Social media

The Indian Government Wants to Break Messaging Encryption, WhatsApp’s Suing

WhatsApp is taking India’s government to court over a new mandate that it claims will lead to mass surveillance of users in the company’s biggest market. Reuters was first to report on the suit filed in Dehli’s high court, which WhatsApp confirmed to Gizmodo on Wednesday. The suit is WhatsApp’s attempt to push back against…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky May 26

D.C. Police Surveilled Clowns on Social Media, Leaked Docs Show

A few years ago, intelligence personnel with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C. spent some unknown amount of time and money monitoring the online accounts of people dressed like clowns. A recent data breach involving the MPD has revealed a 14-page internal report titled “SOCIAL MEDIA CLOWN THREATS.” Dated October 2016, the doc shows…

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 25

Screenshot: Los Angeles Professional Security / YouTube

Citizen App’s Unhinged Private Security Firm Would Like to Patrol Cities With Police Powers

Last week, neighborhood snitch app Citizen was reported by Motherboard to be testing an on-demand private security force that would respond to user-submitted “incidents.” The plans are a considerable escalation of the app’s existing business model, which relies on police scanners and user reports to create live maps of rumored criminal activity. One of Citizen’s…

Privacy & Security Tom McKay May 25

Japan’s Top Dating App Got Hacked

One of Japan’s most widely used dating apps recently suffered a cyberattack, potentially exposing the personal information of close to 2 million people, a new report from Bloomberg shows. Omiai (which translates to “matchmaking” in English) is a popular dating service wherein men must pay a monthly fee—¥3,980, or $37—while women are allowed to set up…

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 24

There’s No Way the Big Tech Law Florida Just Passed Is Legal

Today, Trump lackey and Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law “Florida’s Big Tech Bill,” a thinly veiled attempt to appease Trump’s Twitter and Facebook gripe. And also money in the bank for Big Tech warrior, Ron DeSantis. The bill dangles a shred of hope in front of Trump, with a provision that he (or…

Tech News Whitney Kimball May 24

TikTok Will Soon Let You Batch Delete Annoying Comments

Too bad for you, edgelords, your big boy TikTok jabs will not stand. Today, the platform announced a new feature allowing TikTokers to wipe out up to 100 comments in one stroke. TikTok says that users will now be able to select tick boxes and mass-delete, much like an email inbox. The company expects to…

Tech News Whitney Kimball May 20

India Reportedly Demands WhatsApp Reverse Its ‘Discriminatory’ Privacy Policies

The international uproar over WhatsApp’s new privacy policy got a jolt of energy this week, with a new letter reportedly from Indian authorities telling the company to walk back its changes to the platform—or else. TechCrunch was first to get its hands on a leaked letter it claims was sent to WhatsApp by India’s Ministry…

Tech Policy Shoshana Wodinsky May 19

Clubhouse Announces That Its App Will Be Available on Android Worldwide by Friday

Faced with plummeting app downloads on iOS in recent months, Clubhouse has one thing to say: Hello, Android. The audio-based social network announced on Sunday in a town hall it would be rolling out to Android users worldwide by Friday afternoon, May 21. In a Twitter post, Clubhouse said that it would start its expansion…

Tech News Jody Serrano May 16

Facebook Moderator Says That ‘Wellness Coaches’ Advise Karaoke and Painting for Traumatized Workers

The Irish Parliament today held a hearing on Facebook’s treatment of subcontracted content moderators—the thousands of people up to their eyeballs in toxic waste in the company basement. Moderators have repeatedly reported over the years that their contract companies hurl them into traumatizing work with little coaching or mental health support, in a system designed…

Tech News Whitney Kimball May 12

UK to Ban Big Tech Companies From ‘Discriminating’ Based on Political Views

The UK’s conservative government will ban technology companies from “discriminating” against particular political viewpoints, according to a press release about the country’s new proposed Online Safety Bill. The anti-censorship clause is just a minor part of a much larger draft bill, but will likely get attention from conservatives around the globe who believe their viewpoints…

Politics Matt Novak May 12

WhatsApp Will Turn Your Account Into a Useless Zombie If You Don’t Accept Its New Privacy Policy

After facing international backlash over impending updates to its privacy policy, WhatsApp has ever-so-slightly backtracked on the harsh consequences it initially planned for users who don’t accept them—but not entirely. In an update to the company’s FAQ page, WhatsApp clarifies that no users will have their accounts deleted or instantly lose app functionality if they…

Social Media Shoshana Wodinsky May 10

Facebook Would Also Like to Annoy the Misinformation Out of You

Following the lead of Twitter, Facebook may now also prompt users to double-check whether they have actually read the goddamn article before potentially passing on hoaxes to some of their less discerning friends. The company’s official Newsroom account tweeted on Monday that if it detects users attempting to share a news article without actually clicking…

Social Media Tom McKay May 10

44 Attorneys General Beg Facebook to Leave the Kids Alone

In an open letter, forty-four attorneys general have beseeched Mark Zuckerberg to mercifully stop the company’s planned version of Instagram for children. Buzzfeed News discovered in March that Facebook—a company famous for platforming murderous rage and dangerous misinformation without consequence—has been developing a platform for kids under age 13, the minimum age to create an…

Tech News Whitney Kimball May 10

Twitter Will Beg You to Send Nicer Tweets

Twitter is (again) asking you to think a bit before you tweet. On Wednesday, the company announced that it is slowly rolling out prompts for English-speaking iOS and Android users that encourage them to “pause and reconsider” a particularly hateful tweet before they hit send. According to the announcement, Twitter began testing these prompts last…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky May 5

Oversight Board Finds Facebook Took the Coward’s Way Out With Trump Ban, Also Takes Coward’s Way Out

America may have to wait another six months to find out whether Facebook has the capacity to make a good decision. On Wednesday, Facebook’s Oversight Board announced that it would uphold the social media network’s decision to suspend Donald Trump from its main site and Instagram after he rallied his supporters to attack the Capitol…

Tech News Tom McKay May 5

Scientists Say You Can Have More Than 150 Friends, If You Want

In the early 1990s, a British anthropologist named Robin Dunbar argued that humans can’t handle more than 150 stable relationships based on the size of the human brain’s neocortex and observations of other primate groups socializing. Now, a team of researchers in Sweden say that number is bunk. The team argues that Dunbar’s number—really a…

Biology Isaac Schultz May 4

Signal Tries to Run the Most Honest Facebook Ad Campaign Ever, Immediately Gets Banned [Updated]

A series of Instagram ads run by the privacy-positive platform Signal got the messaging app booted from the former’s ad platform, according to a blog post Signal published on Tuesday. The ads were meant to show users the bevy of data that Instagram and its parent company Facebook collects on users, by… targeting those users…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky May 4

Clubhouse Is Losing Steam

Clubhouse—the company that was making headlines just a few months back for drawing major celebrities (and Elon Musk)—seems to have reached a tipping point. In April, the app reached a grand total of 922,000 downloads, new research found, a sharp downturn after bringing in millions of new users just a month earlier. These numbers come…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky May 3

Instagram Realizes It Had a Clubhouse In Its Heart All Along

As more and more social media platforms start cooking up their own Clubhouse clones, Instagram is adding new features to its existing livestreaming service to get in on the voice chat craze. On Thursday, Instagram announced it’s rolling out the option to turn off your audio or video while using Instagram Live. Instagram tested these…

Tech News Alyse Stanley Apr 29

India Cracks Down on Social Media Posts Criticizing Its Pandemic Response Amid Brutal Second Wave

India’s government reportedly ordered Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to censor dozens of posts criticizing the administration’s response to the pandemic, arguing that they were misleading or could hinder emergency response efforts. The crackdown comes amid an unprecedented surge in covid-19 cases and deaths in India as a second coronavirus wave hits the nation with a…

Tech News Alyse Stanley Apr 25

The Indian Government Wants to Break Messaging Encryption, WhatsApp’s Suing

D.C. Police Surveilled Clowns on Social Media, Leaked Docs Show

Citizen App’s Unhinged Private Security Firm Would Like to Patrol Cities With Police Powers

Japan’s Top Dating App Got Hacked

There’s No Way the Big Tech Law Florida Just Passed Is Legal

TikTok Will Soon Let You Batch Delete Annoying Comments

India Reportedly Demands WhatsApp Reverse Its ‘Discriminatory’ Privacy Policies

Clubhouse Announces That Its App Will Be Available on Android Worldwide by Friday

Facebook Moderator Says That ‘Wellness Coaches’ Advise Karaoke and Painting for Traumatized Workers

UK to Ban Big Tech Companies From ‘Discriminating’ Based on Political Views

WhatsApp Will Turn Your Account Into a Useless Zombie If You Don’t Accept Its New Privacy Policy

Facebook Would Also Like to Annoy the Misinformation Out of You

44 Attorneys General Beg Facebook to Leave the Kids Alone

Twitter Will Beg You to Send Nicer Tweets

Oversight Board Finds Facebook Took the Coward’s Way Out With Trump Ban, Also Takes Coward’s Way Out

Scientists Say You Can Have More Than 150 Friends, If You Want

Signal Tries to Run the Most Honest Facebook Ad Campaign Ever, Immediately Gets Banned [Updated]

Clubhouse Is Losing Steam

Instagram Realizes It Had a Clubhouse In Its Heart All Along

India Cracks Down on Social Media Posts Criticizing Its Pandemic Response Amid Brutal Second Wave

‘Tales From the Crypt’ Is Creeping Onto Streaming for the Very First Time

Artemis 2 Day 10: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Scientists Used Medieval Poems and Trees to Uncover a 13th-Century Solar Surge

INIU 20,000mAh Power Bank Gets Another Price Cut, Making Fast Charging for iPhone and Galaxy Even More Affordable

YouTube Premium Jacks Up Prices for the First Time in Years

‘For All Mankind’ Just Had Its Biggest Moment Yet

Artemis 2 Is Coming in Hot Today—Here Are the 4 Critical Phases to Watch

Amazon eero 7 Wi-Fi 7 Router 2-Pack Hits a Record Low, Around 1.5x Cheaper Per Unit Than a Single Pack

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

The Indian Government Wants to Break Messaging Encryption, WhatsApp’s Suing

D.C. Police Surveilled Clowns on Social Media, Leaked Docs Show

Citizen App’s Unhinged Private Security Firm Would Like to Patrol Cities With Police Powers

Japan’s Top Dating App Got Hacked

There’s No Way the Big Tech Law Florida Just Passed Is Legal

TikTok Will Soon Let You Batch Delete Annoying Comments

India Reportedly Demands WhatsApp Reverse Its ‘Discriminatory’ Privacy Policies

Clubhouse Announces That Its App Will Be Available on Android Worldwide by Friday

Facebook Moderator Says That ‘Wellness Coaches’ Advise Karaoke and Painting for Traumatized Workers

UK to Ban Big Tech Companies From ‘Discriminating’ Based on Political Views

WhatsApp Will Turn Your Account Into a Useless Zombie If You Don’t Accept Its New Privacy Policy

Facebook Would Also Like to Annoy the Misinformation Out of You

44 Attorneys General Beg Facebook to Leave the Kids Alone

Twitter Will Beg You to Send Nicer Tweets

Oversight Board Finds Facebook Took the Coward’s Way Out With Trump Ban, Also Takes Coward’s Way Out

Scientists Say You Can Have More Than 150 Friends, If You Want

Signal Tries to Run the Most Honest Facebook Ad Campaign Ever, Immediately Gets Banned [Updated]

Clubhouse Is Losing Steam

Instagram Realizes It Had a Clubhouse In Its Heart All Along

India Cracks Down on Social Media Posts Criticizing Its Pandemic Response Amid Brutal Second Wave

‘Tales From the Crypt’ Is Creeping Onto Streaming for the Very First Time

Artemis 2 Day 10: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Scientists Used Medieval Poems and Trees to Uncover a 13th-Century Solar Surge

INIU 20,000mAh Power Bank Gets Another Price Cut, Making Fast Charging for iPhone and Galaxy Even More Affordable

YouTube Premium Jacks Up Prices for the First Time in Years

‘For All Mankind’ Just Had Its Biggest Moment Yet

Artemis 2 Is Coming in Hot Today—Here Are the 4 Critical Phases to Watch

Amazon eero 7 Wi-Fi 7 Router 2-Pack Hits a Record Low, Around 1.5x Cheaper Per Unit Than a Single Pack

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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