A new study claims Google and Apple app stores actively steer users toward nudify apps that remove clothing from women. Roughly 40% of top search results for terms like nudify could render women nude. The platforms even ran ads for the most explicit apps. https://www.404media.co/app-stores-apple-google-nudify-undress-deepfakes/ #Media #SocialMedia

Instagram is expanding its Your Algorithm tool to let users control what they see in Explore, not just Reels. Users can now type in topics they want to see more or less of, with changes carrying across both feeds. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-expands-your-algorithm-tool-to-explore/817772/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

FAA drops penalties for flying drones near ICE vehicles after journalist sues. Earlier no-fly zone around unmarked vehicles was too broad, say courts. Drones may still be seized or destroyed. https://www.404media.co/faa-scraps-civil-and-criminal-penalties-for-flying-drones-near-ice-vehicles/ #Media #SocialMedia #Drones

An 81-year-old TikToker has become a global hit after his wife challenged him to gain 100 followers, proving age is no barrier to social media success. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce844e85ldeo #Media #ShortFormVideo #TikTok

New app launches are surging in 2026, data from Appfigures shows - and AI tools appear to be driving the mobile software boom. The App Store and Google Play are seeing renewed growth as developers turn to AI to build mobile applications. https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/18/the-app-store-is-booming-again-and-ai-may-be-why/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

BBC investigation finds fake 20mph claims and bogus manifesto spreading on social media feeds alongside election content. The misinformation appears alongside genuine political posts, highlighting challenges for voters navigating election information online. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrll7d9jeyo #Media #SocialMedia #News

Mastodon says its flagship server was hit by a DDoS attack. The incident comes less than a week after Bluesky was targeted with junk web traffic. #Media #CommunityPlatforms #Mastodon https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/20/mastodon-says-its-flagship-server-was-hit-by-a-ddos-attack/

Malus.sh uses AI to clone open source software and strip away copyright licences, allowing users to sell the resulting code without crediting original developers. The service charges USD 0.01 per KB and models itself on IBM's 1980s clean room legal strategy. https://www.404media.co/this-ai-tool-rips-off-open-source-software-without-violating-copyright/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

AI firm Clarifai has deleted 3 million photos from dating app OkCupid that were used to train facial recognition AI. The FTC found OkCupid shared user images in 2014, violating its own privacy policies. Match Group, OkCupid's parent, settled last month. The photos trained AI tools to estimate age, sex and race from a face. https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/21/clarifai-okcupid-facial-recognition-ai-ftc-settlement/ #Media #SocialMedia #AIContentModeration

YouTube is expanding its AI likeness detection tools to let more people find and remove deepfake images and videos of themselves. The platform will now allow actors, athletes, creators and musicians to identify and request removal of AI-generated content showing their faces or voices. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-expands-access-to-ai-likeness-detection-tools/818141/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

LinkedIn has launched a new tool called Crosscheck that lets Premium users in the US test AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and others side-by-side. Users rate the responses to help improve the AI tools. Leaderboards show which AI performs best for different professional queries. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedins-new-tool-lets-you-test-the-outputs-of-various-ai-models/818149/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

A new class of AI startups say they are taking money that would normally be used to hire people and are spending it on AI compute instead. https://www.404media.co/startups-brag-they-spend-more-money-on-ai-than-human-employees/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

X has replaced its Communities feature with AI-powered custom feeds powered by Grok. The algorithmically curated timelines surface content based on user interests but introduce new advertising placements, marking a shift away from social graphs toward AI-driven content discovery. https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/hands-on-with-xs-new-ai-powered-custom-feeds/ #Media #SocialMedia #Community

X is shutting down Communities because only a fraction of users were actually using the feature, with much of that use being spam. The company said the feature will be fully retired over the coming weeks. https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/x-is-shutting-down-communities-because-of-low-usage-and-lots-of-spam/ #Media #SocialMedia #CommunityPlatforms

The AI compute crunch is here, and it is affecting the entire economy. GitHub has paused new Copilot signups, Anthropic has tightened Claude access, and consumer electronics prices are skyrocketing as chip manufacturers shift focus to AI. Meta is laying off 10% of its workforce to fund AI infrastructure. https://www.404media.co/the-ai-compute-crunch-is-here-and-its-affecting-the-entire-economy/ #Media #AI

#XChat, #XTwitter’s standalone #messaging app, is now available for iPhone and iPad. The app offers a more iOS-friendly design, #endtoendencryption, and features like disappearing messages and group chats. https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/24/xchat-xs-standalone-messaging-app-launching-on-iphone-and-ipad-next-week/?eicker.media #media #socialmedia

TikTok has launched BookTok, its first dedicated bestseller list for book lovers. The inaugural top 20 is entirely made up of female authors, with Chloe Walsh appearing most frequently. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yxmy5gnd0o #Media #SocialMedia #ShortFormVideo

Europe's biggest banks are launching crypto trading and custody services, marking a watershed moment for institutional adoption. Deutsche Bank, UBS, and others are rolling out services to millions of clients across the continent as regulatory clarity emerges. https://www.coindesk.com/opinion/2026/04/25/europe-s-banks-are-going-all-in-on-crypto #InstitutionalAdoption #Web3 #Blockchain

A false rape allegation circulated on social media sparked violent protests in Epsom, Surrey, with residents taking to the streets demanding answers from Surrey Police. The case highlights how misinformation can rapidly mobilises crowds and cause real-world disorder. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9370jqxy18o #Media #SocialMedia #SocialNews

Parties spent thousands of pounds on targeted social media adverts ahead of the Senedd election in Wales, with Welsh Labour spending more than double any other party at £33,572 on Meta platforms in a one-month period. The BBC found most adverts were targeted to individual towns, constituencies or even specific postcodes. Meta platforms allow enough detail for useful comparisons, while Google publishes some data and X shares none. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6e903093o #Media #SocialMedia