Dutch court orders Meta to change Facebook and Instagram to default to non-profiled timelines, and this could be a real game-changer. It’s about time we got a bit of control back over our feeds, isn’t it? Imagine opening Facebook or Instagram and seeing posts from your friends and family, in the order they were posted. No more random articles from who-knows-where, no more curated content designed to keep you scrolling. Just the people you actually care about, sharing their lives.
This change, ordered by a Dutch court, mandates that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, must offer users a “direct and simple” way to opt out of the algorithm-driven timelines.… Continue reading
The brutal torture and murder of three young women in Argentina, live-streamed on social media, has sparked outrage and widespread protests. Authorities discovered the victims’ bodies buried in a Buenos Aires suburb, after they were allegedly targeted by a drug gang following a dispute over stolen drugs. Six individuals have been arrested, with investigations ongoing to locate additional suspects and determine the precise motive. Feminist organizations have highlighted these killings as another example of Argentina’s pervasive issue with gender-based violence, as demonstrated by the 164 femicides recorded in the first eight months of 2025.
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Following Ariana Grande’s Instagram story questioning whether Trump voters’ lives had improved, the White House responded. In a statement, White House Spokesman Kush Desai dismissed Grande’s concerns, citing the president’s actions as solutions to inflation and investments. Desai also mentioned the FTC’s lawsuit against Ticketmaster, suggesting Trump had helped Grande’s fans. The statement ended with a sarcastic “Get well soon, Ariana!”
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Following Donald Trump’s description of Portland, Oregon as “war ravaged,” residents have mocked the characterization by sharing peaceful images of the city online. The response came after Trump’s directive to send troops to protect Portland, which was met with disapproval from local officials like Mayor Keith Wilson and Governor Tina Kotek. These officials, along with other political figures, rejected the need for federal intervention, while some users responded by posting images of the January 6 Capitol riots, contrasting them with the situation in Portland. The online trend served as a direct counterpoint to Trump’s claims and highlighted the residents’ perspective on the city’s condition.
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece is considering banning social media use for children under 16, mirroring potential age restrictions implemented in Australia. This announcement was made at the “Protecting Children in the Digital Age” event. Mitsotakis highlighted concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence and chatbots on children, recognizing the need for proactive measures. He also emphasized shared responsibility, including governmental actions like banning smartphones in schools and launching a parental control tool, as well as collaboration with families and technology companies.
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Following a shooting at an ICE detention facility in Dallas, FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image of an “anti-ICE” bullet casing on X, sparking immediate criticism. The post, made early in the investigation, raised questions about Patel’s haste in sharing information and accusations of political motivation. Critics, including conservative commentators, questioned his actions, while some suggested the casing had been artificially marked. This incident adds to a pattern of controversy surrounding Patel’s social media activity, including a previous premature post regarding a suspect in an unrelated case.
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Technical difficulties plagued Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations, with Portuguese audio briefly overlapping his speech. These issues, including a malfunctioning escalator and teleprompter, led to accusations of sabotage from some conservative social media users, despite Trump’s uninterrupted 50-minute address. In the speech, Trump criticized the UN on various topics and made several inaccurate economic claims, while also complaining about climate change. White House officials responded with wry comments on social media in response to the incident.
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A recent social media video claimed a Norwood Park Starbucks employee wrote “Loser” on a drink in honor of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sparking online outrage and the temporary closure of the store. However, Starbucks has stated that time-stamped footage does not show any employees writing the message, suggesting it was added after the beverage was handed off. The controversy began with a post from Jacqueline Garretson, who stated a relative’s drink order was defaced. Starbucks responded by clarifying its policy on name usage in orders, stating that names, on their own, can be used.
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Meta sparked controversy by using back-to-school photos of young schoolgirls in targeted advertisements for its Threads platform, specifically shown to a 37-year-old man. These images, sourced from parents’ public Instagram posts, were repurposed without explicit consent, prompting outrage from parents who felt the practice was exploitative and potentially sexualized. Meta defended its actions, stating the images didn’t violate its policies and were part of its recommendation system, but the targeted advertising to a specific demographic raised concerns about children’s online safety and privacy. Critics, including a crossbench peer, condemned Meta’s prioritization of profit over child safety, urging regulatory bodies like Ofcom to address the issue.
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The news of a middle school student arrested in an alleged sextortion scheme involving hundreds of potential victims is, frankly, a lot to take in. It’s one of those stories that makes you pause and really consider the state of things. The core of the issue, as the police describe it, is this: young male students thought they were exchanging photos with a girl online, but they were actually communicating with another boy who then used those images to demand money, threatening to distribute them if the demands weren’t met. The scale of this, with hundreds of potential victims, is staggering.… Continue reading
Matt Underwood 
John Q. Hosedrinker