Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview he worries “about an erosion of truth” online but defended the policy that allows politicians to peddle ads containing misrepresentations and lies on his social network, a stance that has sparked an outcry during the 2020 presidential campaign. From a report: “People worry, and I worry deeply, too, about an erosion of…
Tag: free speech
Blizzard In Hot Water With Lawmakers For Hearthstone Player’s Ban
jimminy_cricket writes: Due to the ban placed on a Hearthstone player for supporting Hong Kong protestors, Blizzard is now receiving criticism from U.S. senators. “Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party,” Sen. Ron Wyden said, according to The Verge. “No American company should censor calls for freedom to make a quick buck.” “Recognize what’s…
California Bans Political Deepfakes During Election Season
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: California has passed a law meant to prevent altered “deepfake” videos from influencing elections, in a plan that has raised free speech concerns. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 730, which makes it a crime to distribute audio or video that gives a false, damaging impression of a politician’s…
How Reddit’s CEO/Co-Founder Plans To ‘Clean Up’ Reddit
An anonymous reader quotes the Financial Times: After what the company acknowledges as its “wild” early days, the 35-year-old co-founder is now trying to clean up the edgy website known for provocative discussions and fringe groups, while revamping its advertising offering in a bid to woo big brands and move toward profitability…. [T]empering extreme conversation while also maintaining Reddit’s reputation as…
Fake News Posters In Singapore Will Face Fines, Prison Sentences Under New Law
dryriver quotes CNN: Singapore’s sweeping anti-fake news law, which critics warn could be used to suppress free speech in the already tightly controlled Asian city state, came into force Wednesday. Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, it is now illegal to spread “false statements of fact” under circumstances in which that information is deemed “prejudicial” to Singapore’s security,…
EU Court: Facebook Can Be Forced To Remove Content Worldwide
New submitter sysrammer writes: “The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that individual member countries can force Facebook to remove what they regard as unlawful material from the social network all over the world — a decision experts say could hinder free speech online and put a heavy burden on tech companies,” reports The Associated Press. “The ruling essentially allows one…
US Border Officials Are Increasingly Denying Entry To Travelers Over Others’ Social Media
Travelers are increasingly being denied entry to the United States as border officials hold them accountable for messages, images and video on their devices sent by other people. From a report: It’s a bizarre set of circumstances that has seen countless number of foreign nationals rejected from the U.S. after friends, family or even strangers send messages, images or videos over…
Should Some Sites Be Liable For The Content They Host?
America’s lawmakers are scrutinizing the blanket protections in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which lets online companies moderate their own sites without incurring legal liability for everything they host. schwit1 shared this article from the New York Times: Last month, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said in a hearing about Google and censorship that the law was “a…
Cambridge, Massachusetts Moves To Ban Facial Recognition
Citing threats to free speech and civil rights, the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts on Tuesday moved to prohibit local government from using facial recognition. Three other cities in the country have already instituted such bans over concerns that the technology is biased and violates basic human rights. Gizmodo reports: In December of last year, the Cambridge City Council passed the Surveillance…
How Facebook Fought Fake News About Facebook
Facebook has built tools to track posts on Facebook and WhatsApp that talk about its executives, products, or moves Bloomberg reported on Monday. The company has been, for years, routinely using these tools to “snuff out” posts that it deems to offer untrue characterization of its services or people. From the report: Many companies monitor social media to learn what customers…