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http://youtu.be/vFMn2hjz2qE We track down the hackers behind a series of attacks which exposed internet security flaws – and helped vlogger PewDiePie keep his top spot on YouTube. Recently, printers around the world started spewing out pages without any direction from their owners. Then a mysterious video showed up on smart TVs. Both hacks were designed to promote PewDiePie, the most popular vlogger on YouTube, in his battle to maintain subscriber supremacy against popular Indian channel T-Series. The hackers say they did it to expose the flaws and dangers in some connected devices, but they also got the attention of the YouTube star – as well as the authorities, and trolls who sent them threats. The BBC’s cybersecurity correspondent Joe Tidy tracked down the hackers and joins us in ...

http://youtu.be/z27mp__8pqQ After she got a death threat, Ginger Gorman dove headfirst into the world of trolls. It all started when she wrote a light feature about a gay couple who had adopted a child. Years later, the couple were arrested on child sexual abuse charges, and although she had no knowledge of their crimes, internet trolls swarmed to attack her – even sending her and her family death threats. Where some would run away and hide, Ginger became fascinated with the world of online trolling and spent five years researching a dark and dangerous online world for a new book. Not only did she gain insight into the psyche of a troll but one notorious troll actually became her friend. But what are the implications and consequences of trolls on the people they target? And should so...

http://youtu.be/smcHGlncsgQ We discovered TikTok is failing to remove the accounts of adults sending sexual messages to children on the video app. The video-sharing app TikTok has taken the teenage world by storm. But where there are kids, there are also predators. We found dozens of adults using TikTok to post sexual comments on videos uploaded by teenagers and children. TikTok, which has 500 million users worldwide, says it is working hard to protect its users from inappropriate approaches. But a BBC Trending investigation exposed some worrying shortcomings in the way it deals with the problem. Reporter: Marco Silva Video Producer: Gerard Groves

http://youtu.be/UnwWLkpPRjc There is a disturbing new wave of political street violence in America. Groups on the far right and the far left have clashed in New York, Berkeley, California, and Charlottesville, Virginia. But one liberal enclave is the main battleground: Portland, Oregon - a progressive city in the Pacific north-west. BBC Trending has visited Portland to meet two activists who have traded insults and threats online, as well as confronting each other in the streets. What drives anti-fascist Luis Enrique Marquez? And why has marijuana farmer Rob Cantrall joined the Proud Boys, which one anti-extremism organisation has dubbed a hate group? Presenter: Mike Wendling Producers: Linda Sills and Natalia Zuo (Photo: Anti-fascist activists line up in front of police in Portland...

http://youtu.be/0FebKvl3QpA Since the election of Donald Trump, there’s been a disturbing wave of street violence across America. The epicentre is Portland, Oregon, a place better known for its chilled out hipster lifestyle – but which has been the scene of dozens of far-right marches and rallies. Those events often result in arrests and violence. BBC Trending went there to meet two activists who have been on opposite sides of the fighting. Anti-fascist activist Luis Enrique Marquez and Rob Cantrall, member of the far-right Proud Boys group, have agreed to meet for a discussion. But will they have any common ground to bridge the political divide? Presenter: Mike Wendling Producers: Linda Sills & Natalia Zuo Editor: Jeremy Skeet (Photo Caption: A far-right protester in Portland / Phot...

http://youtu.be/rVbRQDpFdxs Where does the extremist culture that inspired the Christchurch killer come from? A graphic live-streamed video and a rambling document included clues as to how the Christchurch shooter was radicalised. He used the message board 8chan to announce his attacks, which killed 50 people in the New Zealand city. And throughout his online postings are clues to how connected he was with the online culture of 8chan and a related website, 4chan. We break down the online networks used by far-right extremists to disseminate their messages under layers of irony and double meaning. And ask questions about the big social media companies, who’ve been criticised for not taking quicker action – both against the live-streamed video of the attacks and more generally against whit...

http://youtu.be/rOBbMxgGVV0 Roger McNamee was a Facebook fan and an advisor to Mark Zuckerberg. Now he says he’s sad about the way the company is being run and the impact that it’s having on the world. Zuckerberg first sought out his advice, McNamee says, in 2006, shortly after Yahoo was making a $1bn bid to buy the social media company. McNamee, a veteran Silicon Valley investor, says he saw Facebook’s potential and urged the young entrepreneur to stay independent. But a decade later, he saw hyper-partisan posts poisoning politics online, and during the late stages of the US presidential election in 2016 he turned from a Facebook booster to a Facebook critic. Roger McNamee recently stopped into a studio to talk to us about his new book, Zucked, and he told us that Facebook, Google a...

http://youtu.be/SDebros_pG0 South Africa holds its general election on 8 May and young people in the country are using social media to transform its politics. BBC Trending's been to Johannesburg to meet Sankara - a stuanch supporter of the ANC (African National Congress) and Thapi, a representative of the leftist EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) party. The new wave of activism has been given a boost by campus movements against rising tuition fees and alleged bias in education. So we brought Sankara and Thapi to meet on the grounds of Wits University to debate the future path of South Africa. Video Journalist: Alvaro Alvarez Producers: Jonathan Griffin and Anisa Subedar

http://youtu.be/THyG4BZL7wY A Trending investigation found hundreds of sexually explicit comments posted on videos uploaded by teenagers and children. The video-sharing app TikTok has taken the teenage world by storm. But where there are kids, there are also predators. We found dozens of adults using TikTok to post sexual comments on videos uploaded by teenagers and children. TikTok, which has 500 million users worldwide, says it is working hard to protect its users from inappropriate approaches. But a BBC Trending investigation exposed some worrying shortcomings in the way it deals with the problem. Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Marco Silva

http://youtu.be/y17zNye_1LM A fake rock star fooled the internet. But how did he do it – and why? How did an ambitious musician fool thousands of people using social media? Jered Threatin successfully managed to fake an entire existence as a rock star. He persuaded people he was an award-winning musician who had played to sold-out venues. And as a result of his seemingly popular social media accounts and faked web pages, he orchestrated a European tour, got his eponymous band booked in venues across six countries. The BBC’s Jessica Lussenhop got an exclusive interview with Jered Threatin, and she helps tell the story of how he was able to dupe people, how he was uncovered and why his desire for global success has now made him famous – for all the wrong reasons. Presenter: Anisa Subed...

http://youtu.be/9NwDz9u15s0 An investigation into claims that innocent men were framed on social media to try discredit peaceful protests that helped topple Sudan’s former president Omar al-Bashir. After mass street protests, the military stepped in to end President Bashir’s 30-year rule earlier this month. But the BBC has uncovered evidence that the regime organised a fake news campaign to try to portray peaceful protesters as violent rebels. Students were allegedly tortured to make false confessions that were filmed and distributed online. However, social media played a critical role in exposing the attempted deception. Presenter: Anisa Subedar Reporter: Owen Pinnell Photo Caption: Demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in the capital Khartoum. Photo Credit: Ge...

http://youtu.be/KM-dtMPDGS8 Nina spends three hours a day on Facebook – not sharing selfies or catching up on news, but trying to make the network a nicer place. She’s a German member of a large and growing international movement called #IAmHere. Started in Sweden in 2016, tens of thousands of volunteers in more than a dozen countries organise in closed Facebook groups. They target popular posts, often from mainstream news organisations, which get overrun by extremism, violent threats and hate speech. Their goal is not win over the trolls, but to inject balance into the conversation with facts and more moderate views. To listen to the radio programme, click here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01kdgrn/episodes/player

http://youtu.be/l0u-2lPMU10 Young South Africans are using social media to transform their country’s politics. We meet two activists who are trying to influence next month’s general election. Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Anisa Subedar Producer: Marco Silva Photo Caption: ANC member Sankara (left) and EFF member Thapi (right)/ Photo Credit: BBC

http://youtu.be/l-ZJNGuEP4U Author and podcaster Douglas Rushkoff wants a new fight against “anti-human” technologies. He says that many recent technological developments – including the rise of social media – have alienated and isolated us. Rushkoff is not a Luddite – in fact he’s an enthusiastic early adopter and long-time chronicler of the digital world. But in his new book Team Human, and his podcast of the same name, he argues for a critical look at how technology is affecting our brains and our lives. What does he think is the way forward – and are people really listening? Presenter: Mike Wendling Producers: Jonathan Griffin and Ed Main (Photo caption: Douglas Rushkoff/ Photo credit: Iain Marcks)

http://youtu.be/OvIUrjGDrho A website set up by a Saudi exile is helping other former Muslims to flee persecution in their Gulf homelands. In some Arab countries ex Muslims can be prosecuted for renouncing their faith, and in Saudi Arabia those convicted of apostasy may be sentenced to death. Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen set up wearesaudis.net after he became an atheist and claimed asylum in Germany. The site also helps ex Muslims like "Dina" who want to escape abroad because they fear relatives will force them to marry.

http://youtu.be/Ez0koEhU-r0 All around the world, there are conspiracy theorists who believe the Earth is flat. Their community seems to be growing, judging by attendance at flat Earth conferences and events. Flat Earthers say YouTube helped them spread their message, but the Google-owned company says it's taking action to prevent conspiracy videos from reaching large numbers of people. So how - and why - has YouTube enabled the flat Earth community to grow?