Twitter has dismissed its lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, saying that the Trump Administration has rescinded its demand that the social media service turn over information about the real identity of a Twitter user who claims to be a federal employee. [More]
Twitter Says Trump Administration Has Dropped Demand For User’s Identity
By 4.7.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Twitter Fights Trump Administration’s Attempt To Reveal Identity Of Critical ‘Alt’ Immigration Services Account
By 4.6.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
There’s Something Called ‘Twitter Lite’ Now
By 4.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Do you like to Tweet on the go, but hate wasting your data (assuming you haven’t jumped on the wireless industry’s unlimited plan bandwagon)? Twitter has a new option for you: The social media site launched a mobile browser version of its site, dubbed “Twitter Lite.” [More]
Twitter Ditching Default Egg Profile Photos Because They’re Tied To “Negative Behavior”
By 3.31.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If you want to harass your fellow internet denizens on Twitter, you’ll have to do it without the cover of an anonymous egg in your profile photo: The social media site says it’s doing away with its default avatar, partly because it’s become associated with online harassment and other bad behaviors. [More]
Twitter Will No Longer Count Usernames Against Character Limit In Replies
By 3.30.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Twitter’s long-standing 140-character limit for messages isn’t going anywhere, but the social media giant is once again revamping the way it counts the characters: Usernames will no longer count toward that limit, but only for reply messages. [More]
Report: Facebook, Amazon Among Tech Giants Interested In Streaming Thursday NFL Games
By 3.24.17
If the news that Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and YouTube are all reportedly interested in streaming Thursday night NFL games sounds familiar, that’s because these same rumors swirled last year. [More]
Why Are So Many Tech & Telecom Companies Bad At Respecting Your Privacy?
By and 3.23.17
The 21st century world is all about data: who has it, how they use it, when they share it, and how much they make from selling it. Despite the proliferation of terms of service and privacy policies, the companies responsible for handling our data are largely doing a poor job of telling us what they do with it. [More]
Citizens Bank Glitch Makes Direct Deposits Disappear, Leaves Bills Unpaid
By 3.17.17
Citizen Bank customers expecting to see their paychecks added to the balance of their accounts Friday morning were disappointed to find that wasn’t the case: A glitch in the bank’s system prevented paychecks and other direct deposits from being processed. [More]
Facebook, Google, Twitter Told To Revise User Agreements Or Face Fines In Europe
By 3.17.17
Operating globally is tricky: You have to know, and follow, the rules not just of the country where you’re based, but of the countries and regions where you serve customers, too. And for a major silicon valley trio, the way they serve customers in the European Union is apparently not up to snuff. [More]
McDonald’s: Hacker Posted Anti-Trump Message On Twitter Account
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
McDonald’s is blaming hackers for a post on the fast food chain’s official Twitter account that contained some less-than-kind words for President Trump. [More]
Several High-Profile Twitter Accounts Hacked Overnight
By 3.15.17
If you happened to be on Twitter in the early hours of the morning here in the U.S., you may have noticed some strange activity: Several major news sites’ accounts, along with accounts of various European political bodies, were hacked ahead of elections in the Netherlands. [More]
Twitter Confirms It’s Trying To Identify Abusive Accounts Before Anyone Reports Them
By 3.1.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Twitter is on a roll: In its second safety update of the year aimed at curbing harassment on its platform, the social media network says it will now proactively try to identify abusive accounts — even before anyone has reported them for being abusive. [More]
Twitter Temporarily Limiting Reach Of User Accounts Sending Abusive Tweets
By 2.16.17
If you planned to send out a mean, abusive Tweet, it might not get very far. Just a week after releasing a trio of tools aimed at dealing with abuse and trolls, Twitter is temporarily limiting the reach of certain messages deemed to be abusive. [More]
Twitter Adds New Features To Hide, Possibly Prevent Some Abuse
By 2.7.17
Twitter’s own CEO once candidly declared that the social media network “suck[s] at dealing with abuse and trolls,” and the company — as recently as last week — has repeatedly made promises to do something to curb the ugliness. Today, Twitter announced a trio of new tools that it hopes may mitigate the widespread abuses. [More]
Twitter (Again) Promises New Approach To Reduce Harassment And Abuse
By 1.31.17
Twitter is something of a double edged sword, for its millions of users. On one hand, conversations are fast-flowing, free, and open, and a single retweet can bring that smart thing you said to everyone’s attention. Conversely, a single retweet can bring that smart thing you said to the attention of a roving hate mob, making your life utterly miserable and possibly putting you in actual danger.
Twitter’s been saying for years that it needs to improve its tools for mitigating abuse and harassment, and for years users have been finding each new option insufficient at best. But this time, the company’s leadership promises, they’re going to make good changes. For real. [More]
The Triumphant Rise And Epic Collapse Of Vine
By 1.17.17
Today, while you’re posting the seventeen-thousandth Snapchat clip of yourself with the “puppy face” filter, or using Instagram to share that two-second loop of your grandma hula-hooping, the once-great micro-video platform Vine dies. Sure, it’s being reborn as some new app, but lightning rarely strikes twice on the internet, and the era of the “Vine star” or the six-second “viral Vine” is surely gone. In honor of Vine’s demise, we look back at the service’s meteoric rise — and its quiet fall from favor. [More]
Political Pundit Can’t Sue Trump Over Tweet Saying She “Begged” For A Job
By 1.11.17
A New York state court has thrown out a libel case brought by a conservative political commentator against President-elect Donald Trump, after he referred to her on Twitter as a “dummy,” and a “major loser,” and claimed that she “begged” him for a job. [More]
Twitter Might Let Users Edit Tweets Someday
By 12.30.16
Everyone’s done it at one time or another: sent a Tweet into the world with a typo, or other error you regret sharing. Currently, your only option is to delete the Tweet and try again, but that could someday change if Twitter finally allows users to edit the things they share. [More]
