Month: January 2022

Takedown notices are a vital tool for copyright holders who want to make sure that infringing copies of their work are not widely distributed.

Every week, millions of these requests are sent to hosting platforms and third-party services, including social media networks.

Twitter is certainly no exception. In fact, quite a few high-profile DMCA takedown notices have been sent to the platform, including several that targeted tweets from former U.S. President Trump.

This week, Twitter published a new update to its transparency report, highlighting the latest takedown volumes and trends. It reveals that the number of copyright notices received during the first half of 2021 increased slightly compared to the six months before.

Takedown Notices Increase

When combining the numbers of Twitter and Periscope, there’s a 6% increase in DMCA requests, from 169k to 179k. However, if we zoom in, it becomes apparent that notices sent to Periscope were down by roughly 80% while Twitter’s numbers increased by more than a third.

The number of processed requests only tells part of the story though. One notice can flag dozens of tweets and media files, or just one. Also, not all reported content is removed or withheld by Twitter. In fact, most takedown requests processed by Twitter now result in no action.

Most Notices Result in No Action

Twitter’s transparency report shows that the compliance rate dropped to an all-time low in the latest reporting period. For Twitter, only 31% of all takedown requests resulted in ‘removals,’ which is down from 59% during the previous reporting period.

It’s unclear what caused this sudden drop in compliance. However, Twitter says that it carefully reviews each notice and that it won’t take action if requests are incomplete or even fraudulent. The same is true for content that’s clearly fair use.

These rejected notices come in all shapes and sizes. Twitter mentions a few examples, including a series of takedown requests from an unnamed ‘influencer’.

“A notable influencer filed hundreds of takedown requests targeting accounts that used the influencer’s images for criticism and commentary. We took no action on several of these notices as the content didn’t violate our policies,” Twitter writes.

433k Tweets and 1.1m media files ‘removed’

In total, Twitter withheld 433k tweets and 1.1m media files in the first half of last year. This is a significant number but, since the compliance rate dropped, the total number of withheld items is lower than the six months before.

Again, we need to zoom in to see the full picture. The number of withheld media files actually increased by 18%, while the withheld tweets dropped by nearly 50%. Periscope ‘removals’ are part of the media items, but this only represents a very small fraction of the totals.

The takedown requests are sent by hundreds of organizations and individuals. As is often the case, the majority of all requests come from a relatively small group.

According to Twitter’s data, Universal Music Group, OpSec Online LLC, Leak ID, La Liga, and IFPI are good for more than a third of all takedown notices received during the reporting period. Of these, the notices from music group IFPI resulted in the most withheld items, 439k, which is more than a quarter of all ‘removals’.

It is no surprise that music organizations are among the top senders. According to EU research, Twitter is one of the preferred social media platforms among music pirates. And according to the RIAA, the service does little to stop the “industrial-scale” piracy on its network.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Takedown notices are a vital tool for copyright holders who want to make sure that infringing copies of their work are not widely distributed.

Every week, millions of these requests are sent to hosting platforms and third-party services, including social media networks.

Twitter is certainly no exception. In fact, quite a few high-profile DMCA takedown notices have been sent to the platform, including several that targeted tweets from former U.S. President Trump.

This week, Twitter published a new update to its transparency report, highlighting the latest takedown volumes and trends. It reveals that the number of copyright notices received during the first half of 2021 increased slightly compared to the six months before.

Takedown Notices Increase

When combining the numbers of Twitter and Periscope, there’s a 6% increase in DMCA requests, from 169k to 179k. However, if we zoom in, it becomes apparent that notices sent to Periscope were down by roughly 80% while Twitter’s numbers increased by more than a third.

The number of processed requests only tells part of the story though. One notice can flag dozens of tweets and media files, or just one. Also, not all reported content is removed or withheld by Twitter. In fact, most takedown requests processed by Twitter now result in no action.

Most Notices Result in No Action

Twitter’s transparency report shows that the compliance rate dropped to an all-time low in the latest reporting period. For Twitter, only 31% of all takedown requests resulted in ‘removals,’ which is down from 59% during the previous reporting period.

It’s unclear what caused this sudden drop in compliance. However, Twitter says that it carefully reviews each notice and that it won’t take action if requests are incomplete or even fraudulent. The same is true for content that’s clearly fair use.

These rejected notices come in all shapes and sizes. Twitter mentions a few examples, including a series of takedown requests from an unnamed ‘influencer’.

“A notable influencer filed hundreds of takedown requests targeting accounts that used the influencer’s images for criticism and commentary. We took no action on several of these notices as the content didn’t violate our policies,” Twitter writes.

433k Tweets and 1.1m media files ‘removed’

In total, Twitter withheld 433k tweets and 1.1m media files in the first half of last year. This is a significant number but, since the compliance rate dropped, the total number of withheld items is lower than the six months before.

Again, we need to zoom in to see the full picture. The number of withheld media files actually increased by 18%, while the withheld tweets dropped by nearly 50%. Periscope ‘removals’ are part of the media items, but this only represents a very small fraction of the totals.

The takedown requests are sent by hundreds of organizations and individuals. As is often the case, the majority of all requests come from a relatively small group.

According to Twitter’s data, Universal Music Group, OpSec Online LLC, Leak ID, La Liga, and IFPI are good for more than a third of all takedown notices received during the reporting period. Of these, the notices from music group IFPI resulted in the most withheld items, 439k, which is more than a quarter of all ‘removals’.

It is no surprise that music organizations are among the top senders. According to EU research, Twitter is one of the preferred social media platforms among music pirates. And according to the RIAA, the service does little to stop the “industrial-scale” piracy on its network.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

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Google’s next smartphone is expected to be a cheaper version of the Pixel 6, featuring the same Google Tensor processor, but an older, less powerful camera system. Google hasn’t officially confirmed that the Pixel 6a is real yet… but it’s come pretty close with a mention of the unannounced phone spotted in a coloring book sent out to Pixel Superfans.

The only thing that’s confirmed at this point is the name… there are no specs or pictures. But it looks like someone at Google might have thought the phone would be announced by the time the coloring book shipped.

If you’re wondering where the link in the QR code in the image points to, it’s a new Colors With Google website where you can decorate a virtual phone screen or other pictures.

In other recent tech news, Google is hiring for its Android Tablet experience team, and while the job listing has the usual amount of hyperbole, it does hint at the possibility that Google could finally be starting to get serious about optimizing Android for use on tablets.

Apple, meanwhile, is making it easier to use its Face ID authentication system for iPhones when you’re wearing a face mask. Alyssa Rosenzweig continues an impressive run of creating open source graphics drivers for ARM GPUs… even for newer GPUs for which there are currently no devices running mainline Linux yet. And you may soon be able to charge your laptop and power drill’s batteries using the same USB-C charger… and DeWalt’s new USB-C adapter will even let you use batteries designed for power tools to charge your laptop.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Google Hints at Pixel 6a to Superfans in Coloring Book [Droid Life]

Google sort of confirms that the Pixel 6a is a real thing… by including what appears to be an accidental mention in a coloring book sent to Pixel Superfans.

iOS 15.4 Beta Lets You Use Face ID With a Mask On [MacRumors]

iOS 15.4 beta adds support for using Face ID while wearing a mask, without requiring an Apple Watch or any other device for authentication. That’s because Face ID identifies “the unique features around the eye,” once it’s setup for masks.

Google believes ‘Android Tablets’ are ‘future of computing’ [9to5Google]

Google is looking to grow its Android Tablet App Experiences Engineering team with a new hire, and the job listing hints that the company could have plans to take Android tablets seriously for the first time in years. Maybe.

Writing an open source GPU driver – without the hardware [Collabora]

Free and open source Panfrost graphics drivers for ARM’s Mali-G57 and G78 GPUs are almost ready to upstream into the Linux kernel… even though there are no devices with these GPUs running mainline Linux yet. Here’s how it was done.

Power tool companies have discovered USB-C — and DeWalt’s two-way charger sounds awesome

Power tool makers are adding support for charging batteries with a USB-C adapter… and at least one charging kit coming in March for $99 also lets you use power tool batteries as power banks that can charge your laptop on the go.

Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook and follow @LinuxSmartphone on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on open source mobile phones.

The post Lilbits: Pixel 6a confirmed (sort of), USB-C charging comes to power tools, and Face ID works with face masks now appeared first on Liliputing.

Das erste FTTH-Projekt ist gescheitert. Jetzt wandert Liberty von Brandenburg nach Bayern an den Starnberger See. (Unitymedia, Vodafone)

Bei Protesten vor der Konzernzentrale von Lieferando forderten die Rider 15 Euro pro Stunde und weniger Arbeitshetze. (Lieferando, Lieferdienst)

Ein nicht funktionsfähiger Satellit wurde mit Hilfe eines weiteren Satelliten dorthin verbracht, wo er keine Gefahr darstellt. (Satelliten, Raumfahrt)

In Europa soll bis 2025 ein gewaltiger Standort für Rohmaterial entstehen, damit STMicro den Eigenbedarf für SiC zu 40 Prozent decken kann. (STMicroelectronics, Auto)