#social-media-blocking

#social-media-blocking

The Palestinian internet digitally encapsulates the contradictions of anti-colonial resistance in the neoliberal era, serving as both an instrument for collective interconnection and a site of suppression.

"That requires a bunch of people to go take things that folks here are figuring out and [explain them] to the rest of the world," said Jeffrey Ladish, emphasizing the need for effective communication about AI risks.

In 2024 alone, authorities imposed 304 internet shutdowns across 54 countries - the highest number ever recorded. This reflects a growing trend of governments treating connectivity as a weapon.

A broken phone or corrupted drive can mean the loss of work, evidence, art, or the last traces of the dead. But sometimes data-recovery experts can summon lost files from the void.

Experts indicate that the creation of A.I. avatars is becoming easier, particularly for contractors and marketing companies that specialize in developing and dispatching these avatars in bulk.

The Oversight Board has taken steps to formalize its long-contemplated desire to work with other companies, but Meta has thus far declined to move forward with that process.

"We're ⁠collecting data now and just realized that OKCupid must have a HUGE amount of awesome data for this," Clarifai founder and CEO Matthew Zeiler wrote in an email to OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn, according to court documents reviewed by Reuters.

Last year, our 1,500 posts earned roughly 13 million impressions for the entire year. To put it bluntly, an X post today receives less than 3% of the views a single tweet delivered seven years ago.

Recent revelations from news agency Reuters that the US is "developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including hate speech and terrorist propaganda," as a method to counter what it sees as excessive censorship in other parts of the world is troubling to the EU. Even if the plans appear to have been delayed and detail is thin, the US position is clear.

On 10 December, 2025, the United States government announced that visitors wishing to enter America from any of the 42 visa waiver programme countries would have to undergo social media vetting. Visitors would also be required to disclose personal information about close family members. The notice was created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

US TikTok users are navigating a major ownership shift as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC takes control of American operations, addressing longstanding national security concerns. Amid the transition, glitches, feed changes, and privacy policy scrutiny fuel uncertainty, prompting creators and casual users alike to reevaluate their engagement. Daily uninstall rates have spiked dramatically, while rival platforms gain traction, illustrating how trust, control, and technical reliability shape digital loyalty in real time.