Social Media

[Big Kev]

Let's be more specific though. The term social media covers a wide spread of web sites, forums etc but what we really mean is the Facebook/Twitter types that were a good idea to begin with but have also provided a vehicle for nasty, aggressive, abusive people posting anonymously who wouldn't normally get such stuff published in, say, a newspaper. The big social media companies should be treated like other publishers and not allowed to keep hiding behind the claim that they're `platforms not publishers' and therefore outside the laws controlling newspapers and magazines. Until we hold the companies in check we won't get rid of the bad stuff.

[Stanley]

I understand that Peter but I have at times been taken to task for saying I don't use social media but have Whatsapp on line. You hear 'Whatsapp Groups' being implicated in political plotting frequently. I was just making the point that I see it as nothing beyond a useful messaging tool.
"The big social media companies should be treated like other publishers and not allowed to keep hiding behind the claim that they're `platforms not publishers' and therefore outside the laws controlling newspapers and magazines."
Absolutely right and I think I once read that it was Bill Clinton who shied away from describing them as 'publishers' when the legislation meant to control them was being enacted in the States. (Was it in a book about moving fast and breaking things?)

[Tizer]

Twitter and Facebook are facing a more serious threat now that the Democrats are taking them to task. Also they're faced with Kamala Harris who, besides being VP-elect, is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And to cap it all she's facing a mass of abuse on the two platforms...

`Kamala Harris: Facebook removes racist posts about US vice-president-elect' LINK

`Zuckerberg and Dorsey to be quizzed by Senate following Biden vote victory' LINK

[Stanley]

I'm looking forwards to Kamala Harris, I have an idea she might be a breath of fresh air!

[Tizer]

She might be the first black female President of the USA and leader of `the free world' one day!

This is an interesting example of how images are manipulated to seed false information around the world...
`Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Fact-checking misleading images' LINK

[Stanley]

Timely Link Peter. Photo Shop has a lot to answer for!

[Tizer]

`Trump Twitter ‘hack’: Dutch police question researcher' LINK If anyone need evidence that Trump's a moron they only need to look at the passwords he uses to protect his accounts on social media. I wonder what the US security men make of it all?

[Stanley]

If the media were really serious about security they would force users to use more complicated passwords and not allow the stupid ones we know are often used. Don't I remember this being the case with a lot of government and defence systems? Passwords like 'DEFAULT'?

[plaques]

Sometimes the password requirement gets too complicated. Must be more than 8 characters, with some capital letters, numbers, symbols. and non palindromic. Can't use one that as been used before even if you have forgotten it.
I see Patient Access has now introduced a 'memorable' word as a cross check. What's the 1st, 7th, 8th, character etc. Lets see. Memorable word = Covid2020, so that's C,0,2. A greenhouse gas, no wonder my temperatures going up.

[Stanley]

The best advice I ever had about a password was to pick a quotation you loved and use a section out of that. eg. 'MANDIASKI'

[Big Kev]

The best advice I ever had about a password was to pick a quotation you loved and use a section out of that. eg. 'MANDIASKI'

A lot of companies have adopted a 'passphrase', rather than a password that's unique to the user 'Ilikeeatingblueham' as an example and to include upper and lower case and or a number or special character. These are surprisingly difficult to guess (unless the user is a bit daft) and are sometimes combined with a two part authentication app that's installed on a different device (smartphone).

[PanBiker]

I have about six go to passwords all meet complexity rules and have not been compromised in over 25 years. I have one system I use for the Labour Party which holds the electoral data and requires a complex password and a pin. The pin remains constant but the password has to be changed frequently and you can't use any that you have used before so my existing cache has already been used up long ago. I just accept the complex one suggested now. Any documentation or data produced and output from the system is compressed and password protected. The password is sent automatically by email. If you pass the information to another member electronically you are required to recompress the file into a complex password protected archive and again relay the password either by text or email. Handling of personal identifiers of individuals is covered at length by the GDPR. It's a long way from writing it down directly on the marked electoral register which is how canvasses used to be done.

[Tizer]

Another downside of Brexit - we will no longer be protected by the EU GDPR...
`Facebook to move all UK users onto US agreements' LINK
`Facebook will shift its UK users onto agreements with the company’s corporate headquarters in California. The move could put UK users out of reach of Europe's privacy laws. But Facebook said there will be no change to the privacy controls or the services it offers UK customers. Currently, UK users are governed by agreements with Facebook’s Irish headquarters, but this legal relationship will change following the UK's exit from the European Union (EU). “Facebook has had to make changes to respond to Brexit and will be transferring legal responsibilities and obligations for UK users from Facebook Ireland to Facebook Inc," the social media giant told Reuters, which first reported the story.

`Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the UK might be tempted to water down its protections in the pursuit of free trade deals as it leaves the EU. In particular, they are worried about a possible deal with the US, which has weaker privacy laws. Already, the Cloud Act - a US law passed in 2018 - has made it easier for US and UK authorities to access data stored by digital service providers stored in each other’s territory. However, Facebook has been under increasing pressure in the US. In a landmark lawsuit, US regulators have accused Facebook of buying up rivals in order to stifle competition...'.

[PanBiker]

I posed the question in another thread regarding whether or not there would be changes to the GDPR regulations once we have finally severed our connections at the end of the year.

[Whyperion]

I posed the question in another thread regarding whether or not there would be changes to the GDPR regulations once we have finally severed our connections at the end of the year.

was not some of the case law that Mosely v News International threw up was outside of EU directive principles, but created better English Common Law - as to if a (in)voluntary agreement to waive privacy rights can pver-ride that in a contract has not been fully tested. Of course if parliament wishes to change such rights by legislation it is down to them.

[Tizer]

This is another service that has been stoking up unrest and violence. I guess Amazon and other have finally got around to banning it because they fear the conspiracists and others (including Trump) getting banned from Twitter etc would move to Parler...
`Parler: Amazon to remove site from web hosting service' LINK
`Amazon is removing "free speech" social network Parler from its web hosting service for violating rules. If Parler fails to find a new web hosting service by Sunday evening, the entire network will go offline. Parler styles itself as an "unbiased" social media and has proved popular with people banned from Twitter. Amazon told Parler it had found 98 posts on the site that encouraged violence. Apple and Google have removed the app from their stores. Launched in 2018, Parler has proved particularly popular among supporters of US President Donald Trump and right-wing conservatives. Such groups have frequently accused Twitter and Facebook of unfairly censoring their views. While Mr Trump himself is not a user, the platform already features several high-profile contributors following earlier bursts of growth in 2020. Texas Senator Ted Cruz boasts 4.9 million followers on the platform, while Fox News host Sean Hannity has about seven million. The move comes after Apple suspended Parler from its app store. The suspension will remain in place for as long as the network continued to spread posts that incite violence, it said. Google removed the app from its store on Friday..'.

[Stanley]

Thanks Peter, I had heard that report but didn't fully understand it. now I have a better idea....
I see Trump said he'd create his own version of Twitter..... You can't put that past him!

[chinatyke]

And you still think you live in "the land of the free"?

[Tizer]

Nobody really `lives in the land of the free', we are all subject to laws and regulations and controls.

[Tizer]

There's a lot of philosophising at the moment about whether or not the big social media platforms should be made responsible for what their members' posts contain. An example was on Today this morning. Worries that banning people like Trump is restricting free speech. What they seem to be missing is that there is a straightforward comparison to be made with newspapers. If I write an article, send it to, say, the Telegraph or Guardian, and ask them to publish it they won't simply go ahead and do so. They'll make a decision on whether or not it's suitable for publication. If it's blatant lies or libellous they'll reject it, not because of their own political or social preferences but because they will get into serious legal trouble and could ruin their reputation. The big social media companies should be subject to the same publishing regulations as the newspapers.

This is from the Freedom Forum Institute web page:
`Unless restricted by a valid prior restraint (which is rare), the news media are free to publish any information or opinion they desire. This freedom, however, does not immunize them from liability for what they publish. A newspaper that publishes false information about a person, for example, can be sued for libel. A television station similarly can be sued if it broadcasts a story that unlawfully invades a person’s privacy. Because such liability can be staggering, most journalists strive to exercise their freedom to publish in a responsible and ethical manner.' LINK

[Stanley]

Yup Peter. That's obviously the way to go but government is frightened of the big tech giants. Look at Trump Twitter to see how powerful they can be. We had this argument a long time ago about news media and decided on regulation and making them responsible. We should do exactly the same the the tech giants.

[Tizer]

More on the same topic...at least Australia is willing to stand up to the tech giants...
`Facebook Australia: PM Scott Morrison 'will not be intimidated' by tech giant' LINK

[Big Kev]

Not sure what all the fuss is about with Facebook in Australia, surely if you want to read the news you go to the news channel's website not Facebook?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-56116738

[Whyperion]

Firefox has 'Pocket' and Yahoo (which I use for email) also has newsfeed pages, but both seems to draw on the free articles of US papers and UK ones like independent/telegraph and guardian (either all or selected articles are not behind a compulsory paywall. As to if either pay a PA or other syndication fee to the journals/ists I dont know. Some long read stuff is old (ish- 3 months or so), others are a day or more old

[Stanley]

I thought the same Kev but then realised we are talking about the young. Do they even know about online newspapers? Google have taken a more conciliatory course with the government and the smart money says that they will do well out of it with Face book effectively shooting themselves in the foot.