Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Facebook says it has disrupted a long-running cyberespionage campaign run by Palestinian intelligence which features spies posing as journalists and the deployment of a booby-trapped app for submitting human rights stories.In a report published Wednesday, Facebook accused what it said was the cyber wing of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service (PSS), which is loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, of running rudimentary hacking operations that targeted Palestinian reporters,...…Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Facebook says it has disrupted a long-running cyberespionage campaign run by Palestinian intelligence which features spies posing as journalists and the deployment of a booby-trapped app for submitting human rights stories.In a report published Wednesday, Facebook accused what it said was the cyber wing of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service (PSS), which is loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, of running rudimentary hacking operations that targeted Palestinian reporters,...WW…

Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Apple Inc will bring social media app Parler, favored by U.S conservatives, back to its App Store after the iPhone maker pulled it following the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, according to a letter sent to two Republican lawmakers.The letter, obtained by Reuters, said that after substantial conversations with Parler, the app had proposed updates to its app and content moderation policy that would lead to it being reinstated.Major tech platforms cut ties with Parler following the...…Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Apple Inc will bring social media app Parler, favored by U.S conservatives, back to its App Store after the iPhone maker pulled it following the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, according to a letter sent to two Republican lawmakers.The letter, obtained by Reuters, said that after substantial conversations with Parler, the app had proposed updates to its app and content moderation policy that would lead to it being reinstated.Major tech platforms cut ties with Parler following the...WW…

Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Audio-chat app Clubhouse closed a new Series C round of financing, the company said during its weekly town hall on Sunday, without disclosing the amount raised.A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the new financing would value the company at $4 billion.The social media app said the new round of financing was led by Andrew Chen of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz with major investors like DST Global, Tiger Global and Elad Gil.Clubhouse and Andreessen...…Welcome to the Reuters.com BETA. Read our Editor's note on how we're helping professionals make smart decisions.Audio-chat app Clubhouse closed a new Series C round of financing, the company said during its weekly town hall on Sunday, without disclosing the amount raised.A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the new financing would value the company at $4 billion.The social media app said the new round of financing was led by Andrew Chen of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz with major investors like DST Global, Tiger Global and Elad Gil.Clubhouse and Andreessen...WW…

By (Reuters) - Facebook Inc did not notify the more than 530 million users whose details were obtained through the misuse of a feature before 2019 and recently made public in a database, and does not currently have plans to do so, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.Business Insider reported last week that phone numbers and other details from user profiles were available in a public database. Facebook said in a blog post on Tuesday that “malicious actors” had obtained the data prior to September 2019 by “scraping” profiles using a vulnerability in the platform’s tool for synching...…By (Reuters) - Facebook Inc did not notify the more than 530 million users whose details were obtained through the misuse of a feature before 2019 and recently made public in a database, and does not currently have plans to do so, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.Business Insider reported last week that phone numbers and other details from user profiles were available in a public database. Facebook said in a blog post on Tuesday that “malicious actors” had obtained the data prior to September 2019 by “scraping” profiles using a vulnerability in the platform’s tool for synching...WW…

By Slideshow NEW YORK (Reuters) - Messaging platform Discord Inc on Wednesday launched a new feature for people to hold live audio events for audiences, similar to the rapidly growing app Clubhouse.Discord, which offers voice, video and text chat, was popularized by videogamers and has spread to other groups since its launch in 2015. Its new “Stage Channels” will allow users to more easily manage voice events with up to 1,000 members and is expected to help Discord communities build engagement.The platform, which says it has more than 140 million monthly active users, is in discussions to...…By Slideshow NEW YORK (Reuters) - Messaging platform Discord Inc on Wednesday launched a new feature for people to hold live audio events for audiences, similar to the rapidly growing app Clubhouse.Discord, which offers voice, video and text chat, was popularized by videogamers and has spread to other groups since its launch in 2015. Its new “Stage Channels” will allow users to more easily manage voice events with up to 1,000 members and is expected to help Discord communities build engagement.The platform, which says it has more than 140 million monthly active users, is in discussions to...WW…

By (Reuters) - Facebook Inc, which has been criticized by lawmakers and researchers for allowing vaccine misinformation to spread on its platforms, said on Monday it has started adding labels to posts that discuss the safety of the shots and will soon label all posts about the vaccines.The social media company said in a blog post it is also launching a tool in the United States to give people information about where to get COVID-19 vaccines and adding a COVID-19 information area to its photo-sharing site Instagram.False claims and conspiracies about the coronavirus vaccines have...…By (Reuters) - Facebook Inc, which has been criticized by lawmakers and researchers for allowing vaccine misinformation to spread on its platforms, said on Monday it has started adding labels to posts that discuss the safety of the shots and will soon label all posts about the vaccines.The social media company said in a blog post it is also launching a tool in the United States to give people information about where to get COVID-19 vaccines and adding a COVID-19 information area to its photo-sharing site Instagram.False claims and conspiracies about the coronavirus vaccines have...WW…

By , Slideshow (Reuters) - Facebook Inc will lift its temporary ban on political advertising in the United States on Thursday, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.The social media giant has had a months-long freeze on political, electoral and social ads, which it introduced as part of an effort to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the Nov. 3 elections.Facebook had temporarily lifted its ad pause in Georgia for the state’s January runoff elections but put it back in place.Alphabet Inc’s Google, which had lifted its own political ad ban in December, later reinstated it...…By , Slideshow (Reuters) - Facebook Inc will lift its temporary ban on political advertising in the United States on Thursday, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.The social media giant has had a months-long freeze on political, electoral and social ads, which it introduced as part of an effort to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the Nov. 3 elections.Facebook had temporarily lifted its ad pause in Georgia for the state’s January runoff elections but put it back in place.Alphabet Inc’s Google, which had lifted its own political ad ban in December, later reinstated it...WW…

By , (Reuters) - The board of Parler, a social media platform backed by Republican Party donor Rebekah Mercer and favored by U.S conservatives, has fired its CEO John Matze, he said on Wednesday.Matze confirmed the move to Reuters, after it was originally reported by Fox News, and said that he had not been given a settlement.“On January 29, 2021, the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer decided to immediately terminate my position as CEO of Parler. I did not participate in this decision,” Matze said in a memo sent to Parler staff.“Over the past few months, I’ve met constant resistance...…By , (Reuters) - The board of Parler, a social media platform backed by Republican Party donor Rebekah Mercer and favored by U.S conservatives, has fired its CEO John Matze, he said on Wednesday.Matze confirmed the move to Reuters, after it was originally reported by Fox News, and said that he had not been given a settlement.“On January 29, 2021, the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer decided to immediately terminate my position as CEO of Parler. I did not participate in this decision,” Matze said in a memo sent to Parler staff.“Over the past few months, I’ve met constant resistance...WW…

By (Reuters) - The foundation that operates Wikipedia will launch its first global code of conduct on Tuesday, seeking to address criticism that it has failed to combat harassment and suffers from a lack of diversity.“We need to be much more inclusive,” said María Sefidari, the chair of board of trustees for the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. “We are missing a lot of voices, we’re missing women, we’re missing marginalized groups.”Online platforms have come under intense scrutiny for abusive behavior, violent rhetoric and other forms of problematic content, pushing them to revamp content...…By (Reuters) - The foundation that operates Wikipedia will launch its first global code of conduct on Tuesday, seeking to address criticism that it has failed to combat harassment and suffers from a lack of diversity.“We need to be much more inclusive,” said María Sefidari, the chair of board of trustees for the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. “We are missing a lot of voices, we’re missing women, we’re missing marginalized groups.”Online platforms have come under intense scrutiny for abusive behavior, violent rhetoric and other forms of problematic content, pushing them to revamp content...WW…

By (Reuters) - Earlier this month, Twitch announced it would start banning users for behavior away from its site.The move by Amazon Inc’s live-streaming platform involved hiring a law firm to conduct investigations into users’ misconduct, a new twist in the latest prominent example of tech companies acting on “off-service” behavior.How platforms enforce against activities conducted not just on their services but on other sites and offline, is often only described vaguely in their rules. But as lawmakers and researchers examine tech’s relationship with real-world violence or harm, this...…By (Reuters) - Earlier this month, Twitch announced it would start banning users for behavior away from its site.The move by Amazon Inc’s live-streaming platform involved hiring a law firm to conduct investigations into users’ misconduct, a new twist in the latest prominent example of tech companies acting on “off-service” behavior.How platforms enforce against activities conducted not just on their services but on other sites and offline, is often only described vaguely in their rules. But as lawmakers and researchers examine tech’s relationship with real-world violence or harm, this...WW…