’s, ”, It’s, ‘, ’, Leyla Hamed, Kanwal Ahmed, They’ve, Bisan Owda, hasn’t, Ahmed, Young, Hind Khoudary haven’t, “ Everyone’s, ” Ahmed, Zaina Arafat, Mark Kerrison, Marwa Fatafta, Clarissa Ward, Mohammed el, Sheikh Jarrah, Owda, Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, ” Alaqad, Alaqad, “ It’s, Sheikh Zayed Al, Hind, Syed Faizan Raza, Wael Al, Hamza Al, Mustafa Thuraya, Ahmad Hasaballah, Ismail al Dahdouh, ” Owda, Fatafta, ” Fatafta, She’s Organizations: CNN, Images Israel, European, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Reuters, Agence France, Presse, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, Gaza’s, Committee, Protect Journalists, Reporters, Palestinian, Israel, Quinnipiac University Locations: Gazan, Deir, Gaza, Israel, California, Noor isn’t, Iraq, London, Toronto, Palestinian American, Brooklyn, Instagram, European Union, Ramallah, East, North Africa, Egypt, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Palestine, Australia, Melbourne, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, Al, Gaza City, Anadolu, Gaza’s Old City, Islamabad, “, Jazeera, Rafah

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball have joined forces to produce a 30-second ad promoting responsible sports betting. The “Never Know What’s Next” commercial unveiled Tuesday is a coordination of the three leagues, sportsbook operators DraftKings, Fanatics, PENN Entertainment and the National Council on Problem Gambling. The ad’s message is to remind betters to set betting limits and gamble responsibly. It’s set to air during the Cleveland Cavaliers-Philadelphia 76ers in-season tournament game on TNT and on the leagues’ social media channels. Political Cartoons View All 1260 Images___AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Persons: —, Scott Kaufman, Ross, bettors, Keith Wachtel, betters Organizations: NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, PENN Entertainment, National Council, MLB, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, TNT

☆ Google Sues to Block AI Ads Preying on Small Businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Google says hackers are posting ads offering to download its Bard AI chatbot, which is a free web-based platform and isn’t available through download. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsScammers are capitalizing on the rush of consumer interest in artificial-intelligence tools to steal U.S. small businesses’ social-media-account passwords, Google alleges in a new lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Monday, targets unnamed individuals in India and Vietnam. Google said the hackers have been tricking small-business owners into clicking on Facebook ads that offer to download Google’s Bard artificial-intelligence chatbot. When they do, the ads hit them with malware that steals their social-media credentials.

Persons: chatbot, Gabby Jones Organizations: Google, Bloomberg Locations: India, Vietnam

CNN —The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found. Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. As part of a mission “to manipulate public perceptions of [China], the Group uses its misattributed social media accounts to threaten, harass and intimidate specific victims,” the complaint states. In the past, the Spamouflage network mostly focused on issues domestically relevant to China.

Persons: –, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mike Gallagher, Chen Pokong, ”, Chen, “, Spamouflage’s, Liu Pengyu, ” Liu, Jiayang, Darren Linvill, hasn’t, Fan, Communist Party playbook, Mandiant, Nancy Pelosi, ” Ben Nimmo, George Floyd’s, Ben Nimmo, Lindsay Gorman, Gorman, ” Linvill, Linvill, Spamouflage, Jiajun Qiu, Qiu, ” Qiu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, FBI, Communist Party, Meta, Google, ”, CCP, US Department of Justice, Department, DOJ, China’s Ministry of Public Security, Group, New Yorker, telltale, Media, Clemson University, Capitol, Department of Homeland Security, Marshall Fund’s Alliance, Securing Democracy, YouTube Locations: United States, Beijing, San Francisco, China “, New York, China, New York City, America, Washington, Hong Kong, US, Texas, Virginia, Manassas , Virginia

☆ Social isolation linked to early death risk, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Those who don’t socialize with friends or family may see their risk of dying early increase by 39%. Many previous studies have linked loneliness or social isolation with a higher risk of premature death and other health outcomes. But few, if any, have looked into how these associations depend on the combined impact of different types of social interaction, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal BMC Medicine. Participants’ social isolation was gauged by how often they were visited by friends or family, how often they engaged in weekly group activities, and whether they lived alone. It’s also possible that any of these factors could lead to loneliness or social isolation rather than result from them, according to the study.

Persons: “, ”, Hamish Foster, weren’t, Anthony Ong, —, It’s, Foster, Jason Gill, Olivia Remes, wasn’t, Gill Organizations: CNN, BMC Medicine, School of Health, University of Glasgow, Cornell University, University of Cambridge, Social, Networks Locations: Scotland, United Kingdom, New York, England

☆ Fact Check: October Forbes issue featured Mark Zuckerberg, not Hamas official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Forbes magazine did not publish a special October issue featuring former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on the cover, a spokesperson for the magazine said. For the truth,” and "Disappointed that Forbes would put the hamas leader on their cover. Forbes’ October/November issue has Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the cover. Forbes’ social media accounts make no mention of a “special issue” with Meshaal either. A fabricated Forbes October 2023 cover with former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was taken seriously by some.

Persons: Khaled Meshaal, “ Khaled Mashal, Forbes, Forbes ’, Mark Zuckerberg, Suhaib Salem, Read Organizations: Forbes, Reuters, Islamic University, Thomson Locations: Gaza City

☆ Opinion | The Supreme Court’s Social Media Cases Can Strengthen Our Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Jameel Jaffer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Some officials’ social media accounts have become vital forums for speech relating to those officials’ exercise of government power, and for speech about public policy more broadly. Those two lawsuits are about government officials’ use of social media. Two of the cases concern the constitutionality of social media laws enacted by Florida and Texas. Both states’ laws also require the platforms to provide explanations to users whose posts the platforms take down. A threshold question the court will have to answer is whether platforms’ content moderation policies reflect the exercise of editorial judgment, since editorial judgment is protected by the First Amendment.

Persons: they’re, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: U.S, Appeals, Second, Supreme Court Locations: Florida, Texas

☆ States sue Instagram-parent Meta over 'addictive' features and youth mental health harms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Dozens of states sued Instagram-parent Meta on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of harming young users’ mental health through allegedly addictive features such as infinite news feeds and frequent notifications that demand users’ constant attention. In a federal lawsuit filed in California by 33 attorneys general, the states allege that Meta’s products have harmed minors and contributed to a mental health crisis in the United States. “Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable. Battle lines renewedTuesday’s multipronged legal assault marks the newest attempt by states to rein in large tech platforms over fears that social media companies are fueling a spike in youth depression and suicidal ideation. In some cases, the tech industry has challenged those laws in court — for example, by claiming that Arkansas’ social media law violates residents’ First Amendment rights to access information.

Persons: Instagram, Meta, ”, Letitia James, Brian Schwalb, ” Meta, “ We’re, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers Organizations: CNN, “ Social, Meta, District of Columbia, Google Locations: California, United States, New York, Arkansas, Louisiana, District, Colorado , Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky, Maine , Maryland , Michigan, Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska , New Jersey , New York, North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oregon , Pennsylvania, Rhode Island , South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia , Massachusetts , Mississippi , New Hampshire , Oklahoma , Tennessee , Utah, Vermont

Shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, friends and relatives of Gali Shlezinger Idan, who lived in a kibbutz near the Gaza border, received frantic messages to check her Facebook page. Hamas members were using Ms. Idan’s Facebook account to livestream themselves holding her and her family hostage. During the 43-minute broadcast, gunmen forced Ms. Idan and her family to crouch on a tile floor as missiles and gunfire blasted their building. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Keren de Via, a friend of the Idan family who watched Ms. Idan’s children hug their parents and cry during the livestream. How could I watch this on Facebook?”In a new war tactic, Hamas has seized the social media accounts of kidnapped Israelis and used them to broadcast violent messages and wage psychological warfare, according to interviews with 13 Israeli families and their friends, as well as social media experts who have studied extremist groups.

Persons: Ms, Idan, crouch, ”, Keren de Organizations: Facebook Locations: Israel, Gali Shlezinger, Gaza

☆ Google Turns to a Steady Old Hand to Fight Antitrust Charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Nico Grant | More About Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If Google loses and a judge then approves remedies, it could eventually be forced to restructure in some way, and it could be hit with enormous fines and a prohibition on search distribution deals. That would translate to fewer users, deflated profits and perhaps even limits on how Google is able to innovate with new technologies like artificial intelligence. The company is counting on Mr. Walker, 62, once again. That Mr. Walker is defending an industry giant against the monopoly claims of regulators is an odd turnabout in his long career. He grew up in Palo Alto, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, and graduated from Harvard and Stanford Law School.

Persons: Amit P, Mehta, Walker, Mr, Kevin Mitnick Organizations: Justice, Microsoft, Google, U.S, District of Columbia, Oracle, Supreme, Harvard, Stanford Law School, Justice Department Locations: Palo Alto, Calif, Silicon Valley

☆ Illinois passes a law that requires parents to compensate child influencers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A family businessThis picture shows Illinois Senator Dave Koehler with teenager Shreya Nallamothu, who helped inspire new legislation protecting child influencers. Although children are predominantly featured in these monetized videos, parents have had no legal obligation to give them any portion of the earnings. “But we know with the explosion of social media that parents are using it to monetize kids being on videos. That California law required parents to set aside a portion of 15% of child earnings in a blocked trust account that the child actor could access after the age of 18. “Even though Illinois is the first state to pass such a law, this legislation is a long time coming,” Maddox said.

Persons: “, ”, influencers, ” Nallamothu, Dave Koehler, Pritzker, ” Koehler, Shreya Nallamothu, Jackie Coogan’s Law, Charlie Chaplin, swindled, Jessica Maddox —, —, ” Maddox, Maddox, ” Chris McCarty —, Washington State —, ” McCarty, “ I’m, it’s Organizations: CNN, Illinois Gov, Child Labor, The University of Alabama Locations: Normal , Illinois, Illinois, California, Washington, Washington State

☆ These kids get free vacations thanks to their YouTube fame. But what happens behind the scenes?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

McCarty started a campaign called Quit Clicking Kids, aimed at stopping people using children on social media for monetary gain, in 2022. Child labor rights in the United States, from the factory to the internet: A timeline 1904 The National Child Labor Committee is founded, with the goal of ending all child labor. 1916 The first child labor bill – the Keating-Owen Act – is passed, which bans the interstate sale of any article produced with child labor and regulates the number of hours a child could work. In May 2023, the US Surgeon General’s office issued an advisory about social media and kids’ mental health. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends.

Persons: Chris McCarty, McCarty, Myka Stauffer, Stauffer, it’s, –, Keating, Owen, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Coogan, ”, Instagram, Carlotta Dotto, Lilit Marcus The Coogan, Jackie Coogan, aren’t, “, Vivek Murthy, ” Stacey Steinberg, what’s, Steinberg, Yukari Schrickel, Mom Brooke Morrison, Parker, McKenzie, Morrison, ” Caz Makepeace, Craig, you’re, ’ ” Makepeace, Alex Winter, Machelle Hobson, Hobson, Makepeace, vlogging, Caz, they’re, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Morrisons, University of Washington, Child Labor, US, Labor, California, UN, Education, Trust, Facebook, National Archives, US Department of Labor, Actors, The Federal Trade Commission, New York Department of Labor, Washington State Legislature, Center, Children, University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, YouTube, Credit, Apple, Google Locations: New Orleans, Arizona, London, Dominican Republic, United States, New York, Illinois, California, ”, Australia

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas enjoyed more vacations, private flights and perks thanks to wealthy friends, new ProPublica report details
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

These costly trips and travel perks often went unreported on the justice’s financial disclosure forms, ProPublica said in its investigation. Lynne Sladky/APProPublica interviewed more than 100 people, including staff that would have worked some of the trips that Thomas took. Thomas did not respond to ProPublica’s detailed list of questions for its report, nor did Novelly. None of the Thomas benefactors highlighted in the new report appear to have had direct business in front of the Supreme Court, ProPublica said. Thomas intends to amend his financial disclosure forms, a source close to the justice previously told CNN, to at least reflect Crow’s 2014 purchase of Thomas’ mother’s home.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Thomas, ProPublica, Harlan Crow, Thomas ’, Crow, “, ” Thomas, David Sokol, Berkshire Hathaway, Wayne Huizenga, Paul “ Tony ” Novelly, Lynne Sladky, Huizenga, Daniel Acker, Getty Images Sokol, ” Sokol, Republican megadonors, he’s, Paul Anthony, Tony, Novelly, Horatio, Jeremy Fogel, ”, Fogel, Horatio Alger, John Roberts, Roberts, Samuel Alito, Thomas ’ mother’s, Anthony Welters, Obama Organizations: CNN, GOP, Blockbuster, Waste Management Inc, NFL, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, US Marshals Service, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Republican, Horatio Alger, Distinguished, Horatio, Horatio Alger Association, New York Times, The New York Times, Democratic, Times Locations: Florida, Berkshire, Miami, Omaha , Nebraska

Aug 1 (Reuters) - An obscure cloud service company has been providing state-sponsored hackers with internet services to spy on and extort their victims, a cybersecurity firm said in a report to be published on Tuesday. Researchers at Texas-based Halcyon said a company called Cloudzy had been leasing server space and reselling it to no fewer than 17 different state-sponsored hacking groups from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, India, Pakistan and Vietnam. Halcyon estimated that roughly half of Cloudzy’s business was malicious, including renting services to two ransomware groups. The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which wasn’t involved in the research, said that it hadn’t seen state-sponsored hackers using Cloudzy. He said the company needed U.S. domicile to be able to register internet protocol addresses in America.

Persons: Halcyon, Cloudzy, Hannan Nozari, couldn’t, Nozari, ”, Ryan Golden, wasn’t, It’s, – CloudPeak, Sheridan –, Adam Meyers, “, Christopher Bing, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: LinkedIn, Reuters, ”, Nozari, CrowdStrike, Thomson Locations: Texas, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Tehran, Nozari, Cyprus, U.S ., Wyoming, America, Sheridan

☆ Why You Can’t Stop Reading About Sofia Vergara’s Split
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Remy Tumin | More About Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This week, the actors Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello announced their divorce after seven years of marriage. Ariana Grande and her husband, Dalton Gomez, also appeared to be on the outs. Fans were trawling the stars’ social media posts, looking for any clue about what was going on — on their ring fingers, in their facial expressions and even in the posts the stars liked. Because dealing with a breakup is one of the most relatable things a star can do. “Breakups are such an identifiable thing,” said Alicia Mintz, who hosts the podcast “Trashy Divorces” with her wife, Stacie Boschma.

Persons: Marilyn, Joe, Brad, Jennifer, Angelina, Elizabeth, Richard, Tom, Gisele, Kim, Kanye, Diana, Charles, Henry VIII, Sofia Vergara, Joe Manganiello, Ariana Grande, Dalton Gomez, ”, Alicia Mintz, Stacie, “

This is how Komsomolskaya School Number 1 is marking the opening of a new school desk, a so-called “hero desk” emblazoned with the face and biography of one of Russia’s war dead, once a pupil at this very school. The desks are part of a pan-Russian initiative called the “New School Project” and are funded by “United Russia,” a staunchly pro-Putin party. As of early May, United Russia said there were more than 14,000 desks in 9,000 schools across the country. Local news reports suggest some schools use the desks to reward good behavior or good grades. The desks across the country are standardized: green, with military photographs, a biography, medals awarded (often posthumously) and the soldier’s date of death.

Persons: It’s, ”, Gennady Alexandrovich Pavlov, Chuvashia, Gennady Pavlov, Russia’s, Daniil Ken, ” Ken, Sergei Shoigu, Ken, Alena Arshinova, Olga, Sergey Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, there’s, “, ‘, Tatyana Chervenko, Chervenko, Mikhail Stepanov, ’, Stepanov, Wagner, “ Artyomovsk Organizations: CNN, New, “ United, Putin, Teachers ’ Alliance, Russian Ministry of Defense, State Duma, United, Kyiv, Russian, Russia’s Security, Novosti, Ministry Locations: Russian, Chuvashia, Russia, “ United Russia, United Russia, Ukraine, Hostomel, Kyiv, United States, State, St . Petersburg, Simferopol, Crimea, “, Leningrad, ”, Moscow, Virginia, Khabarovsk, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Opinion: Mark Zuckerberg’s family photo raises this crucial question
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Opinion Priya C. Kumar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Sandwiched between a Jiu-Jitsu video and the Threads announcement, Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram profile recently featured a casual Independence Day snapshot of him and his family. This prompted social media comments accusing Zuckerberg of hypocrisy, given the constant outcry over his company Meta’s privacy practices. Mark Zuckerberg posted this picture with his family on Instagram on July 4, 2023. A decade ago, a research team and I interviewed more than 100 parents about their social media use. That’s the real privacy problem of social media, and it affects children and adults alike.

Persons: Priya C, Kumar, Mark Zuckerberg’s, Zuckerberg, Kumar Hayley Wildeson, There’s, Mark Zuckerberg, Ulla Autenrieth, they’ve Organizations: Pennsylvania State University, CNN, Twitter, Facebook Locations: emojis, childrearing, Instagram, Swiss

☆ Ticketmaster Pauses Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Sale in France
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Ben Sisario | More About Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ticketmaster has once again cracked under the weight of a Taylor Swift ticket sale — this time in France. As French fans prepared on Tuesday to purchase tickets to six concerts in May and June 2024 on Swift’s Eras Tour — four shows in Paris, two in Lyon — Ticketmaster’s website displayed a gigantic queue of customers ready to buy; one screenshot appeared to tell a fan that 1,023,504 shoppers were in line ahead of them. Soon, Ticketmaster announced that sales for those shows had been placed on “pause.” The company gave no explanation, but said that a new on-sale time would be announced, and that “all codes not already used will remain valid.” But some fans’ social media posts seemed to show technical errors on Ticketmaster’s website, including a progress icon that “keeps spinning and spinning and spinning,” as one fan — speaking English with an American accent, but with 762 euros’ worth of tickets in their shopping cart — put it. Representatives of Ticketmaster and its corporate parent, the concert giant Live Nation Entertainment, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Taylor Swift Organizations: Ticketmaster, Entertainment Locations: France, Paris, Lyon

☆ How to Wean a Teen Off Social Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Catherine Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jason Mahr’s eldest son was 13 years old when Mr. Mahr and his wife gave him access to social media, a decision the 44-year-old father of five regretted immediately. It became “like an addiction,” said Mr. Mahr, a student coach and former youth pastor who lives in Woodstock, Ga. His son was quickly swept up in seeking the approval of others online, Mr. Mahr said. He has since been more deliberate about how and when he lets his younger children start using social media, but backpedaling with his eldest has been difficult. Recently, the warnings around teens’ social media use have grown particularly loud, as both the U.S. surgeon general and the American Psychological Association have issued reports about the risk of harm to adolescents’ mental health. “This is what so many parents are struggling with, and it’s too bad we have to.”

Persons: Jason Mahr’s, Mahr, ”, “, ” Jean Twenge, — Organizations: American Psychological Association, Pew Research, Facebook Locations: Woodstock, Ga, U.S

☆ Miami Mayor Suarez launches long-shot bid for 2024 Republican nomination
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He is the only Hispanic candidate in the Republican field and the third candidate from Florida along with front-runner Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. But Miami has seen an influx of more traditional tech companies and wealthy investors during his tenure, many fleeing more rigid regulatory environs. Suarez has had thorny relationships with both Trump and DeSantis. He did not support Trump in his 2020 re-election bid and was critical of some of DeSantis’ COVID pandemic-era policies. Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Ross Colvin and Caitlin WebberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis X, Suarez, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump, ” Suarez, James Oliphant, Ross Colvin, Caitlin Webber Organizations: Republican, Reuters, Florida, Miami, Dade, Trump, Fox News, Thomson Locations: Miami, Cuban, Florida, Dade County

☆ Louisiana lawmakers approve parental consent bill for kids’ social media use and other online services
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Louisiana lawmakers have sent a bill to the state’s governor that would require online platforms to obtain a parent’s consent before creating an account for users under 18, the latest in a raft of legislation restricting digital services for kids and teens. The legislation, known as HB61, covers a broad range of companies and content, including video games, social networks, and other services that allow users to create accounts and exchange text, photos or videos online. Under the bill, online platforms could use third-party services to obtain a parent’s consent. The bill’s passage comes after states including Utah and Arkansas signed similar bills into law this year requiring parental consent for minors who wish to access social media. US lawmakers have spent years calling for new safeguards to address concerns about social platforms leading younger users down harmful rabbit holes, enabling new forms of bullying and harassment and adding to what’s been described as a teen mental health crisis.

Persons: what’s, HB61, John Bel Edwards Organizations: CNN, Gov Locations: Louisiana, Utah, Arkansas

☆ How one DeSantis speech captured the dynamic that could decide 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The next 30 minutes of DeSantis’ speech then demonstrated how Biden might survive despite all the doubts about his performance and capabilities. In that way, DeSantis’ first swing through Iowa showed why Republicans are still at risk in 2024 from a key dynamic that dashed their hopes of a sweeping “red wave” in 2022. Many strategists in both parties believe that dynamic is most likely to recur in 2024 if the GOP nominates Trump. One reason, Republicans argue, is that the eventual nominee likely will talk about these issues less in a general election. Beset by all the difficult domestic conditions DeSantis highlighted, Biden will likely struggle straight through November 2024 to affirmatively convince a majority that his performance deserves another term.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Biden, DeSantis, Donald Trump, ”, Sarah Longwell, MAGA Trump, “, Trump, Chris Wilson, Republican pollster, Jesse Ferguson, SRSS, “ Biden, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W . Bush, “ DeSantis, Ferguson, don’t, –, David Kochel, Kochel, can’t, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton’s, suburbanites, Nick Gourevitch, DeSantis ’, dethroning Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden “ Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Biden’s, Republicans, GOP, Trump, Republican, Longwell, Biden, White House, White, Edison Research, House, Democrats, Senate, Fox News, Walt Disney Co, Democratic, eventual Locations: Iowa, Des Moines, Biden’s America, America, Florida, Arizona , Georgia, Nevada , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan

☆ The Discreet Thrill of Lurking Online
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elise Craig | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Four years into the practice, I discovered I was lurking: Aside from sharing snapshots with friends on a private Instagram page, I was consuming strangers’ social media content without ever posting or commenting myself. I’ll hit a heart icon and contribute to a like count, but I find the public nature of social media participation to be too performative for me. In the online world, where anyone can put themselves onstage, I’m happy to sit in the audience and clap. Alongside tools used to track diet and exercise was something that I didn’t expect: a sort of in-app Instagram, open only to members. By that point, the shine of social media had worn off for me.

☆ Fuddy-duddy Meta has a kid problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

His company Meta Platforms (META.O) landed in hot water with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for the third time on Wednesday over its handling of younger users’ data. Monetizing them is difficult, as other social media platforms have shown. The other is Meta hasn’t been able to reinvent itself such that it can capture new and younger users anyway. Meantime Meta’s user growth has been slowing, which has eroded its market share in social media ads. Those concerns aren’t totally unique to Zuckerberg’s company, as several state lawmakers across the United States are debating legislation that would restrict kids’ social media use.

☆ Meta has a kid problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

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