CNET: Facebook is testing a feature to help you connect with your neighbors. “Facebook may soon be moving in on Nextdoor’s turf with a new feature that helps users connect with others who live near them. The feature, called Neighborhoods, lets users display local posts, groups and marketplace items, a Facebook spokesperson said, confirming information in a tweet sent earlier Tuesday by social media consultant Matt Navarra.”
NiemanLab: Is Facebook too big to know? The Markup has a plan (and a browser) to wrap its arms around it
NiemanLab: Is Facebook too big to know? The Markup has a plan (and a browser) to wrap its arms around it. “The Citizen Browser Project will pay 1,200 Americans to let The Markup monitor the choices that tech company algorithms are making for them. ‘What are they choosing to amplify? And what are they choosing not to amplify?'”
WSAV: How to turn off Facebook voter registration prompts
WSAV: How to turn off Facebook voter registration prompts. “Whether you’re already tired of election season, or you’ve already voted early, you may be sick of seeing the prompts on Facebook to register to vote. Here’s your hack to make them go away.”
BBC: EU investigates Instagram over handling of children’s data
BBC: EU investigates Instagram over handling of children’s data. “Instagram is being investigated by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) over its handling of children’s personal data on the platform. The social media app’s owner Facebook could face a large fine if Instagram is found to have broken privacy laws.”
Columbia Journal of Transnational Law: Facebook’s Response to the Irish Data Protection Commission Falls Flat
Columbia Journal of Transnational Law: Facebook’s Response to the Irish Data Protection Commission Falls Flat. “As of the date of this writing, the DPC has not yet released the draft decision it anticipated would be complete within 21 days of the FIL Response Letter. While FIL’s arguments in the FIL Response Letter are rather tenuous, it looks like Ireland has become Facebook’s battleground to save its business across the European Union. It will not give up without a protracted fight.”
Mashable: Facebook removes 120,000 posts for trying to ‘obstruct voting’ in U.S. election
Mashable: Facebook removes 120,000 posts for trying to ‘obstruct voting’ in U.S. election. “With the U.S. presidential election just weeks away, voter suppression efforts are in full-swing on social media. Among the prime targets for voter suppression attempts: The world’s largest social network, Facebook, and its sister platform, Instagram.”
Stanford University: Analysis of an October 2020 Facebook Takedown Linked to U.S. Political Consultancy Rally Forge
Stanford University: Analysis of an October 2020 Facebook Takedown Linked to U.S. Political Consultancy Rally Forge. “An astroturfing operation involving fake accounts (some with AI-generated images) that left thousands of comments on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Clients included Turning Point Action and Inclusive Conservation Group, a pro-hunting organization.”
CNET: Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai to testify before Congress this month
CNET: Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai to testify before Congress this month. “Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will testify before Congress on Oct. 28. The US Senate’s Commerce committee had voted unanimously to subpoena the appearances of Zuckerberg, Pichai and Dorsey, but the CEOs agreed to appear without being subpoenaed, according to The Washington Post.” I wonder how many of these hearings we have before we actually learn anything.
Carnegie Mellon University: Ulissi and Facebook AI create world’s largest catalysis dataset
Carnegie Mellon University: Ulissi and Facebook AI create world’s largest catalysis dataset. “ChemE’s Zack Ulissi and Facebook AI Research (FAIR) have created the Open Catalyst Project, the largest dataset of its kind, to accelerate the discovery of new catalysts for use in renewable energy storage.”
Business Insider India: Whatsapp, Google, Amazon and Facebook under the scanner for data protection violations as Supreme Court calls on RBI and NPCI to investigate
Business Insider India: Whatsapp, Google, Amazon and Facebook under the scanner for data protection violations as Supreme Court calls on RBI and NPCI to investigate. “The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) seeking directions to ensure that the data of Indian users collected by the United Payments Interface (UPI) platforms of Amazon, Google and Facebook-owned WhatsApp is not misused.”
CNN: Facebook will ban Holocaust denial posts under hate speech policy
CNN: Facebook will ban Holocaust denial posts under hate speech policy. “Facebook is expanding its hate speech policy to include content that ‘denies or distorts the Holocaust,’ a major shift for the platform, which has repeatedly come under fire for its inaction on hateful and false information.”
ZDNet: Facebook launches bug bounty ‘loyalty program’
ZDNet: Facebook launches bug bounty ‘loyalty program’. “Designed after the loyalty programs used by airlines and hotels, Facebook said Hacker Plus would provide extra bonuses and special perks to bug hunters based on their past reports. Any researcher who submitted or submits bugs to Facebook’s bug bounty program is automatically included and ranked inside the Hacker Plus loyalty program.”
New Yorker: Why Facebook Can’t Fix Itself
New Yorker: Why Facebook Can’t Fix Itself. “There are reportedly more than five hundred full-time employees working in Facebook’s P.R. department. These days, their primary job is to insist that Facebook is a fun place to share baby photos and sell old couches, not a vector for hate speech, misinformation, and violent extremist propaganda.”
CNN: Facebook moderators reportedly complain about Covid risk in Dublin office
CNN: Facebook moderators reportedly complain about Covid risk in Dublin office. “Contractors who moderate content for Facebook in Dublin have reportedly complained about poor working conditions, which they fear could increase their chances of catching the coronavirus.”
CNET: Facebook bans ads that discourage people from getting vaccinated
CNET: Facebook bans ads that discourage people from getting vaccinated. “Facebook said Tuesday it will bar ads that discourage people from getting vaccinated, a move that shows the company is cracking down on health misinformation amid the coronavirus pandemic.”