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Facebook has hired a highly influential Democratic aide away from a Senate committee that has set its sights on reigning in Big Tech, as the company aims to fend off threats from Congress and the Biden administration. The company confirmed to FOX Business that John Branscome, staff director and former chief counsel for the Senate Commerce subcommittee on technology, will be joining the ranks of its federal policy team.Ticker Security Last Change Change % FB FACEBOOK, INC. 378.69 +0.69 +0.18% SEN. RON JOHNSON DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM BIDEN ON ADMINISTRATION'S WORK WITH BIG TECH TO CENSOR ONLINE POSTS One Democrat told Politico, which first reported the news, that the hire "was a stroke of brilliance by Facebook," adding, "You’d be hard-pressed to get somebody more respected than John Branscome in that position."The move comes as lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have vowed to impose more stringent regulations on social media giants like Facebook and Twitter,  » Read More

In the extended universe of the techlash, the Real Facebook Oversight Board presents itself as the Avengers.The members of the group, described on its website as a “‘Brains Trust’ to respond to the critical threats posed by Facebook’s unchecked power,” were summoned from the four corners of the internet by Carole Cadwalladr, the activist British journalist who broke the Cambridge Analytica scandal.(The group is not affiliated with Facebook and was started last year in confusingly named opposition to Facebook’s creation of its official Oversight Board, or, colloquially, “Facebook Supreme Court.”)They include some of the biggest names and loudest voices in the movement to hold tech platforms accountable for their influence: people like Shoshana Zuboff, who invented the idea of “surveillance capitalism”; Reed Galen, a cofounder of the conservative anti-MAGA super PAC the Lincoln Project; Roger McNamee, the early Facebook investor who has been publicly critical of the company; Yaël Eisenstat, the ex-CIA officer and former head of election integrity operations for political ads at Facebook; and Timothy Snyder, the Yale historian of fascism.  » Read More

Facebook controls 85% of the personal social networking market thanks to its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, making it an unlawful monopoly that has hurt consumers and competitors, the Federal Trade Commission argued in court documents released Wednesday.The commission's analysis of Facebook's user metrics is critical to its case for breaking up Facebook.A federal judge rejected the commission's first antitrust lawsuit against Facebook earlier this year, saying that the FTC hadn't made a persuasive case regarding the company's dominant market share and unfair monopolistic behavior.The tech giant's anti-competitive behavior has hurt the social media market by significantly reducing innovation, quality improvements, and consumer choice in regards to advertising and privacy options, the trade commission said in a newly released version of its antitrust complaint against the company."Facebook has hindered, suppressed, and deterred the emergence and growth of rival personal social networking providers and unlawfully maintained its monopoly in the U.S. personal social networking market through means other than competition on the merits," the trade commission said in its court filing.  » Read More

(AP) - Seven years after the ill-fated Google Glass, and five years after Snap launched its Spectacles, another tech giant is trying its hand at internet-connected smart glasses, hoping that this time around things might be different and loads of people will actually wear them. It’s Facebook. In a partnership with Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica, the company on Thursday unveiled Ray-Ban Stories — connected eyewear with built-in speakers and a microphone for making calls, a companion app that isn’t Facebook and a charging case. The spectacles cost $299 and are available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Italy, Ireland and Australia.Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.  » Read More

News CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) Facebook Marketplace is a place where people look for housing to rent, but could also be a place where users take advantage of others looking for a place to live. One agricultural worker was scammed over $2,000 but worked together with Salinas PD to catch the scammer. KION's Stephanie Aceves reports tonight on how you can keep yourself safe from rental scams. We'll also hear from the ag worker tonight at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Local News / Top Stories  » Read More

Twitter is launching Communities, its rival to Facebook Groups and Reddit, for tweeting with others who share specific interests. Starting Wednesday, Twitter users can be invited to an initial batch of Communities that include #AstroTwitter, #DogTwitter, #SkincareTwitter, and #SoleFood (a group for sneaker enthusiasts). Once people join a Community, they can tweet directly to other members rather than to just their followers. Only members of a Community can like or reply to tweets sent by other members. Similar to how groups on Facebook and Reddit’s subreddits work, each Twitter Community will have its own moderators who are able to set rules and invite or remove people. Twitter invited a handful of users to create the first Communities and will let anyone apply to create their own on its website. “Communities are just invite-only for now, but we’re working on ways for people to discover and join Communities they want to be a part of,” the company said in a statement. That makes Communities harder to join than subreddits or public groups on Facebook.  » Read More

Staff Report  |  Sarasota Herald-TribuneNORTH  PORT – The city of North Port has firmed up plans for its virtual 9//11 remembrance service set for Saturday.For the second consecutive year, COVID-19 pandemic social distancing restrictions are prompting the city to curtail live ceremonies.North Port Fire Rescue will host a brief private virtual event Saturday morning with a flag raising, ringing of the bell, and a few comments; the live video will air at 9 a.m. and the link is https://fb.me/e/XsHiTlj5.Also Saturday, a piece of the Twin Towers will be placed in front of North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd., for those who wish to drive-by, lay cards, lay flowers, or simply reflect or pay their respects.The city is conducting the Remember the Fallen 5K as a virtual event.  More details can be found at https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/NorthPort/RemembertheFallen5KMemorialRun.  » Read More

Did you know Neural is taking the stage this fall? Together with an amazing line-up of experts, we will explore the future of AI during TNW Conference 2021. Secure your ticket now!Facebook’s issuing apologies for its AI‘s bigotry again. This time, users watching a video of a Black man were asked it they were interested in more content on “primates.” The company, by way of apology, said:As we have said, while we have made improvements to our AI, we know it’s not perfect, and we have more progress to make. We apologize to anyone who may have seen these offensive recommendations.Up front: This is nowhere near the first time Facebook’s had a problem with its AI‘s bigotry.Whether it’s hiring algorithms that are flat out misogynistic, translation errors that result in wrongful imprisonment, or its blanket discrimination against queer people, Facebook’s AI is broken for everyone except straight white men.  » Read More

Jake Campbell, 27, of Marsett Place, Preston, is wanted for failing to appear at court in connection with alleged stalking offences. He has links to East Lancashire, Preston and Wigan. Pic: Lancashire PoliceJake Campbell, of Marsett Place, Ribbleton has been wanted for two years after failing to appear at court in connection with the alleged offences.PC Rothwell, of Lancashire Police, told the Post: "He was due to attend court two years ago due to a stalking/harassment case which he was charged with."But he failed to attend court and has been actively evading police ever since. I have been actively looking for him for two months now and he has run away from officers on a number of occasions."Sign up to our daily newsletterThe i newsletter cut through the noiseThis morning (Monday, September 6), the force shared an appeal on social media, seeking the public's help to locate him.Shortly after it was posted on Facebook, the suspect commented on the appeal and mocked police efforts to track him down.  » Read More

The comment read: “We have been married for a year. If I had seen this photo, we would have postponed our marriage.” Image Credit: Creative Commons Dubai: A Jordanian man reportedly divorced his wife after she made a comment about an old picture of his on Facebook, local media reported. The comment read: “We have been married for a year. If I had seen this photo, we would have postponed our marriage.” The woman’s comment infuriated her husband, who considered it an “insult”, especially after her action sparked several sarcastic comments about his picture. This led to a heated argument between the couple, ending in the man divorcing his wife. Over the past decade, Jordan has witnessed a spike in divorce rate. In 2016, it had the highest divorce rate in the Middle East, according to the Department of Statistics, with the number of divorces increasing to 21,969 in 2016 from 1,000 in 2011.  » Read More