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Social Web : All Tech Considered Sites like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized the Web, altered how we interact with each other and even changed the way news is gathered and delivered. Read about the impact of social media and its continuing evolution.
All Tech Considered

All Tech Considered

Tech, Culture and Connection

Social Web

Monday

Monday

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads
Dado Ruvic/Reuters/Landov

The Industry

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads

Facebook is expected to pay out $20 million in a settlement over its "Sponsored Stories" advertising service, after placing user images in personalized ads. But the settlement doesn't stop the service, and a legal expert says Facebook's option to let users opt out creates more problems.

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads

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Saturday

Tuesday

Wednesday

As Its Influence Grows, Twitter Becomes A Hacking Target

After high-profile accounts have been attacked — including AP's, NPR's and the BBC's — Twitter considers how to thwart hackers and protect users. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Privacy & Security

As Its Influence Grows, Twitter Becomes A Hacking Target

The Associated Press, NPR and the BBC have all had their Twitter accounts hijacked in recent weeks. Hacks of high-profile accounts have real-world consequences, and the security at Twitter is coming under increased scrutiny.

As Its Influence Grows, Twitter Becomes A Hacking Target

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Tuesday

Social Media's Rush To Judgment In The Boston Bombings

Brown University student Sunil Tripathi, who has been missing since March, was wrongly identified in social media as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. Reddit has apologized to Tripathi's family "for the pain they have had to endure." Brown University/AP hide caption

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Brown University/AP

Social Web

Social Media's Rush To Judgment In The Boston Bombings

As Internet users injected themselves into the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings, false rumors began to spread about possible suspects in the attack. One of those falsely accused in social media was a 22-year-old Brown University student who has been missing. The general manager of Reddit has now apologized to the student's family.

Social Media's Rush To Judgment In The Boston Bombings

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Friday

Deciding The Fate Of Your Digital Stuff After You're Gone

A man's shadow reflects on a bus with an ad for Gmail in Lagos, Nigeria. Google has introduced Inactive Account Manager to help plan for digital life after death. Sunday Alamba/AP hide caption

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Sunday Alamba/AP

Social Web

Deciding The Fate Of Your Digital Stuff After You're Gone

Google seems to think of everything for everyone, and the dead are no exception. It has introduced Inactive Account Manager, which lets you select who should have access to your Gmail, YouTube and other Google services after you pass on — or whether the data should be wiped out.

Wednesday

Facebook's Online Speech Rules Keep Users On A Tight Leash

Facebook users post more than 2.5 billion messages and updates each day, worldwide. All posted content must comply with the company's standards, which ban many forms of speech that, in the United States, are protected offline. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

The Industry

Facebook's Online Speech Rules Keep Users On A Tight Leash

Social networks now hold tremendous power to regulate online speech. Their rules for allowable comments, art and video govern billions of posts worldwide each day. And while Twitter users enjoy a great deal of freedom, Facebook has relatively tight restrictions on what users can say and see.

Facebook's Online Speech Rules Keep Users On A Tight Leash

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Thursday

Egyptians use their mobile phones to record celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the popular revolt that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. Twitter was often used to record happenings during the Arab Spring.

Egyptians use their mobile phones to record celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the popular revolt that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. Twitter was often used to record happenings during the Arab Spring. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

All Tech Considered

On Its 7th Birthday, Is Twitter Still The 'Free Speech Party'?

The first tweet was posted seven years ago. Since then, the social media site has been used as a free speech platform to spread information, report on the Arab Spring and stay connected with millions worldwide. But critics say that as Twitter has grown, it has sometimes compromised its principles.

On Its 7th Birthday, Is Twitter Still The 'Free Speech Party'?

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Monday

Friday

In Open Source Rocket Competition, Collaboration Takes Off

A screenshot shows how a team would track changes to its rocket project on a Sunglass platform. Sunglass hide caption

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Sunglass

Social Web

In Open Source Rocket Competition, Collaboration Takes Off

The challenge, launching during the SXSW festival Saturday, asks anyone with an Internet connection to try to create a rocket engine. The 3-D designs can be edited by users around the globe, a model the organizers hope will decrease the cost of space innovation and unleash "untapped potential around the world."

The Life Cycle Of A Social Network: Keeping Friends In Times Of Change

The new look of Facebook's News Feed. Facebook hide caption

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Facebook

Social Web

The Life Cycle Of A Social Network: Keeping Friends In Times Of Change

Facebook has unveiled a redesign of its News Feed, but any social network knows that drastic changes come with risks. Just look at Friendster, a site that fizzled after changes to the interface and a subsequent exodus made it less valuable to users.

The Life Cycle Of A Social Network: Keeping Friends In Times Of Change

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Friday

Wednesday

Is Online Gambling Legal If Bitcoins, Not Dollars, Are At Stake?

An image depicts the SatoshiDice website, which exclusively uses Bitcoin, not dollars, for gambling. NPR hide caption

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NPR

Gaming

Is Online Gambling Legal If Bitcoins, Not Dollars, Are At Stake?

With no government ties, Bitcoin is used to buy everything from blogging services to Brooklyn-made cupcakes. Theoretically, millions of dollars are being kept in the digital currency. And it's increasingly being used by specialized websites to offer online gambling. But is Bitcoin gambling legal?

Is Online Gambling Legal If Bitcoins, Not Dollars, Are At Stake?

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