Maya Shwayder
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a multimedia journalist currently based in New England. I previously worked for DW News/Deutsche Welle as an anchor and on-air correspondent, based in Berlin and the US East Coast, where I covered politics, culture, and everything in between. I've reported on the attacks in Charlottesville, North Carolina, Hurricane Florence, the Detroit Auto Show, the immigrant experience in the US and in Germany, and much more.
As college resumes, students protest against invasive proctoring apps
COVID has forced schools to figure out how to do everything, including administering tests, remotely. This has led to privacy complications and student revolt.
Streaming services are the ‘Wild West’ for political ads, report finds
Streaming services are the 'Wild West' for political ads, a new report found, involving little fact checking and reactive policies about misinformation.
Thanks to libraries, remote tribes are finally getting online
Out on native reservations where internet access is scarce, six tribal libraries pooled resources to build out their communities' broadband networks.
Why posting photos of your boarding pass is a terrible idea
You may want to show off, but stop posting your boarding passes online. It's turning you into an easy target for hackers and indentity thieves.
Scammers find a new target: Teens on TikTok
Scams promising fast, easy money or fake diet pills have proliferated. Tik Tok's audience skews especially young, leaving them particularly vulnerable.
Microsoft announces new software to combat deepfakes
Microsoft announced new "Video Authentication" software to detect fake media.
Facebook removes network of Russian misinformation groups
Facebook took down around 13 pages associated with the Internet Research Agency that were created to point people toward a left-leaning fake news site.
OfferUp and Letgo merged today, and users are furious about it
In a surprise move, the two online marketplace platforms announced they would combine, leaving sellers and buyers stranded with no access to former Letgo accounts.
This ‘pay-by-face’ system could be the future of your wallet
In Pasadena, California, identity authentication company PopID has begun rolling out new face-pay kiosks to more than 25 restaurants and retailers.
TikTok sues Trump administration to block pending ban
TikTok has filed a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration's executive order banning it from operating its business in the U.S..
Affordable broadband out of reach for most tribal reservations in the U.S.
A new study shows that only 33 percent of people living in tribal ZIP codes have affordable broadband, compared with 51 percent of the rest of the population.
USPS’ blockchain patent won’t solve our mail-in voting problems, experts say
The USPS filed a patent to create a system of mail-in voting that would involve blockchain security. Sounds fancy, but it's not a silver bullet, experts say.
‘Outta the Gloss’ movement is taking the shine out of Glossier
Social media giveth and social media taketh away: An Instagram movement aimed at Glossier, a brand that built itself up on social media, threatens to topple it.
The Big Tech coalition probably can’t save the election. But it’s a start
Big Tech is banding together to have talks with government agencies about election security. But it may be too little too late.
How Boogaloo groups persist and proliferate on Facebook, despite crackdown
Since Facebook announced a ban, more than 100 new groups affiliated with this far-right movement have formed. A report says they can evade Facebook's censors.
YouTube permanently bans white nationalist channel VDARE
The latest in a string of far-right forums that have been banned from social media, the channel was a big promoter of white nationalist rhetoric and ideas.
TikTok beware: Legacy tech owners can spell trouble for trendy sites
Some of the most popular platforms suffered massive devaluations, stagnation, or even death when big legacy companies purchased them.
ByteDance CEO confirms U.S. will force TikTok sale
Addressing employees, the CEO of ByteDance said a U.S. entity told it to divest from Tik Tok. Security questions have long swirled around the Chinese company.
And the brands played on: How the Facebook ad boycott fizzled out
Despite a reported 1,000 advertisers taking ads off the platform, including major names, Facebook largely shrugged in the face of this boycott.
Big Tech CEOs’ showdown with Congress: The antitrust hearing that wasn’t
All eyes were on Capitol Hill to see if Congress could muster up the focus to press Big Tech CEOs on their monopolistic practices. They couldn't do it.
Facebook ad boycotters to Congress: Don’t let Zuckerberg off easy
Activists behind July's advertiser boycott of Facebook want Congress to grill CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the social network's control of the ad market.
Small business owners call on Congress to grill Amazon’s Bezos
Activists want Congress to call out Amazon’s monopoly in the online retail space. CEO Jeff Bezos is scheduled to testify before the House on July 27.
10 years after Stuxnet, the most powerful cyberweapon is now social media
Stuxnet was scary for its level of sophistication and targeting, but cost-prohibitive to develop. Bad actors can now lean on a more efficient tool: Facebook.
Harvard’s remote learning plans leave some students struggling
Some Harvard students are struggling with poor internet connections, unsafe homes, and more as classes remain online this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Should you delete TikTok? Only if you’re also going to delete Facebook
Despite security concerns about TikTok, experts say that TikTok's privacy policies are no more or less invasive when compared with other social media apps.
WhatsApp will halt processing of Hong Kong police requests for user data
China's controversial National Security Law, which has raised the hackles of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, seems to also have given WhatsApp pause.
Amazon warehouse workers say $500 coronavirus bonus is a joke
They compared it to the $1,200 checks that the Trump administration sent Americans: it's not nothing, but it also isn't going to help with risking their lives every day.
Stop Hate for Profit, the Facebook ad boycott, starts today. Will it stick?
Facebook is an advertising behemoth, but experts say the point of a monthlong protest is to help brands reexamine whether they actually need the company at all.
Hackers say voting machines are vulnerable. But that’s not the real problem
While a lot of attention has been focused on the vulnerability of voting machines, the more imminent danger is the electronic infrastructure around elections.
Social media giants finally treat Trump like the rest of us
Twitter’s move to flag President Trump's tweets may have given Big Tech the cover it needed to do what they want to do. Is tech finally taking Trump seriously?