violence
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Facebook's misinformation and violence problems are worse in India
Facebook research shows the social network's misinformation and violence issues were particularly severe in India.
Twitch suspended a channel that showed footage of George Floyd's fatal assault
Nonprofit news outlet Unicorn Riot was streaming the trial of Floyd's alleged murderer.
Twitch bans the PogChamp emote following Capitol Hill riots
Twitch has banned the popular PogChamp emote after the face of it, Ryan 'Gootecks' Gutierrez, encouraged further violence.
Twitch clarifies its ban on terrorist and extremist content
The service reinforced that there's no place for such material on its platform.
Facebook bans 'boogaloo' accounts and pages linked to violence
Facebook has banned the 'boogaloo' movement as a violent organization.
Twitter hides Trump and White House tweets over 'glorification of violence'
Twitter has hidden one of two recent tweets from US President Donald Trump, saying it “violated the Twitter rules about glorifying violence.”
YouTube changes rules on violent game content to match movies and TV
YouTube is making a significant change in how it will moderate content that shows video game violence. Starting today, the company says it will treat "scripted or simulated" violence in games the same way that it approaches violence in TV shows and movies.
YouTube will make it easier for 'edgy' creators to find advertisers
YouTube has a tricky job of making sure ads don't show up alongside videos promoting extremist, hateful views or violence, yet also making sure it doesn't strip creators, who may post things like violent video game scenes, of their revenue-earning potential. In an attempt to get better at that, YouTube is experimenting with ways to match "edgy" videos with advertisers who are okay with content that's not totally PG.
Germany synagogue shooter livestreamed attack on Twitch (updated)
Unfortunately, mass shooters are still livestreaming their attacks. Twitch has confirmed to CNBC that the shooter who attacked a synagogue in Halle, Germany was broadcasting the murders on its service. The company has pulled the 35-minute clip and reiterated its "zero-tolerance" policies against hate and violence, adding that it would ban anyone trying to repost the material.
Congress plans to investigate how social media giants are fighting hate
House lawmakers plan to unveil legislation to study the ways social media can be weaponized, The Washington Post reports. They want to better understand social media-fueled violence and to determine if tech giants are doing enough to effectively protect users from harmful content. Congress isn't just looking at what tech giants say they'll do to fight online hate and extremism. Lawmakers want to know if those efforts are effective or not.
Facebook will train its content-removal AI with police camera footage
Facebook will use footage from police body cameras to train its automatic detection systems to spot and remove footage of mass shootings. The company announced Tuesday that it will partner with law enforcement in the US and UK to obtain footage from their firearms training programs. Data from those videos should help Facebook's systems detect real-world, first-person footage of violent events.
Vudu adds parental control to skip adult scenes
Vudu, the streaming video platform owned by Walmart, announced today a new batch of parental controls that will give guardians the ability to automatically skip or mute scenes that contain objectionable content. The new Family Play tool will allow parents to set up rules that bypass on-screen examples of substance abuse, language, violence, sex and nudity. The feature will be available on more than 500 major studio titles to begin with, and Vudu is planning to expand the offering to more movies and TV shows each week.
US Homeland Security Committee subpoenas 8chan owner
The House Committee on Homeland Security has subpoenaed 8chan owner Jim Watkins to testify before congress after the site was linked to a deadly mass shooting in El Paso. "At least three acts of deadly white supremacist extremist violence have been linked to 8chan in the last six months," wrote Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and Ranking Member Mike Rogers.
Walmart pulls displays for violent media after El Paso shooting
Some politicians are rushing to blame violent video games for mass shootings, and Walmart is apparently quick to respond to this fear. Leaked internal memos revealed that the retailer (which served as the venue for the El Paso shooting) is rushing to pull all store displays that include "violent images or aggressive behavior." This includes demos and events for some console games, movies playing in the electronics section and hunting season videos. It's particularly concerned about anything depicting "combat or third-person shooter" games.
White House invites tech companies to discuss violent online extremism
The White House plans to host a meeting with tech companies to discuss the rise of violent online extremism. According to The Washington Post, this is the Trump administration's first major engagement on the issue after the recent mass shooting in Texas left 22 people dead. Trump is scheduled to be at fundraisers in the Hamptons, so he may not attend.
Facebook releases tools to flag harmful content on GitHub
Facebook wants to rid the internet of garbage. But it can't do that alone. So today, it's making two of its photo- and video-flagging technologies open-source and available on GitHub. It hopes the algorithms will help others find and remove harmful content -- like child exploitation, terrorist propaganda and graphic violence.
How B-movies influenced 'Mortal Kombat 11' fatalities
Mortal Kombat fatalities are legendary for their gruesomeness. The finishing moves are physics-defying ballets of blood and shattered bone, and in Mortal Kombat 11, they're just as ridiculous as ever. D'vorah vomits acid-covered larvae down an enemy's throat before they're ripped apart from the inside by a giant corpse bug; Geras traps an opponent in a wall of sand and rips them in half lengthwise with a single hard tug; Cassie Cage kicks people so hard in the crotch that their skeletons fly right out of their bodies; Baraka rips off an enemy's face in two layers, stabs their brain and then eats it like a shish kebab.
China's new gaming rules prohibit blood and gambling
The good news for gaming companies is that China has started approving titles again. The bad news is that it has unveiled new rules that will see certain categories banned and the number of games capped. Three types of popular games will no longer be allowed: Mahjong and poker, titles based on China's imperial past, and games that feature blood or corpses. The reason? The nation's newly anointed gaming authority, the State Administration of Press and Publication, is concerned about violence and gambling addiction among young people.
Google Play Store has a problem with violent games made for kids
Google's issues with disturbing child-oriented content extend beyond YouTube. Wired has found dozens of Android apps on the Play Store that were rated as safe for kids, but featured gruesome content. Mad Max Zombies was rated PEGI 3 but had you gunning down the undead with plenty of blood, while Baby Panda Dental Care had you pulling teeth in a fairly graphic fashion. There were also pay-to-play slot machines and apps with questionable uses of location tracking and device permissions.
Facebook bans hundreds more pages relating to Myanmar conflict
Just a week after Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted he "doesn't know enough" about the political situation in Myanmar, following his series of tone-deaf tweets applauding the country, Facebook has taken further action to stymy the calls to violence made on its platform. The network has now banned an additional 425 pages, 17 groups, 135 Facebook accounts and 15 Instagram accounts, adding to takedowns made in August and October.
