Social Media Watch

DOJ and States to Appeal Google’s Slap on the Wrist in Search Antitrust Case– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser February 4, 2026 0

Blurb:

The DOJ and multiple states have filed notices to appeal a federal court ruling in the Google Search antitrust case that imposed limited restrictions on the internet giant’s conquest of the search and AI market. The verdict was so friendly to Google that one analyst called it “a home run for the status quo.”

Bloomberg reports that the DOJ and a coalition of states announced Tuesday they will appeal a September 2025 federal court decision that is widely considered to be the best case scenario for Big Tech following a landmark antitrust case. The appeal targets a ruling by US District Judge Amit Mehta that allowed the tech giant to avoid major structural changes despite being found guilty of operating an illegal monopoly in the search market.

Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of investigation into child abuse images– abcnews.go.com

pgnewser February 3, 2026 0

Blurb:

PARIS — French prosecutors searched the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X on Tuesday as part of a preliminary investigation into a range of alleged offences, including spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes.

The investigation was opened in January last year by the prosecutors’ cybercrime unit, the Paris prosecutors’ office said in a statement. It is looking into alleged “complicity” in possession and spreading of pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organized group, among other charges.

In addition, prosecutors filed a request for “voluntary interviews” of Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X from 2023 to 2025, scheduled for April 20. Employees of the platform X have also been summoned that same week in April to be heard as witnesses, the statement said.

French lawmakers to vote on social media ban for children– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser January 27, 2026 0

Blurb:

PARIS: French lawmakers on Monday (Jan 26) were set to vote on draft legislation to ban social media for under-15s, an effort championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.

The legislation, which also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, follows Australia banning social media for under-16s in December, a world first.

As social media has grown around the world, so has concern that too much screen time is arresting child development and contributing to declining mental health in minors.

“The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms,” Macron said in a video broadcast on Saturday.

UK Government Threatens Potential Ban of Elon Musk’s X over AI Use– slaynews.com

pgnewser January 15, 2026 0

Blurb:

The socialist UK government is mulling plans to ban the social media giant X, owned by Elon Musk, over supposed online safety concerns.

UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has voiced support for regulator Ofcom to potentially restrict access to X if the platform fails to comply with national online safety laws.

The nation’s censors are specifically citing the use of X’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Grok, which has been used to manipulate digital images.

The government argues that it is a crime to create AI-generated images of people without their consent.

Foreign Fake MAGA Anti-Israel Accounts Exposed In X “Location” Disclosure– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser November 25, 2025 0

Blurb:

If you have spent any time on X (fka Twitter), you know that it is a cesspool of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, frequently neo-Nazi accounts that purport to be “America First” and “MAGA” and posting from the United States, frequently red states.

The X algorithms for the “For You” feed were unbearable.

But I and many others suspected that many, if not most, of these accounts, particularly the ones that purported to be “MAGA” were fakes.

California’s Digital ID Plans Advance After Appeals Court Boost– slaynews.com

pgnewser November 10, 2025 0

Blurb:

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has just given a huge boost to California’s plan to continue building one of the most expansive digital verification regimes in the country.

The appeals court refused to rehear NetChoice v. Bonta, leaving in place a ruling that allows California to advance a system critics warn could become a statewide online digital ID requirement.

The court’s decision keeps intact most of Senate Bill 976, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act.

The bill was signed by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2024.

The law forces social media companies to implement “age assurance” systems to determine whether users are adults or minors.

Texas AG final­izes $1 bil­lion set­tle­ment with Google for vio­lat­ing Tex­ans’ pri­va­cy rights– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser November 5, 2025 0

Blurb:

The state of Texas has secured an “historic” $1.375 billion settlement agreement with Google

The October 31 announcement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office marked the conclusion of two of the largest data privacy enforcement actions ever brought by a single state against the tech giant. Paxton sued Google for unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data regarding geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data in 2022.

“This historic $1.375 billion price tag for Google’s misconduct sends a clear warning to all of Big Tech that I will take aggressive action against any company that misuses Texans’ data and violates their privacy,” said Paxton in a press release. “If Big Tech thinks they can get away with abusing user data and illegally spying on Texans without consequences, I will make sure they are proven wrong. This monumental settlement is a testament to my office’s commitment to taking on the biggest companies in the world and securing victory on behalf of Texans.”

“The settlement obtained by Attorney General Paxton for these combined abuses far eclipses that of any other one state’s settlement against Google for similar claims, with the largest single-state settlement to date outside of Texas being $93 million,” declared the AG office.  “Additionally, a forty-state coalition secured $391 million in its privacy case against Google, which is almost one billion dollars less than what Attorney General Paxton secured for Texas alone.”

Congressmen Demand Netflix Explain ‘Demonic’ Transgender Content in Children’s Shows– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser October 15, 2025 0

Blurb:

Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett is calling for Netflix executives to explain the massive amounts of “demonic” transgender content in its children’s programing.

Burchett and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R, KY) have presented the streamer with a letter calling executives to a committee hearing after learning of the cartoon series called, Dead End: Paranormal Park, which was aimed at children under 13, featured a transgender main character.

“We need to get them for the committee and ask them what their intentions are with this and if, in fact, they realize what the heck is going on,” Rep. Burchett told Fox News.

Newsom Forces Apple And Google To Track Kids’ Ages Under New California Law– dailycaller.com

pgnewser October 14, 2025 0

Blurb:

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a first-in-the-nation law that forces operating systems and app stores to pass along users’ age brackets to apps — a win for Big Tech over Hollywood in a year-long fight over how to police kids online.

The Digital Age Assurance Act, carried by Democratic Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, pushes age-gating up the stack to Apple, Google and other OS makers starting Jan. 1, 2027, with civil penalties up to $7,500 per child for willful violations. It avoids photo-ID uploads and instead has parents enter a birth date at device setup; apps must request the resulting age signal via API.

Netflix value continues to plummet as subscribers reject its trans grooming of kids– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0

Netflix value continues to plummet as subscribers reject its trans grooming of kids– www.lifesitenews.com
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Excerpt:


(LifeSiteNews) — Netflix has ended this week having lost an estimated $25 billion in stock value.

On October 1, Elon Musk encouraged his 227 million X followers to cancel their subscriptions following troubling accounts of the giant streaming platform pushing radical transgender messaging on young children and teens.

In one of many posts calling for the boycott of Netflix, Musk wrote “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”  The post has been viewed over 90 million times and has received 1 million “Likes.”

<b>Macron rejects Trump's plan for Greenland, proposal for Putin to mediate Israel-Iran crisis</b>- <i> www.cbc.ca</i>

Trump’s YouTube-Insurrection Settlement Will Fund Golden White House Ballroom– www.vanityfair.com

pgnewser October 3, 2025 0

<b>Macron rejects Trump's plan for Greenland, proposal for Putin to mediate Israel-Iran crisis</b>- <i> www.cbc.ca</i>

Trump’s YouTube-Insurrection Settlement Will Fund Golden White House Ballroom– www.vanityfair.com
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Excerpt:

Over the summer, the Trump administration announced that it would construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the White House, which press secretary Karoline Leavitt described to reporters as a “much-needed and exquisite addition.” Not surprisingly, a rendering looks very Versailles-esque and includes an unrestrained use of the color gold; though the room was initially expected to have a seating capacity for 650 people, Trump later said it would hold 900.) In a statement that she may or may not have been contractually obligated to release, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told the public: “President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail.” Following the announcement, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wondered aloud. “Where’d this money come from? Did Congress appropriate it? I don’t think so. It’s almost like DOGE was never about waste.” In September, CBS reported that a collection of individual and corporate donors—including Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir—had pledged to donate nearly $200 million for construction costs.

American TikTok deal doesn’t address the platform’s potential for manipulation, only who profits– phys.org

pgnewser October 3, 2025 0

American TikTok deal doesn’t address the platform’s potential for manipulation, only who profits– phys.org
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Excerpt:

On Sept. 25, the Donald Trump administration in the United States again extended the TikTok ban-or-divest law, possibly for the last time. The latest extension to the law, which was passed in 2024 by the Joe Biden administration, includes a deal to transfer TikTok to American owners as a condition required to avoid a ban.

This raises the question on the validity of the warnings about the app as a tool of Chinese influence and whether American ownership will help.

Canada should be watching closely, because anxieties about foreign manipulation and social media exist north of the border, too. These range from bans on TikTok and concerns about Beijing-linked surveillance to efforts like Bill C-18 aimed at safeguarding domestic news sources.

What happens in the Canadian information environment has always been shaped by the U.S., a dependence that is even more precarious now that American politics has turned hostile to Canada.

Venezuelan president’s YouTube account offline as tensions with US escalate– abcnews.go.com

pgnewser September 22, 2025 0

Venezuelan president’s YouTube account offline as tensions with US escalate– abcnews.go.com
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Excerpt:

BOGOTA, Colombia — The YouTube account of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was offline Saturday, with Venezuelan state-run channel Telesur claiming in a message on X that it was “eliminated” late the previous night without justification.

YouTube’s parent company Google did not immediately respond to questions on the apparent termination of the Venezuelan president’s account. It comes amid rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States over the deployment of American warships and fighter jets in the southern Caribbean.

Maduro’s YouTube account had more than 200,000 followers before it became unavailable Friday and was used to publish the Venezuelan president’s speeches, as well as clips from his weekly show on Venezuelan state TV.

On its website, YouTube says it eliminates accounts that commit “repeated violations of community guidelines” that include publishing misinformation, hate speech and content that “interferes with democratic processes.”

Maduro has been widely accused of stealing last year’s presidential election in Venezuela, which he lost by a landslide according to tally sheets gathered by hundreds of Venezuelan opposition activists. Venezuela’s elections agency, which is controlled by the ruling socialist party, never published tally sheets to support its claim that Maduro won the vote.

TikTok’s Algorithm Will Soon Be “Controlled By America” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser September 22, 2025 0

TikTok’s Algorithm Will Soon Be “Controlled By America” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com
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Excerpt:

After years of bipartisan warnings about TikTok’s potential national security risks, users may soon confront a different kind of threat, perhaps even worse: an algorithm “controlled by America.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the detail on Saturday, a key aspect of the emerging agreement announced by the Trump administration last week between the United States and China. The deal could finally settle TikTok’s fate in the US following months of uncertainty with a brief ban, reversal by the Trump administration, and shifting, self-imposed deadlines for an agreement.

“There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the US, and six of those seats will be Americans,” Leavitt told Fox News. “The data and privacy will be led by one of America’s greatest tech companies, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by America.”

It’s unclear what exactly a US-controlled algorithm will involve. Right-wing conspiracy theories? Charlie Kirk memorials? Coupons for MAGA swag? Nor did Leavitt specify which American individuals would be involved in determining an algorithm. We also have little details on how Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a Trump loyalist, intends to approach the responsibility for managing TikTok’s data and security while the Trump administration weaponizes everything from voting data to confidential Social Security records.

YouTube’s paid creators $100 billion in four years– mashable.com

pgnewser September 17, 2025 0

YouTube’s paid creators $100 billion in four years– mashable.com
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Excerpt:

There’s a reason creators often try to migrate their audience to YouTube: It pays.

The Google-owned streaming giant said it has paid out more than $100 billion in the last four years to creators, artists, and media companies. YouTube announced the figure at the Made on YouTube event on Tuesday.

“We didn’t just create a platform. We built an economy,” said YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.

As Mashable reported earlier this year, creator jobs have grown 7.5 times in recent years. In surveys, young people also consistently identify being a creator as a popular career goal. And YouTube has played an outsized role in building the modern creator economy.

It pays to be a popular creator and/or influencer on any platform, but YouTube’s widely regarded as the most lucrative social media site when it comes to direct view-to-payment value. And creators are making more money off of folks watching YouTube on traditional TV sets, rather than mobile devices. The company reported that the number of YouTube channels making more than $100,000 from TV screens rose 45 percent year over year.

Clearly, YouTube isn’t just for streamers anymore. Heck, the platform is broadcasting NFL games — arguably the single biggest product in American culture — with great success. But if you want to make it big as a creator, YouTube remains the place where you can carve out a highly lucrative living.

TikTok ‘framework’ deal overshadows U.S.-China trade talks– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

TikTok ‘framework’ deal overshadows U.S.-China trade talks– www.cnbc.com
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Excerpt:

U.S. and Chinese trade negotiations concluded in Spain Monday, after two days of talks on several sticking points ranging from tariff rates, export controls and the imminent deadline for a divestment of Chinese-owned TikTok.

Talks on trade were overshadowed by a “framework” deal regarding the social media platform, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Monday.

“It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon,” he said from U.S.-China talks in Madrid. Both President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to discuss the terms.

The news comes ahead of a Wednesday deadline to either divest TikTok’s U.S. business or shut down the social media app in the country.

Bessent led negotiations alongside Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the U.S. side, with the Chinese represented by Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang.

TikTok removes video honoring Charlie Kirk: violates ‘community guidelines’– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser September 15, 2025 0

TikTok removes video honoring Charlie Kirk: violates ‘community guidelines’– www.thecollegefix.com
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Excerpt:

A video by The College Fix honoring TPUSA leader Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination has been removed by TikTok, which states the video violates “community guidelines.”

The five-minute video, posted to all The College Fix’s media platforms on Saturday, features Assistant Editor Gabrielle Temaat expressing heartbreak over Kirk’s assassination. It then showcases three clips of Kirk debating students on various hot-button topic, and ends by quoting reactions to his murder.

The video was accepted on X, YouTube and Facebook with no problems….