social media

Arkansas governor-backed bill would require social media age verification

BY: - March 9, 2023

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants the Arkansas Legislature to require platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to hire third-party vendors to verify users’ ages. A bill introduced with the new Republican governor’s support on Thursday would require social media users to provide digital versions of their drivers’ licenses or state IDs to online companies. Those under […]

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (center right), held a roundtable on Jan. 25, 2023, on the role of social media platforms in the sale of illicit drugs, specifically fentanyl-laced drugs. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Funding needed to curb fentanyl smuggling at ports of entry, administration officials say

BY: - February 15, 2023

WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials at a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday on the deadly illicit drug fentanyl said they need more money for better screening technology at ports of entry at the Southern border. They also said the U.S. needs to keep pressure on China due to its role in the sale of chemicals used […]

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (center right), held a roundtable on Jan. 25, 2023, on the role of social media platforms in the sale of illicit drugs, specifically fentanyl-laced drugs. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

U.S. House GOP takes aim at fake pills containing deadly fentanyl sold on social media

BY: - January 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — On a June 2020 morning, Amy Neville entered her son’s bedroom to wake him for an orthodontist appointment.  Fourteen-year-old Alex didn’t wake up.  He died of fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit pill he bought from someone he met on Snapchat, Neville told GOP lawmakers Wednesday during a roundtable discussion of the role […]

In this photo illustration, a mobile phone can be seen displaying the logos for Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in front of a monitor showing the flags of the United States and China on an internet page in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Members of Congress sign up for TikTok, despite security concerns

BY: - January 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — Just like teens, members of Congress are setting up TikTok accounts — even as the popular app is increasingly barred from government devices and heads of federal intelligence agencies raise concerns about data collection and surveillance obtained by a Chinese-owned company.  At least 32 members of Congress — all Democrats and one independent […]

COMMENTARY

Twitter’s decision to stop enforcing COVID-19 misinformation policy is irresponsible, dangerous

BY: - December 6, 2022

Twitter recently made the irresponsible decision to stop enforcing its policy against COVID-19 misinformation. This decision is especially disappointing in light of Twitter’s formerly laudable efforts to protect its users from health misinformation. In a 2021 report, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy cited Twitter as an example of a social media platform that had made […]

COMMENTARY
On Oct. 19, 2022, an official with the Miami-Dade County Elections Department conducts a comprehensive examination of the voting equipment that will be used in the Nov. 8th general election. Elections, from campaigning to voting systems, are under great scrutiny this year. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Experts grade readiness of four big social media platforms to handle election misinformation

BY: , and - October 20, 2022

The 2016 U.S. election was a wake-up call about the dangers of political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift in form and targets. The […]

COMMENTARY

Fear of reporters is fear of the truth

BY: - October 7, 2022

In the weeks after he assumed office, former President Donald Trump put reporters in the crosshairs when he labeled them “the enemy of the American people.” He was following the authoritarian playbook, long consulted by the likes of Stalin and Hitler, but it was shocking to see such strongman rhetoric coming from an American leader, […]

COMMENTARY

Americans think they know a lot about politics; too often they’re wrong

BY: - September 6, 2022

Ian Anson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County As statewide primaries continue through the summer, many Americans are beginning to think about which candidates they will support in the 2022 general election. This decision-making process is fraught with difficulties, especially for inexperienced voters. Voters must navigate angry, emotion-laden conversations about politics when trying to sort out […]