Tag: twitter
Twitter to remove images of deceased on families’ request
In a crackdown on gory and upsetting images, Twitter has announced a new policy where it will remove photos or video of dead people if close family members or other authorised individuals request such a removal. The policy update comes as pictures and video circulated on Twitter after the beheading of US journalist James Foley,…
Police investigated over social media breaches
Hundreds of police officers in England and Wales have been accused of breaches social media guidelines that include making racist and threatening comments, posing images of colleagues in compromising positions and sending Facebook friend requests to victims of crime. The BBC reports that research by the Press Association found that of 828 cases from 2009…
Twitter is showing your favourites in your followers’ timelines
Potentially horrifying news depending on how you use Twitter. The company is testing a new "feature" whereby tweets that you have favourited will act like retweets, and will be shown in the timelines of the people who follow you. That's right - just like a retweet. The feature has only rolled out to a handful…
Twitter promises to do something following Zelda Williams abuse incident
Twitter's problem with unsolicited abuse by dickheads reached a depressing peak following the death of Robin Williams. His daughter, Zelda Williams quit the social network following a series of abusive tweets. Yeah, we're not sure what the hell is wrong with people either. I'm sorry. I should've risen above. Deleting this from my devices for…
Twitter buys “deep learning” company Madbits
Does Twitter know everything? It soon might thanks to its acquisition of intelligence technology firm Madbits. Twitter users often joke about asking the "hive-mind" questions, but could Twitter soon have an actual hive-mind? (Umm, probably not). The company has built software that will analyse tweets to extract meaning and detail - meaning that Twitter will…
Twitter CEO wants to boost messaging
Speaking in a call to investors, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has revealed that he'd like to see the platform improve its messaging capabilities. According to Business Insider, Costolo described the following potential enhancement: "Specifically, being able to take a public conversation and being able to migrate it to a private channel. So, taking a public…
Are there two stranger Tweeters than Richard Dawkins and Gerry Adams?
Twitter is the greatest thing to happen to celebrities since... well... ever. No longer do those in the public gaze have to rely on an unreliable media to shape their public image, and have journalists mediate the interaction between the well known and the great unwashed. Twitter provides a direction connection between celebrity and fans…
Cyclists hound a poor woman for a tweet: Twitter users need to learn the value of a proportional response
Since I took up cycling a couple of years ago, I've become something of a militant cyclist. Having to take to London's roads is not a pleasant experience for much of the time, because the city is so poorly equipped to deal with people on two wheels. It's insane that Transport for London hasn't done…
Facebook is testing a ‘buy’ button
Amazon recently rolled out a "buy now" feature for its followers on Twitter, and now it seems that Facebook is looking at a similar feature for its website. Facebook said this week that it is testing a Buy button to help businesses drive sales through the News Feed and on their Facebook Pages. "With this…
Google+ finally removes naming restrictions
It's been around for three years now, but Google+ still struggles to drag people away from the more popular (and, to be honest, useful) social networks Facebook and Twitter. Now, in a bid to actually get people involved and stop Google+ being a social desert island, Google has dropped the rule that requires Google+ users…