Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Oh, so you want to be scared? Like…really scared?

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to embark on a slow-burn descent into madness or to partake of a sphincter-clenching ghost story, Netflix has tons of terrifying titles perfect for sending adrenaline through your veins and shivers down your spine.

This is a guide designed not to help you find the highest-quality horror films on Netflix (that’s over here), but instead made to steer you toward the titles most likely to chew you up and freak you out. Yes, we’re talking gore and jump scares — but we’re also talking about intangible terror. These are the movies that follow you to bed.

Ranked from least to most extreme, here are 13 of the best scary movies now on Netflix.

13. Creep (2015)

Oh, you thought you liked Mark Duplass? Because he was the love interest in all those indie rom-coms, played that doctor in The Mindy Project, and is easily the best character in The Morning Show? ?Think again! In Creep, a found-footage film that foregoes pageantry for a stark sense of panic, Duplass plays a strange loner named Josef that freelance documentarian Aaron, played by writer-director Patrick Brice, can’t quite pin down. Duplass’ performance is intoxicating, and Brice imagines a universe so compelling it absolutely merits its equally great sequel (also on Netflix.) *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Serial killers, party masks, jump scares
How to watch: Creep is now streaming on Netflix.

12. Fear Street Part 2: 1978 (2021)

You can’t fully appreciate Netflix’s Fear Street without watching the entire trilogy. That said, Part 2: 1978 is without question the scariest of the three movies — taking a fresh stab at the killer summer camp trope established by flicks like Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and Cabin Fever.

Stranger Things star Sadie Sink leads opposite Emily Rudd as sisters, one a counselor and the other a camper, fighting to survive a masked ax-murderer with a tragic past. A critical chapter in Fear Street‘s mystery of the Shadyside Witch, this is a great sequel and a great stand-alone movie.

Scary, if you’re scared of: Serial killers, curses, some gore, jump scares
How to watch: Fear Street Part 2: 1978 is now streaming on Netflix.

11. Unfriended (2014)

I will defend director Levan Gabriadze’s oft-maligned Unfriended until my dying day. Yes, the title is stupid. Sure, some of the acting could be better. Of course, that isn’t what the average blender would really do to a human hand. (An immersion blender, maybe.) Still, I challenge you to watch this sucker on a laptop and not feel something lurking behind your browser for days to come. It’s got a good story, excellent pacing, and enough solid jokes and gore to make its comedy a high point. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Ghosts, strong gore, jump scares
How to watch: Unfriended is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Crimson Peak (2015)

Directed by creature connoisseur Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak is a dark gothic fantasy you’ll want to fall into headfirst. Mia Wasikowska leads as a 19th-century American heiress, whisked away to England by her handsome new husband, played by Tom Hiddleston. Once the young bride arrives at her groom’s family mansion, however, visions of ghosts begin to plague her. That her sister-in-law, played by Jessica Chastain, treats her with mysterious disdain isn’t helping.

An epic mystery with more exquisite scenes than you can count, this spectacular ghost story gives longtime del Toro fans the horror flick they’ve always wanted from the iconic director. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Ghosts, some gore
How to watch: Crimson Peak is now streaming on Netflix.

9. His House (2020)

Writer-director Remi Weekes’ His House is easily my favorite scary Netflix release of 2020. Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu star as refugees from South Sudan seeking asylum in Britain who are assigned to live in an eerie neighborhood where they aren’t welcome. Spectacularly frightening and ruthlessly critical of its subject matter, His House delivers everything it must — and then some. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Haunted houses, all-consuming guilt, jump scares
How to watch: His House is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Shutter Island (2010)

Remarkably bad for a movie directed by Martin Scorsese but pretty good otherwise, Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) on his investigation into an institution for the criminally insane. A twist ending and tons of jump scares make this is a one-of-a-kind experience you’ll feel very strongly about.

Scary, if you’re scared of: Losing your mind, jump scares
How to watch: Shutter Island is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Conjuring (2013)

Ah, it’s the haunting that kick-started an entire universe. Join paranormal investigators Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) as they suss out what demonic presence is troubling a sweet Rhode Island couple (Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston) and their five daughters in the family’s new farmhouse. The Conjuring has a surprising amount of heart, and it’s chock-full of jump scares that’ll manage to get you even if you’ve seen the movie before.

Scary, if you’re scared of: Demons, exorcisms, jump scares
How to watch: The Conjuring is now streaming on Netflix.

6. The Perfection (2019)

From cellos and foreplay to hallucinations and hiking, The Perfection does absolutely whatever it wants. Featuring Allison Williams in her best role since Get Out and Dear White People‘s Logan Browning in her best part ever, this vibrant genre blend will get a reaction out of you. Not necessarily a good reaction, but a reaction nonetheless. It’s body horror meets psychological thriller meets occult drama meets classical music. With bugs. And vomit. I, for one, loved it! *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Cults, gore
How to watch: The Perfection is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Insidious (2010)

The Insidious franchise went out with a whimper on The Last Key (2018), but the original remains an electric horror experience with some of the most memorable scares ever.

Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Ty Simpkins star as a family haunted by a demonic presence who won’t go down without a fight. If you’re a fan of director James Wan’s The Conjuring universe who hasn’t gotten fully obsessed with this interdimensional fright fest yet, you’re missing out on its perfectly maintained tension and killer world-building. Here’s hoping Insidious 5 helps bring this narrative back to its satisfying beginnings. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Demons, other dimensions, jump scares
How to watch: Insidious is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Veronica (2017)

Though Veronica doesn’t quite live up to its marketing as “the scariest” movie on Netflix, the nightmarish outing from director Paco Plaza will give you chills. Sandra Escacena stars as the titular Veronica, a young woman who finds herself plagued by a demonic presence after a fateful encounter with a Ouija board. This one is big on jump scares, so get ready to feel that adrenaline.

Scary, if you’re scared of: Ouija boards, demons, jump scares
How to watch: Veronica is now streaming on Netflix.

3. The Ring (2002)

Director Gore Verbinkski’s The Ring doesn’t hold up in all of the ways we’d like (the film’s intentionally jarring narrative devices have aged more like continuity problems, tbh), but it remains a pivotal title in aughts horror history that’s scary enough to merit a rewatch. Naomi Watts stars as an investigative journalist who stumbles across a VHS tape with a deadly history. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Cursed objects, jump scares
How to watch: The Ring is now streaming on Netflix.

2. The Green Inferno (2013)

The most extreme title on this list by a very wide margin, The Green Inferno takes a modernized approach to the cannibal genre popularized in the ’70s and ’80s by films like Cannibal Holocaust.

In it, a group of students protesting deforestation in the Amazon are kidnapped on their travels. From there, writer-director Eli Roth does what he’s known for, cranking up the intensity of that simple premise to its most outrageously gruesome. It’s a controversial and not particularly cohesive movie, but if you’re looking to feel something, The Green Inferno will get you there.

Scary, if you’re scared of: Cannibalism, kidnapping, extremely strong gore
How to watch: The Green Inferno is now streaming on Netflix.

1. The Strangers (2008)

Playing on one of humanity’s most common fears, The Strangers is a stark home invasion story that prioritizes believability above all else. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star as a traveling couple who receive unexpected visitors at the house where they’re staying. When the mysterious guests break into the home and refuse to leave, a slow-burn nightmare sets in.

With some of the best jump scares in the biz and the emotion to back them up, writer-director Bryan Bertino delivers a genuinely scary outing with The Strangers. This is a film best enjoyed with the lights off, the volume up, and the door locked. *

Scary, if you’re scared of: Home invasions, jump scares
How to watch: The Strangers is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.

We all have habits we’d like to add to our life, right? But it often feels overwhelming to get started. The Madefor program is based on the principle that each of us living to our full potential can affect change in others. In a world where quick-fix approaches to health and happiness sound promising, but don’t deliver, Madefor is a science-based program designed to foster small, mindful changes that can lead to lasting results.

What is the Madefor program?

You don’t have to look far to find wellness challenges, but Madefor’s unique habit-changing formula is the brainchild of Tom’s founder, Blake Mycoskie and former Navy SEAL, Pat Dossett. Predicated on the notion that focused daily practices in one aspect of your life — whether it be to improve sleep, up your movement or observe daily gratitude, MadeFor offers a way to evolve your brain and body for the better. It’s a series of ten wellness kits, which offer 21-day challenges that encourage daily tasks to reinforce behavior change. There’s also an intro kit, which offers a 7-day hydration challenge, complete with a water bottle and a tracker.

Through a combination of storytelling, real-life examples and practical application, such as journaling, writing and sending postcards and letters, MadeFor kits allow users to get back to basics with analog tools for change. The program combines hands-on activities with digital interfaces with expert advisors, as well as an optional online community that participants can choose to “lean in, on or out as it’s right for you.” The goal? To keep members engaged in a variety of ways to help them grow and develop a resilient mindset.

With an emphasis on top-notch science, tangible action and motivational tools for change, this program taps into proven methods to improve the brain and body. The program comprehensively includes blog posts and live conversations with a myriad of evidence-based experts, as well as members’ experiences on the Madefor website. Thus, members can tap into knowledge along the way about some of the most cutting-edge neuroscience topics to find inspiration and gain new insights along their journey.

The 7-day introductory challenge is $48; a month is $95; or $750 for a 10-month subscription. Just note there’s no money-back cancellation policy so you’re committed if you pick that. With individual and corporate team plans, Madefor is a 10-month program divided into five kits per semester.

• Gratitude

• Nature

• Connection

• Breath

• Hydration

• Rest

• Fuel

• Clarity

• Vision

• Movement

How Madefor works

I found it to be simple with elements of sophistication. I picked the Gratitude challenge for testing purposes. The kit arrives in a sturdy box with a simple Madefor logo on the outside. On the inside, there’s a sealed envelope instructing you to “Begin your journey here.” Included inside was a detailed instruction pamphlet with daily checklist to track your progress over the 21-day challenge along with a motivational tool — a delicate bracelet to wear as a physical daily gratitude reminder. (Each kit comes with a motivational tool, such a water bottle, sleep mask or an hour-glass to go along with the challenge.)

There was a pamphlet highlighting evidence and anecdotal stories about the physical and mental benefits of gratitude. So, before you embark on the challenge, there’s a good foundation of the ‘why’ behind the challenge. But if you’re picking a habit, you likely have your reasons already.

The gist of the Gratitude challenge was to create a daily gratitude practice and through the process, I identified three people in my life, wrote and sent each a gratitude postcard; one person got a hand-delivered letter of recognition for their special contributions in my life. Over the course of 21 days, I jotted down one thing I was grateful for every evening before bed. Did you know that research shows that before bed is supposed to be a prime time to write down positive thoughts as it promotes better and longer sleep?

The challenge made me dig deep and soul search.

It turns out that daily journaling is an evidence-based mood-enhancing practice — the Madefor folks cite specific evidence from a leading gratitude expert, which points to research showing that people who kept weekly gratitude journals were 25 percent happier after 10 weeks.

I also wrote a Silver Lining Essay as part of the challenge. I had to recollect a time in my life when something didn’t go as planned and reframe it in my mind to find a positive “silver lining.” The science behind this challenge was that when you look at the silver lining in a situation you experience “cognitive reappraisal” or a reframing of a once negative situation to a more positive translation. Basically, it’s working to train your mind to think differently.

So did it work? The challenge made me dig deep and soul search. It was less about the outside support and more about internal drivers. The power to transform through gratitude practices has been heavily researched and I found that the kit helped me carve out time for daily focus on it.

On a daily basis, the challenge only takes a few minutes for evening gratitude journaling. The postcards, essay and letter take some thought and preparation, but it’s as long as you make it. If you spend time on the online community forum that takes additional time, too. While there is no app for this program, minimal use of devices and small steps toward results are the foundation.

Add to cart?

While it’s expensive, the value of each kit is that it’s backed by the latest neuroscience and there are scientific advisors on hand to answer members’ questions. The good news is if you’re not a gadget person, Madefor doesn’t require tech tools, unless you want to engage online with others in the community. Plus, you can work through each challenge individually or as part of a workplace team or other group setting. Like anything worthwhile, you get out what you put in. So if you’re having trouble sticking to habits, it’s a great tool to keep you accountable.

OnlyFans will ban sexually explicit content as of October 1, leaving many sex workers scrambling to find new homes for their content — and leaving patrons to find new ways to support them.

The platform’s decision is just the latest in how the tech industry ostracizes sex workers. Despite its popularity, OnlyFans struggled to find investors and kneeled to banks and payout providers who balked at explicit content. The company is currently trying to raise more money.

OnlyFans hasn’t been totally clear about what it constitutes as sexually explicit content. It confirmed to Mashable that creators will be able to post nude photos and videos that fit within its policy, but the related rules don’t exist yet.

Thankfully, there are alternatives where adult creators can host their content with fewer restrictions and fans can enjoy it.

1. FanCentro

FanCentro is similar to OnlyFans in that fans can buy a subscription to their favorite creators, but you can also buy clips a la carte as well. The site takes a 25 percent cut of subscriptions; for reference, OnlyFans takes a 20 percent cut.

In a blog post after OnlyFans’ announcement, FanCentro stated that users can migrate their content from OF to FC. FanCentro also offers Centro University, dedicated to teaching creators how to create and maintain an online fanbase.

2. ManyVids

ManyVids calls itself a “one-stop shop” for content. It has individual videos, bespoke videos for fans, subscription options, camming, physical store items (like apparel), texting/chatting options, phone numbers to call content creators, tip options, and contests.

Depending on the type of content, ManyVids takes 20 to 40 percent of sales. According to users on Twitter, ManyVids doesn’t have a scheduling function at the time of publication.

3. Mygirlfund

Mygirlfund is a one-on-one chat service. Creators can also offer other content if they wish, like custom videos and photos. Creators receive 1 credit for every message they reply to ($1.80 according to CamGirlWiki), but their FAQ states that if creators decide to “take it to the next level,” they set their own rates.

4. AVN Stars

AVN Stars claims it’s a social media site “by and for the industry.” Users can make money through a subscription model, but can also sell videos, messaging services, and receive tips from fans.

AVN Stars takes 20 percent of a creator’s sales.

5. Justforfans

Justforfans touts itself as the “ultimate” adult blogging platform and marketplace; they operate under a subscription model. Shortly after OnlyFans’ announcement, Justforfans released a statement saying its staff is completely comprised of sex workers and people who’ve long been in the porn industry — and that explicit content is never going away.

According to users on Twitter, Justforfans takes a 30 percent cut.

6. Ismygirl

Ismygirl offers subscriptions, a la carte and custom videos and messages, and live content. Patrons can tip their creators, too. Ismygirl takes 20 percent of revenue.

7. Loyalfans

Loyalfans is — what else? — a subscription-based site for adult creators that takes 20 percent of gross sales. In a statement after OnlyFans’ announcement, Loyalfans said it allows all forms of creative, consensual expression.

OnlyFans may have been the best-known site for independent adult creators, but there’s a plethora of others to choose from; they’ll undoubtedly be more, too. It’s unknown whether the pressure from financial institutions that OnlyFans faced will spread to these other sites, but for now, explicit content is safe elsewhere.

TL;DR: Save up to 90% on select PS4 and PS5 titles during the PlayStation Store’s Games Under and PlayStation Indies sales, which both run through Sept. 1.

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The PlayStation Store isn’t missing a beat when it comes to gaming deals this season.

After wrapping up its gigantic Summer Sale this past week, Sony is now running two new promotions in its digital media shop: There’s the Games Under sale, which brings dozens of AAA titles under the $20 mark, and the Playstation Indies sale, which cuts the prices of nearly 1,400 independent games to as low as 19 cents. (No joke.) Both sales run through Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m. local time and feature discounts of up to 90%, so you’ve got plenty of opportunities to snag a new game for cheap.

You can click here and here (respectively) to see each sale’s full list of included games, or just keep scrolling to see our handpicked list of must-play highlights. (Spoiler: Horror fans are eating real good right now.)

Games Under

Anyone who’s been lucky enough to nab a PS5 should absolutely grab the next-gen update of DOOM Eternal, a devilishly fun (and dare we say cathartic?) first-person shooter set in a hellish version of Earth. It’s only $15 right now, which is an impressive 75% savings. (It’s never dipped below $28.99 on Amazon, FWIW.)

If you’ve already played through this year’s excellent Resident Evil VIllage, one of our favorite video games of 2021 thus far, the gorgeous Resident Evil 3 remake is also worth adding to your collection for just $19.79 (or 67% off).

• DOOM Eternal — $14.99 (save $45)

• DOOM — $4.99 (save $15)

• Resident Evil 3 — $19.79 (save $40.20)

• Resident Evil 4 — $9.99 (save $10)

• Resident Evil 5 — $9.99 (save $10)

• Resident Evil 6 — $9.99 (save $10)

• WWE 2K20 — $14.99 (save $45)

• Need for Speed Heat Deluxe Edition — $17.49 (save $52.50)

• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered — $19.99 (save $20)

• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition — $19.79 (save $40.20)

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition — $9.99 (save $40)

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — $15.99 (save $24)

• Mortal Kombat XL — $5.99 (save $14)

• God of War — $9.99 (save $10)

• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $14.99 (save $45)

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — $10.04 (save $4.95)

• Bloodborne Complete Edition Bundle — $17.49 (save $17.50)

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Deluxe Edition — $19.99 (save $60)

• Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag Gold Edition — $14.99 (save $35)

• Battlefield V — $4.79 (save $35.20)

• Battlefield 4 — $4.99 (save $15)

• Star Wars Battlefront II — $5.99 (save $14)

• Persona 5 — $8.99 (save $11)

• A Plague Tale: Innocence — $11.99 (save $28)

• Rage 2 — $11.99 (save $28)

• Jurassic World Evolution — $9.99 (save $40)

• Conan Exiles — $19.99 (save $30)

Playstation Indies

Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, and the Demo Puppy Demogorgon will disappear into the fog for good this fall when the asymmetrical survival horror game Dead by Daylight delists its Stranger Things DLC; after Nov. 17, they’ll no longer be available for purchase. In the meantime, you can score the chapter for half off in the PlayStation Store — $24.99 gets you the base game, all three Stranger Things characters (plus cosmetics), and an exclusive Dead by Daylight: Stranger Things PS4 theme.

• Cuphead — $14.99 (save $5)

• Little Nightmares — $4.99 (save $15)

• SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated — $19.49 (save $10.05)

• Hollow Knight Voidheart Edition — $7.49 (save $7.50)

• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted – Bundle — $17.49 (save $17.50)

• Dead by Daylight: Stranger Things Edition — $24.99 (save $25)

• Goat Simulator — $2.49 (save $7.50)

• The Jackbox Party Pack 4 — $12.49 (save $12.50)

• Superliminal — $11.99 (save $8)

• The Long Dark — $10.49 (save $19.50)

• The Sinking City — $9.99 (save $40)

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• 5 great TVs for the best PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X experience

• How a gaming headset will change the way you play PS4 (for the better)

• Level up: 7 of the best laptops to net you a great gaming experience

Netflix’s The Chair follows the new head of Pembroke College, played by Sandra Oh, as she deals with a scandal overtaking her campus.

It’s Friday, which means that’s another work week in the books, my friends.

It’s good to laugh to end the week, so, like we do almost every Friday, we collected some of the funniest posts on Twitter. So please, dear reader, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 18 best tweets of the week.

1. Warm Drink, Medium Rare, Eggs

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2. My not possessed or haunted in any way listing is raising a lot of questions already answered by the listing

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3. Obligatory dril tweet

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4. I had to look this up to double-check it wasn’t real

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5. Next question

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6. We need to get this mom a real referral, and fast

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7. This is so incredibly accurate

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8. Wow, this might be a huge loss for OnlyFans

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9. This is so freaking beautiful

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10. Nobody talks about this

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11. Another dril tweet

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12. I wish I could’ve seen this in person

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13. “Is that…no…it’s Mr. Bean?”

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14. Beautiful

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15. Training starts today

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16. The horrible secret….the horrible secret hurts

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17. The alley is a haven for imagination

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18. And finally, this

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A report says hate speech is declining on Facebook. The problem? The report is from Facebook. And activists say it’s missing valuable context, data, and transparency.

“This report fails to answer simple questions we have been asking for years: How much hate speech is there on Facebook? How many users are exposed to it?” Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, told Mashable. “When we tested their moderation systems in our study Failure to Protect, we found Facebook failed to act on 89 [percent] of anti-Semitic content reported to them and is still hosting groups with tens of thousands of members that are dedicated to anti-Jewish hatred.”

Facebook’s Community Standards Enforcement Report claims that hate speech currently represents just five posts in 10,000, down from between five and six in the first three months of this year. Facebook also says it removed 90 percent of hate speech before a user had the chance to report it.

Guy Rosen, vice president of integrity at Facebook, told the press on Wednesday that the company has increased the pace of hate speech removal “very significantly” thanks to artificial intelligence.

“Today, the vast majority of what we remove is detected by our systems before people have even reported them.”

While the data might look positive, it’s hard for experts to tell just what they’re looking at. As Dave Sifry, the ADL’s vice president of the Center on Technology and Society, told Mashable over email, “we have no idea where this data came from, what it actually measures, or what the margin of error is because the numbers have not been subject to any sort of external review by experts who have access to the data and the methodologies used to calculate these numbers.”

“Facebook has shown again and again that it will put out numbers and ‘data’ that are unaudited, unverified, and unaccountable.”

“Facebook has shown again and again that it will put out numbers and ‘data’ that are unaudited, unverified, and unaccountable. Even worse than that, Facebook actively works against independent researchers who are investigating its platforms,” Sifry said in reference to Facebook blocking a team of NYU researchers from studying political ads and COVID-19 misinformation just weeks ago. “Until Facebook commits to transparency, any numbers it releases are at best circumspect, and at worst dangerously underestimate the problem.”

The platform defines hate speech as “violent or dehumanizing speech, statements of inferiority, calls for exclusion or segregation based on protected characteristics or slurs.” While the report shows that this kind of hate speech is decreasing, it doesn’t delve into what kinds of hate speech are still thriving.

“[This data] tells us nothing about the types of hateful content circulating on Facebook and Instagram, how much hate speech is sent to users directly or how many hateful posts were promoted by each platform’s algorithm — something proven to happen as demonstrated by our Malgorithm study of Instagram recommendations,” Ahmed said.

Sifry echoed Ahmed’s statement, adding that it would be helpful to know how often moderation schemes were paired as a combined algorithmic and human review; how often posts were reviewed by a human and reversed; the number of ads that appeared next to hate speech, and more.

Activist groups say this report is frustrating, at best.

“Facebook’s attempt to pass off its Community Standards Enforcement report as a form of transparency serves as further evidence of the company’s inability to adequately self-regulate or apply effective oversight of content moderation,” Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, senior director of media, culture, and economic justice at Color Of Change, told Mashable over email.

Magnus Ogunnaike noted that hate speech doesn’t just affect the platform — it can lead to hate in real life. She pointed to Facebook ignoring requests to remove the hate group that organized a violent response in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which resulted in an armed white supremacist killing two protesters.

“Facebook’s decision to limit researchers’ and civil rights groups’ real-time access to data further underscores the company’s desire to evade a thorough assessment of the real-world harm their content moderation decisions make on Black and brown communities,” Magnus Ogunnaike said.

This comes just weeks after a new report from the Center to Counter Digital Hate found that five major social media companies, including Facebook, took no action to remove 84 percent of anti-Semitic posts.

“This report shows how social media companies fail to act on anti-Jewish hate on their platforms,” the report read. “As a result of their failure to enforce their own rules, social media platforms like Facebook have become safe places to spread racism and propaganda against Jews.”

In October, Facebook announced it would “prohibit any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust,” a shift in its hate speech policy on Holocaust denial.

“We know that hateful and violent movements that organize on Facebook have had a real impact in the real world, from racist attacks around the world to the promotion of violent misogyny,” Ahmed said. “Independent evidence shows that Facebook is doing too little to tackle hate. The fact that its latest report fails to answer the simplest questions about hateful content shows it is not serious about addressing this problem.”

Related Video: How to know if you violated the First Amendment

Looking for a way to obtain all your Instagram content? There is a quick and easy way to do so. Instagram offers a free “Download Data” function that downloads all the content you’ve ever posted to Instagram, or any actions you’ve made on the site such as comments and likes, and sends it all to you via email.

Here’s how to make use of this simple process to save all your Instagram content.

How to start the Instagram “Download Data” process

On the Instagram website, click on your avatar image at the top right of the page.

Next, click on the “Settings” option that appears in the pop-up menu. When your Instagram “Settings” menu loads, look to the left of your screen to see the “Privacy and Security” section. Click this.

Once you’re in the “Privacy and Security” section, scroll down the page to see your “Data Download” options.

Below “Data Download” you’ll see the option to “Request Download.” Click on this.

Requesting your Instagram data

The next screen that appears is where you can trigger the request. Instagram can supply your data in HTML or as a JSON file.

For most people, HTML is the recommended option, but a JSON file is the one to choose if you want to import your Instagram data to another web service.

Once you’ve made the request, it’s just a matter of waiting for the file to hit your inbox. Instagram says this can take up to 48 hours, but in our experience it was a matter of just a few hours.

The email will look like this.

Click the “Download Information” link to proceed with the process. You’ll need to sign into your Instagram account at the next stage. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll see an Instagram message and the option to “Download Information.” Click this.

This will download a .zip file to your computer’s default download folder. Click on the file to open it.

You will now see all of your Instagram content in conveniently named folders. If you’re only interested in accessing your visual Instagram content, head directly to the “Media” folder, where you’ll see a sub-folder called “Posts.”

Twitter has mysteriously de-verified Danny DeVito’s official account, demoting the famed actor from the blue-ticked elites down to mingle with the egg-filled masses. It seems not even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can cement a Twitter verification badge.

DeVito’s Twitter verification was unceremoniously removed on Thursday, with worker advocacy group More Perfect Union reporting he’d confirmed his involuntary dethronement to them.

More Perfect Union also implied a belief that a tweet by DeVito on Wednesday may have triggered his de-verification. The actor’s last post before he was hurled down the side of Mt. Olympus expressed support for the Nabisco workers’ strike, calling for “humane working hours, fair pay,” and an end to outsourcing jobs. Hundreds of workers across the U.S. stopped work at the snack food manufacturer this week, demanding parent company Mondelēz withdraw proposed changes to their pay and health care coverage.

Tweet may have been deleted

It would be out of character for Twitter to de-verify someone based on contentious opinions they may hold. But even if it was just an unfortunately timed coincidence, it certainly doesn’t look good.

Mashable has reached out to Twitter to inquire exactly why DeVito’s wings were clipped, and whether it was indeed related to his tweet in support of Nabisco’s workers. The company stated it is looking into the matter.

Mashable has also reached out to DeVito’s representatives for comment.

Twitter de-verification isn’t an unknown phenomenon, but it’s usually reserved for Australian satire groups impersonating U.S. presidents, or Star Wars actors who had the audacity to just not tweet for six months. Twitter’s Help Center notes that it may remove a verification badge “at any time and without notice,” stating that some reasons for removal include if the account’s name changes, it becomes inactive, or it repeatedly violates Twitter’s rules.

DeVito doesn’t appear to have breached any of these terms, though — so for now the reason his coveted blue tick was stripped remains a mystery.

So T-Mobile burned you. Again.

The mobile carrier known for its magenta-hued litigiousness is back in the news this week following a massive data breach which put almost 50 million peoples’ data in the hands of hackers. And, because T-Mobile won’t specify how or when it’s notifying the bulk of affected customers (we asked, repeatedly), it’s up to you to go ahead and slam that digital stable door shut.

On Thursday, T-Mobile published a blog post detailing all the steps its customers should take to lock down their accounts. But before we get into that, it’s worth emphasizing the breadth and scale of what was stolen — along with the havoc criminals can wreak with that purloined data.

T-Mobile claims that, for 47.8 million current and former postpaid customers (along with prospective clients), hackers may have gotten their hands on full names, birthdays, and social security numbers, along with driver’s license and other ID information. For an additional 850,000 prepaid customers, the company says phone numbers and account PINs were also exposed.

That’s bad. With phone numbers, names, and account PINs, hackers have all they need to SIM swap victims’ accounts — gaining control of their phone numbers in the process. That’s even worse, as all types of account password resets are almost always sent to owners’ phone numbers. That means there’s a very real danger that some T-Mobile users could have everything from their social media profiles to their bank accounts fully taken over.

This is a concern that an untold number of SIM swap victims realized all too late.

We repeatedly asked T-Mobile when, and how, it planned to notify all customers whose data was stolen in the hack. The company wouldn’t provide any concrete details.

“At this time we cannot add any additional information outside of the press release we posted last evening,” replied a company spokesperson. “While our investigation is ongoing, we shared these initial findings even as we may learn additional facts through our investigation that cause the details to change or evolve.”

In the Aug. 17 press release, T-Mobile only says that it “will be notifying accordingly right away” those accounts whose PINs were stolen. Even if it does indeed do this, that potentially still leaves 47.8 million victims in the dark.

What T-Mobile recommends, and why it’s not enough

On Aug. 19, T-Mobile published a website dedicated to walking customers through its most recent (but certainly not first) data breach.

In a sign of just how helpful T-Mobile intends to be, the first two recommended steps involve signing up for an identity theft monitoring service and activating T-Mobile Scan Shield — a free service that boasts of futuristic cybersecurity tools like Caller ID.

“We encourage you to complete these actions as soon as possible,” reads the blog post.

If you’re a postpaid customer, T-Mobile says you can turn on something called “Account Takeover Protection service” which is intended to “protect against an unauthorized user fraudulently porting out and stealing your phone number (postpaid only).” If you’re a postpaid customer you should definitely turn this on as it might actually help protect your account. However, a security feature only available to postpaid customers won’t do any good for the 850,000 prepaid customers whose PINs were stolen.

It also won’t do any good for the millions of former and prospective T-Mobile clients who don’t have accounts.

T-Mobile also helpfully suggests people “remain vigilant” and “to be alert for ‘phishing’ emails.”

How to change your T-Mobile account PIN

What you should really, actually do if you’re a current T-Mobile customer is change your PIN. That way, if hackers have obtained your PIN and attempt to SIM swap your phone number, it will be much more difficult for them to successfully do so.

To change your T-Mobile PIN:

1. Log into your T-Mobile account

2. Under the MY T-MOBILE drop-down menu, select My Profile > Profile Information

3. Scroll down, and next to Change PIN select Edit

4. Enter your new PIN twice, then select Save

SEE ALSO: Why you need a secret phone number (and how to get one)

That’s it. You’ve now done more to protect yourself than T-Mobile seemingly ever will.