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WASHINGTON — Senators fired a barrage of criticism Thursday at a Facebook executive over the social-networking giant’s handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens. The lawmakers accused Facebook of concealing the negative findings about Instagram and demanded a commitment from the company to make changes. During testimony before a Senate Commerce subcommittee, Antigone Davis, Facebook’s head of global safety, defended Instagram’s efforts to protect young people using its platform. She disputed the way a recent newspaper story describes what the research shows. “We care deeply about the safety and security of the people on our platform,” Davis said. “We take the issue very seriously. … We have put in place multiple protections to create safe and age-appropriate experiences for people between the ages of 13 and 17.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the subcommittee chairman, wasn’t convinced. “I don’t understand how you can deny that Instagram is exploiting young users for its own profit,” he told Davis. The panel is examining Facebook’s use of information from its own researchers that could indicate potential harm for some of its young users,  » Read More

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Hello and welcome to Daily Crunch for September 30, 2021. It’s the last day of the third quarter! Yes, that means earnings season is coming, along with a whole bunch of venture capital data — more on that in a moment — but more importantly, how the heck is it Q4? Already? From the TechCrunch side of things, cheap tickets to our Sessions: SaaS event are going away in short order. So, snap ‘em up if you are coming. I’m hosting and even doing a panel or two. See you there! – Alex The TechCrunch Top 3 Facebook spins own research: The only way to get Facebook to release data and research concerning its own platform that hasn’t been filtered through its PR leviathan is to have it leak. Then Facebook may release it,  » Read More

Facebook announced on Tuesday that its 2Africa cable would now extend to over 45,000 kilometers with the addition of nine landings collectively dubbed the 2Africa Pearls. The subsea cable will directly connect three continents — Africa, Europe and Asia. The extension will see 2Africa become the longest subsea cable system in the world upon completion, Facebook said. It will best the current record set by the SEA-ME-WE 3 line that stretches 39,000 km and connects 33 countries across South East Asia, Middle East and Western Europe. The continued investment in subsea cables is part of Facebook’s efforts to bring more people online. Initially, the internet giant centered on providing affordable internet to Africa’s population of about 1.2 billion people. The plan morphed with the consortium opting to lay 37,000 km (22,990 miles) of cables connecting 23 counties in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Last month, Facebook increased this number to 26, adding Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, Angola and a landing to the south-eastern part of Nigeria into the mix.  » Read More

Federal prosecutors have arrested and charged two individuals for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.Bethann Kierczak, 37, of Southgate is accused of stealing blank vaccine cards from the Detroit VA health care system, where she worked as a nurse, and selling the cards on Facebook for $150 to $200. She said she was using the money to pay for a child’s orthodontist bills, according to transcripts of those Facebook messages provided by prosecutors.According to the criminal complaint, a “Confidential Source” (CS) tipped off the Detroit VA Police Services in August that Kierczak, a registered nurse, was “forging and selling CDC marked COVID-19 vaccination cards she stole to veterans and non-veterans for profit.”The source also provided copies of their Facebook Messenger conversations with Kierczak from May and June as evidence. Portions of those conversations are included in the charging documents, and show the confidential source repeatedly pushing Kierczak to get the vaccination cards.On May 22, 2021:CS: “If you don’t forget to grab me about 10 of those things..  » Read More

CNN said it has restricted access to its Facebook Inc. pages in Australia following a ruling from that country’s high court that makes news organizations legally liable for comments on their Facebook posts. Facebook users in Australia will no longer have access to major pages run by the network, including its primary Facebook page, its CNN International page and pages dedicated to its shows, a CNN spokeswoman said.  » Read More

DONALSONVILLE, Ga. (WCTV) - Random drug testing for high school students in Seminole County has some parents in a rage. However, district officials say they’re just trying to help.A concerned parent took to social media to say that students in Donalsonville were being drug tested without parental consent.Others chimed in, saying that random testing is against the parent’s constitutional rights.Seminole County Superintendent Mark Earnest says he was unaware that there were any issues with the random drug testing because no one has come to him or the high school principal directly.However, he admits that the new program will be implemented to all Seminole County high school students involved in extra curricular activities and those that drive a car to campus.“We have very high numbers. Matter of fact, we were in the top five percent, of the top five percent that you do not want to be in the state with drug use,” Earnest explained.In an effort to detour students from using drugs,  » Read More

You don't have permission to access "http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-09-27/desantis-asks-secretary-of-state-to-investigate-facebook" on this server. Reference #18.3ca93817.1632789450.b7f7a1f  » Read More

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Hello and welcome to Daily Crunch for September 27, 2021. Today’s TechCrunch news is big news, so instead of jamming it into the intro, we’re just going to dive in! — Alex The TechCrunch Top 3 Say hello to TechCrunch+: TechCrunch’s Extra Crunch product is now called TechCrunch+ for a host of very good reasons. This brand changeover is something that has long been in the works, and frankly I am pretty excited about it. Read more at the first link, or give us money here. (Support journalism!) Facebook pauses kids’ Instagram: Today’s other big news comes from Facebook, a company that has been in the news just a little bit lately. Now, after withering feedback on its work to build an Instagram for kids,  » Read More

"Has an important American director made a film as bad as 'Cry Macho' since Howard Hawks' 'Man's Favorite Spot'?" Schrader said on his popular Facebook page. Paul Schrader’s Facebook page remains a reliable source of entertainment, insight, and shock value for cinephiles. In advance of his new film “The Card Counter,” released September 10, Schrader said distributor Focus Features asked him to pull back from his often-unfiltered posts. Well, the writer/director is now out of Facebook jail and he’s as uncensored as ever. Case in point: The “First Reformed” director used the platform to take down Clint Eastwood’s new western “Cry Macho,” now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Critics haven’t been delighted by the 91-year-old filmmaker’s latest film, but they’ve been relatively kind; the 75-year-old Schrader wasn’t having it. “I can appreciate the inclination to give Clint Eastwood a pass but has an important American director made a film as bad as ‘Cry Macho’ since Howard Hawks’ ‘Man’s Favorite Spot’?” Schrader said on his Facebook page.  » Read More

A Florida man used his phone to livestream the moment he grabbed a brick and ambushed Orlando police early Saturday, the second unprovoked attack on city officers in less than a week, authorities said.William D. McClish, 27, was later identified as the man who attacked two officers while they were standing on the corner of Washington and Magnolia just before 1 a.m., Orlando police said.ORLANDO OFFICERS AMBUSHED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT CAUGHT ON VIDEOMcClish appeared to be hiding behind a car, where he picks up a brick before charging at one officer and striking him with the brick, according to the suspect’s Facebook Live video that police released.That officer suffered a "significant facial injury" while a second officer who attempted to intervene was bit and nearly had an eye gouged out, Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said in a written statement."These unprovoked actions should be a concern for all of our communities," Rolón said.  » Read More