Meta’s Instagram failed to curtail hate speech against women politicians, report says

CCDH flagged over 20,000 comments as “toxic,” with 1,000 of these comments containing sexist and racist abuse, as well as death and rape threats. (REUTERS/File)
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Updated 14 August 2024
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Meta’s Instagram failed to curtail hate speech against women politicians, report says

  • Center for Countering Digital Hate said Instagram left up 93 percent of the harmful comments directed at US women politicians

LONDON: Meta Platforms’ Instagram failed to remove abusive comments aimed at female politicians who are potential candidates for the 2024 US elections, according to a report by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate on Wednesday.
The report analyzed over half a million comments on Instagram posts by five Democratic and five Republican women politicians, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
CCDH flagged over 20,000 comments as “toxic,” with 1,000 of these comments containing sexist and racist abuse, as well as death and rape threats. Instagram left up 93 percent of the harmful comments even after breaching the platform’s standards.
In response to the report, Meta said it has tools in place for users to control comments on their posts, including filtering out offensive comments, phrases or emojis.
“We will review the CCDH report and take action on any content that violates our policies,” said Cindy Southworth, head of women’s safety at Meta.
In its analysis of the 2020 US election, the CCDH report found that women of color were more likely to be targets of sexist and racist abuse.
The rise of online abuse against women politicians has drawn criticism from advocacy groups.
It also highlighted how social media algorithms that prioritize emotional content and engagement can inadvertently amplify this abuse, a feature that politicians often leverage to boost their engagement rates.
This underscores the role social media platforms and their algorithms play in the propagation of online abuse, a problem that extends beyond the political sphere and affects millions of users worldwide.
The report urged social media platforms to enforce their safety guidelines more effectively and take decisive action against targeted online abuse.


Massive Google Cloud outage disrupts popular internet services

Updated 6 sec ago
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Massive Google Cloud outage disrupts popular internet services

NEW YORK: Popular online services across the globe were disrupted Thursday due to ongoing issues at Google Cloud.
Tens of thousands of users of Spotify, Discord and other platforms began noticing issues with their services early in the afternoon, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.
Outage reports for music streamer Spotify in particular, peaked around 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time before dropping off, and some users began saying their access was restored.
Google’s Cloud status page said an incident with their systems affected clients in the US and abroad. The company also posted that services are starting to recover after its engineers identified and began to mitigate the issue.
“We have identified the root cause and applied appropriate mitigations,” Google Cloud said. It added that there is no estimate for when the issue would be fully resolved.
Google Cloud, which hosts a significant amount of services on the Internet, has become the fastest growing part of Alphabet Inc., even though the company still makes most of its money from Google’s ubiquitous search engine. Google Cloud’s revenue last year totaled $43.2 billion, a 31 percent increase from 2023. By comparison, Alphabet’s overall revenue grew by 14 percent last year.


Pilgrims through the lens: How photographers document scenes of faith during Hajj

Updated 12 June 2025
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Pilgrims through the lens: How photographers document scenes of faith during Hajj

MAKKAH: Every year, the holy lands transform into a unique visual spectacle pulsing with faith and human diversity, drawing the world’s eyes to Makkah, where millions of Muslims perform the pilgrimage of Hajj.

During this period of spiritual and human momentum, photographers stand as visual historians, conveying to the world unforgettable scenes through their lenses that capture moments of worship, tears, unity, mercy, and cultural diversity.

Photographer Anas Al-Harthi said: “When I carry my camera during Hajj season, I feel that I am not just documenting an event but painting a grand canvas of faith in human colors from every continent.”

He added: “A photographer during Hajj does not just take a picture — he moves with a deep sense that this shot may remain a witness to a moment that will never be repeated in the pilgrim’s life.”

Photo by Faisal Al-Thaqafi.

Al-Harthi pointed out that the greatest challenge is respecting the sanctity of the scene without interfering with it, which requires a high artistic sense and an appreciation of place, time and situation.

Photographer Anas Bakhsh said that the experience of photographing during Hajj places the photographer at the heart of human emotion.

“Thousands of faces pass before you, and each face carries a story, every tear bears a prayer, and every movement expresses longing and contentment. Sometimes I feel that the photo I took is an answered prayer for someone in a moment of complete submission to God.”

He said that the scene forever engraved in his memory is when crowds gather on the plain of Arafat at the same time, a majestic sight where differences between people dissolve and the sounds of Talbiyah and supplication rise.

Photographer Faisal Al-Thaqafi said that professional photography during Hajj is not only about technical skill, but also about cultural and religious awareness, and the ability to engage with the scene with the spirit of a believing photographer. “The photographer during Hajj is not just a professional holding a camera — he is an eye pulsing with faith, translating emotion into imagery.”

He added: “Sometimes you capture an image of an elderly pilgrim raising his hands to the sky, and you realize that this photo will remain in people’s hearts more than any commentary or report — because it is sincere, pure, and simple.”

The three photographers agree that the logistical challenges — crowds, heat, and problems involving mobility — do not stand in the way of their passion. Instead, they drive them to exert double the effort to document this unique event.

Bakhsh said: “Every season, I return home with thousands of photos, but I keep only one or two for myself — those images that I feel touched something inside me and perhaps touched the hearts of millions around the world.”

Photo by Faisal Al-Thaqafi.

Al-Thaqafi said that a successful photograph during Hajj is not only one of high visual quality, but one that conveys a genuine emotion. “The strongest images are those that do not need an explanation. You see a pilgrim smiling or crying, and you feel your heart tremble.”

Al-Harthi believes that a photograph can change the world’s perception of Hajj and bring this great ritual closer to non-Muslims as well, saying: “We are not working only for documentation — we are working to build a human bridge, where the spirit of Islam is shown through an honest and professional lens.”

With these sincere lenses, the Hajj season becomes an open exhibition of spirituality, where photos tell stories that words cannot express, and bear witness to the greatest annual human gathering, where everyone is equal in attire, and united in purpose: seeking mercy and forgiveness.

Amid this visual momentum created by photographers through their lenses, the impact of these images is also felt by the pilgrims themselves and by millions of followers on social media. Syrian pilgrim Omar Al-Kadeeb, from Deir Ezzor, said: “Photos of relatives who performed the pilgrimage in the holy sites and near the Kaaba reached my family and friends within minutes and spread widely. At that moment, we felt like we were part of their spiritual journey despite the distance.” He added: “I saw images taken of pilgrims from all nationalities, and I found myself moving emotionally through the scenes — from a father crying in prayer, to a child smiling in Arafat, to a woman raising her hands to the sky in a profoundly moving moment that cannot be described.”

Photos by Faisal Al-Thaqafi, center shot, and Anas Al-Harthi.

Al-Kadeeb said that the professional photos shared by photographers on platforms such as X, Instagram and TikTok enhance the status of Hajj in people’s hearts and make it feel more relatable and more meaningful to the viewer — even if they are not performing Hajj themselves.

“I believe every beautiful image from Hajj is an indirect invitation for people to dream of Hajj and to realize the greatness of this immense pillar,” Al-Kadeeb said.

He concluded with high praise for the photographers: “They are not just professionals — they are messengers of peace and beauty, delivering the message in today’s universal language: a photo.”


Arab News honored in London on its 50th anniversary

Updated 12 June 2025
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Arab News honored in London on its 50th anniversary

  • Well-attended event organized by Global Arab Network at Frontline Club discussed news in the era of digital transformation and AI
  • Attendees saw preview of “Rewriting Arab News,” a film about the newspaper’s relaunch and transformation between 2016 and 2018

LONDON: To mark the 50th anniversary of Arab News, the Global Arab Network hosted on Friday an event at the Frontline Club featuring a documentary preview and a panel discussion on the newspaper’s digital transformation and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the future of media.

Welcoming guests, Ghassan Ibrahim, founder of the London-based Global Arab Network, commended Arab News, saying it has become “one of the most trusted newspapers in the Middle East.”

“Global Arab Network works to help people from Arab countries and other parts of the world understand each other better. They support projects that connect cultures, support development, and share news and ideas,” he said.

“Their work is similar to what Arab News does — they both want to bring the East and West closer together.”

FASTFACT

The Frontline Club in London describes itself as “a gathering place for journalists, photographers and other likeminded people interested in international affairs” that champions “independent journalism and freedom of speech; rallies the “protection of press freedom;” and “fights for the safety of freelancers in doing their important work.”

In his address, Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas said: “We thank the Global Arab Network for hosting this event and presenting the documentary. We hope that the attendees can benefit from the Arab News digital transformation success story as we all brace for an AI-led future”

He added: “For the past 50 years, Arab News has been at the forefront of technology when it comes to news gathering, verification, research and distribution. We vow to continue on this path, and our latest podcast, launched using Google NotebookLM, is a testimony to our commitment.”

The Frontline Club event in London was attended by renowned dignitaries, diplomats and journalists including Saudi Editor Othman Al-Omair, Asharq Network’s Nabeel Khatib and Al Majalla Editor in Chief, Ibrahim Hamidi.

The Frontline Club event in London was attended by renowned dignitaries, diplomats and journalists. (AN photos)
The Frontline Club event in London was attended by renowned dignitaries, diplomats and journalists. (AN photos)

Members of parliament, lecturers from British universities and former ministers and ambassadors were also among the attendees.

The event saw a preview of “Rewriting Arab News,” a short film about the newspaper’s relaunch and digital transformation between 2016 and 2018, which was presented by Global Arab Network.

The event paid tribute to the brothers Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz, who launched Arab News as Saudi Arabia’s first English-language daily newspaper, from a small garage in their hometown, Jeddah, while depicting the publication’s growth and milestones in the runup to it relaunch.

The evening also discussed how Arab News is consistently launching new initiatives and projects as part of its preparations for an AI-driven future.

“In 2000, less than 7 percent of the world’s population was connected to the internet; 25 years later, more than 60 percent of the world is connected to the internet,” Abbas said.

“We are at the brink of an AI revolution that is already happening, and the evolution of the news industry continues. We hope that Arab news can continue this challenge and thrive under this challenge.”

Arab News was established in 1975 under the slogan, “The Middle East’s Leading English Language Daily,” to give Arabs a voice in English while documenting the major transformations taking place across the Middle East.

In April 2018, Arab News changed its 43-year-old logo with a new one as well as its motto to “The Voice of a Changing Region.” The newspaper relaunched with a new design and a new approach to stories that it believed was better suited to the internet age.

“Since 1975, Arab News has been the voice of the Arab world and the newspaper of record for Saudi Arabia and the wider region. As this region changes, and as the Arab world faces new challenges and new political, social and economic realities, so must that voice change. And so must Arab News,” the newspaper said in an editorial on April 4.

Arab News is marking its 50th anniversary at a shifting moment, as Lebanon and Syria form new governments and the Middle East prepares for a high-level conference on the Palestinian two-state solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, in New York this June.

“It’s remarkable looking back at history to see the pattern of how history repeats itself, but sometimes it could be a happy ending,” said Abbas.

A panel discussion after the screening of the documentary featured Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu); Juan Senor, partner at Innovation Media Consulting Group; and Abbas.

“Like Arab News, tech giants Apple and Google also started in garages — there’s something to be said about that,” Doyle said.

He praised Arab News for consistently reinventing itself “not just to keep up with the times, but to stay ahead of them.”

In April, Arab News launched its 50th anniversary collection, highlighting key events that shaped the Middle East over the past five decades, alongside the newspaper’s own evolution.

As part of its digital transformation efforts and complementing the anniversary project, Arab News released a podcast series last month. Produced using Google’s AI-powered research tool, NotebookLM, it features artificial hosts and AI-generated voices recounting pivotal moments that defined the region’s recent history.

Senor said: “Arab News has consistently set the standard for English-language journalism in the region, offering clarity and credibility at a time when balanced narratives about the Middle East are more important than ever.”

He added: “Arab News has played a crucial role in elevating regional voices that were often overlooked or misrepresented in international discourse — it’s journalism with purpose, not just headlines.”

As part of the same series of initiatives marking its 50th anniversary, Arab News hosted a special reception and talk last month in collaboration with Google on the opening day of the Arab Media Summit in Dubai in the UAE.

During the May 26 reception, Mona Al-Marri, director-general of Dubai Media Office, Government of Dubai, said: “I hope that all media outlets in our region follow in the steps of Arab News, because this is when you set a good working model for the whole region. … Arab News is leading this transformation.”

In a region where over 50 percent of the population is young, she added, “we should all follow this model.”

In his keynote speech at the event, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “Let’s all agree that how we create and consume media is changing dramatically. Look at the average attention span, which is eight seconds.”

He said the disruptive power of AI — from disinformation to audience mistrust — makes the “human touch” more vital than ever. “AI may be the hero of the next media chapter, but self-critique, adaptability and editorial responsibility will define its success,” Belhoul said.

Arab News, headquartered in Riyadh, has expanded its digital voice by establishing bureaus in London, Pakistan and Dubai, besides editions published in French and Japanese.


France eyes social media ban for under-15s after school stabbing

Updated 11 June 2025
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France eyes social media ban for under-15s after school stabbing

  • A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after fatally stabbing a 31-year-old school assistant during a bag search in Nogent, eastern France
  • President Emmanuel Macron said France would move ahead with a ban if the EU fails to make progress on a proposal to ban the platform for children in the coming months

PARIS: French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for under-15s and the sale of knives to minors after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock.

A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France.

Friends and well-wishers left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school struck by the tragedy.

“We share your pain,” read one message.

Laurence Raclot, who knew the teaching assistant, Melanie, said she was “stunned.”

“She was great with kids,” Raclot said. “In a quiet little town, we never would have thought this could happen.”

A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent.

“There are no words,” added another local, Sabrina Renault. “It’s really sad for her whole family, for that little boy who’s left without his mum.”

Pupils and parents were seen entering and leaving the school, where a psychological support unit has been set up.

The suspect will remain in police custody for a further 24 hours, until Thursday morning, a police source told AFP on Wednesday. Little information has been released about his motive.

In the wake of the attack, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children.

“I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let’s do it,” he added.

Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children’s use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children’s mental and physical health.

Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally.

“We cannot wait,” he told broadcaster France 2.

France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren.

In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks.

Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force “immediately.”

The list will include “any knife that can be used as a weapon,” he said.

He also said parents and educators should be watching for “signs that a teenager is not doing well,” while acknowledging that there was a shortage of psychologists.

Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools.

Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called for a minute’s silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honor the memory of the teaching assistant.

“The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation,” she told France Inter radio on Wednesday.

Borne said she was “open to anything” to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors.

She also said that young people should be protected from “overexposure to screens.”

But trade unions said they were not sure how these proposals would be implemented and enforced.

“Teaching assistants have primarily educational duties within the school environment,” said Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers’ union.

But, she added, “little by little, we have seen attempts to turn them into security guards.”

Remy Reynaud of the CGT Educ’action union criticized the government’s decision to introduce bag searches outside schools.

“They increase tensions,” he said.

“School management are pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their duties.”


Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they ‘went too far’

Updated 11 June 2025
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Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they ‘went too far’

  • ‘I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far’

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and Donald Trump’s former adviser, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair’s public falling-out last week.

“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X.

Musk’s expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with “serious consequences” if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill.

Their blistering break-up – largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week – was ignited by Musk’s harsh criticism of Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful” spending bill, which is currently before Congress.

Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk – one of the Republican Party’s biggest financial backers in last year’s presidential election – to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation.

“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” Trump, who also branded Musk “disrespectful,” told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be.

Trump also said he had “no” desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has “no intention of speaking to him.”

In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone “too far.”

The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

But their relationship cracked within days as Musk described the spending bill as an “abomination” that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump’s second term in office.

Trump hit back at Musk’s comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned.

“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised,” Trump told reporters.

Musk, who was Trump’s biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, also raised the issue of the Republican’s election win.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he posted, adding: “Such ingratitude.”

Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies would be the “easiest way” to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion.

With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters “I just wish him well,” and Musk responding on X: “Likewise.”

Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Musk had alleged that the Republican president is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges.

Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files,” Musk posted on X. “That is the real reason they have not been made public.”

Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim.

He appeared to have deleted those tweets by Saturday morning.