MrBeast reveals he made $250,000 from X video

The world's most popular YouTuber had previously said he would not bother posting videos on the site. More »

Excitement over Threads fades but users return to app

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg expresses pride in the launch of his new social media app. More »

Facebook to block news on Australian sites after new law, riling lawmakers

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) on Tuesday said it would stop Australians sharing news content on its platforms if a proposal to make it pay local media outlets for their content becomes law, escalating tension with the Australian government. Under Aust... More »

Facebook improving hate speech detection ahead of Myanmar election

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Tuesday that it was preparing for Myanmar’s general election in November by improving the detection and removal of hate speech and content that incites violence and preventing the spread of misinformation. The company said in a... More »

Facebook lifts block on pro-Biden ad, citing ‘enforcement error’

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Monday it had erred in blocking a pro-Biden ad submitted by Democratic political action committee Priorities USA, after initially telling the group the video violated its policy against “sensational” conten... More »

Facebook partners with external researchers to study its impact during U.S. election

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Monday it is partnering with external researchers to examine the impact of the social media site on society during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The company said findings of the studies will not be published until the mi... More »

Girl, 3, survives wild skyride caught in tail of giant kite

(Reuters) – A three-year-old girl entangled in the tail of a giant kite survived a terrifying ride after being swept more than 100 feet (30 metres) into the air during a kite festival in Taiwan, video footage posted on social media on Sunday showed. Horrified ... More »

Facebook faces heat from Indian lawmakers on content practices

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian politicians are trading barbs over a media report that Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) content policies favoured Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, putting the social network at the centre of a political storm in its biggest market by use... More »

Google says Australian antitrust law would hit small content creators

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google on Monday said a proposed antitrust law in Australia forcing tech firms to pay for news that appears on their social media websites would adversely impact individual content creators and channel operators. Goo... More »

Trump gets verified account on TikTok competitor Triller

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump now has a verified account on TikTok competitor Triller, another sign of the White House’s disfavor toward the ByteDance-owned video-sharing app. Triller is one of several TikTok alternatives that have experie... More »

Humanity versus disease showcased as London’s Science Museum reopens doors

LONDON (Reuters) – Exhibits showcasing humanity’s battle with infectious disease will greet visitors recently emerged from coronavirus lockdowns when London’s Science Museum re-opens its doors next week after its longest closure since World War II. “Medicine: ... More »

Russia fines Google for not blocking banned content – Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court on Monday fined Google 1.5 million roubles ($20,350) after finding it guilty of failing to block content banned in Russia, the Interfax news agency reported. Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-alphabet-lawsuit/... More »

China targeting U.S. election infrastructure with cyberattacks, says O’Brien

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting U.S. election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday, indicating a more active level of alleged Ch... More »

Chinese artificial intelligence company files $1.4 billion lawsuit against Apple

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese artificial intelligence company Shanghai Zhizhen Intelligent Network Technology Co., Ltd., also known as Xiao-i, has filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc, alleging it has infringed on its patents. The company is calling for 10 billion... More »

Republican senators back plan to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several Republican senators on Sunday backed a plan by China’s ByteDance to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok after President Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app. Senator John Cornyn, a Texas ... More »

Facebook brings official music videos to users’ feed

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Friday that its users in the United States would be able to view and share official music videos on its platform, in a move to better compete with Alphabet Inc’s video platform YouTube. Facebook, which had 2.7 billion monthly a... More »

UK rapper Wiley faces police probe over accusations of anti-Semitism

LONDON (Reuters) – British rap artist Wiley is facing a police investigation after a string of anti-Semitic comments appeared on his social media accounts, prompting his management to drop him. The rapper’s Twitter account, which has half a million followers, ... More »

Some K-Pop stars’ accounts on TikTok’s sister app in China, Douyin, blocked from view

SHANGHAI/SEOUL (Reuters) – Some K-pop stars’ accounts have been blocked from view on TikTok’s China equivalent Douyin, Reuters’ checks showed on Friday, days after South Korea’s media regulator slapped fines on the short-video app for data privacy noncomplianc... More »

EU top court to rule in landmark Facebook, Schrems privacy case

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s top court will on Thursday rule on the legality of tools companies use to transfer Europeans’ data around the world, in the latest clash between Facebook and Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. If the court finds the mechanisms... More »

TikTok distances from Beijing in response to India app ban

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Social media app TikTok distanced itself from Beijing after India banned 59 Chinese apps in the country, according to a correspondence seen by Reuters. In a letter to the Indian government dated June 28th and seen by Reuters on Friday, Ti... More »

Canada’s biggest banks join boycott of Facebook platforms

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s biggest lenders confirmed on Friday they had joined a widespread boycott of Facebook Inc (FB.O) begun by U.S. civil rights groups seeking to pressure the world’s largest social media platform to take concrete steps to block hate sp... More »

Google stymies media companies from chipping away at its data dominance

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google upended plans by European media companies to block it from harvesting data about their readers and slash some of its dominance in online advertising, seven people involved in the talks said this month... More »

Reddit bans ‘The_Donald’ forum amid broad social media crackdown

(Reuters) – Social media site Reddit on Monday shut down r/The_Donald, a forum which long served as a popular online home base for fans of President Donald Trump, saying it violated the site’s hate speech rules. Other sites also conducted high-profile sweeps: ... More »

TikTok users, K-pop fans say they helped sabotage Trump rally with false registrations

(Reuters) – TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music took partial credit for inflating attendance expectations at a less-than-full arena at President Donald Trump’s first political rally in months, held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday. Social media users on p... More »

Balloon-like object in Japanese sky sets Twitter afire with talk of UFOs, Godzilla

TOKYO (Reuters) – The appearance of a mysterious white object in the sky over northern Japan on Wednesday set social media ablaze, with speculation ranging from UFOs to coronavirus and North Korean propaganda. Television footage taken in the northeastern city ... More »

Facebook’s WhatsApp brings digital payment to users in Brazil

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messaging service rolled out a system across Brazil on Monday that will allow users to send money to individuals or local businesses within a chat, attaching payment as they would a photo or video. WhatsApp tested t... More »

Rowing: Row me to the moon, let me scull among the stars

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Rowers from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Britain whose training on the water has been restricted due to the novel coronavirus pandemic have been challenged to help their countries row to the moon. Or at least the distance from the ... More »

Disney’s streaming chief Mayer to become TikTok CEO

(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) top streaming executive, Kevin Mayer, will leave the entertainment and theme parks giant to become the chief executive officer of TikTok, the popular video app owned by China’s ByteDance Technology Co, the companies said on... More »

Lockdown walks brightened by key worker scarecrows in English village

CAPEL, England (Reuters) – The daily lockdown walk has been brightened by the addition of scarecrows dressed as key workers in a village in southern England, as the community pays tribute to doctors, nurses, shop assistants and waste collectors in its own quir... More »

NFL: League navigates cyber risk as draft moves online

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With countless hours of research and planning kept as closely guarded as the President’s nuclear football, cyber security is in focus for this week’s NFL Draft, as teams pivot to a “virtual” format on COVID-19 lockdown. Usually Draft Day s... More »

Facebook, three Indonesian firms in early talks for mobile payment approval: sources

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Facebook Inc is preparing to apply for regulatory approval in Indonesia to launch mobile payments in partnership with three local digital fintech firms, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The plan, if approved, could be among the... More »

Explainer: Zoom bombs make choosing video apps harder for lockdown chats

(Reuters) – The coronavirus crisis has seen millions locked in their homes turn to videoconferencing apps, bringing with it question marks over security and privacy and a new verb – Zoombombing – the practice of uninvited users crashing into conversations. Fro... More »

Kept home by COVID-19, U.S. politics goes virtual with digital dance parties and avatars

(Reuters) – When stay-at-home orders sparked by the coronavirus forced him to find new ways to reach young voters ahead of the November U.S. election, Felix Clarke turned to an online computer game. The New Hampshire college student logged in to Minecraft, dre... More »

Ukrainian artists live-stream from their studios during lockdown

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian brothers Nikita and Egor Zigura work on their sculpture of a giant fingerprint as art enthusiasts look on via a live-streaming internet link and make bids for the developing work. The online auction is part of a new “Stay Art Home” s... More »

No stage, no problem: Russian ballet dancers perform in kitchens for online fans

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian ballet dancers on partial lockdown have begun giving performances at home to keep fans engaged online after theatres across the country closed their doors due to the coronavirus. Seven dancers from the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Pet... More »

In coronavirus fight, oft-criticized Facebook data aids U.S. cities, states

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Infectious disease researchers are using Facebook Inc mobile location data to provide daily updates to U.S. cities and states evaluating the effectiveness of social distancing orders aimed at slowing the novel coronavirus. The COVID-1... More »

April Fools! K-Pop star pranks his fans that he has coronavirus

SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean K-Pop star on Wednesday pulled an April Fool’s prank announcing that he had contracted coronavirus, and later removed the Instagram post after triggering a backlash. Kim Jae-joong, a member of boyband JYJ, posted on his Instagr... More »

Google-parent Alphabet to donate $800 million in response to coronavirus crisis

(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) will donate more than $800 million in funds towards producing medical supplies used to fight COVID-19, and in ad credits to government and health organizations and businesses, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said on Fri... More »

Facebook lowers video quality in Latin America, following Europe

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc will lower video streaming quality on its platform and on Instagram in Latin America, replicating measures adopted in Europe, to ease network congestion in a region that is starting to feel the grip of the coronavirus. On Sun... More »

NBA: League uses social media reach for informative campaign on coronavirus

(Reuters) – The NBA may have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak but that has not stopped the league from using its massive online reach to good effect by educating its followers, sharing important information and guidelines related to the pandemic.... More »

Twitter bans posts that ‘dehumanize’ people in connection with diseases

(Reuters) – Twitter Inc said on Thursday it is banning posts that “dehumanize” people because they have a disease or disability or because of their age, a step that happens to correspond to an explosion of tweets about the spreading coronavirus. The company to... More »

Twitter tests labels, community moderation for lies by public figures

(Reuters) – Twitter Inc said on Thursday that it was testing a new community moderation approach that would enable users to identify misleading information posted by politicians and public figures and add brightly colored labels under those tweets. NBC News ea... More »

Financial market website Zero Hedge knocked off Twitter over coronavirus story

(Reuters) – Twitter Inc has banned financial market website Zero Hedge from the social media platform after it published an article linking a Chinese scientist to the outbreak of the fast-spreading coronavirus last week. Zero Hedge said it received a notificat... More »

As coronavirus misinformation spreads on social media, Facebook removes posts

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) said it will take down misinformation about China’s fast-spreading coronavirus, in a rare departure from its usual approach to dubious health content that is presenting a fresh challenge for social media companies.... More »

Doctor TikTok-ed off with injured All Blacks loose forward Savea

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Injured All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea has been ordered to curb his use of the social media platform TikTok as he recovers from knee surgery. Savea, who injured his knee in the Rugby World Cup semi-final against England, had surger... More »

Osaka fires back at social media troll after Melbourne win

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Defending champion Naomi Osaka fired back at a social media user who jeered her arrival on court before her 6-2 6-4 victory over Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the Australian Open first round on Monday. The 22-year-old from Japan next... More »

Twitter to experiment with limiting replies in effort to combat online abuse

(Reuters) – Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said on Wednesday it will test new features early this year that would allow users to control who can reply to their tweets, as it looks to limit abuse and harassment on the platform. Social media firms are under pressure to ad... More »

U.S. lawmakers say Facebook steps to tackle ‘deepfake’ videos not adequate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook Inc on Wednesday said it would remove “deepfake” and other manipulated videos from its website to combat the spread of false information ahead of the 2020 presidential race, but lawmakers said those and other changes it has rece... More »

Bollywood A-lister backs protesting students, faces boycott calls

MUMBAI (Reuters) – A top Indian actress who joined students protesting against the government drew calls on social media on Wednesday for a boycott of her upcoming film, as well as praise for being a rare Bollywood A-lister to stand up against a crackdown on d... More »

Egg-standing test goes viral as ring-of-fire eclipse crosses Asia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Can you make an egg stand on its narrow side during a solar eclipse? According to a popular scientific theory, an egg will support itself that way when the moon obscures the sun and during the spring equinox, due to increased gravity. ... More »

Thomas fires back at NBA after receiving two-game ban

(Reuters) – Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas had just one word to say to the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the organization announced on Sunday that he had been suspended for two games following a confrontation with a couple of fans. “Bulls... More »

Twitter suspends accounts linked to Saudi spying case

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Weeks after U.S. authorities brought a spying case against three Saudi nationals for digging up dissidents’ personal data at Twitter, the company suspended tens of thousands of accounts that appear to be linked to one suspect’s compan... More »

India’s protesters cheered on by actors, artists and singers

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – With a voice known to millions of Indian movie goers, Zubeen Garg crooned one of his old songs with patriotic fervor, but he is protesting against the government, not singing its praises. Like many people from India’s northeastern s... More »

ByteDance unit establishes venture with Chinese state media firm

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – A unit of ByteDance, the owner of video-sharing platform TikTok, has established a joint venture with a Chinese state media group, official registration documents showed. “The joint venture will focus on partnership in the digital ... More »

Google, Apple asked if apps like TikTok must disclose foreign ties

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chair of a U.S. congressional panel wrote to Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google and to Apple (AAPL.O) on Friday to ask what if any disclosures mobile apps are required to make regarding overseas ties, a concern that follows reports of Chine... More »

Social media use linked to teen disordered eating behaviors

(Reuters Health) – Adolescents who are active on social media may be more likely to exercise excessively, skip meals or develop other forms of disordered eating, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers surveyed 996 seventh- and eighth-graders, age 13 on average, ab... More »

Peloton ‘wife’ pops up in new advertisement

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The actress who appeared in a widely criticized Christmas advertisement for exercise bike maker Peloton Interactive Inc has a new role selling gin for actor Ryan Reynolds. The tongue-in-cheek video advertisement for Aviation American Gin, ... More »

Facebook issues corrective label on user’s post under new Singapore fake news law

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Facebook (FB.O) said on Saturday it had issued a correction notice on a user’s post at the request of the Singapore government, but called for a measured approach to the implementation of a new “fake news” law in the city-state. “Facebook... More »

Cyber bullying, star suicides: The dark side of South Korea’s K-pop world

SEOUL (Reuters) – The apparent suicide of a second K-pop artist in a month has cast renewed focus in South Korea on vicious personal attacks and cyber bullying of vulnerable young stars, and how it mostly goes unpunished. The police consider cyber violence a s... More »

Trump accuses impeachment witness of lying, defends use of Giuliani

By Lisa Lambert, Steve Holland and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Friday accused a witness in the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry of lying and offered an explanation for his controversial use of his personal lawyer Rudy Giu... More »

U.S. Army cadets told not to use TikTok in uniform

(Reuters) – U.S. Army cadets were this week instructed not to use China-owned social media app TikTok while representing the military, an Army spokeswoman said on Friday, amid concerns over the app’s handling of user data. The directive comes after Chuck Schum... More »

Ex-Trump ally Bolton says Twitter account ‘liberated’ from White House control

By Katie Paul, Jonathan Landay and Steve Holland SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said on Friday that Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) had returned control of his personal account to him after ... More »

TikTok owner ByteDance plans to launch music streaming: FT

(Reuters) – TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co Ltd is in talks with big music labels – Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music – for global licensing deals to include their songs on its new music subscription service, the Financial Times reporte... More »

Taylor Swift wins some support in feud with old label, and lots of silence

(Reuters) – Taylor Swift and her former record label traded barbed accusations on Friday about her rights to perform her old songs, winning support from singers like Selena Gomez and Sara Bareilles but silence from many of the big hitters in the music business... More »

Exclusive: U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok – sources

NEW YORK/BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co’s $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly, according to three people familiar with the matter... More »

Factbox: How TikTok, caught in U.S. regulatory crossfire, rose to global video stardom

BEIJING (Reuters) – Short video-sharing app TikTok has become the latest Chinese firm caught in U.S. regulatory crossfire, with Washington launching a national security review of its $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly. The review of Tik... More »

Facebook takes down false ad from PAC on Republican Graham

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Saturday that it had removed an ad which falsely claimed that U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham supported the Green New Deal, demonstrating that it will fact-check ads from political groups but not politicians. The ad, whi... More »

Zuckerberg defends Facebook’s approach to free speech, draws line on China

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the social media company’s light regulation of speech and lack of fact checking on political advertising, while citing China’s censorship as a roadblo... More »

Facebook’s Libra announces board as support shrinks further

LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Backers of Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) Libra cryptocurrency project pledged to forge ahead after selecting a five-member board on Monday, shrugging off the latest member defection by online travel company Booking Holding earlier in t... More »

Basketball’s NBA under fire in China, at home over HK protest tweet

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) came under fire on Monday for its response to a tweet by a Houston Rockets official in support of Hong Kong protests for democracy, the latest overseas business to run afoul of political issues in ... More »

U.S. lawmakers lash ‘shameful’ NBA response to Hong Kong protests tweet

(Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers joined a chorus of criticism of the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the organization distanced itself from a tweet by the manager of the Houston Rockets in support of the Hong Kong protests for democracy. Rockets General ... More »

NBA Rockets general manager apologizes for Hong Kong protest tweet

(Reuters) – The general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team apologized on Monday for a tweet in support of Hong Kong protests, saying he did not intend to offend fans of the NBA team in China. “I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpre... More »

Exclusive: TikTok owner ByteDance’s H1 revenue better than expected at over $7 billion – sources

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s ByteDance, owner of video-sharing app TikTok and one of the world’s most valuable unicorns, booked revenue of 50-60 billion yuan ($7 billion to $8.4 billion) in a better-than-expected result for the first half, people fami... More »

Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google emails demanded in U.S. House panel…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Friday demanded internal emails, detailed financial information and other company records from top executives of Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, and Alphabet Inc’s Google, widening the a... More »

Twitter CEO’s hacked account sends racist tweets before being secured

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The account of Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) Chief Executive Jack Dorsey was hacked on Friday afternoon, sending public tweets and retweets including racial slurs and curse words to 4 million followers before Twitter secured the account. The s... More »

Ebola death toll in east Congo outbreak climbs above 2,000

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – The death toll from Democratic Republic of Congo’s year-long Ebola outbreak has climbed above 2,000, government data showed on Friday, as responders battle to overcome community mistrust and widespread security pr... More »

Congolese girl, 9, dies of Ebola in Uganda- hospital official

KAMPALA (Reuters) – A nine-year-old girl has died of Ebola in the East African nation of Uganda, a hospital official said, a day after she tested positive for the disease after crossing the border from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is true she ... More »

German cartel office to take Facebook case to High Court

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s cartel office said on Monday it would appeal a regional court decision to suspend restrictions it had placed on Facebook’s data collection practices to the country’s highest court. A court in Duesseldorf had earlier suspended a Feb... More »

White House summons tech, social media firms after shootings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House officials and big social media companies met on Friday to talk about how to curb extremism online after two mass shootings last weekend that killed 31 people in Texas and Ohio. After the shootings, U.S. President Donald Trump... More »

Trump tells black lawmaker to clean up ‘disgusting, rat and rodent…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump hit out at a prominent African-American critic on Saturday, calling him a “brutal bully” who should concentrate on cleaning up his “disgusting, rat and rodent infested” Baltimore district rather than criticizing th... More »

Trump says U.S. could tax French wine in retaliation for digital tax

WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to tax French wines on Friday in retaliation for France’s recent proposal to levy a tax aimed at big U.S. technology companies. Trump had told French President Emmanuel Macron last week that h... More »

‘Best day ever!’ Internet pokes fun at Mexico’s finance minister…

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s Arturo Herrera looks grim in a viral video in which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador names him finance minister, a job Herrera’s predecessor left in a huff at a time when Latin America’s second largest economy is signaling... More »

Amazon founder Bezos’ divorce final with $38 billion settlement:…

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos’ divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, was finalized by a Seattle-area judge on Friday, paving the way for her to receive $38.3 billion worth of Amazon stock, Bloomberg reported. In April, Am... More »

Facebook will ban ads that tell people in U.S. not to vote

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc will ban ads that discourage people from voting ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, according to its second annual Civil Rights Audit published on Sunday. Facebook pledged to put its new “don’t vote” policy prohibition into e... More »

Genetics research gets help from social media

(Reuters Health) – Researchers have harnessed the power of social media to build a genetic database, according to a new report. The “Genes for Good” project, which turned to Facebook to recruit people to fill out surveys and send in saliva samples for DNA anal... More »

Tesla’s Elon Musk becomes ‘Daddy DotCom’ on Twitter

(Reuters) – Silicon Valley billionaire Elon Musk tweeted here late on Sunday that he had “just deleted” his Twitter account, while also changing his Twitter display name to “Daddy DotCom”. Sunday, June 16 was Father’s Day in the United States and the Tesla Inc... More »

Unlucky 13 for Miami bar that offered free shots for U.S. goals

(Reuters) – Customers at a bar in Miami had more reason than most to celebrate as the United States women’s soccer team went on a record scoring rampage against Thailand at the World Cup on Tuesday. The American Social Bar & Kitchen had used its social media p... More »

Chinese paper says ‘foreign forces’ using Hong Kong havoc to hurt…

BEIJING (Reuters) – “Foreign forces” are trying to hurt China by creating chaos in Hong Kong over an extradition bill that has prompted mass protests in the former British colony, an official Chinese newspaper said on Monday. Riot police surrounded Hong Kong’s... More »

U.S. FDA warns flavored e-cigarette makers over social media posts

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission on Friday issued warning letters to four flavored e-liquid product makers, stepping up pressure on firms using social media influencers to promote their products. Social media m... More »

Grammy-winning New Orleans musician Dr. John dead at 77

(Reuters) – Dr. John, a six-time Grammy winner who in his incarnation as the “Night Tripper” brought the New Orleans voodoo vibe to America’s music scene and became one of the most venerated pianists in the city’s rich musical history, died on Thursday at age ... More »

California ladybug swarm dozens of miles wide shows up on radar

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A swarm of many millions of ladybugs taking to the sky in Southern California this week to hunt for aphids has been captured on a radar screen as a massive blob, officials said on Thursday. The insect swarm spanned 80 miles by 80 miles ... More »

Google says issues affecting YouTube, Gmail, Google Cloud in U.S….

(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Sunday it had resolved the network congestion in the eastern United States that affected services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube. Google said it would conduct an investigation of the outage and make appropriate i... More »

Bahrain says following opposition social media could result in…

DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahrain, a U.S. ally that hosts the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has warned citizens and residents that following anti-government social media accounts could result in legal action, hardening a government campaign against critical online voices. The i... More »

Trump retweets doctored video of Pelosi to portray her as having…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump, engaged in personal attacks on House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, retweeted a heavily edited video that falsely claimed the Democratic leader had difficulty speaking to reporters. In a Twitter pos... More »

Game of Thrones reaches its end, with one or two shocks left

(Warning: This story contains spoilers for the final episode of “Game of Thrones.”) By David Gaffen (Reuters) – After eight seasons and 73 episodes, HBO’s long-running smash series, “Game of Thrones”, wrapped up on Sunday, with one more shocking demise and an ... More »

Trump blasts Republican lawmaker Amash over impeachment remarks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday at the first Republican congressman to call the U.S. president’s behavior impeachable, while Democrats warned Trump’s stonewalling of congressional probes is strengthening the case for an impeachment inq... More »

Sri Lanka blocks social media after worst anti-Muslim unrest since…

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka on Monday temporarily blocked some social media networks and messaging apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp, after attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in the worst unrest since Easter bombings by Islamist militants. Th... More »

U.S. presidential contender Kamala Harris favors look at breaking…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said on Sunday that U.S. officials should consider breaking up Facebook Inc, the world’s largest social media company, saying it is a utility that has gone unregulated. Harris, a U.S. senat... More »

Facebook rejects co-founder call for breakup, senator urges U.S….

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook Inc quickly rejected a call from co-founder Chris Hughes on Thursday to split the world’s largest social media company in three, while lawmakers urged the U.S. Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation. Facebook ha... More »

Facebook’s Zuckerberg hails French hate speech plan as EU model

PARIS (Reuters) – Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg hailed France’s efforts to regulate hateful content online as a model for the European Union after meeting President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday. His comments come after the U.S. social media giant was heavil... More »

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