For years now, Twitter has been rolling out tool after tool designed to combat harassment and abuse. While the company says these initiatives are working — despite a lack of data — it’s also doubling down on its efforts: Twitter will soon roll out another set of changes to protect users. [More]
violence
In Response To Livestreamed Deaths, Facebook Adds 3,000 Moderators
By 5.3.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Following a number of high-profile incidents involving Facebook users hurting themselves and others on livestreamed video, the company has decided to add thousands of new moderators to review and flag violent content. [More]
Uber Settles Lawsuit Brought By Two Passengers Who Accused Drivers Of Sexual Assault
By 11.4.16
Six months after a judge rejected Uber’s claim that it wasn’t responsible for its drivers’ actions after they turned the ride-hailing service app off, the company has settled with two passengers who sued it for hiring drivers accused of sexually assaulted them. The court didn’t reveal the terms of the settlement. [More]
18-Year-Old Tracks Lost Smartphone Using GPS, Is Shot To Death
By 6.17.15
Authorities still aren’t quite sure what happened in a case in London, Ontario, Canada, where an 18-year-old man set out to find his missing smartphone using GPS and ended up shot to death. He tracked his phone remotely, and followed it to an address in the city of London. After a confrontation with three men in a car, he was shot and killed. [More]
Walmart Will Reportedly Only Sell UFC Champion’s Book Online Because Of Violence
By 4.6.15
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that seems to be exactly what Walmart is doing when it comes to the soon-to-be released memoir from UFC women’s bantamweight champion and Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey. [More]
Enraged At Wrong Sauce, Customers Attacked Dip-Hurling Pretzel Stand Worker
By 4.2.13
It’s every snack lover’s nightmare: you get your pretzel, dip it in the provided dipping sauce, and discover that the idiot behind the counter at Auntie Anne’s pretzels gave you the wrong sauce. Only they wouldn’t replace it for free because the snackers had already used the offending sauce. [More]
Do Not Throw Unwanted Water Refills On Your Red Lobster Waitress
By 8.21.12
There are many ways to tell the restaurant employee who is currently serving your table that you are satisfied with your present quantity of ice water and would not care for a refill. “I don’t need any water, thanks,” you could say when they approach with pitcher in hand. You could shake your head “no” at them if your mouth is crammed full of breaded shrimp. In an informal establishment, you could put a paper napkin on top of your glass. We do not recommend that you follow the lead of three Illinois women, who were charged with attacking their Red Lobster waitress. A witness told the media that the trio expressed their displeasure at too-frequent refills by tossing their ice water on their waitress, then striking her with their hands. And their menus. [More]
Drink Wilkins Coffee Or These Muppets Will Hurt You
By 4.14.11
In 1957, Starbuck was a literary character, and instant and percolator coffee reigned supreme. Television advertising was then a new medium and sort of uncharted territory. One regional coffee company, Wilkins, hired a promising young puppeteer named Jim Henson to produce more than 150 short ads to air in the Washington, D.C. market. How do you get a marketing message across in eight seconds? The threat of violence. [More]
Game-Hating Group Says 19 Percent Of Kids Can Buy M-Rated Titles
By 10.28.10
Striking a blow against the validity of the self-regulatory practices of the video game industry, the Parents Television Council conducted a survey that found 19 percent of kids could buy Mature-rated games at retailers. [More]
10 Times Movie Violence Wasn't Restricted To The Screen
By 7.27.10
Movie theaters aren’t always the safest of places. People bump into one another, sit a little too close, kick seats, check cell phones too often and folks tend to get irritable. On the heels of a stabbing at Comic-Con International in San Diego last week, Ranker put together a list of the 10 most violent movie theater attacks. [More]
Don't Buy Your Crack With Monopoly Money
By 3.10.10
If there’s one thing every crack dealer hates, it’s being paid in Monopoly money. A 33-year-old man in Wichita, KS, was pulled over by officers last week and found bleeding from the head. He told police he’d just been tricked by his angry crack dealer into coming over to his house, whereupon the dealer pistol whipped his face. According to the police report, the victim told them that “a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back.” [More]
Man Complains About Cellphone Talker At Movie Theater, Gets Stabbed In Neck With Meat Thermometer
By 3.10.10
This might make you think twice about asking someone to shush the next time you’re at the movies. According to police, a man in Lancaster, CA, recently made such a request to some fellow moviegoers, who retaliated by stabbing him in the neck… With a meat thermometer. [More]
Pre-Schooler Mistakes Gun For Game Controller, Kills Self
By 3.9.10
The Tennesseean reports a 3-year-old girl accidentally shot herself to death using a gun that resembled a video game controller after playing the Wii. From the newspaper’s story: [More]
Rent-A-Center Settles With Washington Attorney General Over Customer Abuse Claims
By 3.2.10
Rent-A-Center, the furniture/appliance rent-to-own company (“For When You Want to Piss Away Your Paycheck!”), has settled with the Washington Attorney General’s Office over charges that its employees harassed customers who were late on payments. Last year, the company’s employees in Washington were accused of trying to kick in one customer’s door and threatening another one with jail, among other things. [More]
Your iPhone Comes From A Towering Fortress Of Secrecy And Paranoia
By 2.18.10
You know that your iPhone was made in China, but do you really know where it came from? Reuters recently looked inside the mainland China factories of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn–manufacturer of many of Apple’s best-known devices, including the iPhone. Or just parts of them, since Apple is known for having different parts of a device made in by different companies entirely in order to protect proprietary information. [More]
Just The Violence From The Super Bowl Commercials
By 2.8.10
A very smart person has cut out everything except the violence from the Super Bowl commercials. This way you can see Tim Tebow tackle his mom without worrying about boring controversy. [More]
More Footage Of The McDonald's Water Thrower
By 1.11.10
Last week I posted a clip of an angry McDonald’s customer throwing water at the cashiers. Here’s a new clip of her tirade–sort of a greatest hits compilation. It turns out it wasn’t mop water, so that’s a plus, but she did manage to push all three registers off the counter.
“Caught on Tape: Women Goes Apeshit at McDonald’s Over Bad Hamburger” [True Crime Report]
Here's A Walmart Perp Walk In Action
By 12.21.09
Maybe attacking, restraining, and physically marching off suspected shoplifters is the new “Stop, thief!” for Walmart employees. Here’s video footage of an actual event that happened in a New Jersey Walmart last Friday, shot by our own GitEmSteveDave. [More]
