Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – Vietnamese Internet activist Nguyen Lan Thang looks at a Facebook page at a cafe in Hanoi, Nov. 27, 2013. (Reuters)
Vietnam Warns of ‘Toxic’ Web Use Ahead of Party Shakeup
Using its new Facebook page, Vietnam’s government vows to tackle an anticipated increase in “toxic” activity on social media ahead of the country’s Communist Party congress in January. The Internet is hugely popular in Vietnam, used by nearly half of its 90-million-strong population.
Twitter Gets Tough With ‘Hateful’ IS Profiles
Although Twitter’s updated rules do not mention the Islamic State group or any other organization by name, they now state: “You may not promote violence or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease.”
This Was the Year Tech Became the Bad Guy
Tech companies are increasingly seeping into government itself – and vice versa. They spend millions of dollars to lobby Congress, having recognized that when they’re playing in the world of public policy, political savvy matters at least as much as innovative technology.
More: