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      Mourning parents asked TikTok for age verification, got maturity ratings instead

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Wednesday, 13 July, 2022 - 16:58 · 1 minute

    Mourning parents asked TikTok for age verification, got maturity ratings instead

    Enlarge (credit: Sol de Zuasnabar Brebbia | Moment )

    TikTok’s safety features recently became the focus of a lawsuit filed by parents who claim that the app’s addictive design is responsible for the deaths of at least seven children, six of whom were too young to be on TikTok. Those parents suggested that TikTok take steps to protect young users, urging the platform to add an age verification process to restrict content or terminate the accounts of child users under the age of 13—the minimum age required to join TikTok.

    That’s not the direction TikTok has decided to go, though. At least, not yet. Instead, TikTok announced on Wednesday that it is adding new safety measures for all users designed to limit exposure to harmful content and give users more control over what shows up in their feeds. That includes giving users the power to block content containing certain words, hashtags, or sounds.

    Specifically focusing on improving safety measures for TikTok’s “teenage community members,” TikTok is also “working to build a new system to organize content based on thematic maturity”—essentially, creating maturity ratings for TikTok videos, like the ratings you see on movies or video games.

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      How To Discreetly Report Safety Issues on the Uber App Mid-Trip

      pubsub.dcentralisedmedia.com / LifehackerAustralia · Tuesday, 9 February, 2021 - 03:03 · 1 minute

    In an update that is likely to be quite encouraging for ride-share users, Uber has announced that as of February 9, 2021 (i.e. today) the service will have a new safety feature available to its customers .

    The new On-Trip Reporting feature enables passengers to alert the business of any behaviour that leaves them feeling uncomfortable as their ride unfolds. While the app has inbuilt systems designed to address urgent circumstances already, this new function would seemingly act as a means of supporting passengers with issues that are not emergencies, but still deserve attention.

    In a statement on the news, Uber wrote:

    “Aussies will now be able to discreetly and conveniently report non-emergency safety issues through the app on a trip, instead of waiting until after the trip has ended. Perhaps your driver is manoeuvring carelessly around traffic or driving a little too fast for your comfort levels?”

    The ride-share app stated that its research indicates passengers don’t always report “uncomfortable experiences” post-ride because once a trip is over, the details of it may no longer be front of mind. This new approach is designed to curtail that hole in the passenger’s safety experience.

    So, how do you use on-trip reporting?

    Once on your trip, if something leaves you feeling a little off , simply visit the app’s Safety Toolkit and select the “report safety incident” option (tap on the blue shield icon).

    From here, you’ll be able to report a non-emergency safety issue to the app. This will get you a follow up from Uber’s Safety Team post-trip.

    If you’d like more guidance, check out the explainer video on the new feature below:

    For emergency situations, Uber asks that you contact their safety team by using the Emergency Assistance button in the app.

    On-trip reporting joins existing safety features in-app Emergency Assistance button (referenced above), the Share My Trip function, Check Your Ride push notifications, and the option to Verify My Ride with a pin code while riding.

    The post How To Discreetly Report Safety Issues on the Uber App Mid-Trip appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .