Rivers university suspends two students over Facebook posts
The management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAEU), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, has suspended two students for one academic session for allegedly posting inciting posts on their social media handles. The suspended students are Sunday Idongesit Okpokpo of the Department of Political Science and Chibuzor Remmy of the Department of Educational Management. The institution accused Okpokpo of creating panic and confusion with a post on his social media page calling for the cancellation of the final year examination scheduled to commence on Monday, November 2, 2020 as well as the Matriculation Ceremony scheduled to hold on Saturday, November 7, 2020. It accused Remmy of calling out students in a comment he made on Okpokpo’s post. Remmy had allegedly asked the students to come out for...
BBC exposes European pyramid scam exploiting Africans, others
A new investigation by BBC Africa Eye has uncovered a global pyramid scam, run from Europe, that is using smartphones to cheat ordinary people across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Crowd1 describes itself as “the fastest growing crowd marketing company in the world” and produces social media videos which show members buying new cars and enjoying luxury holidays. Using nothing but a smartphone, Crowd1 claims, you can become a millionaire by promoting and selling a series of exciting digital products to your network. These claims have persuaded thousands of people across Africa to hand over the 99 Euros that buys an entry-level membership to Crowd1. But a six-month investigation by BBC Africa Eye reveals that, behind the slick marketing, Crowd1 is peddling a range of bogus products and fal...
Facebook Tests Dark Mode for Mobile
Facebook is publicly testing a new dark mode feature for its mobile app on both Android and iOS. This news was confirmed by code sleuth Jane Manchun Wong. Facebook is publicly testing Dark Mode! 🌙 You asked it, I chatted with Facebook’s @alexvoica about it and here’s a video made in collaboration with Facebook! pic.twitter.com/TGjdTXDxoP — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 30, 2020 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_535.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_535.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to Engadget, users with the option to test the feature will be able to do so by activating it in their Settings & Privacy section under the Menu tab – “[users] can force it on or off, or leave it up to system-level settings. If [they] have an OS-level dark mode switch on when...
Nigerian government clarifies position on social media regulation
File Photo The Federal Government says it has no intention of shutting down social media. It said its plan is to regulate social media to be responsible and refrain from being purveyor of fake news and hate speech. The Minister of Imformation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the clarification on Saturday in Lagos when he inspected the headquarters of The Nation newspaper and TV Continental (TVC) that were attacked during the #EndSARS protest. Newsmen report the minister was accompanied on the inspection by heads of parastatal agencies in his ministry. Speaking at the premises of The Nation, the minister said the Muhammadu Buhari administration has high regards for freedom of the press. He said his recent call for the regulation of the excesses of the social media should not be miscon...
#EndSARS: Ekiti panel receiving petitions ahead of November 2 sitting
The Ekiti State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Allegations of Human Rights Violations Against the Police, defunct SARS officers and other Persons has commenced its activities with a call on citizens of the State to start submitting petitions ahead of its November 2 inaugural sitting. The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Olawale Fapohunda, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti on Monday while giving an update on activities of the Judicial Panel. He said the panel had liberalised the process of filing petitions that will make it convenient for anyone from any part of the state to file their petitions without going through any form of stress. The Attorney-General explained that the partnership with various institutions and individuals was to ensure that everyone whose rights ha...
Facebook Reveals New Messenger Design
Facebook has revealed a new look for Messenger including a new logo and default chat colour, as well as new chat themes. “We’re also adding features like selfie stickers and vanish mode, which are coming soon,” says the social giant in a blog post. “The new-look reflects a shift to the future of messaging – a more dynamic, fun and integrated way to hang out with your favourite people, on your favourite apps and devices” Facebook Adds New Shopping Tab to App As part of Facebook’s plan to create a place for users to discover businesses and shop for products, it is testing a dedicated shopping tab within the main app. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to online shopping has rapidly accelerated, with an estimated 85% of people worldwide now shopping online,” says the social platfor...
Facebook Moves to Ban Holocaust Denial Content
Mark Zuckerberg is finally taking some responsibility for how his platform impacts the culture at large. After blocking misinformation from Trump, cracking down on election interference, and banning QAnon, Facebook is now moving to ban Holocaust denial content. Advocacy groups have for years called on Zuckerberg, who himself is Jewish, to take control of posts and groups denying the Holocaust. In 2018, the Facebook CEO said he resisted such demands on grounds of freedom of speech, particularly the difference between simply being incorrect and stirring hatred or violence. “I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong,” Zuckerberg said at the time. However, he’s now reversed course, announcing that Facebook’s updated hate speech policy will include anything “that denies or disto...
Aaron Sorkin Wants a Sequel to The Social Network, but Only if David Fincher Directs
The Social Network celebrated its 10th anniversary last week, and it looks like it’s not just the fans who are feeling nostalgic over it. During a recent interview on the Happy.Sad.Confused podcast, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin said he wants to pen a sequel to The Social Network, but only if David Fincher returns to direct. Last year, Sorkin revealed that he was considering a follow-up to his Oscar-winning screenplay for The Social Network. In the decade since the original film’s release, Facebook’s saga has entered an entirely new level of controversy stemming from Russia’s interference in the 2020 election, its unwillingness to police fake stories, and its safe-guarding of hate groups who use Facebook to spew their rhetoric and plan attacks. Speaking with Happy.Sad.Confu...
QAnon Banned Across The Board From Using Facebook & Instagram
Source: Stephanie Keith / Getty Facebook has once more announced measures to block and ban groups using its platforms to incite violence, this time pointing its efforts towards the QAnon conspiracy theory. All pages, groups, and profiles connected to QAnon are effectively bammed from using both Instagram and Facebook according to the new rule. By way of a Tuesday (Oct. 6) blog post, the social media giant expressed their direct aims in mobilizing its Dangerous Organizations Operations team instead of simply relying on user reports to highlight misuse on the platforms. From FB.com: Starting today, we will remove any Facebook Pages, Groups and Instagram accounts representing QAnon, even if they contain no violent content. This is an update from the initial policy in August that removed Pages...
Facebook Pulls Donald Trump’s Post Falsely Claiming the Flu is More Lethal Than COVID-19
Donald Trump knows firsthand what it’s like to have COVID-19, and he also knows what it’s like to have the best medical treatment immediately available. Yet, less than a day after being released from the Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump posted messages to social media downplaying the severity of coronavirus. Facebook responded by taking down the post, while Twitter flagged it with a warning label, reports Mashable. Trump’s post to social media on Tuesday morning seemed completely unbothered by the ongoing pandemic. “Flu season is coming up!” it read. “Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations fa...
Taraji P. Henson Mental Health Talk Show Coming To Facebook Watch
Source: FOX / Getty Taraji P. Henson will tackle a new venture outside of her normal confines of acting with an upcoming talk show via the Facebook Watch network. Titled Peace Of Mind With Taraji, the veteran actress will address mental health concerns while inviting celebrities and experts alike to the program. Deadline reports that Henson, 50, will helm the show alongside co-host Tracie Jade Jenkins. For now, Peace Of Mind With Taraji is a working title, but it’s clear where the show intends to go. According to a press release, Henson got involved in mental health advocacy after her father suffered from conditions upon returning from the Vietnam War and has aimed efforts in supporting these issues within the Black community. “I’ve long been a mental health advocate for the Black communit...
We Here For This?: Facebook Unveils Cross-Platform Messaging For Messenger & Instagram
Source: Facebook / Instagram If you have wished that Facebook would combine Messenger and Instagram DMs, then this news will sit well with you. Announced Wednesday (Sept.30), Facebook officially launched its new cross-messaging platform to combine both its Messenger and Instagram’s DM feature. Despite being “launched” today, select users will be able to utilize the overhauled IG DM feature that now features tools that were once only available on Facebook Messenger. Now when you hop in someone’s DMs on the gram, you can look forward to using tools like new chat colors, selfie stickers, custom emojis, vanishing messages, a new way to block unwanted messages. Plus, the new Watch Together feature will you and a friend to watch videos together while conducting a video call. Users will also now ...
