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Contact your Senator with a fax-sending bot
The rallying cry to contact your member of Congress is louder than ever these days, but actually reaching them isn't very easy. Even if they accept email, they're far more likely to acknowledge a faxed message -- but who actually has a fax machine in the 21st Century? Thankfully, you no longer need one to get your point across. A volunteer group has launched Resistbot, an automated system that turns your cellphone's text messages into faxes to your representatives and senators. Once you've offered your name and ZIP code, you just have to type in a message to send it to the appropriate officials. Your first message will go to your senators, but the bot will eventually collect info that helps you reach the House.
Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump livestream is reborn in New Mexico
Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump livestreaming art piece in New York City was ignominiously shut down just a few weeks into its planned 4-year run, but it's getting a revival... albeit nowhere near its original home. LaBeouf and his artist partners have relaunched the anti-Donald Trump project, He Will Not Divide Us, at the Historic El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico -- not exactly a convenient move if you'd been considering a visit to the original site. It's now much more likely that the livestream is your only way of seeing what all the fuss is about.
Inauguration-protest arrests lead to Facebook data prosecution
If you attend a protest in Washington, D.C., nowadays, better plan on leaving your cellphone at home. That is, unless you want police to confiscate it, mine it for incriminating information and then gather even more data from their BFF -- Facebook. At least one person arrested during protests on Inauguration Day got an email from Facebook's Law Enforcement Response Team alerting them that investigators wanted access to their data. Another received a Facebook data subpoena.
Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump livestream shut down for 'public safety'
It was supposed to last four years, but Shia LaBeouf's "He Will Not Divide Us" livestream has been shut down by the Museum of the Moving Image. The project was created by the actor along with two artists, Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö, as a form of protest against Donald Trump's presidency. In a press release, the Museum said that the installation "created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard" for itself, staff, visitors, local residents and businesses around it.
Facebook warns inauguration protesters over police data hunt
Protests on the day of President Trump's inauguration were mostly peaceful, but over 230 people were arrested on allegations of rioting... and law enforcement appears bent on scouring their internet profiles for evidence. CityLab has learned that Washington, DC police have been asking Facebook for user account information as part of their investigations. And in at least one case, Facebook warned one of the targets -- file a challenge to the data request or the company might have to comply within 10 days.
A ban on immigration is an attack on Silicon Valley
Almost immediately after President Trump signed an executive order banning immigrants from seven muslim majority countries from entering the US, tech companies have come out in force against it. The ban left hundreds of people detained in airports, even those with green cards. Some were even deported.
March for Science set for April 22nd
That hoped-for protest against President Trump's anti-science policies? It's on. The newly-named March for Science is now slated to take place on April 22nd -- appropriately, Earth Day -- in both Washington, DC and satellite protests worldwide. The demonstrations will primarily voice opposition to gag orders, funding freezes and other White House attempts to censor climate change science, but it also represents a broader call for politicians to make decisions based on evidence, rather than ideology or corporate agendas.
Scientists prepare their own march against Trump
The Women's March on Washington might not be the only big protest against Donald Trump's policies in the near future. Coordination is underway for a Scientists' March on Washington that, as the name implies, would rally support from anyone who believes that scientific facts should play a role in government policy, regardless of their political leanings. Don't like that Trump wants to censor climate change data or otherwise attempt to prevent scientific knowledge from reaching the public? This might be your chance to make your voice heard.
Shia LaBeouf starts a 4-year livestream to protest Trump
If you were determined to make a political protest through art, and had the luxuries of both fame and modern technology, what would you do? For Shia LaBeouf, it's simple: start an ambitious livestreaming project. The actor (along with Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner) just launched He Will Not Divide Us, a project outside New York City's Museum of the Moving Image that will protest Donald Trump by livestreaming public voices for the next 4 years. (Clearly, Shia's not banking on Trump getting a second term.) You're encouraged to recite the project's namesake phrase in a show of solidarity and resistance. It's getting an extra celebrity endorsement thanks to Jaden Smith, who has participated in some of the early streaming.
Rutgers professor forced to take psych evaluation over tweets
What you say online has consequences. An adjunct professor from Rutgers learned that this week after he was detained by police and forced to take a psych evaluation after asking his class a few hyperbolic questions and later posting versions of them to Twitter. According to the New York Daily News, last Wednesday Kevin Allred asked his class if conservatives would care as much about the Second Amendment if guns killed more white people. "In class, we talked about flag burning generally as a form of protest, and what does the flag mean to different people," Allred told the publication.
Facebook has plans for an always-on Safety Check hub
Over a billion people now use Facebook on a daily basis, and that's just on their phone. That dominance is bringing in huge profits, but the site's popularity makes it an incredibly useful tool during emergencies. This is thanks to the company's Safety Check feature, which was launched to help help account for people during natural disasters but has since been used to mark people safe following attacks in Paris, Nice, the nightclub shooting in Orlando and other local tragedies. After claims that Facebook was exerting too much influence over events deemed important enough to activate Safety Check, the social media giant has put some control in users' hands, but it wants to do more. Wired reports that the company is developing what it's calling a "crisis hub," a place that offers live information and media about natural disasters and other events where people can say that they're safe.
Facebook's Safety Check was activated by protesters in Charlotte
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the company was working on a way for users to activate its Safety Check feature back in August. During this week's protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, users of the social network employed the feature for the first time without the social network flipping the switch itself. Facebook confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it didn't activate the feature and this was the first time Safety Check was used during a protest.
Anti-pipeline activists claim Facebook censored their live video
Facebook has long had a tough time walking a fine line when it comes to political material, and the pressure isn't about to let up any time soon. Unicorn Riot maintains that Facebook censored their live stream of a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, deleting the Livestream.com link shortly before two of its reporters were caught up in a mass arrest. Comments and posts popped up security alerts when they contained the link, and Facebook's debugger insisted that the web address ran afoul of "community standards."
UberEats drivers are revolting in London
Established food delivery service Deliveroo and recently launched UberEats might be competitors in the UK, but their drivers have found a common enemy in the businesses they work for. UberEats couriers have planned a protest outside Uber's London HQ today, over changes to their pay structure they say could lead to them earning less than the minimum wage, The Guardian reports.
Democrats use Twitter to amplify House sit-in over gun control
Democrats are currently staging a sit-in at the House of Representatives to demand a vote on gun control legislation, and Republicans aren't happy about it -- they're declaring recesses to shut off cameras (which are controlled by the House) and downplay the protest. The Dems aren't letting that get in the way, though. They've gone into overdrive using Twitter, Periscope and Facebook Live to advertise the sit-in and draw attention to their cause. Even C-SPAN has turned to displaying tweets and live streams in the absence of TV broadcasts from the House floor.
Uber drivers' rates protest takes to the SF streets
The Uber drivers are milling around in the parking lot of the now demolished Candlestick Park and they're antsy. But mostly, they're pissed. They're making less than when they first started driving for the company. Their leader Mario (last name withheld) shows up a few minutes before the 2pm meeting time followed by an additional 20 cars. The group crowds around him as he hands out fliers and peppers him with questions. They're getting organized to show the ride-sharing platform how upset they are and in the process, screw up traffic in San Francisco.
Twitter bots are trying to silence Mexican protesters
Many activists thrive on Twitter, both to get their messages heard and to coordinate their on-the-ground action. However, it looks like there's a growing, sophisticated effort to dismantle Mexican anti-corruption and anti-violence protests through the same social network. Journalists have noticed that Twitter-based bots are trying to drown out Mexican activists' posts, issue death threats and promote counter-protest messages. They've been present as far back as 2012, when bogus accounts backed President Enrique Peña Nieto during his election campaign, but they've kicked into high gear following the September 2014 disappearance of 43 students that sparked a massive outcry.
Uber hires guards to protect drivers from protests in South Africa
Uber has been forced to recruit private security guards to preserve the safety of its drivers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The move was prompted by protests at the city's Gautrain Station and Sandton City that threatened to break out into violence. According to Eyewitness News, a group of disgruntled taxi drivers tried to intimidate drivers of Uber vehicles, as well as the passengers themselves. In one incident, a driver was held at gunpoint and had their car keys pulled from the ignition. The protesters then turned their attention to the would-be customers, telling them that they were "taking away business from South Africa."
Uber France CEO taken into custody in wake of protests
After days of violent protests and defiance on the part of Uber's French management, two of the company's employees were taken into custody for "illicit activity" today. Uber France CEO Thibaut Simphal and Uber European GM Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty were arrested for running the company's ride-sharing service illegally. TechCrunch reports the pair is also being held under suspicion of "concealing digital documents." Last week, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve took legal action to shut down UberPOP, the service that employs non-professional drivers to provide rides, in response to protests that blocked key transportation hubs.
Uber defiant in the face of French ridesharing crackdown
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today launched a legal action to permanently shut down UberPOP, Uber's non-professional ride service, according to Reuters. The move follows a protest against UberPOP by as many as 3,000 taxi drivers that crippled large sections of the city and both airports. Seven police officers were injured, 70 vehicles damaged and 10 people arrested during the rally. Yesterday, French authorities ordered police to ban UberPOP and seize driver's cars if necessary. However, Uber's general manager in France replied that the measures "changed nothing," and that UberPOP would continue to operate.
