(2019-08-10). Kid Rock attacks Taylor Swift, sparks Twitter culture war. rt.com 
After firing off a tweet suggesting pop idol Taylor Swift would perform sexual favors on Hollywood in exchange for a movie role, faux-redneck rocker Kid Rock is facing a barrage of criticism online.
(2019-08-09). Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young. democracynow.org 
Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonpro…
(2019-08-09). An offer they can't refuse? Facebook offers mainstream news millions in licensing fees. rt.com 
Facebook is dangling a multimillion-dollar carrot before cash-strapped news outlets, offering a hefty licensing fee in return for the right to use headlines and even entire stories in a new "news section," insiders say.
(2019-08-09). Tweeting Publicly Available Information isn't "Shameful and Dangerous" counterpunch.org On August 5, US Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) posted an infographic to Twitter naming and shaming his city's most generous supporters of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign: "Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump …. Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as More
(2019-08-09). Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists and Even Musician Neil Young. truthout.org | | Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing ab…
(2019-08-09). France Fires Back at Trump Over Iran Comments. telesurenglish.net France's Foreign Ministry has fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent comments about Paris' relationship with Iran, which the American leader criticized in a Twitter rant. | RELATED: | France: Police Repress Yellow Vest Protest in Nantes | In a written statement on Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that his country does not need Trump's opinion on Iran. | "France speaks for itself on Iran as a sovereign power," Le Drian stated. "France is deeply committed…
(2019-08-09). Facebook Settlement Breaks a Record, But Not the Cycle of Exploitation. progressive.org For years, Facebook engaged in a pattern of deceptive conduct that misled users about how their data was being handled. Now, despite a $5 billion fine imposed by the U.S. government, it promises to do little to guarantee a change in behavior.
(2019-08-09). A Federal Court Sounds the Alarm on the Privacy Harms of Face Recognition Technology. aclu.org The court ruled that a lawsuit alleging that Facebook is violating Illinois' biometric privacy law can proceed | On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit became the first appellate court in the nation to directly address the privacy harms posed by face recognition technology. The decision is a significant advance in the fight against the threats of face surveillance, sounding the alarm on the potential for this technology to seriously violate people's privacy. | In Patel v. Facebook, a group of Facebook users from Illin…
(2019-08-09). 'Data Is the New Oil, Watch Out for Mass Mining': Netflix Film. telesurenglish.net Big business and politics are mass-mining everyday, data mining, that is. Fom Facebook 'likes' to online subscriptions the already powerful are cultivating this information from average people with the objective to gain more profit and power, according to a Netflix documentary released Wednesday. | RELATED: | Facebook to Censor Ads that Discourage People from Voting | "There are people out there who are trying to figure out how you think. If you don't understand how you think, they…
(2019-08-09). Privacy Advocates Celebrate Court Ruling on Class-Action Suit Targeting Facebook's Facial Recognition Tech. commondreams.org Civil liberties advocates celebrated after a federal court in San Francisco ruled Thursday that Facebook users in Illinois can sue the social media giant on the grounds that its facial recognition technology violates a strict state privacy law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook-shadow_0_0.jpg …
(2019-08-08). Iranian War Veteran Gives Advice to Trump. dissidentvoice.org 
Dear President Trump, In a recent Tweet, you claimed that "Iranians never won a war, but never lost a negotiation." As a world citizen and a veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, I have firsthand experience with the bitterness of war, and I have a few suggestions and responses for you. First, I would advise you against …
(2019-08-08). Actress Rosanna Arquette feels 'shame' at being born white; how exactly does that help minorities? rt.com 
With concerns over racism and white supremacy constantly in the news, actress Rosanna Arquette has reacted in a manner some might find a tad extreme, tweeting that she feels "shame" at having been born white and privileged.
(2019-08-08). That'll show them! Republicans BOYCOTT Twitter ads over McConnell censorship. rt.com 
The Republican Party has halted advertising on Twitter after the campaign account of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was locked for quoting death threats made against him. It is unclear if this will change Twitter's mind.
(2019-08-08). Brexit has given us an unelected bureaucrat, who married into aristocracy, pulling the strings in Downing Street. thecanary.co Dominic Cummings is an unelected bureaucrat who's described as "assistant to the prime minister", with responsibilities for Brexit and domestic policy. He is clearly determined to see the UK leave the EU by the 31 October deadline. Though…
(2019-08-08). The real threat to free speech. greenleft.org.au 
#Folau was still trending on Twitter in Australia on August 7 as the endless whining — amplified by the corporate media — about sacked rugby player Israel Folau allegedly having his freedom to express his bigoted hate speech restricted persists. | Meanwhile, some very serious threats to free speech are going under-reported. | That same day, the High Court reversed former public service worker Michaela Bannerji's successful worker's compensation case. | Bannerji was sacked in 2013 for posting mild criticisms of Australia's inhumane offshore detention of asylum seekers. Her Tweets were not posted under…
(2019-08-08). 'Green Shirt Guy' goes viral after hysterically laughing at MAGA protesters. rt.com 
An Arizona man came back home from a town council meeting an internet sensation, after a video of his hysterical laughter in reaction to a crowd of angry Trump supporters went viral online.
(2019-08-07). Truth against the rules? Twitter censors videos of protesters threatening to KILL Mitch McConnell. rt.com 
After a mob of protesters surrounded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Kentucky home screaming death threats at the Republican, Twitter punished those who shared videos and quotes of the incident.
(2019-08-07). These 7 Prominent Conservatives Have Nothing in Common With White Supremacists, Nothing at All. theintercept.com 
A man wears a MAGA hat during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 12, 2019. | cool kid's philosopher" — took to Twitter to berate those who dare draw any kind of line between President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and U.S. conservatives on the one hand and white nationalist terrorists on the other. | So, we now have two separate NYT columnists arguing that all conservatives are basically violent white supremacists, but slightly more subtle. Let me put this gently: f*** yourselves.
(2019-08-07). UN Afghan Mission 'outraged' by deadly Taliban attack in Kabul, as hardline group threatens election violence. un.org The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed outrage at a Taliban attack in Kabul, that led to "scores" of civilians casualties on Wednesday. In a Tweet, the Mission said that such "indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in heavily populated civilian areas must stop".
(2019-08-07). Líder de FRSO critica masacre en masa racista en El Paso. fightbacknews.org Washington DC – "La Organización Socialista del Camino a la Libertad (FRSO) condena enérgicamente el asesinato en masa realizado en El Paso", dijo Masao Suzuki, presidente de la Comisión de Nacionalidades Conjuntas de FRSO. Sobre el tirador dijo: "Con una cuenta de Twitter gustando el hashtag BuildtheWall y una foto de armas que deletrean a Trump, está claro que la motivación para este crimen de supremacía blanca está determinada por los ataques racistas de Trump". | El 3 de agosto, un hombre armado que apoya a Trump llevó a cabo una masacre de al menos 20 personas en El Paso, Texas, que justificó en una declarac…
(2019-08-07). The DWP's latest insult to disabled people is disgusting. thecanary.co 
On 7 August, the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) insulted millions of disabled people. It issued a tweet that totally ignored nine years of Conservative-led cruelty, benefit cuts, and a situation for disabled people in this country that's so bad, the UN called it a "human catastrophe".
(2019-08-06). Business Group Spending on Lobbying in Washington Is at Least Double What's Publicly Reported. theintercept.com Influential corporate trade organizations and nonprofits spent $535 million on lobbying in 2017 and as much as another $675 million on unregulated efforts to influence public policy, according to a two-month investigation. | The figures, taken together, highlight how business interests can exploit loopholes in lobbying rules, which don't cover many staples of modern influence campaigns, such as strategic consulting, broadcast advertising, media relations, social media posts, and polling — or even the financing of astroturf campaigns. | MapLight r…
(2019-08-04). FRSO leader slams racist mass murder in El Paso. fightbacknews.org Washington DC – "The Freedom Road Socialist Organization strongly condemns the mass murder carried out in El Paso," said Masao Suzuki, chair of the FRSO Joint Nationalities Commission. Of the shooter he said, "With a Twitter account liking the hashtag BuildtheWall and a photo of guns spelling Trump, it is clear that the motivation for this white supremacist crime is shaped by Trump's racist attacks." | On August 3, a Trump-supporting gunman carried out a massacre of at least 20 people in El Paso, Texas, which he justified in racist, anti-immigrant statement. | Suzuki added, "Racist violence, from the massacres of…
(2019-08-03). El Paso Shooting Suspect May Have Authored Manifesto Containing White Nationalist Talking Points. splcenter.org The suspect in a shooting that left 20 people dead at an El Paso Walmart may have posted and liked anti-immigrant leaning remarks on what appears to be his Twitter account.
(2019-08-01). Facebook Dismantles Saudi-Linked Network of Fake Accounts. theantimedia.com More than 350 profiles and pages linked to the Saudi government with some 1.4 million followers were taken down by Facebook on Thursday.
(2019-07-29). Texas sheriff who stars on reality show fails to publicly address sexist images posted on Facebook by one of his top officers. splcenter.org Stories about law enforcement officers disciplined for posting offensive images or words on Facebook are increasingly popping up in the news.