Cybersecurity

China-backed operatives used fake social profiles to gauge US political division, Microsoft says

Some of the fake accounts used AI-generated images, and have doubled or tripled their followers since being detected, the company told Nextgov/FCW.

Digital Government

Supreme Court clarifies when public officials can block citizens on social media

The Supreme Court unanimously found in a pair of cases that whether a government official can block a constituent on their personal social media account hinges on if a post is a state action or is private conduct.

Digital Government

US, EU recommend protections for human rights defenders online

The U.S. State Department and the European Union released an approach for protecting human rights defenders from online attacks.

Digital Government

CISA is still maintaining radio silence with social media as Super Tuesday kicks off

The lack of communication stems from an ongoing Supreme Court case that one top senator says Biden administration lawyers have been “too timid” in addressing.

Digital Government

Federal judge temporarily blocks Montana’s TikTok ban

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said in his preliminary injunction that the first-of-its-kind state law “likely” violates the First Amendment. A trial to review its legal authority could still reinstate the ban.

People

Service member influencers are helping DOD recruit, Pentagon official says

Social media posts shared by “genuine service members on their own” are helping the Pentagon recruit more young Americans into the U.S. military, according to the deputy secretary of defense.

Digital Government

Supreme Court lifts restrictions on federal agency contacts with social media firms

The ruling frees up federal agencies to contact social network platform owners about content moderation issues and other matters, pending the resolution of a court case.

Digital Government

Lawmaker demands action from social media companies amid disinformation deluge

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., questioned whether tech companies are doing enough to curb the massive influx of disinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Cybersecurity

Meta report spotlights ‘largest known’ foreign influence effort across social media platforms

Actors linked to adversarial nations — namely China and Russia — worked across platforms to push inaccurate content, according to a report released Tuesday. 

Ideas

Social media can in fact be made better

COMMENTARY | Research shows it is possible to reward users for sharing accurate information instead of misinformation.

Policy

Democrats call YouTube ‘extremely irresponsible’ for election misinformation rollback

YouTube’s decision to stop removing false content about previous U.S. elections “threatens to weaken our democracy,” several top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a letter to the platform’s leaders. 

Policy

New bill proposes 'made in China' tags for mobile apps

The legislation would require large online app stores — including Apple’s App Store and Google Play — to disclose the countries where their apps were developed and are currently owned.

Ideas

Study: Americans Are Getting Better at Avoiding Misinformation

Research suggests Americans are visiting websites that repeatedly make false claims or news stories.

Ideas

Social Media Scatters Your Brain, And Then You Buy Stuff You Don't Need

Experiments suggest prolonged social media use changes the way users respond to ads.

Policy

GOP Lawmakers Call for Congressional Ban on Members Using TikTok

A coalition of 17 House and Senate GOP lawmakers called for an amendment to both chambers’ rules to bar members of Congress from using TikTok for official purposes.

Digital Government

Deadlines Loom for Contractor TikTok Ban

By now, federal agencies must have TikTok completely out of IT systems. Contractors have some more time to stop using TikTok, but not that much.

Acquisition

Deadlines loom for contractor TikTok ban

By now, federal agencies must have TikTok completely out of IT systems. Contractors have some more time to stop using TikTok, but not that much.

Emerging Tech

TikTok, Security and Government Devices

Tom Guarente of Armis joins the podcast to discuss what network administrators need to know about the potential threat that the social media app poses.

Ideas

AI and Twitter Could Help Predict Opioid Deaths

Combined, the technologies can predict where opioid deaths are likely to occur.

Ideas

More College Students Than Ever Say They Go to Therapy

Nearly half of all college students are depressed, according to a new nationwide study.