Award-winning reporter Elizabeth Thompson covers Parliament Hill. A veteran of the Montreal Gazette, Sun Media and iPolitics, she currently works with the CBC’s Ottawa bureau, specializing in investigative reporting and data journalism.
Category: Social Software
Companies courting lawsuits with worker Twitter crackdown?
On the local scene lately, it seems one of the best ways to disrupt a career is to let your fingers do the talking and tweet remarks that get you in trouble with the boss. Already this year, ABC -7 sportscaster Mark Giangreco was hit with a multiweek suspension without pay for chiding the country’s best known Twitter user, President Donald Trump .
The battle for online privacy: What you need to know – CNET
CNET explains everything you need to know about the latest political battle over how your digital data should be protected. There’s a new Federal Communications Commission chairman in town.
‘I was stuck’
“I was stuck,” says Lisa Skeete-Tatum. “For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what my next move looked like.
LinkedIn Barred from Public Access in Russia
Russia blocked access last year after a court found LinkedIn guilty of violating a law requiring companies holding Russian’s citizen’s data to store it on servers located in the country. Microsoft’s LinkedIn failed to reach an agreement with Russian authorities to allow public access to the employment networking site, the company and Russia’s communications regulator said on Tuesday.
A major Supreme Court case could affect the way you access…
The justices heard arguments for Peckingham v. North Carolina on Monday, over a law the state passed preventing sex offenders from using social networking sites.
Should we fear the future of Facebook?
Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, speaks at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 19, 2016. Zuckerberg hopes the platform can help its users become better informed and engaged in local and global politics.
FCC puts data security protections on hold – CNET
As expected the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 2-1 along party lines to stop a new data security rule from taking effect. It was part of a bigger set of privacy regulation, approved by the FCC in October , that’s supposed to protect consumers’ sensitive personal information online.
A great majority of our nation’s small business owners are old, white men
Two weeks ago the Kauffman Foundation, a well-regarded non-profit group that specializes in entrepreneurism, released its annual State of Entrepreneurship report – and at least in one respect, the news is encouraging. The report found that, despite still being below the peak that preceded the Great Recession, private enterprise is rebounding and entrepreneurs are driving a resurgence of business activity in America.
The Digital Nomad’s Guide To Working From Anywhere On Earth
The work-anywhere, travel-the-world fringe lifestyle is going mainstream-and these apps, services, and events are here to help. In the future, he wrote, high-speed wireless networks and low-cost mobile devices will break the link between occupation and location.
Why the FCC delayed new privacy regulations for AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast
By stepping back from Obama-era privacy rules, the Trump Administration’s FCC has made another decision that’s likely to benefit internet service providers, but not internet users. Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler testify at a House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on the FCC’s FY2016 budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington March 24, 2015.
FCC chairman delays implementation of internet privacy rules – CNET
Chairman Pai has asked his fellow commissioners to vote to delay implementing part of the FCC’s new privacy rules as it considers petitions that challenge the regulation. The Federal Communications Commission’s new chairman Ajit Pai is hitting the pause button on internet privacy regulations put in place during the Obama administration, which wireless and broadband companies have complained are unfair.
FCC chairman delays implementation of internet privacy rules – CNET
Chairman Pai has asked his fellow commissioners to vote to delay implementing part of the FCC’s new privacy rules as it considers petitions that challenge the regulation. The Federal Communications Commission’s new chairman Ajit Pai is hitting the pause button on internet privacy regulations put in place during the Obama administration, which wireless and broadband companies have complained are unfair.
Twitter, Snapchat Probed in France as Facebook Alters User Terms
French fraud watchdogs are investigating potential abusive clauses in the terms and conditions applicable for users of Twitter Inc., WhatsApp, Alphabet Inc.’s Google + and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat. Facebook Inc. was the first social platform to come under scrutiny but the Menlo Park, California-based company amended its user terms in December after the watchdogs identified several issues, Nathalie Homobono, who heads the French fraud office, known as DGCCRF, told journalists in Paris Thursday.
Feral cats
For years, Sam Wood has been a proponent of hunting and killing invasive species, such as wild hogs, that can threaten the native ecosystems. His Facebook page is filled with photos showing the 48-year-old outdoorsman taking down sparrows and starlings , pigeons and rats .
Republicans Are Trying to Let Internet Providers Sell Your Data
The Affordable Care Act is far from the only Obama-era policy Republicans want to take down now that they control the government. A set of internet privacy rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission last year has also become a target.
Facebook Messenger Now Lets You Send Money With Transferwise
International money transfer service TransferWise Ltd. has announced an integration with Facebook Inc.’s Messenger that will let people set up foreign exchange transactions over the chat service. London-based TransferWise launched the technology as a bot — a piece of automation software that understands natural language — baked within Messenger.
Facebook Exec Treads Lightly on Fake News
Facebook’s Dan Rose says the world’s largest social media platform is taking many steps to combat fake news but won’t prevent suspect sources from posting. While the world’s largest social media platform is flagging some stories as fake, it is pulling back from proactively fingering suspect stories or cutting off the feeds of websites that notoriously publish nefarious information meant to sway the public.
Facebook Adds Tools for Finding Help to Safety Check Feature
Facebook Inc.’s users often connect on the social network to seek relief and provide support during times of crisis. Now, the company is updating its Safety Check feature to make it easier for people to find or give help such as food, shelter or transportation during local disasters.
Their business is more than a dating site for the math crowd
Andrew DeZarn, left, and Matt Sutton, right, are the co-founders of Vooru, a business that connects people who are hiring with possible employees. I wasn’t going to write about Andrew DeZarn’s little staffing company oddly named Vooru .
Ajit Pai and the FCC’s Role in ISP Privacy Regulation under President Trump
On January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump named Ajit Pai as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission . In his previous role as the senior Republican on the FCC under President Barack Obama, Mr. Pai was an outspoken critic of the agency’s decision to assert jurisdiction over Internet Service Providers and its rules governing broadband privacy.
Comcast will treat Rokus like CableCARDs, not set-top boxes
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Facebook’s Earnings Reveal a Company That Won’t Take Its Foot Off the Pedal
The social networking giant’s aggressive spending plans have some investors on edge. But its sales growth and execution remain solid.
Facebook Loses Virtual-Reality Headset Coding Lawsuit Against ZeniMax
Facebook Inc. and its co-defendants were ordered to pay $500 million to ZeniMax Media Inc. after a jury found the social network’s Oculus VR unit unfairly used ZeniMax code to build a virtual-reality headset. The verdict Wednesday was another setback for Oculus, which Facebook bought in 2014 for more than $2 billion.
Five Creative Ways These Freelancers Landed Gig Work
According to a recent study by Upwork and the Freelancers Union , the most common places for freelancers to pick up work are friends and family , professional contacts , and online job platforms like Upwork, Freelancer.com, Guru, and even Craigslist. “I landed a gig by creating and placing a makeshift placard saying ‘freelance writer’ in front of my computer while working at Starbucks.”
Alphabet, Inc. Is Making an Important Change to Non-GAAP Reporting
But there’s one other item in the company’s most recent quarterly report investors may want to take the time to consider: A key change in the way Alphabet will be calculating its non-GAAP results. In a surprising move, Alphabet explained in its fourth-quarter earnings call that it will no longer exclude stock-based compensation from its non-GAAP results.
Diversity in tech: lots of attention, little progress
The tech industry brought us self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and 3-D printers. But when it comes to racial and gender diversity, its leading companies are no trailblazers.
Lagging On Your New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s How To Decide What To Ditch
Maybe you bit off more than you could chew when you made your New Year’s resolutions-and you’re just noticing that now. Don’t worry, it’s fine to pare down so you can devote all your energy to the goals that really matter to you.
Better Buy: Baidu, Inc. vs. Facebook
The divergent fortunes of Facebook and Baidu shares over the past year only reinforce their apparent differences. However, though their core businesses today touch different areas of the global technology market, Facebook and Baidu are united in their ongoing efforts to shape some of technology’s most important future growth markets.
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Earnings season is well under way, and some big tech names are up next. In the coming days, investors will watch Alphabet report results for their most recently ended quarters.
Facebook takes aim at fake news with new a trendinga formula
Facebook is updating its “trending” feature that highlights hot topics on its social networking site, part of its effort to root out the kind of fake news stories that critics contend helped Donald Trump become president. With the changes announced Wednesday, Facebook’s trending list will consist of topics being covered by several publishers.
Facebook CEO Zuckerberg reconsiders process to get land
The billionaire chief executive officer of Facebook on Tuesday said he is reconsidering the process by which he is trying to gain title to about a dozen small parcels of land on his sprawling estate in Hawaii. The move to get the land through a unique Hawaii law angered locals and prompted a state lawmaker to propose a bill that would force Mark Zuckerberg into mediation before buying real estate on Kauai.
Ad Industry Expects New FCC Chair…
It’s “highly likely” that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will grant the ad industry’s request to revisit tough broadband privacy rules, the Association of National Advertisers predicted today. “Chairman Pai is a very thoughtful leader who understands the critical role advertising plays as a financial foundation for the online and media marketplace,” the ANA said in a blog post hailing Pai’s appointment.
Google Buys Parts of Twitter, But Doesn’t Want the Whole Thing
That package includes its mobile application development platform Fabric, the Crashlytics crash-reporting platform, mobile app analytics tool Answers, SMS login system Digits, and development automation system Fastlane. Does the sale indicate that Twitter will sell itself off in bits and pieces instead of as a whole company? Or does it mean that Twitter is merely streamlining its business by dumping its non-core assets? Let’s take a closer look at Twitter and Google’s plans to decide.
This Google Expert’s Top SEO Tips For Job Seekers In 2017
Putting “customer happiness ninja” as your LinkedIn headline-even if that’s your actual job title-won’t do you any favors. When’s the last time you Googled yourself? If you said never, it’s time to start.
How Facebook Leverages Artificial Intelligence
That small interaction provides a glimpse into the world of an emerging and powerful aspect of artificial intelligence in action — image recognition. With its treasure trove of words and pictures from 1.79 billion monthly active users,it is using that data, combined with recent advancements in AI, to propel this and other technological advances.
Toronto’s Bunz Facebook Group to Stop Taking Members, Push App
Toronto’s favorite online hangout will stop taking new members as the founders of the Bunz Trading Zone Facebook group focus their efforts into building a standalone app. Bunz, a sprawling, vibrant online community that spans dozens of Facebook groups and a mobile application, will stop accepting new members in its core group on Feb. 1, according to a memo posted on Facebook.
Facebook will test ‘fake news’ filtering in Germany
Facebook users will soon be able to flag news stories as fake and the social network may subsequently label the stories as “disputed” in a test of fake news filtering tools starting soon in Germany. The test will send user-flagged stories to Correctiv, a third-party fact checker.
Cellphone carriers are bracing for massive data usage during the inauguration
All around the National Mall, what look like strange, giant meatballs or cheese wheels on a stick have been mysteriously cropping up. Fenced in and padlocked, these towering structures might easily be confused for spy equipment or extra security – perhaps not a bad guess for a city that’s among the world’s most heavily defended.
Facebook Is Already Flirting With Censorship
Censorship is almost always a touchy subject, but it’s also par for the course in certain parts of the world. Just as Facebook is now coming to grips with its own power and responsibility over what information people see, it seems that the company is starting to flirt a little bit with censorship.