Online media

Tech Tent: Fake ads, fake news and real voice tech

But now the two web giants are under pressure over another kind of fakery - fake advertising.

On this week's Tech Tent we hear about the advertising industry's mounting anger over a problem that is damaging its credibility with its clients. When advertising began to move online, there was the promise of much better targeting and much more accurate measurement of how well a marketing message performed.

Instead all sorts of issues, from bots that generate phony views of ads to the placing of advertisements next to unsuitable content, have shaken confidence in the industry.

The Swedish Trump fans who secretly record journalists

"Granskning Sverige" translates as "Validating Sweden". The site encourages volunteers to call journalists with a list of questions about their news coverage.

"I would say that the basic theme is xenophobic, they don't like immigrants," says Mathias Stahle, an investigative journalist for the Eskilstuna-Kuriren newspaper.

"They would like to read more positive things about Donald Trump, they would like to see positive stories about modern Russia and they want to have positive views of neo-Nazis."

How can your ‘deleted’ Facebook status get you fired

In his own words–“I wrote an arrogant post on Facebook running the drug dealers, mentally ill, prostitutes, and the homeless people on Market Street in San Francisco.” Later, he realized his mistake and publicly apologized on Facebook.

The Malaysian 'Pokemon soft toy uncle' rescued by the internet

'Uncle David' has a regular spot peddling soft toys

For the last 15 years, a man known affectionately as "Uncle David" has frequented a corner of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. He sells trinkets and soft toys daily to make ends meet.

On most days, you will find him outside a bank in the centre of the city.

He was diagnosed with cancer last year, and has now recovered, he says, but kept on plying his trade.

One customer placed a huge order