Social Media

Middle school teacher Zahra Hassan is seen in a portrait in Mississauga, Ont., Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

TikTok teachers balance privacy and misconceptions on social media

Social media platform offers chance to share issues and ideas important to the profession

Middle school teacher Zahra Hassan is seen in a portrait in Mississauga, Ont., Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Federal privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. The federal privacy watchdog and some of his global counterparts are urging the largest social media companies to prevent bulk extraction of personal details from their websites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Canada wants big tech to step up on data scraping protection

Prevent illegal mass data extraction, privacy authorities tell social media firms

Federal privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. The federal privacy watchdog and some of his global counterparts are urging the largest social media companies to prevent bulk extraction of personal details from their websites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa in this Monday, July 18, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Quebec to ban cellphones in elementary and high school classrooms

Survey found 92 per cent of teachers were in favour of such a measure.

It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa in this Monday, July 18, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The provincial government has launched a verified Weibo account, a Chinese-language social media platform. B.C. hopes that a Weibo channel, in addition to all their other social media platforms, will help connect with more people, including the 11 per cent of British Columbians whose first written language is Chinese. (Lauren Collins)

B.C. launches account on Chinese-language social media platform Weibo

Chinese is the first written language for about 11% of British Columbians

The provincial government has launched a verified Weibo account, a Chinese-language social media platform. B.C. hopes that a Weibo channel, in addition to all their other social media platforms, will help connect with more people, including the 11 per cent of British Columbians whose first written language is Chinese. (Lauren Collins)
Satirical websites are getting caught up in Meta’s quest to remove all news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada, testing those publications’ survival. The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Thibault Camus

Satirical websites get caught up in Meta’s quest to block news in Canada

Beaverton and other Canadian comedy sites getting caught in Facebook battle over online news bill

Satirical websites are getting caught up in Meta’s quest to remove all news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada, testing those publications’ survival. The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Thibault Camus
A Vancouver teen, Lil Tay, who rose to fame rapping and flaunting cars and money on social media is blaming reports she had died on a hack of her Instagram account. (Instagram/Lil Tay)

Lil Tay not dead, says her social media accounts were hacked

Young social media celebrity says her ‘Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party’

A Vancouver teen, Lil Tay, who rose to fame rapping and flaunting cars and money on social media is blaming reports she had died on a hack of her Instagram account. (Instagram/Lil Tay)
<div>RCMP Saskatchewan say Meta’s decision to remove news off of Facebook and Instagram will impact how they relay information. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police “E” Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>

Police using social media accounts as Meta begins blocking Canadian news

Police services across Canada are grappling with how they will relay emergency…

<div>RCMP Saskatchewan say Meta’s decision to remove news off of Facebook and Instagram will impact how they relay information. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police “E” Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>
Within a few weeks, Canadians will no longer see news stories on their Instagram and Facebook feeds. Meta says they will be removing news from its Instagram and Facebook platforms for all of its Canadian users within the course of the next few weeks.The Facebook logo is seen on a mobile phone, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer

All news in Canada will be removed from Facebook, Instagram within weeks

Parent company Meta says it is poised to follow through on action in response to new Canadian law

Within a few weeks, Canadians will no longer see news stories on their Instagram and Facebook feeds. Meta says they will be removing news from its Instagram and Facebook platforms for all of its Canadian users within the course of the next few weeks.The Facebook logo is seen on a mobile phone, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer
FILE - A workman removes a character from a sign on the Twitter headquarters building in San Francisco, Monday, July 24, 2023. Elon Musk may want to send “tweet” back to the birds, but the ubiquitous term for posting on the site he now calls X is here to stay, at least for now. For one, the word is still plastered all over the website formerly known as Twitter. Write a post, you still need to press a blue button that says “tweet” to publish it. To repost it, you still tap “retweet.” (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Elon Musk wants to turn tweets into ‘X’s’, but changing language not so simple

‘Language has always come from the people that use it on a day-to-day basis’

FILE - A workman removes a character from a sign on the Twitter headquarters building in San Francisco, Monday, July 24, 2023. Elon Musk may want to send “tweet” back to the birds, but the ubiquitous term for posting on the site he now calls X is here to stay, at least for now. For one, the word is still plastered all over the website formerly known as Twitter. Write a post, you still need to press a blue button that says “tweet” to publish it. To repost it, you still tap “retweet.” (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
The B.C. government (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

As Twitter fades to X, TikTok steps up with new text-based posts

The same day Elon Musk abruptly dropped Twitter’s name and bird logo…

The B.C. government (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
Bianca Blakney, also known as Pinup Pixie, left, and photographer Sarah Bowman during a photoshoot at Bowman’s studio. (Mandy Moraes/News Bulletin)

Small-town B.C. pinup model has built 12 million followers on TikTok

Vancouver Island TikToker aims for the stars with ‘retro-futurism’ aesthetic

  • Jul 17, 2023
Bianca Blakney, also known as Pinup Pixie, left, and photographer Sarah Bowman during a photoshoot at Bowman’s studio. (Mandy Moraes/News Bulletin)
This photo, taken in New York, Thursday, July 6, 2023, shows Meta’s new app Threads. As tens of millions of people begin using Threads, Meta’s rival to Twitter, police and emergency response agencies across Canada have been forced to consider embracing the new app. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Richard Drew

Canadian police, emergency agencies consider adopting Meta’s Threads

Early adopters include police services in Calgary and Edmonton

This photo, taken in New York, Thursday, July 6, 2023, shows Meta’s new app Threads. As tens of millions of people begin using Threads, Meta’s rival to Twitter, police and emergency response agencies across Canada have been forced to consider embracing the new app. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Richard Drew
The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The head of the Center for Journalism and Liberty says pulling ads from Facebook could push Meta toward inking deals with news outlets. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Thibault Camus

Pulling Facebook ads could force Meta’s hand on news deals — if support grows

Several Canadian governments and companies pulling ads in response to platform’s news blackout

The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The head of the Center for Journalism and Liberty says pulling ads from Facebook could push Meta toward inking deals with news outlets. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Thibault Camus
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez speaks during a news conference on Bill C-18, the Online News Act, along Bloc MP Martin Champoux, right, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canadian government drops ads on Facebook, as Meta promises to block news

Feds also stopping advertising on Instagram as Online News Act fallout continues

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez speaks during a news conference on Bill C-18, the Online News Act, along Bloc MP Martin Champoux, right, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
FILE - A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco on Nov. 18, 2022. Thousands of people logged complaints about problems accessing Twitter on Saturday, July 1, 2023, after owner Elon Musk limited most users to viewing 600 tweets a day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the site. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Meta looks to target Twitter with a rival app called Threads

A listing for the app appeared on Apple’s App Store, indicating it would debut as early as Thursday

FILE - A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco on Nov. 18, 2022. Thousands of people logged complaints about problems accessing Twitter on Saturday, July 1, 2023, after owner Elon Musk limited most users to viewing 600 tweets a day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the site. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
A spokesperson for Meta says the company will be ending news availability on Facebook and Instagram for its Canadian users in response to the passage of Bill C-18. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Facebook, Instagram poised to block feeds from Canadian news media

Meta reacts to Liberal bill requiring Google and Meta to pay for news content passing in the Senate

A spokesperson for Meta says the company will be ending news availability on Facebook and Instagram for its Canadian users in response to the passage of Bill C-18. (Dreamstime/TNS)
FILE - Andrew Tate, right, and his brother Tristan arrive outside the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), where prosecutors examine electronic equipment confiscated during the investigation in their case, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, April 10, 2023. Romanian prosecutors charged on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Tate brothers and two other suspects with human trafficking, rape and organizing a criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Social media star Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania

Andrew Tate, a social media personality known for expressing misogynistic views online,…

FILE - Andrew Tate, right, and his brother Tristan arrive outside the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), where prosecutors examine electronic equipment confiscated during the investigation in their case, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, April 10, 2023. Romanian prosecutors charged on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Tate brothers and two other suspects with human trafficking, rape and organizing a criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
Meta’s logo can be seen on a sign at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Nov. 9, 2022. Meta has started blocking news for some Canadians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a Liberal government bill that is currently being studied in the Senate.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Local news, Quebec publishers first targets of Facebook’s block on Canadian news

Meta temporarily blocking news content for up to five per cent of its Canadian users

Meta’s logo can be seen on a sign at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Nov. 9, 2022. Meta has started blocking news for some Canadians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a Liberal government bill that is currently being studied in the Senate.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
(Black Press Media Creative)

TikTok: Here’s why #medicalgaslighting is trending

Now topping over 226 million views on TikTok, the social media tag…

(Black Press Media Creative)
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. European Union hits Facebook parent Meta with record $1.3 billion fine over transfers of user data to US. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Meta fined record $1.3 billion and ordered to stop sending European user data to US

The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine…

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. European Union hits Facebook parent Meta with record $1.3 billion fine over transfers of user data to US. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)