The #DeleteFacebook hashtag is trending after a court upholds Donald Trump’s Facebook ban; New York bill aims to temporarily halt bitcoin mining, and Amazon is being sued for telling false advertising around its online movie purchases.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, May 5 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
Following a decision by the Facebook Oversight Board Wednesday morning to uphold the ban of former president Donald Trump on its social platforms, social media got busy. The hashtag #DeleteFacebook quickly caught fire as a mix of people across the political spectrum fired back at the decision, or simply used the opportunity to dunk on the social media giant. Dozens of articles about how to delete your Facebook account permanently, which is easier said than done, also began to circulate. It’s worth noting that the board’s decision comes with a small caveat. It described an indefinite suspension of Trump’s account as inappropriate and encouraged the company to review the matter within six months, meaning it could open the door for Trump’s return.
We’ve all heard about how cryptocurrency mining ravages the environment, which is why a bill introduced in the New York State Senate is looking to halt mining for three years. The Block first reported that New York Senate Bill 6486 was presented by Senator Kevin Parker to the State Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee on Monday. Some of the mining centres active in New York include Greenidge Generation Holdings, a natural gas power plant in the FGinger Lakes region mining an average of 5.5 bitcoins per day. Miners also love the colder weather. The cooler the climate, the less strain is put on mining machines. The assessment will produce a report, which will then be issued to the public. It will then be subject to a 120-day public comment period.
And lastly, someone named Amanda Caudel is suing Amazon for saying that you’ve “purchased” a video download, when in reality, Amazon can wretch it right out of your library at a moment’s notice. TechDirt’s Mike Masnick picked up the story, citing the plaintiff’s lawyer’s lawsuit which says the heart of the issue is false advertising. But don’t keep your hopes up if you’re hoping for Amazon to pick up an L. Masnick wrote he wasn’t optimistic that the case will get far. “In the past, companies have been able to wiggle out of similar claims, and I’m pretty sure that Amazon tries to push disputes like this to binding arbitration, meaning that the lawsuit may be dead on arrival.” My thoughts are with everyone in the hardware and software preservation business. It’s tough out there.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. And catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Friday at 3 pm. I’m Alex Coop, thanks for listening!