IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
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- News
TikTok Promotes Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol to Kids, Investigation Finds
Video-sharing platform TikTok promotes sexual content to underage users through its suggestion algorithm, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. Investigators for The Wall Street Journal set up 31 fake TikTok accounts registered to users between the ages of 13 and 15 and studied their “For You” feeds, which consist of videos recommended to users…Ailan Evans -
- Opinion
Left Doesn’t Just Want to Censor You on Social Media. It Also Wants to Close Your Bank Accounts.
When White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that people who spread “misinformation” “shouldn’t be banned from one platform and not others,” she revealed the left’s chilling plan for censoring content that goes against the left’s narrative. It is becoming increasingly clear that political leaders on the left and Big Tech are joining arms to…Annelise Butler -
- News
Texas Targets Social Media Titans Over Viewpoint Censorship
The Texas state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that aims to curb perceived political censorship by social media companies. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, would prohibit social media platforms from “censoring” users based on their viewpoints. “Censoring” includes actions such as removing content, banning users, demonetizing users, and suppressing posts, according to the bill. Users…Ailan Evans -
- News
Most States Appeal Antitrust Case Against Facebook
State and territorial attorneys general are appealing a federal judge's dismissal of their antitrust complaint against Facebook. The complaint, filed Wednesday by 48 state and territorial attorneys general and led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, was dismissed in June, along with a complaint brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The attorneys general alleged Facebook illegally…Ailan Evans -
- Opinion
‘Mainstream Media Doesn’t Represent Mainstream America,’ Babylon Bee CEO Says
The so-called mainstream media has lost touch with real America, says Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, a Christian website that specializes in satire. “Whatever you want to call it, the mainstream media doesn’t really represent mainstream America, so I do think that’s a misnomer,” Dillon says, adding: It comes out in a lot…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Democrats’ Bill Would Hold Facebook, Other Social Media Liable for ‘Health Misinformation’
Senate Democrats introduced legislation Thursday removing liability protections from online platforms that promote content deemed health misinformation. The bill, proposed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ray Lujan, seeks to carve out an exception from Section 230 liability shields enjoyed by online platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube, if those platforms boost content classified as health…Ailan Evans -
- Opinion
What Type of Speech Will Biden Ask Facebook to Suppress Next?
“They’re killing people.” That was the simple declarative sentence President Joe Biden uttered in response to a question a reporter asked him July 16 as he left the White House. “On COVID misinformation, what’s your message to platforms like Facebook?” the reporter had shouted as the president was walking toward Marine One. Biden turned and…Terence Jeffrey -
- Opinion
Biden Administration Needs to Take the Kid Gloves Off When Reacting to China’s Cyberattacks
The United States, along with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and NATO, on Monday formally attributed a series of malicious cyberattacks to China. This includes the March cyberattack that targeted Microsoft’s Exchange Server software, carried out by a Chinese-based hacking group known as Hafnium. This formal attribution is part of a broader condemnation of…Dustin Carmack -
- News
Psaki Mum on Which Facebook Posts White House Flags as ‘Misinformation’
During a press conference Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki dodged addressing whether the White House would reveal which Facebook posts it flags as misinformation. Psaki said last week that the White House will flag posts deemed vaccine misinformation to Facebook. But the White House press secretary didn’t address Monday whether the White House will “publicly…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
White House Working With Facebook to Flag ‘Disinformation,’ Psaki Says
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the White House is not only working with Facebook to flag disinformation on vaccines—it’s also asking Facebook to share data on the reach and engagement of posts deemed disinformation. “We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,” the White House press secretary said. Facebook, which…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
US Response to Cyberattacks? It Must Be More Than Just Biden’s ‘Off Limits’ List
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a mid-June summit in Geneva, after which Biden told reporters, “I talked about the proposition that certain critical infrastructure should be off-limits to attack, period—by cyber or any other means.” The president said he handed over a list of 16 areas of critical infrastructure that are…Dustin Carmack -
- Opinion
Exposing Media Bias Is a ‘Bad Faith’ Argument?
The arrogance of the liberal media can be measured by their dismissal of all conservative criticism as “bad faith” attacks on the press. Assuming that conservative critics are dishonest and disreputable cynics is a common trope of CNN’s Brian Stelter when liberal journalists become mired in scandal. In a June 15 “Academic Minute” podcast, Marist…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Biden Directive on Mitigating Threats From TikTok, Other Foreign-Owned Apps Is Insufficient
President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked an executive order signed by then-President Donald Trump that targeted the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps by proposing these apps be banned due to their national security risks. In its place, Biden signed a new executive order with vague directions for the Commerce Department to evaluate software related to…Annelise Butler -
- News
China Lauds Biden’s TikTok Executive Order, Calls It a ‘Positive Step’
China on Thursday praised President Joe Biden’s repeal of former President Donald Trump’s executive orders seeking to ban TikTok and WeChat, calling the move a “positive step.” “We hope that the U.S. will treat Chinese companies fairly and avoid politicizing economic and trade issues,” Commerce Ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said at a news briefing Thursday,…Andrew Trunsky -
- Opinion
Facebook Censored My Video Questioning Climate Change Alarmists
Whom does Facebook trust to censor content posted on its platform? A Ph.D. graduate from France. Really. The Frenchman, Emmanuel Vincent, started a fact-checking group he calls “Climate Feedback.” It does “a new kind of fact-checking.” It sure is new—and wrong. I released a video in which some climate scientists argue that climate change is…John Stossel -
- News
Facebook Extends Its Ban of Trump to 2 Years or More
Facebook announced Friday it has extended its ban of former President Donald Trump for 19 more months—for a total of two years—and may ban him permanently at a future date. “Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules, which merit…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
How Google Is Attempting to ‘Newspeak’ the English Language
In a social engineering move that seems straight out of the pages of George Orwell, Google recently introduced an update to its Google Docs platform that encourages users to use more “inclusive” language. Inclusive language advocates argue that words like “he” and “she” are transphobic, or that phrases like “blind date” “build on the millennia…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
North Korean Cyberattacks Pose Threat to US
A U.S. grand jury indicted three North Korean hackers in February on charges of attempting to steal or extort $1.3 billion from international financial institutions and companies. The egregious North Korean cyberattack was hardly an isolated event. Since 2007, the regime in Pyongyang has engaged in cyberespionage, disruptive and destructive attacks, cyberterrorism, and cyber bank…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
How This Independent Journalist Documents Media Bias
The left-leaning media sometimes uses the news to promote an agenda, independent journalist Drew Holden says. Holden has become known for his Twitter threads, in which he shows how news coverage changes depending on whether the subject is a liberal or a conservative. “What we’ve seen in the last couple of years,” Holden says, “is…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
Even Without Social Media, Trump Finds a Way to Shape the News
Tim Murtaugh served as communications director for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign last year, witnessing firsthand how a single tweet could dominate the news cycle. Now, with Trump banished from social media platforms, the former president is still finding a way to wield his influence. Through daily postings on current events and political issues, Trump…Rob Bluey