Controversy follows Meta’s move to roll back some rules on hateful content
Meta is making some sweeping changes to its policy on what Facebook and Instagram users can and cannot post. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the company not only announced it is doing away with professional fact-checking and replacing it with community notes but it also made updates to its hateful conduct policy, rolling back some content restrictions.
For example, the company removed a line in its policy that prohibited “dehumanizing speech” in the form of “certain objects” – including “women as household objects or property or objects in general; Black people as farm equipment; and transgender or non-binary people as ‘it.’”
Meta did, however, amend a different part of the policy related to “harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation or violence” to ban comparing Black people to farm equipment.
The company added a new section to the policy allowing “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” saying transgenderism and homosexuality are both highly debated topics in politics and religion.
Meta also eliminated a ban that prohibited people from saying transgenderism does not or should not exist.
The company also got rid of a ban on blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese or Asian people. The now-deleted policy had told users not to post “content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristics with claims that they have or spread the novel coronavirus, are responsible for the existence of the novel coronavirus, or are deliberately spreading the novel coronavirus.”
Additionally, Meta is adjusting its automated systems that scan for policy violations, which the company says resulted in “too much content being censored that shouldn’t have been.” The systems will now only focus on extreme violations, such as child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
The changes follow allegations from President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers that Meta was “censoring” conservatives. President-elect Trump responded Tuesday to the news of Meta’s policy changes.
“I watched their news conference, and I thought it was a very good news conference,” he said. “I think they’ve, honestly, I think they’ve come a long way. Meta. Facebook. I think they’ve come a long way. I watched it, the man [Mark Zuckerberg] was very impressive.”
Critics of the new policy changes say they’ll likely lead to more hate speech and more false claims going viral.
California aims to protect kids with social media warning labels
A new bill introduced Monday, Dec. 9, in California’s Legislature, would, if passed, make it the first state to mandate mental health warning labels on social media sites. Supporters of the proposal say it is needed to protect children’s online safety and stop social media companies from viewing kids as a “commodity.”
Victoria Hinks, who says her 16-year-old daughter died by suicide after she was “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glorified eating disorders and promoted self-harm, supports the bill.
However, Big Tech is vowing to fight the measures, with industry officials arguing that the rule violates the First Amendment on the grounds it is “compelled speech.” They contend lawmakers should put their efforts toward online education and mental health resources.
State lawmakers have not given specifics on the bill but say the warnings could pop up once a week.
California’s past efforts to take on Big Tech involved the state suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, in 2023 and TikTok in October. Both suits accused the companies of creating addictive features that keep children obsessed with their platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg reportedly now identifies as libertarian
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly shifted his political views towards libertarianism, according to a New York Times report. the Times claims those closest to Zuckerberg say his political views now align more closely with “classical liberalism,” combining fiscal conservatism with social liberalism.
This ideological shift has apparently led to internal policy changes at Meta, including restrictions on workplace discussions about contentious topics like abortion and racial justice movements.
In August, Zuckerberg confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration had pressured Facebook to censor content, and he expressed regret for complying with these requests.
Zuckerberg is also allegedly attempting to smooth over a relationship with former President Donald Trump.
In 2021, Facebook had banned Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This year, the New York Times claims Zuckerberg talked to Trump twice on the phone over the summer, including shortly after Trump’s narrow escape from an assassination attempt in July.
The Meta CEO has also apparently hired prominent Republican strategist Brian Baker to improve his status with conservative media and GOP lawmakers.
Zuckerberg’s shift reflects a broader trend in Silicon Valley, with many tech executives who previously supported Democrats now aligning with more conservative politicians.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also evolved from political neutrality to vocal support for Trump.
Suspect in Trump apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
New details emerge on the suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including how long he went undetected near the former president’s golf club. And Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been arrested on federal charges. We have the latest on what’s ahead for the hip hop mogul. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
Authorities said the suspect in this past weekend’s apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump went undetected near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida for 12 hours before being noticed by a Secret Service agent. The suspect was caught pointing a rifle through the bushes.
The agent fired at the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who fled the scene only to be taken into custody a short time later. A local sheriff’s office released body camera video showing his arrest.
Routh was charged Monday, Sept. 16, with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He did not enter a plea during an appearance in a federal courtroom.
In a Monday afternoon press conference, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe, Jr. said Routh did not fire any shots at the agent and never had Trump in his line of sight.
Rowe and the FBI agent in charge, Jeffrey Veltri, said so far, there is no evidence showing the suspect knew Trump would be golfing that day. Veltri went into detail about the suspect’s criminal past.
“In 2002, as the United States attorney mentioned, the subject was charged and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” Veltri said. “Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010, the subject had numerous felony charges for stolen goods. I can also share with you that he was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm.”
Veltri said the FBI passed along that information to authorities in Hawaii, where Routh lived. Rowe told reporters Trump’s plans to play golf on Sunday were “off-the-record” – meaning it was not part of the former president’s official schedule.
As new questions emerge about the Secret Service’s effectiveness following the second assassination attempt in just over two months, Rowe defended his agents, saying they were “rising for this moment.”
“Yesterday afternoon, this country was reminded of the heightened and dynamic threat environment that the United States Secret Service and its protectees face on a daily basis,” Rowe said. “Immediately following the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13th, the Secret Service moved to increase assets to an already enhanced security posture for the former president.”
Rowe said the “highest levels of protection” were in place for the former president – as directed by President Joe Biden – including “counter-sniper team elements.”
Speaking to reporters on his way to an event in Philadelphia Monday, Biden said the Secret Service “needs more help.” A White House official said President Biden spoke to Trump on the phone Monday, conveying his relief that the former president was safe.
During an appearance on the social media site X Monday night, Trump spoke about hearing the gunshots fired by the Secret Service. He said the agent did a “fantastic job” and joked that he “would have liked to have sank that last putt.”
Routh’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 23 for a pre-detention hearing. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30. Routh remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested on federal charges in New York
Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on federal charges on Monday night. Sources close to the matter tell media outlets Diddy was not expecting the arrest.
Homeland Security took him into custody at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan.
It’s not yet clear what federal charges he’s facing. The indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday, Sept. 17, at his arraignment.
Combs is facing multiple sexual assault lawsuits and has been the subject of a federal human trafficking probe in the last year, which is why Homeland Security is involved. His lawyers said he has been cooperating with investigators.
Former lead engineer felt pressure to get ‘Titan’ ready
Tuesday is day two of the Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that killed all five people on board.
Monday, we learned one of the last messages sent from the doomed vessel, indicated there were no concerns. It read “all good here.” That text message was shown during a recreation of the submersible’s trip to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023.
It came not long before the watercraft imploded, leaving all five people on board dead, including Stockton Rush — the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
The lead engineer for the vessel testified at Monday’s hearing saying he felt pressured by Rush to get it ready for the trip.
Former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen testified he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019, telling Rush it was “not working like we thought it would.” Nissen was fired that year.
OceanGate’s co-founder, former operations director, and former scientific director are also supposed to testify in the hearing, which is expected to last about two weeks.
Meta bans Russian state media over ‘foreign interference activity’
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has banned Russian state media broadcaster RT, along with several other Kremlin-controlled outlets. Meta accuses them of using deceptive tactics to covertly influence operations online.
Before it was banned on Monday, RT had 7.2 followers on Facebook and one million on Instagram.
Meta’s move comes days after the Justice Department announced charges against two RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million into a U.S. company to create and promote content aligning with Russian interests.
Amazon ending remote work starting next year
Almost five years after the COVID-19 pandemic swept and ravaged the nation, as well as the world, and led to many people working from their homes, Amazon is ending remote work. Starting next year, corporate employees will be required to be back in the office five days a week.
This is the latest update to Amazon’s rules regarding remote work. Last year, the company changed its policy to mandate employees come back to the office at least three days a week.
Amazon has supposedly been marred by an inability to get things done with lots of meetings and layers of approval. CEO Andy Jassy called out that culture in a note to workers saying there are “pre-meetings for the pre-meetings for the decision meetings, a longer line of managers feeling like they need to review a topic before it moves forward.”
Jordan Chiles files appeal after being stripped of bronze medal
Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal was rescinded after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her coach filed an inquiry during the floor exercises, which propelled Chiles to third place. But it was a few seconds too late.
Chiles has now appealed her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee supports Chiles and said they are determined to see she gets the recognition she deserves.
Australia weighs privacy law overhaul amid Meta photo scraping dispute
Australia is weighing how to best regulate artificial intelligence with lawmakers considering an overhaul of privacy laws following the revelations about Meta’s data collection practices. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, admitted to using public data from millions of Australian users without permission to train its AI models.
The admission includes nearly two decades’ worth of posts, photos, and status updates. During an Australian Senate inquiry, Meta’s Global Privacy Director Melinda Claybaugh confirmed the tech company’s extensive data harvesting practices and defended using “public data” from its platforms.
Labor Sen. Tony Sheldon voiced concerns over this practice, questioning Claybaugh on if the company had used posts dating back to 2007. She answered “we have not done that,” but the answer was quickly questioned by Greens Sen. David Shoebridge.
Shoebridge stated that unless posts were set to “private” since 2007, they have been scraped. Claybaugh answered that the statement was correct.
The ethics of using data from as far back as 2007 for AI training without explicit user consent was also questioned at the inquiry, especially when it comes to users who are underaged.
Meta claims it excluded data from users under the age of 18 and those who marked their posts as “private” but admitted it does not offer an opt-out option like it does for users in the EU.
The company also did not directly address whether images of children shared by adult accounts are included in its data scraping.
A recent investigation by Human Rights Watch revealed that hundreds of photos of Australian children, some as young as three years old, were included in a widely used AI training dataset.
This discovery has amplified calls in Australia for stronger legal protections to safeguard children’s data from potential misuse in AI technology.
Meta removes 63,000 accounts linked to sextortion scams
Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, said it recently removed thousands of accounts linked to sextortion scams. Those scams involve online predators posing as someone they are not to lure a person into sending sexual photos or videos of themselves, only to use them as blackmail unless the person pays them or gives them banking information.
Meta said it took down 63,000 accounts originating from Nigeria alone, including one sextortion ring of 2,500 accounts linked to a group of about 20 people. Meta also said it removed 200 Facebook pages and 5,700 Facebook groups, all from Nigeria. Those pages and groups provided tips for scammers like scripts for talking with victims and links to collections of photos that scammers could use when making fake accounts to trick people.
Nigeria became a hotspot for sextortion crimes in recent years. Meta said many of the accounts it recently shut down were linked to a group called the “Yahoo Boys,” a group of criminals in Nigeria known for financial scams.
This crackdown comes as Meta tests new technology to help steer users away from these types of scams.
The most common platforms for sextortion scams are Instagram and Snapchat, according to a recent study from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Thorn, a nonprofit that uses technology to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Teen boys threatened with financial sextortion scams at high rate
Financial “sextortion” scams are becoming more common, and it appears teenaged boys are paying the price. Anti-child sexual abuse technology company Thorn looked at more than 15 million reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from 2020 to 2023. The company found that sextortion, especially financial sextortion, is a growing problem.
The FBI defines sextortion as when someone is threatened or coerced into sending sexually explicit images online. Financial sextortion is when someone uses those images as blackmail in exchange for payment.
The study found reports of sextortion went up dramatically after 2022, exceeding 600 a week.
In the past, sextortion schemes frequently targeted girls. However, this new study shows teenaged boys are now the most common victims of financial sextortion. The study found that 14- to 17-year-old boys account for 90% of the financial sextortion reports to NCMEC.
According to the report, the vast majority of child sextortion cases start with “catfishing,” usually in the form of someone posing as another teenager to get teen boys to send sexually explicit images or videos of themselves. The perpetrator will often then threaten to ruin the teen’s life by sharing the pictures with their friends or family if they don’t send money.
The study also found Instagram was the most commonly used social media platform for financial sextortion. The platform was mentioned in more than 80% of threats and used more than half the time to follow through.
Instagram was also the most popular way perpetrators made initial contact with victims. However, the report also noted a trend of using end-to-end encrypted messaging apps, like WhatsApp or Telegram, to communicate with victims. Gift cards and Cash App were identified as the most common payment methods.
Meta, which owns Instagram, said financial sextortion is a “horrific crime” and it is already implementing new features to help protect users.
The company said it is currently testing a feature that would blur nudity in direct messages and developing technology to help identify accounts that may potentially be engaging in sextortion scams.
The report identified Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire as the two countries most often linked to sextortion schemes. It says incidents have been tied to crime networks that operate in these countries.
Instagram recommends sexual videos to kids as young as 13: Report
Instagram is recommending sexual videos to kids as young as 13, according to a new Wall Street Journal study released Thursday, June 20. The Journal created new accounts and set the ages to 13 years old to see what kind of content would be recommended.
Researchers said right off the bat, the accounts were recommended “moderately racy” videos like women dancing sensually or showing off their bodies. The Journal reported it took as little as three minutes after the accounts were created to start getting sexual reels.
The study also found accounts that watched those videos and skipped over other reels started getting more explicit suggestions, including videos of women pantomiming sex acts or promising to send nude images.
In January, Instagram owner Meta said it was giving teens a more age-appropriate experience by restricting “sensitive content,” including sexually suggestive material.
For comparison, the Journal did the same test on TikTok and Snapchat. The report said neither recommended sexual videos to the accounts created as “teens.”
In fact, researchers even used those accounts to search age-inappropriate videos and follow accounts that produced them. They said the TikTok and Snapchat accounts still did not get age-inappropriate recommendations, even after that.
Trump to attend NY trial as US Supreme Court hears immunity case
The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on former President Donald Trump’s immunity claims while the former president’s criminal trial resumes in New York. And dozens of protesters are arrested as pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue on college campuses. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Trump to attend NY trial as U.S. Supreme Court hears immunity case
This stems from special counsel Jack Smith’s charges accusing Trump of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the presidency would lose its independence and presidents would not be able to function in office if they knew they could be charged following their term.
Lower courts have sided against Trump, saying he could not claim immunity for actions he took during his time as president.
The timing and extent of the Supreme Court’s decision could determine whether this trial could be held before November’s election. A ruling is expected by late June.
Meanwhile, in the Manhattan courtroom, jurors will hear more testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the tabloid newspaper The National Enquirer. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records amid the 2016 presidential election.
Trump had requested to skip today’s trial proceedings so he could attend the Supreme Court hearing, but the New York judge denied that request.
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 in alleged 2020 fake elector scheme tied to Trump
The charges — which also involve former Trump campaign and White House officials — include conspiracy, fraud and forgery.
While Trump is not among those charged, the indictment labels Donald Trump as “unindicted coconspirator 1” and follows a detailed 13-month investigation led by Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
The Republican Party of Arizona has criticized the indictments as politically motivated as the 2024 election approaches.
Arizona House votes to repeal Civil War era abortion ban revived by state Supreme Court
Arizona state lawmakers voted Wednesday, April 24, to repeal a historic law from 1864 that almost completely bans abortion, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
This comes after the Arizona Supreme Court recently supported the 1864 statute over a more recent 15-week abortion limit.
The state House approved the repeal with a 32-28 vote, with three Republicans siding with Democrats. The legislation now moves to the state Senate, where Republicans have a slight majority. If the Senate rejects it, the old ban could be reinstated within weeks.
The legislation could be taken up by the state Senate the week of April 29.
Dozens of arrests made at pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses
Pro-Palestinian protests continue at college campuses across the country, with dozens of arrests being made.
In a letter to the community, USC stated the decision stemmed from a confrontation between security and protesters, many of whom were not affiliated with USC. Overnight, USC announced the protest had ended but the campus remains closed until further notice, with only students and faculty able to enter with proper ID.
At the University of Texas at Austin, troopers were called in and at least 34 people were arrested, according to the Texas Department of Safety.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said violent rhetoric must be called out but did not comment further on the developments at Columbia, beyond stating it is a private institution and the speaker has the right to express his views.
Meta reports revenue increase but forecast dips stock
Meta also says it expects a rise in expenses for the year due to its investments in artificial intelligence. The company says more than 3 billion people use one or more of its apps each day.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner told the Chicago Tribune it feels “surreal” and added he is “ready for the moment.” There will be 257 picks in total, spread over seven rounds. Various versions of the three-day draft will air live on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
Last year’s draft averaged six million viewers per day across all platforms, an increase of 12% over the previous year.
Meta AI debuts across platforms raising privacy, bias concerns
After months of anticipation, Meta launched the company’s AI chatbot, Meta AI, on Thursday, April 18. Meta AI integrates advanced AI technology across everyday applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Ray-Ban smart glasses. The rollout is sparking concerns about the technology’s controversial impact on digital interactions.
Like its generative AI competitors, Meta AI can create images, craft captions and even act as a moderator in group chats, addressing questions when needed.
Anika Navaroli, a senior fellow at Columbia’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism, cautioned that AI tools may perpetuate cycles of misinformation and bias on social platforms, exacerbating societal divisions. She described these biases as creating a “feedback loop to hell,” which intensifies hate speech and harmful content. The feedback loops make biases increasingly difficult to manage or eliminate.
The company integrated Meta AI into almost all of the company’s platforms without an option to disable it. When users inquire about how to remove it, the chatbot provides instructions, but they are misleading and not based on accurate information.
Straight Arrow News
Users can avoid using Meta AI by ignoring its suggestions and prompts, but it will remain a prominent feature on the platform.
