MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES — Clubhouse has recently gained media and investment attention, having secured roughly a billion valuation-10 times higher than its actual app valuation. But what, exactly, is Clubhouse? It’s an audio chat-based social media app created during the pandemic. Users can hop in and out of…
DANICA CREAHAN WRITES – In response to Australia’s proposed legislation requiring both Facebook and Google to pay media companies for content that appears on their platforms, Facebook threatened to stop sharing local and international news in Australia. To be clear: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has begun drafting a…
LIAM ROGERS WRITES – On August 24, TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd., TikTok Inc.’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. This lawsuit, filed with the United States District Court for the Central District of California, accuses the Trump Administration of depriving Tiktok Inc. of due process, which…
EMILY CAPOUYA WRITES- According to Facebook’s blog post this Tuesday, facial recognition will “be off by default for all new users, and for current users who do nothing when they receive an upcoming notice about the change.” While originally popularized by Facebook as a seemingly harmless concept used to tag friends’ faces…
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – In Indonesia, social media has become the norm of everyday life. People from all sectors of society have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop in-hand. Coupled with affordable data plans, Indonesia has become one of the fastest growing countries for internet use. With a population of over…
TOMMY SUTJIPTO WRITES – Although heavily censored, social networking sites in China continue to grow, develop, and attract hundreds of new users daily. Indeed, marketing analysts say the country is experiencing a social boom, with users drawn by innovative digital services and slick marketing efforts. According to Benjamin Duvall at…
SHIRI FISHMAN WRITES – Since 2015, Israel has been using a new system known as Preventative Policing, in an effort to suppress terrorism. This system uses algorithms and data analysis to predict if, where, and when crimes may occur, specifically by Palestinians. Israel uses this program to monitor Facebook and…
SEBASTIAN SEGURA-ACOSTA WRITES – On September 20th, renowned actor, Morgan Freeman, became the recent victim of Kremlin criticism after making a video calling for an investigation of Russia’s confirmed cyber-meddling in U.S. affairs. Soon after the video went live, social media bots, paid trolls, and the uninformed public ravaged the…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – “Politically correct.” Rarely do you come across a phrase that will elicit so many different reactions. There’s a thin line between offensive and funny, and lately it seems as if it always leans more towards the former than the later. But is this a phenomena exclusive…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES — With more than 15 million users in 24 countries, Facebook’s Internet.org, has charmed the eyes of many Indians. The program aims to bring free Web access to the developing world, but because of controversy over the number of websites a user can visit, the project’s been renamed “Free Basics.”…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Social media sites give users a platform to voice their opinions. They provide a means to communicate with others and express whatever they wish. Some people post disrespectful material, and that’s when censorship and social media ethics enter into the equation. This is a problem Qatar is mulling…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– With the second highest number of internet users in the world, the Indian government’s new flagship program, ‘Digital India,’ has potential to become a great success. With Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Silicon Valley in early September, hype over this new government initiative has wooed the CEOs…
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Vietnam has come a long way since the start of the year. We’ve seen major progress with the acceptance of social media and dips with press freedom, but the road is still jagged and, if they don’t watch their step, they might end up hurt. The Economist reported…
MICHELLE VARINATA WRITES – Given the fact that Indonesia is one of South Eastern Asia’s largest democracies, a core value in a democratic society is the freedom of speech. While social media provides a platform for people to vent their feelings and share their thoughts, it should not be treated…
MIRANDA PAK WRITES – Twitter, which has been blocked in China since 2009, opened an office in Hong Kong on March 10. Tweeting was blocked in China because officials were worried that citizens would use social media for their own benefit and plan large anti-government protests. Despite what many people think,…
NICK ARMER WRITES – While members of the media and politicians of both Iran and Israel continue to preach suspicion and rivalry between the two nations, their citizens have begun a new conversation online. An unexpected campaign for love and respect between Iranians and Israelis all began with a single…
