Month: November 2018

Facebook will allow French regulators to "embed" inside the company to examine how it combats online hate speech, the first time the wary tech giant has opened its doors in such a way, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday. From January, Macron's administration will send a…

France and U.S. technology giants including Microsoft on Monday urged world governments and companies to sign up to a new initiative to regulate the internet and fight threats such as cyberattacks, online censorship and hate speech. With the launch of a declaration entitled the 'Paris…

University of Pennsylvania researchers say that for the first time they have linked social media use to increases in depression and loneliness. The idea that social media is anything but social when it comes to mental health has been talked about for years, but not…

Robots have been put to work assembling cars in factories, answering questions at conventions and hotel lobbies, moving packages in warehouses, and more. Now, a team at the University of Southern California is studying how well robots work with autistic children, to offer personalized support…

Google is promising to be more forceful and open about its handling of sexual misconduct cases, a week after high-paid engineers and others walked out in protest over its male-dominated culture. CEO Sundar Pichai spelled out the concessions in an email sent Thursday to Google…

Bullied herself online, Britain's Princess Beatrice is determined to ensure other girls are equipped to deal with internet abuse and get the best from the digital world.  Beatrice — who as the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and his former wife, the Duchess of York, is eighth in line…

Facebook says it has blocked more than 100 accounts with potential ties to a so-called Russian "troll farm" that may have sought to interfere with Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. The social media giant said in a statement Wednesday that it had blocked the Facebook and…

Public databases that shine a light on online political ads - launched by Facebook and Google before Tuesday's U.S. elections - offer the public the first broad view of how quickly the companies yank advertisements that break their rules. The databases also provided campaigns unprecedented…

Whether it's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, social media platforms have become the digital public squares where we convene. Police gather on these sites too, in order to prevent and investigate criminal activity. But the clues found within social media postings aren't always conclusive. Tina Trinh…

When the worst floods in a century swept through India's southern Kerala state in August, they killed more than 480 people and left behind more than $5 billion in damage. But one thing survived unscathed: India's first floating solar panels, on one of the country's…

Women leaders in technology called at one of the sector's largest global conferences for more to be done to drive equality in the male-dominated industry now hit by the #MeToo debate.  The ninth Web Summit comes amid growing concerns about sexism in the tech world,…

Priests should get online if they want to connect with people who may no longer attend church but can still be reached via social media, the Vatican's digital expert said Tuesday.  Monsignor Paul Tighe, who helped develop Pope Francis' online presence, urged Catholic clergy across…

Britain’s data commissioner on Tuesday called for tougher rules governing the use of personal data by political campaigns around the world, declaring that recent investigations have shown a disturbing disregard for voters and their privacy. Speaking to the U.K. Parliament’s media committee, Elizabeth Denham updated…