Vietnam Veterans Group: ‘Foreign Criminals’ Targeting Servicemembers for Online Exploitation
The group called on the Trump administration to “take swift, coordinated actions” to protect veterans.
Instagram Copyright Hoax
Various high-profile people fell for an old, fake “notice” against Instagram that has circulated online since 2012.
Is Facebook Ending Group Chats?
Here’s what’s changing in Facebook Groups on August 22 2019, and how you can restart group messages.
Did a Gallery Worker Mistake an Art Installation for Trash?
Social media gave new life, on at least two separate occasions, to the story of a $14,000 mishap in Italy.
Is the Hotel Closest To Area 51 Fully Booked for the ‘Storm Area 51’ Event?
Buzz about the viral “Storm Area 51” Facebook event continued through July 2019, including an article on a site called AnonNews.co about a flurry of hotel bookings for the venue nearest the famed military installation: Despite the warnings from the air force, and from a number of high profile Area 51 researchers, the event continues …
Is the Hotel Closest To Area 51 Fully Booked for the ‘Storm Area 51’ Event? Read More »
‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,’ Explained
Update, September 20 2019, 11:03 AM: In the early morning hours of September 20 2019, “#Area51Storm” and “Area 51” began trending on Twitter. (We were unable to find a valid Storm Area 51 livestream as the event unfolded.) A popular image set shared both to the “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” Facebook …
‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,’ Explained Read More »
Scams and Hoax Accounts Proliferate on Instagram
April 2019 saw the culmination of a months-long popular uprising in the country of Sudan, when its former president Omar al-Bashir stepped down from his post. The Sudanese military quickly took control of the country in what it called a transitional phase. In the weeks following al-Bashir’s ouster, however, clashes became both deadlier and more …
Scams and Hoax Accounts Proliferate on Instagram Read More »
Can Shaking Your Phone Report Posts and Land Your Friends in Facebook Jail?
In June 2019, a number of Facebook posts popped up warning mobile users of a purported new mobile feature in which shaking a phone with the social media platform’s mobile app open could lead to automatic reporting of posts (and, readers surmised, unwittingly sending friends to “Facebook jail”): The most commonly shared variation of the …
Can Shaking Your Phone Report Posts and Land Your Friends in Facebook Jail? Read More »
‘Indonesian Reporting Commission’ Facebook Purge Controversy
On the evening of May 15 2019, participants in popular Facebook groups and related pages became swamped by notifications that they were changing en masse from “closed” to “secret” after other groups with high membership counts were purportedly deleted (called “zucced” in Facebook group terminology, short for “Zuckerberg”) for initially unknown reasons. In announcement posts …
‘Indonesian Reporting Commission’ Facebook Purge Controversy Read More »
Is Facebook Donating $1 for Every Share Towards a Puppy’s Tumor?
On May 10 2019, the Facebook page “Therapy Dogs Give Love” shared the following image and plea (archived here), claiming Facebook was donating $1 for every share of an image of a puppy with a “tumor”: Alongside an image of a black dog with an avocado in its mouth, the page wrote: For every time …
Is Facebook Donating $1 for Every Share Towards a Puppy’s Tumor? Read More »