Gizmodo: ACLU Is Suing the Federal Government for Information About Social Media Surveillance Practices. “The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California against the federal government on Thursday over its social media surveillance practices, specifically relating to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration policy known as ‘extreme vetting.'”
digital surveillance
Yahoo News: Russian regulator demands Google filters search results
Yahoo News: Russian regulator demands Google filters search results. “Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor has sent repeated requests to Google requiring it to route its citizens’ web searches through a government filtering system, according to reports. A law passed in Russia last year requires search engines to be connected to the federal state information system (FGIS) allowing the Kremlin to censor the websites which its citizens can access.”
Ubergizmo: University of California Warns Students Against Using WhatsApp In China
Ubergizmo: University of California Warns Students Against Using WhatsApp In China. “The University of California has warned its students and faculty both to not use messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat in China. It expressed concern that their communications could be used against them in the country so the students and faculty should exercise caution and not use the apps when they’re in China.”
Michael K. Spencer: Facebook’s Suicide Algorithms are Invasive
Michael K. Spencer: Facebook’s Suicide Algorithms are Invasive. “We think of artificial intelligence as something that should better humanity, but user monitoring is an invasion of privacy. Facebook’s incessant experiments on us, whether with dating or blockchain are going to take a toll on us. But to be rated by how likely we are to self-harm? That’s state monitoring at its worst. It’s worse I think than Chinese parents wanting GPS smart clothing for their kids. There’s a place for AI to benefit people, but it’s not a company like Facebook to warn us or our loved ones if we are suicidal.”
Kuwait – ‘Govt mulls control of social media accounts, curb chaos’ (MENAFN)
MENAFN: Kuwait – ‘Govt mulls control of social media accounts, curb chaos’. “The government has been considering the need to issue a legislation for controlling social media and reducing, if possible, fake accounts that are regarded as sources of destruction and corruption. This was mentioned in a letter submitted to the National Assembly by MP Ahmad Al-Fadhel, requesting the government to explain the procedures that have been taken so far concerning fake accounts and news that have negative implications on Kuwait.”
France24: Gulf, Egypt jail activists amid social media crackdown
France24: Gulf, Egypt jail activists amid social media crackdown. “Courts in the Gulf and Egypt have upheld jail terms against leading activists in a crackdown on protesting through social media, marking a somber end to 2018 for rights campaigners. In both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, prominent campaigners lost their appeals on Monday against lengthy prison terms over their online posts.”
Quartz: The IRS wants to use social media to catch tax cheats
Quartz: The IRS wants to use social media to catch tax cheats. “The Internal Revenue Service is looking for ways to scour social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in its ongoing quest to catch tax cheats. That’s according to a request for information issued December 18 by the IRS’s National Office of Procurement. The mining of social media data by the agency has been suspected in the past, but the IRS has never before confirmed the practice.”
