Author Archives: Carol Edwards

ProTip: When discussing nefarious techniques to entrap politicians and swing elections, first make sure you’re not secretly being filmed. 

That, apparently, was a memo the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix, missed. The executive was caught on film by investigators with London’s Channel 4 News discussing all the ways his company can influence elections around the world — and it’s not pretty. 

The entire report is worth a watch (it’s embedded below), and it suggests that Nix’s own damning words will be held against him for some time. Just how bad are those aforementioned words? We’re glad you asked. In the video, Nix discussed bribing politicians while secretly filming them and sending Ukrainian escorts to the homes of political candidates.  Read more…

More about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, Tech, and Politics

It’s not a great time to own Facebook stock.

The social media company’s market valuation fell by roughly $40 billion on Monday following the revelation that the Trump-linked, U.K.-based company Cambridge Analytica harvested information from 50 million Facebook profiles without user consent.

The company’s stock price was down 6.8 percent by the end of the day, marking the worst day the stock has had since March 2014.

The decline is one of the biggest percentage drops to ever occur for the social network’s stock, and according the Wall Street Journal, the decline also knocked Facebook out of the S&P 500’s five biggest market caps. The distinction of the S&P 500’s biggest five is now held by Apple, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Berkshire Hathaway. Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Facebook’s getting rocked by yet another electioneering crisis, but we still haven’t heard anything from its commander-in-chief.

Mark Zuckerberg has yet to issue a public statement following revelations this weekend that a Trump-aligned data firm was able to abuse his platform to manipulate 50 million people. The Facebook CEO commands massive reach on his public profile page, and he’s frequently used it to weigh in on business matters, including his social network’s role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

But as of Monday afternoon, the most recent public post on Zuckerberg’s profile is from two weeks ago, when he and his wife Priscilla Chan celebrated Purim.  Read more…

More about Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Apps And Software, Cambridge Analytica, and Andrew Bosworth

You can breathe again, everyone: Daphne the duck is safe! 

A beloved member of the Cockburn Masters Swimming Club in Australia, the giant rubber duck was supposed to be the star of an annual ocean swimming competition, but strong winds pulled her from her post and into the Indian Ocean. She was last seen at Coogee Beach in Perth on Mar. 11, just before the swimming competition took place. 

The swimming event’s organizers asked for leads on Daphne’s disappearance via Facebook, offering swim passes and souvenirs for her safe return.  Read more…

More about Australia, Giant, Culture, Web Culture, and Animals

Aside from the (very depressing, long drawn-out) drama between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrell, opportunities to break out our best Sex and the City jokes are few and far between.

But now, loyal HBO viewers, we have our chance: Cynthia Nixon of SATC fame announced Monday that she will run for governor of New York. 

Miranda 2018!

More about Politics, Culture, Sex And The City, Culture, and Politics

Sky watchers discovered a glowing purple, aurora-like phenomenon. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center confirmed the discovery, caused by fast-moving ions, and officially named it STEVE. Really. Read more…

More about Space, Nasa, Science, Mashable Video, and Aurora

Cambridge Analytica is the name on everyone’s lips right now, and British and U.S. lawmakers want to know about Facebook’s dealings with it. 

The U.K. based political data firm has been suspended by Facebook, following revelations it used the personal data of 50 million users without their knowledge. 

Cambridge Analytica allegedly used this data for something it called “psychographic profiling,” using the information to predict voting behaviour. It was used by the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election, and is being investigated for its role in the “Brexit” referendum vote. Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Social Media, Cambridge Analytica, and Social Media Companies

This story contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 1. To refresh your memory of where we left off, check out our highlights recap.

There’s just about one guarantee for the second season of The Handmaid’s Tale: No one is safe.

The cast and executive producers of Hulu’s hit show made that abundantly clear during the panel at PaleyFest on Sunday, March 18. They revealed some tantalizing details about where the characters are going when we return to Gilead on April 25.

“Anyone could die,” said executive producer Warren Littlefield. But, like the show’s world, it isn’t just all darkness. Showrunner Bruce Miller also revealed that at least one person will escape Gilead’s clutches, and well, we’re certainly pulling for June over Serena. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Hulu, Feminism, Paleyfest, and Alexis Bledel

YouTube Kids is once again facing questions over the content of its app. This time, it’s not violent videos but questionable conspiracy theories. 

A report in Business Insider found the app recommended a number of videos promoting conspiracy theories, including that the moon landing was faked, the pyramids were built by aliens, and that “the planet is run by reptile-human hybrids,” among others.

Though these videos may not violate YouTube’s guidelines, it’s obviously not the type of content YouTube wants to promote to young children. Read more…

More about Tech, Youtube, Apps And Software, Youtube Kids, and Googlr

Facebook is once again in hot water over the role its policies may have played in the election.

On Saturday, two explosive reports from The Guardian and The New York Times surfaced alleging that more than 50 million Facebook users had personal data used without their knowledge by Cambridge Analytica, a U.K.-based data firm employed by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.

The news quickly set off a firestorm on social media, where Facebook executives attempted to do damage control as a new backlash against the company ensued.  Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, Social Media Companies, and Tech