Technology

A man in the Atlanta suburbs was scrolling Facebook in late October when an ad popped up claiming his polling place had changed. At first glance, the change didn’t seem to align with official records.He suspected it was a lie — potentially a voter suppression tactic. He had already voted by mail, but was on high alert for shenanigans in his hotly contested battleground … [Read more...] about How Facebook and Twitter plan to handle election day disinformation

It’s bad enough that people have to struggle to cancel unwanted contracts and subscriptions — a needlessly difficult process that some companies seem to impose deliberately in hopes of raking in extra fees.It’s worse if you also happen to be dead.Or if you’re the next of kin of someone who died with outstanding bills or recurring charges from businesses that don’t see shuffling … [Read more...] about Column: Sorry your mom’s dead. Now give us some money

In a sweeping condemnation of the world’s biggest social network and the power it has amassed, federal regulators sued Facebook Inc. and are seeking to break the company — which includes Instagram and WhatsApp — into pieces. Groundbreaking antitrust lawsuits announced Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission and four dozen states and districts accuse Facebook of engaging in … [Read more...] about FTC, states sue to break up Facebook over anti-competitive behavior

In June, the hashtag #DCblackout erupted on Twitter. A series of tweets claimed authorities had blocked protesters from communicating on their smartphones in order to tamp down on unrest around police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. Images circulated of an inferno raging beside the Washington Monument, illuminating the landmark dramatically in the nighttime.It was … [Read more...] about How to spot fake social media accounts and internet trolls

It was heralded as China’s answer to JPMorgan — a homegrown financial giant on the cusp of the biggest stock market debut the world has ever seen.Instead, with billions on the line and an initial public offering all but sealed, Chinese authorities have abruptly thrown into doubt the future of Ant Group Co. and its celebrated founder, billionaire Jack Ma.Only days before the … [Read more...] about China halts Ant’s record IPO, leaving Jack Ma’s empire in limbo

California chose to rewrite the rules of the internet this week, with a strong majority of voters supporting Proposition 24.The ballot measure aims to reinforce and redefine parts of the California Consumer Privacy Act, a 2019 law that gave state residents new rights as to how companies collect and use their personal information. Proposition 24 establishes a new law, the … [Read more...] about California voters approve Prop. 24, ushering in new rules for online privacy

In the run-up to the presidential election, the nation’s major social media platforms said that they were prepared for an onslaught of lies and misleading information.The lies and fake news stories arrived on cue late Tuesday night. President Trump, along with Republican politicians and conservative media personalities, began falsely claiming that the election had been rigged … [Read more...] about Twitter flags Trump election tweets as misleading

Regardless of their political leanings, Americans were united on one front on election day: stress-eating, stress-drinking and stress-smoking to make it through the night.As election results continued to roll in Wednesday, businesses selling food, alcohol and weed reported a surge in orders. On-demand alcohol delivery service Drizly said sales were 68% higher than on the … [Read more...] about The real election night winners: sellers of pizza, booze and weed

Facing mounting legal pressure for classifying their vast workforces as contractors rather than employees, gig economy companies put forth what they argued was a better solution — one that would provide some benefits to workers without forcing them to alter their business model. On Tuesday, gig economy companies got their way, when Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that they … [Read more...] about Prop. 22 passed, a major win for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash. What happens next?

Need a case of Chardonnay paired with a side of toothpaste, batteries and dog food? Soon you’ll be able to get that delivered to your door, courtesy of BevMo — and its new owner.The beverage chain announced Thursday that it had agreed to be bought by GoPuff, a Philadelphia online delivery company, for $350 million.The deal, which is expected to close within 30 days, will bring … [Read more...] about BevMo acquired in $350-million deal as booze deliveries surge