News of social media

Facebook wins US antitrust dismissal, surges to US$1-trillion value

28-06-2021 19:23 A judge of the of the US District Court dismissed cases filed in December by the Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states, which could have impeded Facebook's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.

SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP?

'An insult' — Trump responds to two-year Facebook ban

04-06-2021 14:59 Facebook says it has banned former US President Donald Trump for two years, saying he deserved the maximum punishment possible for violating platform rules over a deadly attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.

NATION v TECH GIANT

Argentina orders Facebook to suspend WhatsApp data sharing

17-05-2021 17:59 Government orders Facebook to suspend its data use policy allowing it to collect information from users of its WhatsApp messaging app.

BIG TECH, MASSIVE PROFITS

Amazon caps blockbuster Big Tech earnings reports

29-04-2021 12:15 A week of blockbuster earnings reports from Big Tech culminated Thursday with Amazon crushing forecasts of how much money it would rake in from pandemic-revved online shopping and growing reliance on internet-hosted services.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Bolsonaro critics face 'intimidation campaign' in Brazil

22-03-2021 14:36 Lawyers and human-rights activists warn Brazil is seeing a surge in legal and extra-legal moves to stifle dissent against President Jair Bolsonaro.

Coronavirus Pandemic

'Bigger than Neymar': Pandemic propels Brazil doctor to fame

12-03-2021 13:47 Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo was an unknown researcher at public health institute Fiocruz when Covid-19 arrived in Brazil in February 2020, but the soft-spoken expert has since made hundreds of media appearances on the health crisis.

ON FACEBOOK´S 17TH BIRTHDAY

Facebook and Zuckerberg – one year from adulthood

06-02-2021 09:08 Facebook reached its first million monthly users the same year it was founded, 2004. It reached 100 million just four years later, went on to top one billion by 2012 and currently boasts 2.8 billion monthly active users, or roughly 36 percent of the global population.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

SOCIAL MEDIA

The fallacy of 'deplatforming' Donald Trump

16-01-2021 08:11 Regardless of whether the decisions made by Mark Zuckerbeg and Jack Dorsey were right or wrong, the Trump ban lays bare the absolute fallacy behind arguments used by the major platforms in the past.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Data journalism

How to hunt down a hate group on the Internet

06-01-2021 05:00 In the second of two articles on hate speech and online communication, technology expert Julio López explores how to become involved in the fight against messages of discrimination and prejudice on social networks.

by Julio López

Hate & social media

Hate groups flourish on social networks in Argentina

05-01-2021 05:00 In the first of a two-part series on hate speech and online communication, technology expert Julio López explores how easy it is for messages of discrimination and prejudice to spread on social networks.

by Julio López, via PERFIL

US ELECTION 2020

Social media firms on alert for misinformation in US election

03-11-2020 22:41 Social media firms remain on high alert against misinformation and manipulation efforts on Election Day in the United States.

AS I SEE IT

The times have certainly changed

24-10-2020 09:40 The egalitarian ethos that is rapidly consolidating itself in many parts of the world has shaped the response to the challenge posed by Covid-19.

by James Neilson

OBITUARY

Argentines mourn loss of Quino, beloved creator of Mafalda

03-10-2020 10:05 Nation in mourning as cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado passes away in his native Mendoza, aged 88.

US 2020 Election

Facebook moves to target misinformation before election

03-09-2020 11:32 Facebook will place new restrictions on political advertising the week before the United States presidential election as a way of targeting misinformation about Covid-19 and voting.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Biden, Gates, other Twitter accounts hacked in Bitcoin scam

15-07-2020 23:34 Unidentified hackers spark chaos after breaking into Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies in an apparent Bitcoin scam.

POLARISATION AT WHAT PRICE?

Argentina: Great at failing miserably at democracy

11-07-2020 08:19 What level of tolerance to dissent are we willing to accept? And at which point does the discussion about who thinks what shut out the underlying debates we should be having?

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Coronavirus pandemic

Facebook joins resistance to Bolsonaro virus claims

31-03-2020 18:56 Major social media companies are taking aim at Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's dismissal of social distancing, joining others in the country who have lined up against his controversial stance regarding the new coronavirus.

Coronavirus pandemic

Pandemic may give traditional media a new lease of life

30-03-2020 19:54 The coronavirus pandemic and the need for reliable information has triggered a surge in traditional mainstream media audiences.

Bolivia fires

Evo Morales not trending among Bolivia’s youth ahead of vote

07-10-2019 15:57 Dissatisfaction over the president’s response to devastating fires has prompted young Bolivians to reconsider their votes in the upcoming election.

AREA 51

'Storm Area 51' brings a party – but not thousands– to infamous US base

21-09-2019 18:20 Inspired by the "Storm Area 51" Internet craze, to which millions responded, thousands gathered at the gates of the infamous Area 51 US Airforce Base on Friday. Their mission brought a grand celebration of spontaneous comradery to two quiet Nevada towns.