Rishi Sunak Considers Curbing Social Media Use for Under-16s

THE GUARDIAN: Reports suggest a ban is among potential options to protect young people from online harm

Rishi Sunak is considering limiting social media access for teenagers under the age of 16 to try to protect them from online harm, with reports suggesting a potential ban is on the cards.
r The government is considering further action despite bringing in the Online Safety Act, which requires social media platforms to shield children from harmful content or face fines of up to 10% of a company’s global revenue. » | Aletha Adu and Dan Milmo | Thursday, December 14, 2023

Kick this Puritan out of office with despatch! With this man at the helm, a bleak future awaits young people! First, it was the smoking ban; now, this! What will this little dictator next find to ban?

These bans are unacceptable; so is this little dictator. Banning things is not the British way! Kick the SOB out of office. And with despatch! Indians might like his bans; we British do not! – © Mark Alexander

Gay Kiss on Live TV Evades Singapore’s Ban on LGBT Content

THE GUARDIAN: Video clip of two men kissing in Beijing bar during Channel News Asia report hailed as ‘act of revolution’

Two men are seen kissing behind the Channel News Asia reporter during a live broadcast from Beijing. Photograph: CNA/YouTube
It was a Singaporean news report on the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, live from a Beijing bar filled with eager fans. Yet it was two men – who burst into the view of the camera, sharing a dramatic kiss – who stole the show.

The clip has since gone viral in Singapore, where broadcasting codes restrict content that promotes LGBT “lifestyles”, and where sexual relationships between men are outlawed.

The kiss does not feature in a version of the report published by Channel News Asia (CNA) on its website. But on TikTok a clip of the kiss has been viewed more than 825,000 times. “This is actually an act of revolution,” one user wrote. It has also been shared widely on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. » | Rebecca Ratcliffe, South-east Asia correspondent | Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Brazil’s President Bans Social Networks from Removing Some Posts

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The new rules in Brazil appear to be the first national policy that restricts how tech companies can control their sites, analysts say.

Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil in São Paulo on Tuesday. Victor Moriyama for The New York Times
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil is temporarily banning social media companies from removing certain content, including his claims that the only way he’ll lose next year’s elections is if the vote is rigged — one of the most significant steps by a democratically elected leader to control what can be said on the internet.

The new social media rules, issued this week and effective immediately, appear to be the first time a national government has stopped internet companies from taking down content that violates their rules, according to internet law experts and officials at tech companies. And they come at a precarious moment for Brazil. » | Jack Nicas | Thursday, September 9, 2021

New Zealand Mosque Attacks: Social Media Comes Under Attack | Al Jazeera English

Since Friday's attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, social media platforms have been criticised for failing to stop the suspect's shooting video, and hate-filled manifesto, from going viral. Why was it so difficult for the social media giants, with all their resources and latest technology, to contain the spread of videos of New Zealand mosque attacks? Al Jazeera's Mereana Hond reports.

Inside Story - Should Social Media Companies Ban Certain Content?

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Microsoft to join efforts to filter out content they consider "terrorist propaganda".

What's the Future for Mainstream Media? – BBC Newsnight

David Grossman looks at how social media helped Donald Trump to win the US election, and whether the mainstream media still has any influence in elections.

Twitter, Spies & Looters: Erdogan Blames 'Foreign Agents' for Turkey Riots
For a sixth night running in Turkey, it was more of the same. Clashes leading to police unleashing their water cannons and tear gas on protesters. A third fatality has been confirmed in the unrest, after a man died from head injuries in an Ankara hospital. Activists want the police chiefs responsible for their violent tactics removed and urged officials to ban the use of tear gas. Protesters also want all those that have been detained, released saying that could end the days of riots. The Turkish Prime minister returns from a trip to North Africa later, and will be expected to do something about the public discontent which has seen demands for him to reverse all his policies. But as RT's Irina Galushko reports, Erdogan appears to be looking for scapegoats.

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