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Social media and online
The latest social media news and insight on the changing internet. Verdict covers the developing technology of social media and the online world, from regulations to innovations and the business beyond. Social media has seen dramatic maturation in recent years, but has faced an increasingly challenging time as its true impact is felt. So what does the future hold?
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24 May
Will Facebook cryptocurrency GlobalCoin become the world’s biggest online payment platform?
US social media giant Facebook has announced plans for GlobalCoin, a cryptocurrency that is set to become the core payment technology on the company’s online platforms.
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14 May
Post-truth news: Terrorist-busting analytics tool shows fact-based journalism is declining
Journalism in the US has been found to be less objective and more opinion-based than in the past, confirming concerns surrounding the rise of so-called post-truth news, thanks to an analytics tool previously used to identify social media discussion of Islamic terrorism.
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8 May
You know nothing, Sky Go: PS4 update causes streaming misery for Game of Thrones fans
Sky customers using Sky Go on their PlayStation 4 (PS4) have been reporting severe streaming errors following the latest software update.
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7 May
Internet Explorer’s days are finally numbered, and it’s good news for online security
Microsoft Build 2019 has begun with a string of announcements that, according to experts, signal the death knells for Internet Explorer.
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1 May
Which is the best connected city in the UK?
With the rise of remote working, plus an ever-increasing number of IoT devices, both businesses and individuals expect constant internet access.
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30 Apr
25% of Facebook employees don’t trust Facebook with their data
Facebook F8, the social platform’s annual developer conference, is set to get underway today offering the tech giant a rare opportunity to show off its successes.
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26 Apr
Facebook faces inquiry for password breach. But is a fine coming?
Ireland’s data regulator has opened an inquiry into Facebook’s failure to securely protect millions of its users’ passwords.
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23 Apr
Twitter’s Q1 results show company’s “winter of discontent” is over
In a surprising turn of events, Twitter’s Q1 results have beat earning expectations, triggering a rise in share prices.
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18 Apr
Facebook’s 1.5m email harvest shows continued privacy failings
Facebook has admitted it “unintentionally” harvested and uploaded email contacts from 1.5 million people, showing once again a lacklustre approach to user privacy.
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18 Apr
Pinterest IPO value slammed: “There is no guarantee it will ever make a profit”
The Pinterest IPO value has been met with criticism from experts in the business community after the social media platform’s initial public offering (IPO) exceeded the higher end of the expected range.
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15 Apr
Ad-block fightback is harming publishers, finds first major study
The first major study into the use of technologies designed to circumnavigate ad-block software has found the tools are causing publishers damage, as they significantly increase the chance of a user opting to not return to a site.
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11 Apr
Mark Zuckerberg salary: How much does the Facebook CEO earn?
Overseeing the Facebook empire might be one of the toughest jobs there is at the moment as the social media platform struggles to fight against fake news, political interference and data privacy concerns.
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8 Apr
Blocked, fined, personally liable: UK clamps down on social media firms for harmful content
Social media companies could face a raft of tougher regulations to ensure that they protect their users from harmful content online under new proposed UK laws.
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2 Apr
Google+ did well to last this long – Here are 12 Google products that failed in the first year
The Google+ shut down will begin today, as the search giant concedes that it won’t be able to break Facebook’s social media dominance.
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28 Mar
What is dark social and why do companies want to harness it?
Using private messaging apps is the most popular method of sharing content, according to new research from GlobalWebIndex and We Are Social.
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27 Mar
Article 13 upload filters could see memes unintentionally blocked
The EU Copyright Directive that encompasses Article 11 and Article 13 is expected to trigger widespread adoption of automated upload filters, however these Article 13 upload filters could see protected content such as memes being essentially banned.
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21 Mar
This company will pay you to turn off your ad blocker
A new browser add-on hopes to convince consumers to turn off their ad blockers and start profiting from use of their own data.
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18 Mar
Social media regulation and mental health: Is a tax the answer?
UK MPs are calling for an additional tax on the profits of social companies to combat the “detrimental effect on young people’s mental health and wellbeing”, in the latest call for social media regulation.
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18 Mar
8chan and the rabbit hole: Why driving extremism underground is vital to stopping it
The online forum 8chan has been in the news in relation to the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, as a key element in the radicalisation of far-right and white supremacist extremists.
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15 Mar
Facebook’s latest executive reshuffle reflects its focus on private messaging
A Facebook executive reshuffle will see Will Cathcart and Fidji Simo moving up the ladder, as product and WhatsApp executives Chris Cox and Chris Daniels announce their resignations.
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13 Mar
Spotify, Apple and digital competition: Complaint filed amid overhaul calls
Spotify has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Apple for using their leverage unfairly and stifling digital competition.
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12 Mar
30 years after Tim Berners-Lee created the web, is it too late to fix it?
Thirty years ago today, Tim Berners-Lee, then a research fellow at physics laboratory CERN, issued a proposal, titled “Information Management: A Proposal”.
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7 Mar
Could a blockchain Facebook alternative ever catch on?
With the phrase “if you’re not paying for it, you’re the product” now closely associated with the world of social networks, the assumption that compromising on privacy and data harvesting is the only way to access a free social network is now deep-rooted.
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7 Mar
While Russia sows discord online, China is on a PR offensive
China is using state-sponsored social media influence to create a distorted positive image of itself to the West, according to security researchers.
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5 Mar
95% of internet users don’t trust social media — and that could eventually hit revenues
Some 95% of internet users don’t trust social media companies, despite 37% of the world’s population having a social media account, with that figure as high as 77% in places such as the United States.
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27 Feb
Giving brands “virtual appeal”: How CGI is infiltrating mainstream media
It used to be a lot easier to know what was real and what was fake.
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27 Feb
Facebook regulation welcomed by 8 out of 10 UK consumers
Facebook regulation and wider laws concerning social media sites is looking increasingly likely.
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20 Feb
Facebook partners with Viasat to expand internet connectivity in rural Mexico
Facebook is collaborating with communications company Viasat in its latest bid to deliver high-speed internet to rural communities.
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20 Feb
How the anti-vax movement became a tech problem
According to the World Health Organisation, in 2018 there was a 30% increase in the number of reported measles cases worldwide.
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19 Feb
The SAFE Network: A dark web-style solution to the online privacy problem
The dark web is famous for keeping criminals anonymous and being used to trade drugs on forums like Silk Road using cryptocurrency.