Tag: Internet

YouTube hit with discrimination suit by black video artists

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A lawsuit filed this week in federal court accuses YouTube of discriminating against African American video makers and viewers by factoring in race when it comes to filtering or monetizing content. The suit filed in a courthouse in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose on Tuesday seeks class action status and names as defendants the leading video sharing platform and its parent companies Google and Alphabet. “Under […]

ICT department backs NEDA, says PHL needs to transition to digital economy

(Eagle News) — The Department of Information and Communications Technology backed the National Economic Development Authority’s statement there was a need to transition into a “digital economy” to better adapt to the “new normal.” “We are optimistic that the transition of the Philippines to a digital economy will make the country’s economy more resilient to external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.” the department secretary Gregorio Honasan said. According to Honasan, under the banner of […]

ICT department calls on LGUs, others to help fast-track ICT infra rollouts

(Eagle News) — The Department of Information and Communications Technology has asked local government units and homeowners’ associations to ease permitting requirements in order to accelerate the rollout of cells sites and other ICT infrastructure amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The department also appealed for checkpoint officials and those enforcing the quarantine  to ensure the “unhampered movement of ICT personnel and equipment of telecommunications companies, internet service providers, cable television providers, including those who perform indirect […]

Netflix sees record sign-ups during pandemic lockdowns

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Netflix on Tuesday reported soaring profits as subscriptions surged by almost 16 million at the streaming television service during lockdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “After record subscriber additions, Netflix is and will continue to be the media company least impacted by COVID-19,” said eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom. “Their business is a near-perfect fit to a population that is […]

Internet platforms vow joint effort to stem virus misinformation

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The large US internet platforms have pledged a joint effort to root out misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and to promote “authoritative content” about the crisis. A joint statement was issued late Monday by Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and Reddit along with Google-owned YouTube and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. “We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts.” the joint statement said. “We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly […]

Facebook blocks Singapore anti-govt page, slams misinformation law

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Facebook on Tuesday blocked the page of an anti-government website in Singapore following demand from authorities but slammed the “disproportionate” use of a controversial law against online misinformation. The widely criticized legislation gives ministers powers to order internet platforms and websites to put warnings next to posts they deem false, and also order pages be blocked in the tightly regulated city-state. Political website States Times Review (STR) — which regularly posts […]

Google HR chief stepping aside as worker activism rises

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google on Monday confirmed that head of human resources Eileen Naughton was stepping away from her job as “vice president of people operations” at the internet company. “We’re grateful to Eileen for all she’s done and look forward to her next chapter at Google,” Sundar Pichai, the head of Google and its parent company Alphabet, said in a statement. Google added more than 70,000 employees during Naughton’s time as […]

Google says glitch sent people’s videos to strangers

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google on Tuesday said that a software glitch resulted in some Photo app smartphone videos being given to the wrong people. Google was notifying those who may have been affected. “We are very sorry this happened,” Google said in reply to an AFP inquiry. “We fixed the underlying issue and have conducted an in-depth analysis to help prevent this from ever happening again.” It was estimated that a small […]

Facebook rolls out tool globally to clear third-party data

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Tuesday a new tool allowing users of the social network to view and delete data it collects from third parties is rolling out to the estimated two billion members of the leading social network worldwide. The new feature, part of a stepped-up effort to improve privacy practices, allows users to see and clear “off Facebook activity” used for targeted advertising. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the tool […]

Turkey probes dozens over quake social media posts

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish prosecutors are investigating dozens of people for “provocative” social media messages about the deadly earthquake in eastern Turkey, reports said Monday. The death toll from Friday’s quake in Elazig province reached 41 people as rescue teams pulled the body of the last missing person from under the rubble, the country’s disaster agency said. The Ankara prosecutor’s office is investigating 50 individuals on suspicion of “spreading fear and panic” and “insulting […]

Singapore misinformation law challenged in court for first time

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore’s controversial law against online misinformation was challenged in court for the first time on Thursday as concerns mount it is being used to stifle criticism ahead of elections. The legislation gives authorities the power to order corrections placed next to posts they deem false. Since the law came into force in October, several opposition figures and activists have been ordered to place a banner next to online posts stating that they […]

Facebook investigating data exposure of 267 million users

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Thursday said it is investigating a report that a database containing names and phone numbers of more than 267 million users was exposed online. The database was made available for download last week on an online hacker forum that apparently belonged to a crime group, according to a blog post on the website Comparitech. “We are looking into this issue, but believe this is likely information obtained […]