Twitter

China's blocking of Twitter has failed to keep activists, journalists and others from using the messaging platform to connect with the rest of the world, said a study released Wednesday.

The study by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society said it was not possible to estimate the number of Chinese Twitter users but said that "this alternative venue is enjoyed by various groups of people with diverse shared interests that gravitate towards three main areas: politics, technology, and entertainment."

It has been all change at Twitter recently. After increasing the number of accounts users are able to follow, and switching the Favorite star for a Like heart, Twitter today takes the wraps off a new Public Policy and Transparency page.

This is a central hub for information about Twitter's policies relating to freedom of speech, privacy, security, and corporate responsibility, as well as being a home for transparency-related information. It's also the place to go to find out how Twitter is handling government surveillance and online legal issues.

Twitter just replaced its star icon with a heart button, and its users have plenty to say about the change.

Among the haters, jokesters, and armchair UX critics that commented on the switch, the most commonly echoed sentiment seemed to be: Twitter doesn’t get us. Right as Facebook announces that it will give users a broader palette for expressing themselves, Twitter decides to limit its user’s reactions to feel-good ones only.

Russian hackers have figured out a way to use Twitter to communicate with malware that’s infected target computers, allowing them to cover their tracks while making their way into confidential government computer systems.

The hackers upload special images to the social media site that stealthily transmit directions to installed malware that can then steal files or other unwanted actions, reported the Financial Times. The advantage of this approach is that targeted computer systems don’t register the intrusion. It looks like just another Tweet.

Today, we’re continuing to roll out to all users the Twitter data dashboard — a new tool to help you monitor and manage your account.

The company announced (PDF link) to investors that Costolo will step down effective July 1, with co-founder and chairman Jack Dorsey to serve as interim CEO while Twitter's board searches for a suitable replacement.

Twitter revised its privacy policy over the weekend, changing where it handles the account information of users outside the U.S. and clarifying some points.

As of Saturday, account information for Twitter users outside the U.S. is handled by Twitter International in Dublin, Ireland. This means that all account information will be subject to Irish privacy and data protection law, which is based on the European Union’s Data Protection Directive, Twitter said on its site.

Twitter has tripled the size of its abuse support team after the number of reports it handled increased five-fold in six months thanks to an expansion of harassment controls.

The company did not specify the headcount increase, nor the number of reports. El Reg has requested the information.

Twitter is suing the U.S. government in an effort to loosen restrictions on what the social media giant can say publicly about the national security-related requests it receives for user data.

The company filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on Monday in a federal court in northern California, arguing that its First Amendment rights are being violated by restrictions that forbid the disclosure of how many national security letters and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court orders it receives -- even if that number is zero.

After nearly six years, TwitPic is shutting down its service amidst pressure from Twitter's legal team. The service has worked in conjunction with Twitter for several years providing hosting services for images and videos.

According to a blog post by TwitPic creator Noah Everett, Twitter contacted his company a few weeks ago in regards to a trademark that was filed for his company that has been pending since 2009. The Twitter legal team demanded they abandon the trademark or risk losing access to the Twitter API.