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Rob Lever

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Rob Lever

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US conspiracy theorists monetize 'Disease X' misinformation

by Rob Lever - March 4, 2024 - 11:08am

Coined by the World Health Organization to denote a hypothetical future pandemic, "Disease X" is at the center of a blizzard of misinformation that American conspiracy theorists are amplifying -- and profiting ...

COVID-19 misinformation bolsters anti-vaccine movement

by Rob Lever - July 4, 2022 - 2:57pm

More parents are questioning the necessity of routine vaccinations for young children. Adults are skipping shots as well, even for vaccines with a long safety record.

Bezos leaves enduring legacy as he steps away as Amazon CEO

by Rob Lever - July 6, 2021 - 8:43am

As he prepares to blast off into a new career stage, Jeff Bezos leaves an enduring legacy after transforming Amazon from a modest online bookseller into one of the world's most powerful corporati...

Biden drops plan to ban Chinese-owned apps TikTok, WeChat

by Rob Lever - June 10, 2021 - 8:14pm

A statement Wednesday said that instead of banning WeChat and TikTok, the Biden administration would carry out a "criteria-based decision framework and rigorous, evidence-based analysis to address the risks" from...

Amazon boosts streaming ambitions with $8.45-billion deal for MGM studios

by Rob Lever - May 27, 2021 - 8:09am

Amazon has agreed to buy the storied MGM studios for $8.45 billion, the companies said Wednesday, giving the US tech giant a vast library to further its ambitions in streaming.

Bill and Melinda Gates announce divorce after 27 years

by Rob Lever - May 4, 2021 - 8:53am

In announcing their split on Twitter, the couple said they would continue their joint work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds programs in global health, gender equality, education and other cau...

As US newspapers slide toward abyss, a bidding war breaks out

by Rob Lever - April 1, 2021 - 9:56am

Even as US newspapers sink toward an abyss, an unusual bidding war has broken out for a major chain, pitting hedge fund operators against civic-minded billionaires seeking to promote a nonprofit model for the struggling...

Facebook users will stop seeing Australia news content

by Rob Lever - February 18, 2021 - 9:45am

Facebook’s decision not only restricts people in Australia to read or share news on its site, but also those elsewhere from viewing or sharing Australian news content.

Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon chief executive

by Rob Lever - February 3, 2021 - 7:20am

The world’s richest person based on his Amazon stake, Bezos said on Tuesday he will transition to the role of executive chair in the third quarter.

TikTok gets reprieve as judge halts Trump download ban

by Rob Lever - September 28, 2020 - 9:25am

TikTok won a last-minute reprieve late Sunday as a US federal judge halted enforcement of a politically charged ban ordered by the Trump administration on downloads of the popular video app, hours before it was set...

Trump vows to block any TikTok deal that allows Chinese control

by Rob Lever - September 22, 2020 - 10:05am

A deal to restructure ownership of the popular video app TikTok was thrown into doubt Monday when President Donald Trump vowed to block any deal that allows its Chinese parent firm to retain any control.

TikTok deal aims to thread needle on US, China demands

by Rob Lever - September 22, 2020 - 7:41am

A fragile deal to put the popular video app TikTok in American control appeared in jeopardy Monday amid disagreement on the ownership structure and Chinese involvement.

Big Tech pummeled at US antitrust hearing

by Rob Lever - July 30, 2020 - 8:27am

Chief executives Tim Cook of Apple Inc., Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com Inc., Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google were grilled for more than five hours in the unprecedented joint appearance— by...

Twitter accelerates user growth amid pandemic, unrest

by Rob Lever - July 24, 2020 - 7:46am

A key metric for Twitter, the number of "monetizable" daily active users, hit 186 million in the second quarter for a jump of 34 percent from last year.

Twitter to ban political ads worldwide on its platform

by Rob Lever - October 31, 2019 - 8:43am

The move comes with Facebook under pressure to apply fact-checking to politicians running ads with debunked claims.

Twitter CEO account hacked, offensive tweets posted

by Rob Lever - September 1, 2019 - 3:16pm

Twitter said Friday the account of chief executive Jack Dorsey had been "compromised" after a series of erratic and offensive messages were posted.

Twitter CEO account hacked, offensive tweets posted

by Rob Lever - August 31, 2019 - 9:27am

Twitter said Friday the account of chief executive Jack Dorsey had been "compromised" after a series of erratic and offensive messages were posted.

YouTube to ban 'hateful,' 'supremacist' videos

by Rob Lever - June 6, 2019 - 4:14pm

YouTube announced Wednesday it would ban videos promoting or glorifying racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook elementary school ...

Fake Facebook accounts: the never-ending battle against bots

by Rob Lever - May 25, 2019 - 12:58pm

The staggering figure of more than three billion fake accounts blocked by Facebook over a six-month period highlights the challenges faced by social networks in curbing automated accounts, or bots, and other nefarious...

Lawsuit adds to Facebook woes on data protection

by Rob Lever - December 20, 2018 - 9:14am

Facebook's woes mounted Wednesday as it faced a lawsuit alleging privacy violations related to data leaked to a consultancy working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and as a new report suggested it shared more data...

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