TheRepublic.com - Online media News

Illinois cracks down on social media 'flash mobs'

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:20:07 -0400

CHICAGO - Seeking to keep pace with changing technology, Illinois toughened penalties Saturday for those who use social media and text messaging to organize violent "flash mobs" like those that have occurred on Chicago's Michigan Avenue and in other tourist areas.

In Pa., how a potato roll became famous

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:27:30 -0400

CHAMBERSBURG, Pennsylvania - Inside the new visitor's center at Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe in Chambersburg is a glimpse into how it all started.

3 charged after post rape on Facebook page

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:13:33 -0400

CHICAGO - Three Chicago teenagers are accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and posting the attack on Facebook.

Report: Yahoo nearing $1.1B acquisition of Tumblr

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:34:29 -0400

NEW YORK - Yahoo may be on the verge of closing its biggest acquisition during the 10-month reign of CEO Marissa Mayer as she tries to attract more traffic and advertisers to the Internet company's website and mobile applications.

A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:35:41 -0400

NEW YORK - It was supposed to be our IPO, the people's public offering.

Syrian hackers compromise FT blog, Twitter feeds

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:46:08 -0400

LONDON - A clutch of Twitter accounts and a blog maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which has regularly targeted media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

Guilty plea for Ohio man for Obama Twitter threat

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:13 -0400

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Columbus man has pleaded guilty to threatening President Barack Obama on Twitter and now faces up to five years in prison.

NJ issues regulations for Internet gambling

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:55:09 -0400

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey - New Jersey moved forward Friday with its plans to offer Internet gambling, issuing regulations on how the new online bets are to be handled.

Aussie minister sorry he 'liked' exposed teen pic

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:46:21 -0400

SYDNEY - An Australian politician says he has learned a valuable lesson in social networking after he "liked" a Facebook photo without realizing that it showed a teenage prankster exposing himself.

Top Kan. Dem: Staffer faces discipline over tweets

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:17:32 -0400

TOPEKA, Kansas - The top Democrat in the Kansas House promised Thursday that he'll discipline a staffer who's been posting disparaging tweets about Republican legislators.

Social media rules given for adult beverage makers

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:14:04 -0400

SANTA ROSA, California - Wine, beer and spirits makers that use social media to promote beverages must abide by new federal guidelines governing the practice.

Ore. bill guards workers' social media passwords

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:40:44 -0400

SALEM, Oregon - The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill barring bosses from demanding employees or job applicants turn over their Facebook passwords and other social media login information.

NC House passes social media privacy bill

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:55:13 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - A bill forbidding employers and universities from accessing private email or social media accounts of workers and students has passed the North Carolina House.

Wyo. suspect in threatening post has criminal past

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:43:39 -0400

LARAMIE, Wyoming - A Laramie woman accused of posting an anonymous Facebook threat against herself has a previous conviction involving a 2005 gun-waving incident.

INFLUENCE GAME: Tech, labor spar on immigration

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:40:45 -0400

WASHINGTON - To the U.S. technology industry, there's a dramatic shortfall in the number of Americans skilled in computer programming and engineering that is hampering business. To unions and some Democrats, it's more sinister: The push by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to expand the number of visas for high-tech foreign workers is an attempt to dilute a lucrative job market with cheap, indentured labor.

Feds offer deal to NYer accused of pol threats

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:59:57 -0400

WHITE PLAINS, New York - Two months of plea bargaining has led to an offer from prosecutors that could avert a trial for a man accused of making death threats on Facebook against some of the nation's best-known politicians.

MU research looks at teens' news diets

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:06:33 -0400

COLUMBIA, Missouri - A University of Missouri journalism researcher says that social-media saturated teenagers aren't necessarily savvier consumers of news.

Woman: China police ask to ax White House petition

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:13:34 -0400

BEIJING - Upset about plans for a petrochemical plant near her hometown in China, a woman turned to a new method that Chinese are using to air their complaints: she posted a petition on the White House's website. Then, Chinese police asked her to remove it.

No charges for teen after explosion at Fla. school

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:07:39 -0400

A central Florida teenager who was accused of igniting a chemical explosion on school grounds - and who became the subject of a grassroots social media campaign on her behalf - will not face criminal charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Google boosts photo offerings to rival Facebook

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:24:19 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular.

Highlights: music, maps, photo, other Google tools

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:20:00 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO - Google used its annual conference for software developers to unveil several new products, services and features. They include enhancements for online games, maps, search, music and photos and are meant to help the company cement its role in people's technological lives. Here's a look at some of the announcements made at Wednesday's keynote at Google I/O.

No charges for teen after explosion at Fla. school

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:17:28 -0400

Seattle man posted video before dying on highway

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:13:35 -0400

PORTLAND, Oregon - A final video of Richard Swanson shows him smiling and happy to be at the ocean as he prepared to dribble a soccer ball along Oregon's coastal road on a planned 10,000-mile walk to Brazil. It was the same coastal road where he was fatally hit by a pickup truck, just an hour after posting the video on Facebook.

Google unveils social, photo, music features

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:16:43 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO - Google's sixth annual conference for software developers opened Wednesday with a chance for the company to showcase its latest services. Announcements include a new phone, new tools for online games and a new music-streaming service and new features to its Google Plus social network, including tools for sharing and enhancing photos.

Ala. man pleads guilty to raping 5 women

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:12:05 -0400

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - A Montgomery man has pleaded guilty to luring five women to vacant apartments and raping them in 2012.