As Director of Twitter's Trust and Safety team, a big part of my job is focused on the detection and prevention of spam and abuse. A couple weeks ago, Biz explained how Twitter users were being victimized by phishing scams spread primarily through links in Direct Messages. Basically, people click the link and bad things happen. My team can only detect these scams after malicious links have already been sent out. Today, we’re launching a new service to protect users that strikes a major blow ..   show all text

It seems hundreds of Twitter accounts have started to Tweet out “weight loss” product spam today. Specifically, users who have had their accounts hijacked are Tweeting the message “I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks!” and links to diet sites. Our source counts over 200 rogue tweets so far tonight. It’s not just new users getting caught out: famous tech pundit John C. Dvorak (@therealdvorak) got caught up in the attack, and was none too pleased. At this point we’re unsure of the cause: Access coul..   show all text

For yesterday’s New Thing, I decided to go 24 hours without talking. Midnight to midnight. No words. Yeah. Anyone who has met me knows that ain’t gonna happen. I talk more than any 10 people I know. When no people are around, I talk to my pets. When they’re not around, I talk to myself. There was no way to approach this New Thing with any hope of perfection. I was going to let a word or two slip out. I realized that at 12:36 a.m., when my first word slipped out. Rather than throw the idea away..   show all text

3/6/10-by Paula Brooks Friday, U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero has issued an order to several gay rights groups that campaigned against California’s Proposition 8 saying they must turn over their internal memos and e-mails as part of the federal trial to examining if the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from outlawing same-sex marriages. According to the AP, Spero said Equality California, Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights, an ACLU campaign committee and an umbrella group that over..   show all text

3/6/10-by Paula Brooks But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these~ Matthew 19:14 According to 9NEWS.com in Denver, Colorado, a Catholic preschool in Boulder, Colorado is throwing out a 5-year-old because the child’s parents are lesbians. According to teachers at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, a meeting was held Tuesday to discuss the issue. The staff was told a student would not be allowed to re..   show all text

It’s official: Twitter has surpassed 10 billion tweets. While Gigatweet’s counter is down due to over-traffic., you can tell by the actual tweet ID numbers that we have crossed the magical threshold. The milestone shows that Twitter’s still growing at a rapid pace: it broke 1 billion tweets in November 2008 and 5 billion tweets just four months ago. So who was the lucky person that sent out tweet 10 billionth tweet? We’re checking now and will let you know ASAP. Update: Tweet #10 billion a..   show all text

Even the most prolific users say Twitter has become more useful as a way to tap in to the discussions of the day than to broadcast their own thoughts.

3/3/10-by Paula Brooks Washington D.C. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl is defending an Archdiocese decision that would not make spousal health benefits unavailable to any new employee, straight or gay, to any current employee’s who marries in the future or to spouses of employees not currently covered by the plan the Church’s health plan, as a result of the Roman Catholic Church’s dispute with the District of Columbia over a marriage equally law that took effect today. “The Catholic Church teaches..   show all text

Disclaimer: I’m talking about the famous deer, not the “other” Bambi. If you’re looking for that little “dear” you have no business reading this blog. So last night a Twitter convo among @sahans, @jillkaufusi, @littletipsyblog and me (@emihill) went from who knows what to the subject of Bambi, the famous Disney deer. For some reason that recalled a film I once watched as a very young, very impressionable child. It seriously left a mark. (Dad, do you still feel guilty for letting me watch it ..   show all text

When it comes to hating gays, religious types are pushing the limits. As noted below, in DC, the Catholic Church has decided to punish its own employees because of its vehement anti-gay positions. In NYC, anti-gay religious leaders have decided to support convicted domestic violence abuser, Hiram Monserrate, because of his anti-gay positions. Monserrate voted against the marriage bill in December. Joe.My.God has the details. The New York State Senate expelled Monserrate because of his convic..   show all text

Openly gay Maryland State Sen. Richard Madaleno has penned a letter to Northrop Grumman officials ahead of the company’s decision on a site for new executive offices.  The lawmaker points out stark differences in the way Maryland and Virginia treat their LGBT citizens under law, according to the Washington Post.  The company is said to be deciding between Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. “Here in Maryland, we value our gay and lesbian citizens as part of a diverse population t..   show all text

What was once just a Seattle event — first started by Brady Forrest of O’Reilly Media and Bre Pettis of Etsy.com in 2006 — Ignite has grown to become an ongoing series of International geek gatherings where the brightest minds get five minutes of stage time to make their point. Today marks the start of Ignite’s most ambitious endeavor to date: Global Ignite Week. This week-long Ignite extravaganza has been eight months in the making and is a first of its kind. You can find an Ignite event ..   show all text