Experts grade Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube on readiness to handle midterm election misinformation

Dam Hee Kim, University of Arizona; Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University, and Scott Shackelford, Indiana University The 2016 U.S. election was a wake-up call about the dangers of political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift in form and targets. The big lie about the 2020 presidential election has become a major theme, and immigrant communities are increasingly in the crosshairs of disinformation campaigns – deliberate efforts to spread misinformation. … Continue reading Experts grade Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube on readiness to handle midterm election misinformation

Timbuktu manuscripts placed online are only a sliver of West Africa’s ancient archive

Charles C. Stewart, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The ancient Timbuktu manuscripts of Mali were back in the headlines following internet giant Google’s initiative to host a collection of them at an online gallery. The images of the documents, text in Arabic, can be found at a page called Mali Magic. No place in West Africa has attracted more attention and resources than the city that has always captivated the imagination of the outside world, Timbuktu. There have been documentaries and books, academic studies and a renewed public interest since some of Timbuktu’s world heritage status buildings were damaged in … Continue reading Timbuktu manuscripts placed online are only a sliver of West Africa’s ancient archive

Inside The Facebook-WhatsApp Megadeal:

The Courtship, The Secret Meetings, The $19 Billion Poker Game This story appears in the March 24, 2014 issue of Forbes. C WhatsApp cofounder — and new billionaire — Jan Koum   “Get together?” The subject line of the e-mail was like every other come-on that hit Jan Koum’s in-box in the spring of 2012. He was pounded daily by investors who wanted a piece of his company, WhatsApp. Hatched on his birthday, Feb. 24, 2009, WhatsApp was emerging as a global phenomenon. Some 90 million people were using it to text and send photos for free. No social utility had ever grown … Continue reading Inside The Facebook-WhatsApp Megadeal:

Pastor Santorum – Americans Saviour?

Rick Santorum’s mission from GodBy Spengler  Rick Santorum is on a mission from God. He believes that, with all his heart. I do, too: I think that God has a plan for Rick Santorum, and that God wants him to save the United States of America. That plan, though, doesn’t include being president, not, at least in 2012.  In his most recent fund-raising pitch (which – full disclosure – I receive as a Santorum contributor), the Republican presidential candidate appears in a video, telling a story about his first campaign for congress, when he defeated a seemingly unsinkable incumbent.  Knocking … Continue reading Pastor Santorum – Americans Saviour?