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FACEBOOK IS IN: Facebook has jumped into the music video game. The social media giant has announced it will now license content from Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group for Facebook Watch and via individual artists’ pages. They can be shared, reacted to, or commented on like any other video on Facebook. The move is a step up for Facebook, which previously was able to only share short previews of major label content. The target is industry leader YouTube, which are one of the most popular attractions on that site. TAYLOR SWIFTIES JUSTICE: The word “fan” is short for “fanatic.” Submitted for your approval: the reaction of certain fans of Taylor Swift this week to a relatively good album review. Related Story Coronavirus Continues to Ravage Los Angeles County: 50 New Deaths, 2,303 New Cases Pitchfork senior editor Jillian Mapes gave Swift’s new record folklore a review that called it “a sweater-weather record filled with cinematic love songs and rich fictional details.” Pitchfork uses ratings of multiple staffers to determine a final score, and granted the album and 8 out of 10. Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for ultra-fans, who doxxed Mapes by posting her personal information and taking to social media to wage jihad. Swift has yet to comment on the actions, perhaps because she’s celebrating the overwhelming sales of the album, which topped the 2 million mark in its first week JAPAN IS GOING MUSERK: Music and video rights management firm Muserk has partnered with Video Research of Japan to launch MUSERK V.I.D. The joint venture will service, manage and protect the online rights of the major broadcasters, networks, and production companies of Japan around the world. Japan is the second-largest music market in the world and third-largest YouTube market in the world. Muserk was founded…

Major advertisers on Facebook reduced their spending by millions of dollars in July, but not enough to significantly damage the platform’s revenue. July Boycotters Reduced Spenders Other Top Advertisers 10 5 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY July Boycotters Reduced Spenders 5 MAR MAY JULY JAN Aug. 1, 2020Updated 5:08 p.m. ETThe advertiser boycott of Facebook took a toll on the social media giant, but it may have caused more damage to the company’s reputation than to its bottom line.The boycott, called #StopHateForProfit by the civil rights groups that organized it, urged companies to stop paying for ads on Facebook in July to protest the platform’s handling of hate speech and misinformation. More than 1,000 advertisers publicly joined, out of a total pool of more than 9 million, while others quietly scaled back their spending.The 100 advertisers that spent the most on Facebook in the first half of the year spent $221.4 million from July 1 through July 29, 12 percent less than the $251.4 million spent by the top 100 advertisers a year earlier, according to estimates from the advertising analytics platform Pathmatics. Of those 100, nine companies formally announced a pullback in paid advertising, cutting their spending to $507,500 from $26.2 million.Many of the companies that stayed away from Facebook said they planned to return, and many are mom-and-pop enterprises and individuals that depend on the platform for promotion. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has emphasized the importance of small business, saying during an earnings call on Thursday that “some seem to wrongly assume that our business is dependent on a few large advertisers.”Facebook said that the top 100 spenders contributed 16 percent of its $18.7 billion in revenue in the second quarter, which ended on June 30. During the first three weeks of July, Facebook said,…

A screenshot from a video from a Facebook group devoted to looting and selling antiquities. A narrator speaking Syrian-accented Arabic describes an elaborate, Roman-era mosaic depicting mythological figures and animals believed to be in northwestern Syria – a conflict zone where there has been extensive looting of illegally excavated antiquities. ATHAR Project/Screenshot by NPR hide caption toggle caption ATHAR Project/Screenshot by NPR A screenshot from a video from a Facebook group devoted to looting and selling antiquities. A narrator speaking Syrian-accented Arabic describes an elaborate, Roman-era mosaic depicting mythological figures and animals believed to be in northwestern Syria – a conflict zone where there has been extensive looting of illegally excavated antiquities. ATHAR Project/Screenshot by NPR In a video shared in a Facebook group, a narrator speaking Syrian-accented Arabic describes an elaborate, Roman-era mosaic depicting mythological figures and animals. The colored glass and stone in the mosaic are still vivid some 2,000 years after it was created. A brief glimpse of sweatpants worn by the narrator is the only indication of who is speaking. Then the camera pans out to show that the mosaic still lies in the ground, uncovered in a field of dirt and rocks. The Facebook group is one of more than 100 that archaeologists have identified as offering looted and illicit antiquities for sale. To counter this online trade, Facebook announced new rules in June that, for the first time, specifically ban the exchange, sale and purchase of all "historical artifacts" on its site and on Instagram, which it owns. Previously, the company could invoke its general policy against the sale of stolen goods to remove pages selling artifacts that were clearly looted. But critics say it rarely did so. And they warn that Facebook's new policy won't have an impact unless it's enforced. They say…

New York (CNN)Democratic campaigns were warned Thursday that hackers posing as Facebook could be targeting them in an effort to gain access to their Facebook account credentials, according to a copy of a security alert obtained by CNN.The Democratic National Committee's security team detailed in the alert how emails designed to look like they are coming from Facebook tell victims their Facebook page has been unpublished because it violates Facebook's terms."This means that you can still see the page, but other people won't be able to see it," the email reads. It then directs victims to a fake Facebook website where they are told they can appeal the page's deactivation. This fake website asks for some login credentials and other personal information which could be valuable for a hacker.This type of attempted cyberattack is known as phishing. It's the method that was used by Russian hackers to access Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's Gmail account in 2016.Speaking to CNN on Friday, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of security policy, said he was not familiar with the specific attempted attack the DNC warning referenced but that it was consistent with attempted phishing attacks generally. Gleicher warned that campaign staff at all levels need to be vigilant as often hackers can target less prominent members of a campaign. He said Facebook and other services are aware of sophisticated hacking groups targeting political campaigns and that Facebook offers additional security to campaign staff and government and elected officials through a program called Facebook Protect.Facebook, he said, can detect unusual login behavior such as an account being accessed from a location or a device that is not normally associated with an account.Thursday's warning from the DNC came amid heightened concerns about social media hacks following a Twitter breach that saw former Vice President Joe…

An online news media company has filed a lawsuit against Facebook over the social network labeling it "Russia state-controlled." Image: MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP via Getty Images By Matt Binder2020-07-30 16:06:10 UTC An online media company identified as “Russia state-controlled” on Facebook is now suing the social network over that very label. Maffick LLC has filed a lawsuit against Facebook over the foreign-controlled label that the social media giant puts on all of its pages and posts. Maffick runs popular Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts for online news media outlets such as In the NOW, Waste-Ed, and Soapbox.  You’ve probably come across Maffick’s Facebook page for “In the NOW.” With nearly 5 million followers on the social media platform, In the NOW’s video content is regularly shared on Facebook.  A screenshot of the label placed on Maffick LLC's Facebook content. Image: screenshot: matt binder / mashable However, one thing you may or may not have noticed is that all of In the NOW’s content comes packaged with a very unique label: “Russia state-controlled media.”  “This publisher is wholly or partially under the editorial control of a state,” reads the description accompanied by Facebook’s label. “This is determined by a range of factors, including but not limited to funding, structure, and journalistic standards.” Facebook previously suspended Maffick’s Facebook pages in 2019 after a CNN investigation reported on the company’s ties to RT, a Russia state-funded news organization. Maffick had received significant funding from Ruptly, a subsidiary of RT that provides video news content to publishers. CNN described Maffick’s properties as “Russian government" backed online video channels that are “designed to appeal to Millennials.” The outlet also reported how “unusual” it was for Facebook to suspend the pages. At the time, Facebook’s guidelines didn’t require media companies on the platform to disclose…

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who ended Wednesday's hearing by saying some Big Tech companies need to be broken up, told Axios that Facebook in particular lacks significant competitors and should not have been allowed to buy Instagram and WhatsApp.Why it matters: Cicilline chairs the antitrust subcommittee, which has been looking into competition issues in the digital space."Mr. Zuckerberg acknowledged in this hearing that his acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram were part of a plan to both buy a competitor and also maintain his money, power, or his dominance. That's classic monopoly behavior."— Cicilline said on the "Axios Re:Cap" podcastCicilline's criticisms weren't limited to Facebook, pointing to the power Google and Amazon also hold in their respective markets."I think what we saw today was confirmation that these large technology platforms have enduring monopoly power," he said in the interview with Axios' Dan Primack.The big picture: A key issue remains whether existing antitrust law is broad enough to address the modern tech industry, especially companies that provide their products at no direct charge to consumers."Congress is going to have to 'think outside the box' in a comprehensive way about what antitrust laws should look like in the 21st century," Neguse told Axios’ Ashley Gold after the hearing.What's next: The committee plans to develop a set of recommendations and issue them in a final report as soon as late August, according to Cicilline.You can listen to the podcast here.

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer says Facebook is launching a copycat product to undermine the popular app. Mayer also announced TikTok would make its algorithmic code and content moderation decisions public. Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer says Facebook is launching a copycat product to undermine the popular app. Mayer also announced TikTok would make its algorithmic code and content moderation decisions public. Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images The CEO of TikTok, the popular app for sharing short-form videos, is attacking Facebook for planning the launch of a "copycat" product, accusing the social media giant of trying to smear TikTok and put it out of business in the U.S. Kevin Mayer, who left Disney in May to oversee TikTok's U.S. operation, delivered his sharp criticism in a blog post on Wednesday, just hours before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify before Congress about whether the company's online dominance squashes competition. Mayer noted that Facebook-owned Instagram has announced Reels, the tech giant's answer to TikTok. It is expected to be rolled out in early August. The effort represents the second time Facebook has attempted to undercut TikTok's success. Earlier this month, Facebook shut down Lasso, a TikTok clone that never took off. Mayer says TikTok welcomes competition — "bring it on," he writes — but he suggests Facebook is attempting to tap into the growing pressure in Washington to squeeze TikTok out of the U.S. altogether. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. That has led both Democrats and Republicans in Washington to question whether TikTok poses a national security concern. "But let's focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers, rather than maligning attacks by our competitor — namely Facebook —…

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (from left), Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are scheduled to testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee. Bertrand Guay, Tobias Schwarz, Angela Weiss, Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Bertrand Guay, Tobias Schwarz, Angela Weiss, Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (from left), Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are scheduled to testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee. Bertrand Guay, Tobias Schwarz, Angela Weiss, Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images Updated at 3:06 p.m. ET Are Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple "emperors of the online economy" that stifle competition and hurt consumers? Not surprisingly, the tech giants' chief executives will tell Congress: absolutely not. The concern that too much power is concentrated in too few companies is unfounded, they plan to testify Wednesday. Panel chairman: Under coronavirus, big tech "likely to emerge stronger and more powerful" Up first is Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline, chairman of the antitrust subcommittee that's holding this hearing. He is the driving force behind the year-long investigation of big tech. In his opening remarks, he describes the dominance of each company: Amazon in online shopping, Apple in smartphones and apps, Facebook in social media and Google in search and ads. And he points out that thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, all four "are likely to emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before." Watch the live stream here. "As American families shift more of their work, shopping, and communication online, these giants stand to profit. Locally owned businesses, meanwhile —mom and pop stores on Main Street — face an economic crisis unlike any in recent history," Cicilline said. The committee's investigation has turned up a pattern among the tech giants, he said.…

There's a new biggest Facebook bull on Wall Street.Rosenblatt Securities upped its price target to $315 from $244 on Tuesday, highest on the Street and well above the average $255 analyst target. The firm said revised revenue estimates was a catalyst for the increase.Todd Gordon, managing director of Ascent Wealth Partners, said the charts indicate an even bigger move before Facebook hits a ceiling."Strong uptrend," Gordon said Tuesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." Facebook is "looking for resistance to come into play around $400, believe it or not," based upon Elliott Wave Theory, which plots 'impulse' waves of activity within a larger trend. Resistance at $400 implies more than 65% upside from current levels. It traded at $241.75 at Tuesday's close. "It's the best in brand — its portfolio with social led by Facebook and Instagram. Their ad targeting is the best in the industry. We have some ad boycotts that are acting as an overhang, but we don't diminish the long-term story — 33 times forward earnings on a 20% growth rate. We don't feel it's overvalued either," said Gordon.Facebook could join another tech company in dominating the social media space, said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX strategy at BK Asset Management."You really have to bet on a Google-Facebook duopoly, simply because both of those companies are the new version of global broadcast TV. They have this rare combination of having mass audience and micro targeting, which is just absolutely unbeatable," Schlossberg said during the same "Trading Nation" segment.Google's YouTube draws more than 2 billion users each month, according to parent company Alphabet. Users watch more than a billion hours of video a day."There's absolutely no beating Facebook and Google as far as their monopoly power goes and their pricing power goes going forward," said Schlossberg.Disclosure: Ascent Wealth Partners holds Facebook. Disclaimer

What news should people see when they come to Facebook? In the old days, your answer might have been “whatever they want to see,” or even “who cares?” But as Facebook’s dominance grew, and it became one of the most important arbiters of attention in the world, the question grew more pressing. If a country where the median voter leans to the political left has a News Feed occupied by links from the far right, that could cause concern. If right-wing and even openly fascist politicians began to take over countries around the world, that kind of disconnect between an electorate and one of their primary news sources might come under even stricter scrutiny. A nice thing about Facebook is that the company makes a tool that lets you see what links are popular there in real time. Or rather, it bought one, in November 2016. It’s called CrowdTangle, and it lets anyone slice and dice popular links on Facebook in a variety of ways. While it started as a tool for activists to manage their activity on social platforms, founders Brandon Silverman and Matt Garmur realized that the real money was in helping publishers master Facebook. After Facebook retooled its algorithms to promote fewer stories from publishers, CrowdTangle became more useful as a tool for academics and journalists to understand the pulse of Facebook. (Publishers still use it, too.) One of the journalists who took notice of CrowdTangle’s abilities was Kevin Roose, a columnist and podcast host at the New York Times. (And also my friend, in the interest of full disclosure.) For several years now, Roose has done a bit on Twitter where he uses CrowdTangle to assess the day’s most popular stories on Facebook. And what he has found, for the most part, is that the most…