Supreme Court wrestles with lawsuit shield for social media
In its first case about the federal law that is credited with helping create the modern internet, the Supreme Court seems unlikely to side with a family wanting to hold Google liable for the death of their daughter who was killed in a terrorist attack.
Viral vision: Sight of 1,000 people restored in YouTube megastar’s video featuring Jacksonville eye surgeon
A video from YouTuber MrBeast with the headline “1,000 Blind People See For The First Time” has garnered more than 72 million views in only three days, and a large part of the video involves ophthalmologist and surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Levenson and his team who operate in Jacksonville.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Like the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem in the mental health crisis among youth.
Comedian and actor TJ Miller joins the RCL set
Comedian and actor TJ Miller is performing at the comedy zone this weekend - two shows tonight and tomorrow! Currently, TJ has a new special featured on YouTube called “Dear Jonah”. What was originally planned as a set comedy special was quickly changed when TJ’s improv took a different direction.
Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas
Not sure what to wear for Halloween? Make it yourself! Yes, you can do it, I promise — even if you’re not crafty. Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube are FULL of easy tutorials. All you have to have is the idea and Google. Our friend and Jacksonville Mom Contributor Mischelle Storm stopped by the studio with some great ideas.
‘CoComelon Live! JJ’s Journey’ at Jacksonville’s Moran Theatre
Inspired by CoComelon, the #1 most watched entertainment brand on YouTube, fans and press have been raving about the first leg of the tour. CoComelon LIVE! JJ’s Journey is a Broadway-style musical production and an unforgettable adventure, encouraging parents and kids alike to get out of their seats and sing and dance along. Each stop on the journey is a fun-filled, interactive musical romp with magical special effects. JJ and his family are putting on a show where JJ is writing his own song and he needs a little help.
YouTube to remove videos spreading abortion falsehoods
YouTube will begin removing misleading videos about abortion in response to falsehoods being spread about the procedure that is being banned or restricted across a broad swath of the U.S. The move announced Thursday by the Google-owned video site comes about a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that had protected the legality of abortion in the country for nearly 50 years.
EXPLAINER: How platforms dealt with 'RINO hunting' video
When a GOP Missouri U.S. Senate candidate released a video Monday in which he cocked a gun after calling for a hunt of fellow Republicans who he believes are “RINOs,” or Republicans in Name Only, Facebook scraped it off its platform within a few hours.
Steven Malcolm kicks off Long Live the Hype Tour at Murray Hill Theatre
Coming off a huge 2021 that included a GMA Dove Award nomination, 58 million global DSP streams, and 13.1 million YouTube views Steven Malcolm is excited to kick off his Long Live The Hype Tour in Jacksonville, FL. He chats with River City Live about the tour and his forthcoming album ‘Tree’ due out April 15th. Doors open at 7 pm for the 7:30 show at Murray Hill Theatre. Stay connected to Steven at www.stevenmalcolm.com .
EXPLAINER: How social platforms are dealing with the Taliban
As the Taliban negotiates with senior politicians and government leaders following its lighting-fast takeover of Afghanistan, U.S. social media companies are reckoning with how to deal with a violent extremist group that is poised to rule a country of 40 million people.
Seller of vaccine disinformation has YouTube channel removed
A major seller of disinformation about Covid-19 and its vaccines online has had one of its channels removed from YouTube, days after an investigation by The Associated Press detailed how they work with other spreaders of false information to make money.
Demi Lovato’s shocking new docuseries sheds light on mental health struggles
In 2018, singer Demi Lovato almost lost her life to a drug overdose, and now, she’s stepped forward to tell the world her story. Lovato’s new docuseries “Dancing With the Devil,” which you can watch on YouTube, explores the events that led up to her near fatal overdose. The docuseries not only covers Lovato’s prior mental health issues, but how she now processes her daily struggles. AdMany of us have known someone who has had difficulty with mental health, or perhaps someone who struggles with addiction. The first two episodes of “Dancing with the Devil” are available to watch on YouTube, and you can expect to see two more episodes coming out.
YouTube to broadcast 21 games as part of 3rd MLB season
The games are exclusive and will not be televised by club broadcast partners. YouTube telecasts include live chats. YouTube broadcast 13 games in 2019 and says it generated an average of 1.2 million live views. It broadcast four games last September during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Myanmar's searing smartphone images flood a watching world
The world is watching violent events unfold in Myanmar for many reasons, but perhaps one above all: because it can. Video captured by people running toward chaos and away from it. The world is watching violent events unfold in Myanmar for many reasons, but perhaps one above all: because it can. And then much of the world forgot about Myanmar for nearly a generation. After all, they were the ones who had the infrastructure and support to transmit their images to the wider world.
Protesters defy Myanmar security forces as UN action urged
Security forces escalated their crackdown with greater use of lethal force and mass arrests. At least 18 protesters were shot and killed Sunday and 38 on Wednesday, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office. Any kind of coordinated action at the U.N. will be difficult because two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are likely to veto it. Many cases of targeted brutality by security forces in the streets have been captured in photos and videos that have circulated widely on social media. Videos have showed security forces shooting people at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators.
YouTube cancels Myanmar military-run channels, pulls videos
Protests continue in Myanmar against the Feb 1 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. (AP Photo)BANGKOK – YouTube has removed five channels run by Myanmar’s military for violating its community guidelines and terms of service. The company said Friday that it terminated channels of broadcasters Myawaddy Media, MRTV, WD Online Broadcasting, MWD Variety and MWD Myanmar. “We have terminated a number of channels and removed several videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and applicable laws,” YouTube said in an emailed statement. The decision by YouTube followed Facebook’s earlier announcement that it had removed all Myanmar military-linked pages from its site and from Instagram, which it also owns.
Police: Rapper OMB Peezy charged in music video shooting
FILE - Roddy Ricch performs at the 7th annual BET Experience in Los Angeles on June 21, 2019. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)ATLANTA – An Alabama rapper was arrested in connection to a shooting at a music video set in downtown Atlanta, authorities said. OMB Peezy was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, news outlets reported. The shooting happened on Feb. 21 at a scrap yard where rappers Roddy Ricch and 42 Dugg were filming a music video. Peezy, 24, has over 550,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he's posted music, cooking and advice videos.
YouTube removes Ohio committee video, citing misinformation
FILE- This Monday, April 20, 2020 file photo shows protesters gathering outside of the Ohio State House in Columbus, Ohio to protest the stay home order. Legislative testimony made Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 in support of a GOP-backed effort to limit public health orders made by Ohio's governor was removed from YouTube after the service deemed it contained COVID-19 misinformation. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)COLUMBUS, Ohio – Legislative testimony made Wednesday in support of a GOP-backed effort to limit public health orders made by Ohio's governor was removed from YouTube after the service deemed it contained COVID-19 misinformation. The video showed Thomas Renz, an attorney for Ohio Stands Up, a citizen group, make the opening testimony during a House committee hearing on a bill that would allow lawmakers to vote down public health orders during the pandemic. This is not just a state of emergency for our storm or a flood or whatever the case may be.
In Florida city, a hacker tried to poison the drinking water
In this screen shot from a YouTube video posted by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri speaks during a news conference as Oldsmar, Fla., Mayor Eric Seidel, left, listens, Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Oldsmar, Fla. Authorities say a hacker gained access to Oldsmar's water treatment plant in an unsuccessful attempt to taint the water supply with a caustic chemical. Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dragos Security, and a specialist in industrial control system vulnerabilities, said remote access to industrial control systems such as those running water treatment plants has become increasingly common. AdIn May, Israel’s cyber chief s aid the country had thwarted a major cyber attack a month earlier against its water systems, an assault widely attributed to its archenemy Iran. The FBI, along with the Secret Service and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Fake accounts gain traction as they praise China, mock US
But it is unclear who is behind the fake accounts, which posted more than 1,400 videos in English, Mandarin or Cantonese, Nimmo said. One of the Twitter accounts, which had a following of roughly 2,000 users mostly from Latin American, also tweeted the messaging in Spanish. But even after Trump's exit from office on Jan. 20, the fake network has continued to push anti-U.S. posts. Other fake accounts have questioned the safety of American-approved vaccines for COVID-19, despite studies on tens of thousands of people that found no serious side effects. Other Facebook and Twitter accounts identified in Graphika's report were also removed.
Google's rebounding ad revenue spells big 4Q for Alphabet
In results announced Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, Googles digital advertising empire is regaining the momentum it lost during the pandemics early stages. Google’s fourth-quarter ad revenue totaled $46.2 billion, a 22% increase from the same time in the previous year. The growth in the past quarter surpassed the 10% year-over-gain in Google’s ad revenue during the July-September period. AdThose increases came after Google’s ad revenue fell 8% during last year’s April-June period that unfolded after most of the U.S. economy had shut down. That marked the first time Google's quarterly ad revenue had ever declined from the previous year since the company went public in 2004.
Extremists exploit a loophole in social moderation: Podcasts
This combination of photos shows various podcasts, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. But Apple and Google, among others, have left open a major loophole: Podcasts. But Apple and Google, among others, have left open a major loophole for this material: Podcasts. Accounts that have been banned on social media for election misinformation, threatening or bullying, and breaking other rules also still live on as podcasts available on the tech giants’ platforms. “Podcasts filled with hatred and incitement to violence should not be treated any differently than any other content," Segal said.
YouTube suspends Trump’s channel for at least a week
YouTube said it would be suspending U.S. President Donald Trumps channel for at least a week amid concerns around ongoing potential for violence, making it the latest platform to limit the presidents online activities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)HONG KONG – YouTube suspended U.S. President Donald Trump’s channel for at least a week amid concerns over “ongoing potential for violence,” making it the latest platform to limit the president’s online activities. Under the suspension, Trump's channel is temporarily prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for at least seven days, although the channel remains live, YouTube said. Comments would be indefinitely disabled on the channel, YouTube said. ___ This story has been corrected to remove an incorrect assertion that Reddit banned President Donald Trump from its service and to fix the spelling of Jim Steyer's name.
Twitter, Facebook muzzle Trump amid Capitol violence
In an unprecedented step, Facebook and Twitter suspended President Donald Trump from posting to their platforms Wednesday following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Twitter locked Trump out of his account for 12 hours and said that future violations by Trump could result in a permanent suspension. “Social media is complicit in this because he has repeatedly used social media to incite violence. So far, YouTube has not taken similar action to muzzle Trump, although it said it also removed Trump's video. Trump has harnessed social media — especially Twitter — as a potent tool for spreading misinformation about the election.
Report: Social media manipulation affects even US senators
Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said in a statement that he agreed to participate because it's important to understand how vulnerable even verified accounts are. “We’ve seen how easy it is for foreign adversaries to use social media as a tool to manipulate election campaigns and stoke political unrest," Murphy said. “It’s clear that social media companies are not doing enough to combat misinformation and paid manipulation on their own platforms and more needs to be done to prevent abuse.”In an age when much public debate has moved online, widespread social media manipulation not only distorts commercial markets, it is also a threat to national security, NATO StratCom director Janis Sarts told The Associated Press. “These kinds of inauthentic accounts are being hired to trick the algorithm into thinking this is very popular information and thus make divisive things seem more popular and get them to more people. “It means you are unequally protected across social media platforms.
Gmail, YouTube down briefly as Google suffers brief outage
LONDON – Google users in the U.S., Europe, India and other parts of the world were briefly unable to access their Gmail accounts, watch YouTube videos or get to their online documents during an outage Monday. The vast majority of those people, about 90%, could not log in, according to the site Downdetector. The inability to sign in prevented users accessing other platforms through Google, including mobile video games. The disruption was an early jolt on the East Coast for parents who were waking children up for school Monday. Millions of students are relying on Google for online instruction during the pandemic, including platforms like Google Docs.
Google is back! Gmail, YouTube outage over within an hour
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Millions around the world couldn’t get email, conduct searches or watch videos early this morning. They got error messages from Google instead. Reports about the services began to surface at about 6:30 a.m. Google’s workplace status dashboard confirmed every single one of its products were hit by the outage. About an hour later, all Google platforms appeared to be working. At 8:07 a.m., Google tweeted that the outage was “all clear” but some users reported that they were still unable to reach Gmail.
Weeks after election, YouTube cracks down on misinformation
More than a month after the U.S. presidential election, YouTube says it will start removing newly uploaded material that claims widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome. But this election was different from past elections and YouTube has been widely criticized for not doing more to prevent misinformation from spreading on its platform. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, which put measures in place — with some success —- YouTube had until Wednesday stood by its decision to allow baseless claims about election fraud to stay up. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Attorney General William Barr said last week the Justice Department has not identified voter fraud that would change the presidential election.
Daddy Yankee achieves new balance, readies for his comeback
It's something he had to gradually learn after gaining 40 pounds (almost 20 kilos) during the first months of quarantine. I started eating and eating and eating and I put on the pounds like never before. “I devoted myself to my health and to something that was unknown to me, which was rest,” he said. “I wanted the artists to be gigantic, on people's faces, so the audience could feel that they were in front of them and we achieved that,” Yankee said. “It was a concert that became a residence, like if Las Vegas had moved to Puerto Rico.”___Follow Sigal Ratner-Arias on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sigalratner.
YouTube announces lineup for discussions on racial justice
LOS ANGELES – Mark Cuban, Anthony Anderson and Skylar Diggins-Smith will take part in a series of panel discussions on YouTube that are focused on racial justice. Common and Keke Palmer return as hosts of the forum, which will include sports figures, entertainers and activists. Diggins-Smith will appear on panel with reporter Jemele Hill and activist Harry Edwards about athletes’ impact on today’s political movement. “It is so important that we keep a dialogue about racial justice going beyond any particular moment,” Palmer said. “I want to encourage my peers to continue to have thoughtful and powerful conversations that will lead us to change.
Want to save some money or declutter your bathroom? Try these multipurpose beauty products
We could all stand to save a few bucks whenever we can, so why not declutter your bathroom and start using some beauty products that can do more than one thing? StyleWise style editor Jon Jordan is well versed when it comes to beauty products, so he knows a thing or two when it comes to condensing your inventory and only using the products that you really need in your daily life. You can obviously use the product for washing your hair, but Jordan suggests you try it as a body wash, as well. Another great product that can be used in different ways is something men may have in their bathroom: beard oil. There are lots of other things Jordan recommends, so watch the entire video to get all the tips from a professional.
Did social media actually counter election misinformation?
The social media platforms have been working for months, if not years since the last presidential election, to prepare for Trumps unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and premature victory declarations. (AP Photo)Ahead of the election, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube promised to clamp down on election misinformation, including unsubstantiated charges of fraud and premature declarations of victory by candidates. For the most part, what they said they would, which primarily meant labeling false or misleading election posts in order to point users to reliable information. But Google placed an “information panel” beneath the videos noting that election results may not be final and linking to Google’s election results page with additional information. It labeled Trump’s tweets declaring premature victory as well as claims from Trump and others about premature victory in specific states.
Celebrities unite to various get-out-the-vote efforts
This combination photo shows Justin Bieber, from left, Dua Lipa and Demi Lovato who will take part in various planned events urging Americans to vote. (AP Photo)NEW YORK – In the final days before the U.S. election, celebrities from Kerry Washington to Billie Jean King and Danai Gurira are urging Americans to vote. — The hourlong “Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy” will be hosted by Alicia Keys, America Ferrera and Kerry Washington. — The NFL's voting campaign includes Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley. There's also an “Latinos Vote” extension campaign with NFL legends and celebrities encouraging the Latino community to vote that includes Victor Cuz, Roberto Garza and Wilmer Valderrama.
Gators Breakdown: YouTube Q&A - October 21, 2020
With no game again this week, David Waters takes questions from Gators Breakdown YouTube watchers. Get Gators Breakdown merchandise at https://www.ebay.com/str/gatorsbreakdownLISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher
This makeup routine will have you ready in 10 minutes or less
Getting ready for dinner with the girls or having a date night with your partner can always be such a rush when you’re a busy person, but we guarantee this makeup routine will have you ready to go and out the door in 10 minutes -- or maybe even faster. Katrina has been doing this for years, so if anyone knows how to put on an elegant face of makeup quickly, it’s her. Let’s say you’re going to work, so you do a simple and quick makeup base before you head out the door in the morning. You already have a great primer for the more dramatic makeup to come later in the day. By the time you’re ready to to go out at night, you just have to let your hair down and you’ve got tons of volume to work with.
YouTube follows Twitter and Facebook with QAnon crackdown
OAKLAND, Calif. – YouTube is following the lead of Twitter and Facebook, saying that it is taking more steps to limit QAnon and other baseless conspiracy theories that can lead to real-world violence. YouTube is the third of the major social platforms to announce policies intended rein in QAnon, a conspiracy theory they all helped spread. Twitter announced in July a crackdown on QAnon, though it did not ban its supporters from its platform. It did ban thousands of accounts associated with QAnon content and blocked URLs associated with it from being shared. Experts said the move shows that YouTube is taking threats around violent conspiracy theories seriously and recognizes the importance of limiting the spread of such conspiracies.
Murphy criticizes YouTube stars for 'Jersey Shore' gathering
FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2012, file photo, the unoccupied house made famous by the cast of MTV is shown in Jersey Seaside Heights, N.J. On Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that the YouTube stars who rented out the "Jersey Shore" house on Sept. 14, should "be taken to task" after an estimated 1,000 people showed up, many flouting COVID-19 social distancing rules. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that YouTube stars who rented out the “Jersey Shore” house Monday should “be taken to task” after an estimated 1,000 people showed up, many flouting COVID-19 social distancing rules. Murphy estimated the crowd numbered about 1,000 people and said it took seven or eight police departments to break up. The orignal “Jersey Shore” series ran on MTV from 2009 to 2012, following the adventures of a group of 20-somethings as they spent summers in the beach town of Seaside Heights, New Jersey.