Twitter ditches its tabbed timeline mere days after rolling it out

Just days after introducing a feature that made an algorithmically-generated feed the default for iOS users, Twitter is changing things back to the way they were before. “We heard you,” the company said. “Some of you always want to see latest tweets first. We’ve switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options.”

If didn’t follow the controversy Twitter created for itself, it all started last year when the company began testing a new tabbed interface for switching between its algorithmically-generated “Home” feed and reverse-chronolgical “Latest” feed. On March 10th, the company began rolling out the feature to iOS, promising it would come to its Android app and web client soon after. But what many people found, and ended up complaining about, was that the feature would default their feed to the algorithmic one every time they opened the app.

This isn’t the first time an internet company has rolled back a feature, but it shows that many people still want a chronological feed and dislike it when companies try to take that functionality away from them. When it comes to Twitter, there’s a case to be made that many people come to the platform to get first-hand accounts and information when there’s breaking news. So making that version of the website difficult to access isn’t doing anyone any favors.

This website allows Westerners to talk to Russians about the war in Ukraine

With the Kremlin restricting access to online platforms like Twitter and Instagram in recent days, people in Russia are quickly losing access to information about the war in Ukraine that doesn’t come from the government. Enter Squad303, a website creat…

Twitter is also labeling tweets from state media outlets in Belarus

Twitter is now also adding labels to accounts and tweets sharing links from Belarusian state-affiliated media outlets “after detailed reporting about their role in the war in Ukraine.” The website started labeling tweets from Russian state media outlets a few days in late February in an effort to significantly reduce the circulation of their content. Yoel Roth, the company’s head of site integrity, said on Twitter that the company made the decision to label tweets from Belarus, as well, after expert voices highlighted the country’s involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. 

Roth said Twitter saw a 30 percent drop in impressions on Tweets from Russian state media based on early data, suggesting that the company has been successful in its goal to limit those outlets’ reach. Similar to what it did to the Russian state outlets, Twitter will also reduce the visibility of labeled tweets with Belarusian state media content. In addition, users will see a prompt whenever they try to share labeled tweets. 

Twitter blocked ads from state media outlets years ago, but it completely paused ads and recommendations in Ukraine and Russia shortly after the war began to make sure critical public safety is elevated. While Russian authorities had blocked the website since then, Twitter launched a Tor onion service to give the country’s residents access to sources about the war other than state media. More recently, Twitter removed posts from Russia’s UK embassy over false claims that the bombing of a maternity hospital in the Ukraine city of Mariupol was staged. Twitter said the posts were removed for breaking its rules surrounding the “denial of violent events.”

Facebook and Twitter remove Russian embassy posts denying Mariupol hospital bombing

Major social networks aren’t done cracking down on Russian misinformation following that country’s invasion of Ukraine. As CNN‘s Donie O’Sullivan and CNBC report, Facebook and Twitter have both removed posts from Russia’s UK embassy over false claims surrounding the bombing of a maternity hospital in the Ukraine city of Mariupol. Russia claimed without evidence that a woman in a photo of the destroyed hospital was a “beauty blogger” and that the photo was staged.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told O’Sullivan a Facebook post violated rules about content that asserts a “violent tragedy did not occur.” Twitter’s representative, meanwhile, told CNBC multiple tweets broke rules surrounding the “denial of violent events.”

Russia has routinely promoted demonstrably false narratives surrounding the invasion of Ukraine, prompting Meta, Twitter, Google and others to restrict state-backed Russian media outlets like RT and Sputnik. In turn, Russia recently made it illegal for the media to contradict President Putin’s official line on the war and has blocked Facebook and Twitter.

The removals aren’t surprising given the stances of Meta and Twitter against Russia-based misinformation. However, there may still be room for more action. The Russian embassy in Geneva, for instance, has routinely shared unsupported claims about Ukraine on Twitter, including allegations a Ukraine paramilitary group was using Mariupol hospital patients and staff as human shields. We’ve asked Twitter for comment, but this suggests the fight over misinformation is far from over.

EU tells Google to delist Russian state media websites from search

The European Commission has sent Google a request to remove Russian state media results for searches performed in countries within the EU. As The Washington Post reports, Google has uploaded a letter from EU officials to a database of government requests. In it, the officials explain how the commission’s official order to ban the broadcast of RT and Sputnik in the European Union also applies to search engines and internet companies in general.

If you’ll recall, the commission issued a ban on the state media outlets a few days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said back then that by doing so, the outlets “will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war.” While it wasn’t quite clear how the order applies to internet companies, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok promptly restricted access to RT and Sputnik across Europe. Google also announced its own restrictions, but only for the outlets’ YouTube channels.

In the letter Google has uploaded, officials explained that search engines play a major role in disseminating content and that if the company doesn’t delist the outlets, it would facilitate the public’s access to them. Part of the letter reads:

“The activity of search engines plays a decisive role in the overall dissemination of content in that it renders the latter accessible to any internet user making a search on the basis of the content indication or related terms, including to internet users who otherwise would not have found the web page on which that content is published…Consequently, if search engines such as Google did not delist RT and Sputnik, they would facilitate the public’s access to the content of RT and Sputnik, or contribute to such access. 

It follows from the foregoing that by virtue of the Regulation, providers of Internet search services must make sure that i) any link to the Internet sites of RT and Sputnik and ii) any content of RT and Sputnik, including short textual descriptions, visual elements and links to the corresponding websites do not appear in the search results delivered to users located in the EU.”

Google didn’t return The Post’s request for comment, but the publication says a search conducted within the EU didn’t bring up links for “Russia Today.” RT links still showed up for us, however, when we conducted searches using Google Austria and France. 

The letter also said that the order applies to “posts made by individuals that reproduce the content of RT and Sputnik” — for example, screenshots of articles from those outlets — and that social networks must delete those posts if they get published. That could create a deluge of additional work for social media websites already struggling to moderate content posted by their users. According to The Post, though, the actual sanctions law doesn’t define the order in the way that’s written in the letter, so the officials’ interpretation could be challenged in court. 

Twitter tests in-app ‘shops’ for brands and businesses

Twitter is launching another experimental shopping feature, with in-app storefronts for brands and businesses.The feature, called Twitter Shops, builds on the “shop module” it launched last summer. But while the shop module only allows companies to sho…

HBO hit with class action lawsuit for allegedly sharing subscriber data with Facebook

HBO is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that it gave subscribers’ viewing history to Facebook without proper permission, Variety has reported. The suit accuses HBO of providing Facebook with customer lists, allowing the social network to match viewing habits with their profiles. 

It further alleges that HBO knows Facebook can combine the data because HBO is a major Facebook advertiser — and Facebook can then use that information to retarget ads to its subscribers. Since HBO never received proper customer consent to do this, it allegedly violated the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), according to the lawsuit.

HBO, like other sites, discloses to users that it (and partners) use cookies to deliver personalized ads. However, the VPPA requires separate consent from users to share their video viewing history. “A standard privacy policy will not suffice,” according to the suit. 

Other streaming providers have been hit with similar claims, and TikTok recently agreed to pay a $92 million settlement for (in part) violating the VPPA. In another case, however, a judge ruled in 2015 that Hulu didn’t knowingly share data with Facebook that could establish an individual’s viewing history. The law firm involved in the HBO suit previously won a $50 million settlement with Hearst after alleging that it violated Michigan privacy laws by selling subscriber data. 

Facebook makes it easier for Ukrainian users to seek medical help and assistance

Facebook has updated its Community Help section in Ukraine to add resources from local UN and Red Cross agencies. The information Facebook has added will make it easier for users to find medical help and other kinds of assistance not just in Ukraine, but also in neighboring countries. In addition, Community Help now contains the WhatsApp helpline for Ukraine’s State Emergency Services to connect people with critical updates and vital services.

To make sure that people who need it can quickly access the section, Facebook is putting a link to Community Help at the top of its feeds for Ukrainain users, even if they’ve already left the country. The link will also appear at the top of the results for relevant searches on Facebook, as well as at the top of users’ Instagram feeds. 

Facebook has updated its Emotional Health Center, as well, adding mental health tips (such as how to support children during a crisis) from the WHO and other organizations in Ukrainian, Russian and English. Users in Ukraine might also start seeing more ads connecting them to organizations providing aid, because Facebook is giving those groups access to free ad campaigns to get critical messaging out to those who need it. The World Health Organization, for instance, has put out ads promoting information on breastfeeding for displaced mothers. 

Finally, those who need to get in touch with the WHO’s Health Alert helpline for mental health in Ukraine and neighboring countries can add the number +41 79 893 18 92 to their WhatsApp contacts. They simply have to message “hi” to that number to get the process started. 

Facebook made several other moves over the past couple of weeks in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The social network previously demoted Russian state media across its entire platform and took down fake accounts boosting Russian information in Ukraine shortly after the attacks started. It also enabled a “lock profile” tool for people in Ukraine, giving them a one-click solution to ensure that nobody outside their friends list can see their posts, photos and information. 

Twitter launches a Tor service to help Russians evade censorship

Twitter has a simple solution to Russia’s ban on the social network: offer a service that helps you circumvent the ban. The company has introduced a Tor onion service that should let you access Twitter even when it’s blocked in a given country. The anonymizing nature of Tor will also help protect against surveillance.

The platform is based on a version of the Enterprise Onion Toolkit (EOTK) customized to meet Twitter’s “extraordinary production requirements,” according to contributor Alec Muffett. He broke the news rather than Twitter as there were concerns news on the official TwitterSafety account would produce a “load-spike” that flooded the Tor service right when it was most needed.

The timing is more than a little convenient. This will let Russians see and share the truth about the invasion of Ukraine despite their country’s efforts to censor social apps like Facebook (which already has an onion) and communications tools like Zello. And when President Putin’s government has made it illegal for media outlets to contradict the official narrative on the war, Twitter may offer one of the few ways to access objective reporting in Russia.

That’s not the only use, of course. The Tor offering could also help residents in other countries that block Twitter, such as China, Iran and North Korea. It might also help elsewhere — you could use the Tor onion to post without as much worry that others might track your online activity.