Code-Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age Pew Internet Rss Feed: Reports by Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech (filistimlyanin/iStock.com)Algorithms are instructions for solving a problem or completing a task. Recipes are algorithms, as are math equations. Computer code is algorithmic. The internet runs on algorithms and all online searching is accomplished through … Read more
Wikipedia calls the Daily Mail “generally unreliable,” and bans it as a source in most cases Nieman Journalism Lab by Laura Hazard Owen Following about a month of discussion, Wikipedia editors have decided to prohibit the use of the Daily Mail as a source in most situations, writing: [The] Daily Mail should not be used … Read more
Cooperation and competition in social anthropology Anthropology Today by J.L. Molina, M.J. Lubbers, H. Valenzuela-García, S. Gómez-Mestres The emergence of cooperation in human societies has received ample academic attention from different disciplines, and is usually considered as an adaptive response to competition over scarce resources. In this article, the authors review the specific contribution that … Read more
Romania leaders under growing pressure amid protests BBC News | Europe | World Edition A new decree to free officials jailed for corruption has sparked outrage across Romania. Romania protests continue against government ‘thieves’ Aljazeera.com–3 hours ago “I do not want to divide Romania,” a pale and tired-looking Grindeanu said in a televised address, sparking … Read more
Cybersecurity Experts Uncover Dormant Botnet of 350,000 Twitter Accounts MIT Technology Review A massive botnet secretly infiltrated the Twitterverse in 2013 but has lain mysteriously dormant since then, say researchers. Twitter and TV Superfans (Study) All Facebook by David Cohen How do “superfans” of television show behave on Twitter, and what should marketers do … Read more
Facebook to roll out fake news tools in Germany BBC News | Europe | World Edition Facebook is rolling out new tools in Germany to help combat the spread of fabricated news stories. Defeat of Davos BBC News | Europe | World Edition Brexit, Donald Trump, and the rise of populism have left the world’s … Read more
Facebook Journalism Project: A Complete Guide All Facebook by David Cohen Facebook’s efforts to bolster its relationships with media and news organizations and journalists continued with Wednesday’s introduction of the Facebook Journalism Project. Director of product Fidji Simo introduced Facebook Journalism Project in a Newsroom post, saying that the initiative has three objectives: collaborative development of news products … Read more
With its subscribers Facebook group, The Boston Globe is mining the stickiest corners of the platform Nieman Journalism Lab by Shan Wang The Boston Globe’s Facebook page is approaching half a million likes. But for a regional outlet that’s staked its future on paying subscribers, glancing interest from Facebook users doesn’t then turn into a pipeline … Read more
Israelis parliamentary plot against UK politicians AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) Al Jazeera reveals discussions of Israel diplomat and British civil servant to ‘take down’ anti-settlement politicians. Deadly icy spell grips much of Europe, including Greek islands BBC News | Europe | World Edition Plunging temperatures in Europe claim 20 lives, as even the … Read more
Wikileaks considers exposing verified Twitter users’ data The Social Software Weblog WikiLeaks once claimed to stand for the people against the shadowy, truth-occluding governments of the world (primarily, the United States). But the last couple years saw the organization swerve into questionable territory as an Associated Press repo… Using real names online doesn’t improve behavior Boing … Read more
Why Anthropologists Failed to Boycott Israeli Academic Institutions Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog by Carole McGranahan By: Lara Deeb and Jessica Winegar In 2016 the movement to boycott Israeli academic institutions for their involvement in the illegal occupation of Palestine both gathered significant steam and faced a huge roadblock. … Read more
US expels Russian diplomats over cyber attacks AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) Obama defends expulsions, calling action “a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests”. Russia-US row: Putin rules out tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats BBC News | Europe | World Edition Russia’s President Putin rules out a tit-for-tat expulsion of US diplomats … Read more
Romania readies itself for first female and first Muslim prime minister EurActiv.com by Samuel Morgan Romania could appoint its first female and first Muslim prime minister after the Social Democratic Party (PSD) put its support behind Sevil Shhaideh, in a shock move following the Eastern European country’s 11 December elections. EurActiv Romania reports. Debate: A Muslim … Read more
EU wants to know if Facebook lied about Whatsapp EUobserver.com – Headline News Facebook said in 2014 that linking WhatsApp’s phone numbers with Facebook was not possible. In 2016, it became possible, and it happened. Idiocraski: the apocalyptic situation in Poland after a year of trumpism Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow It’s been a year … Read more
via ******** Clamping down on viral fake news, Facebook partners with sites like Snopes and adds new user reporting Nieman Journalism Lab by Laura Hazard Owen After weeks of criticism over its role in spreading fake news during and after the 2016 presidential election, Facebook announced Thursday that it’s taking some concrete steps to … Read more