Twitter will soon be adding the ability to mute tweets that include words of your choice. It’s presumably an effort to curb harassment on the site—assuming you can mute messages that are directed at you—but could also just be a way to avoid spoilers and annoying conversations. That and more in today’s news.
Some Twitter users on iOS briefly had access to the ‘muted words’ feature, but it’s still in development and apparently wasn’t intended to be deployed yet. Instagram recently launched a similar feature alongside a filter to block abusive comments automatically. [The Next Web]
Ride-hailing apps are rife with discrimination. The National Bureau of Economic Research recently completed a two-year study of the most common ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft and found that black people are more likely to wait longer for a ride or have ride cancellations. Not only that, but women riders were found to be subjected to unnecessary elongated routes, as well as more frequent overcharging. [Jalopnik]
You might have noticed some of your Facebook friends checking in at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Chances are they’re not really in North Dakota; people are posting on Facebook in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s protest against the proposed oil pipeline. [The Verge]
What happens to your body when you die? Pipette, a new science show on Jezebel, explores. [Jezebel]
Another important investigation: What would happen to your body if you only ate candy corn? See above. [Gizmodo]