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TWITTER PREPS EPHEMERAL TWEETS, STARTS TESTING IN BRAZIL
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter is starting to test tweets that disappear after 24 hours, although initially only in Brazil. The company says the ephemeral tweets, which it calls “fleets” because of their fleeting nature, are designed to allay the concerns of new users who might be turned off by the public and permanent nature of normal tweets. Fleets can't be retweeted and they won't have “likes.” The new feature is reminiscent of Instagram and Facebook “stories” and Snapchat's snaps, which let users post short-lived photos and messages. Twitter says it may bring the feature to other countries depending on how the Brazil test goes.
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111859-v-359:28-(Ed Donahue, AP correspondent)-"I'm Ed Donahue"-Twitter preps ephemeral tweets, starts testing in Brazil (4 Mar 2020)
¤¤CUT ´111859 (03/04/20)££ 359:28 "I'm Ed Donahue"
FACEBOOK TO HELP COMBAT VIRUS MISINFORMATION
UNDATED (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the social network is stepping up its efforts to combat virus-related misinformation by giving the World Health Organization free advertising. Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook account that the company is working with national health ministries and global organizations like the WHO, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF to get out timely and accurate information on the virus. Zuckerberg said Facebook will also give “support and millions more in ad credits” to other unspecified organizations. Facebook has previously taken other measures to fight virus hoaxes and misinformation.
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111785-v-368:16-(Charles de Ledesma, AP correspondent)-"I'm Charles de Ledesma"-Facebook to help combat virus misinformation (4 Mar 2020)
¤¤CUT ´111785 (03/04/20)££ 368:16 "I'm Charles de Ledesma"
HIGH-PROFILE COMPANIES PULL OUT OF SXSW AMID VIRUS OUTBREAK
AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) - A rising number of high-profile companies and speakers have withdrawn from the South by Southwest music and arts festival amid mounting concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. Social media behemoth Facebook, tech news outlet Mashable, video-based social media platform TikTok and U.S. chip maker Intel have all said they won't participate in the festival in Austin that's scheduled to run March 13-22. Twitter has also canceled its plans to attend the festival. More than 40,000 people have signed a petition to cancel the event, citing fears that the virus could spread. Organizers say the festival will proceed as planned.
FBI WORKING TO 'BURN DOWN' CYBER CRIMINALS' INFRASTRUCTURE
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray says law enforcement agents are working to take out the tools that allow increasingly dangerous cyber criminals to carry out their devastating attacks. Wray says unsophisticated cyber criminals now have the power to paralyze entire hospitals, businesses and police departments. He says the ever-changing threat has forced law enforcement to get creative and target the dark web sites and other tools at hackers' disposal. Wray's remarks came during a conference on cybsersecurity at Boston College with FBI agents, university officials and others.
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