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Facebook has been criticized for hosting dozens of accounts that fund neo-Nazi and extremist groups, including storefronts offering racist and anti-Semitic clothing and record labels featuring bands with names such as Gas Chambers.According to a report from the UK-Based Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Facebook and Instagram were hosting more than 40 fascist and neo-Nazi pages that promote far-right merchandise.As well as neo-Nazi merchandise, these pages—with more than 80,000 followers in total—also promoted imagery declaring that alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse "was right." The 17-year-old is accused of murdering two people during Black Lives Matter protests in the Wisconsin city in August.The report says these pages use encrypted messaging app Telegram, coordinating efforts to host these shopfronts and adverts on mainstream social media platforms, as well as helping to process payments and further spread propaganda.The network of accounts promoting clothing with white supremacists slogans and record labels featuring neo-Nazi metal bands are linked to two extremist groups operating out of Ukraine: Azov Battalion and Misanthropic Division.The CCDH says they first made Facebook aware of this activity on its site two years ago, but the social media giant failed to act."Even if Facebook acts to remove this material after we…

Trump Will Lose Facebook And Instagram POTUS Accounts To Biden Even If He Doesn't ConcedePA ImagesPresident Donald Trump will lose access to the White House Facebook and Instagram accounts in January, regardless of whether he concedes the election to Joe Biden.The social media platforms have both joined Twitter in confirming that the White House, POTUS and FLOTUS accounts will be handed over to President-elect Joe Biden on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021.A spokesperson for Facebook and Instagram said the company has plans for a ‘seamless’ transition of the accounts, just like it has been done on previous Inauguration Days.Donald TrumpPA Images‘In 2017, we worked with both the Obama Administration and incoming Trump Administration to make sure the transition of their Facebook and Instagram accounts was seamless on January 20th, and we expect to do the same here,’ the spokesperson told Reuters.The statement comes after Twitter confirmed it would be handing over the @POTUS account to Biden on January 20, as well as the @FLOTUS and press secretary Twitter accounts, too.‘Twitter is actively preparing to support the transition of White House institutional Twitter accounts on January 20, 2021,’ Nick Pacilio, a spokesperson for Twitter, told CNN.‘As we did for the presidential…

A white supremacist network with more than 80,000 followers and links to the UK far right, including a student charged with terrorist offences, is being hosted by Facebook and Instagram, putting the world’s largest social media company under fresh pressure to tackle extremism.The network, which includes more than 40 neo-Nazi sites, offers merchandise including NaziSS symbols and stickers praising Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager under investigation for shooting dead two Black Lives Matter protesters in Wisconsin in August.According to the London-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), sales of the products fund two neo-Nazi extremist movements operating from Ukraine: Azov Battalion and Misanthropic Division. A number of UK far-right activists are believed to have been recruited by Azov Battalion to fight in the conflict in Ukraine.A British man is facing trial accused of 12 terror offences after police found him in possession of extremist material, including clothing and flags linked to Misanthropic Division. The student denies the charges.The disclosure comes as Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, attempts to prove it is tackling hate speech and extremism. However, the report, co-authored by the Coalition for a Safer Web, report says the social media company was first warned of the neo-Nazi network two years ago, and it has grown significantly since then.Imran Ahmed, chief executive of CCDH, said: “Facebook’s leadership endangered public safety by letting neo-Nazis finance their activities through Facebook and Instagram.“Facebook was first told about this problem two years ago and failed to act.”Ahmed, who is also a member of the pilot group for the government’s commission on countering extremism, added: “This lack of action would not have gone unnoticed by extremists, who now know that Facebook allows them to recruit, organise and raise funds without interference.”On Thursday, Facebook, which owns Instagram, disclosed for the first time figures…

Facebook fed inaccurate information to local advertisers for more than a year and is being forced to repay them, casting further doubt over the accuracy of the way the US tech platform collects data.The tech giant, which has been criticised several times in the last few years over the reliability of its data, is giving free "credits" to multiple local advertisers after it realised it was miscalculating metrics such as the amount of people clicking on an ad on Facebook's app or how much users prefer one advertiser over another.Facebook informed advertisers last week it had miscalculated data.Credit:APIndustry sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Facebook had apologised to some advertisers and media buying agencies in Australia. The advertisers are being offered one-off make-goods - the opportunity to advertise for free - if they were significantly affected. A Facebook spokeswoman claimed it had affected 0.1 per cent of the local advertising market, but multiple industry sources said that a number of companies across large advertising agencies were affected. The scale of impact is dependent on what the tool was used for.The inaccurate data was provided to advertisers through a free "conversion lift tool". The tool helps users understand the effectiveness of their advertisements and some may adjust spend based on the data provided. The global tech giant told affected advertisers the metric was undercounted between August 15, 2019 and August 31, 2020, citing a code error for the mistake."While making improvements to our measurement products, we found a technical issue that impacted some conversion lift tests," Facebook director Paul McCrory said.Facebook and rival Google have the largest share of the local advertising market. Facebook's advertising revenue grew by 16 per cent to $673.9 million for the year ending December 31 2019.Analysis of financial results by The Sydney Morning…

This week, Facebook and the United States government filed responses to Plaintiff’s brief in Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, the Supreme Court case that promises to resolve the circuit-splitting uncertainty over what does and does not qualify as an ATDS under the TCPA.  The Plaintiff’s brief—which we covered here—argues that the adverbial phrase “using a random or sequential number generator” modifies the verb “to produce” but not the verb “to store” in the statute’s definition of an ATDS.  See 47 U.S.C. § 227(a)(1).  If the TCPA is interpreted in this fashion, liability could follow from using any device that can store and automatically dial a number—including, among other things, virtually every smartphone in use today. In response to Plaintiff, Facebook and the government point out that reading the adverbial phrase (“using a random or sequential number generator”) to modify only one verb (“to produce”) creates an unnatural interpretation under which the preceding phrase (“telephone numbers to be called”) is nevertheless applied to both verbs.  See Facebook’s Reply Brief at 3 (“Interpreting the direct object that follows “produce” to attach to “store,” but then reading the adverbial phrase . . . to attach only to “produce” . . . looks more like surgery . . . than interpretation.”) (citation omitted); Government’s Reply Brief at 2 (“here a direct object (here, ‘telephone numbers to be called’) that is shared by both verbs is interposed between the verbs and the modifying phrase, construing the modifying phrase to apply to one verb but not the other would require a significant judicial re-write.”) (citation omitted). In addition to these plain-text arguments, Facebook explains that a broad ATDS definition would have drastic implications for not only businesses but also consumers.  For example, Facebook notes that, despite Plaintiff’s “assurances” about “the reticence of lawyers to sue ordinary…

President-elect Joe Biden is busy hiring staffers for his transition team and his administration, including some individuals with ties to the country’s largest technology companies.Biden named Louisa Terrell the White House director of legislative affairs Friday. Terrell is a former member of the Obama administration, though she also served in a senior position at Facebook.Biden last week announced members of the agency review teams, which include a number of individuals who worked for big technology companies ranging from Uber to Amazon.Former Apple lobbyist Cynthia Hogan is working full-time for the administration, as is Jessica Hertz, who worked for Facebook.BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM LEANS ON LEFT-WING GROUPS FOR STAFF: REPORTLawmakers, especially the more progressive members of the Democratic Party, have criticized the country’s largest technology companies throughout recent years, over concerns ranging from anticompetitive behaviors to censorship.Progressives including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have advocated breaking up companies like Google and Amazon over their alleged monopolistic practices, said to limit the ability of others in their respective industries to compete.Big tech concerns, however, are shared by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Biden’s position on big tech is less well-known. He has said he would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which protects companies like YouTube and Twitter from liability for most content posted on their sites by third-party users even though the companies themselves generally oversee that content.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., reportedly said she is concerned about the influence big tech – specifically Uber – may have on the administration, following the defeat of Proposition 22 in California. Prop 22 would have required companies in the gig economy to reclassify independent contractors as employees with benefits.As previously reported by Fox News, the Biden-Harris team also is leaning on left-wing philanthropic groups for staffers as it prepares to take over the Oval Office.CLICK HERE TO…

We often joke around that hackers or government agencies are listening to our calls. Facebook just patched a bug that would’ve allowed anyone to snoop on your calls on Messenger. The bug was found by Google Project Zero researcher Natalie Silvanovich last month, and it affected Messenger‘s Android users. To start the attack, the hacker would have to initiate a call and send a specially crafted invisible message. Then they could listen to your audio, even if you don’t pick up the call.  Thankfully, this vulnerability was only exploitable in special circumstances and required specific tools. For instance, both the attacker and the victim would need to have been logged in to Messenger for Android. In addition to that, the victim also needed to be logged into Messenger through a web browser. What’s more, the attacker would need permission to call the victim  — meaning, they’d have to already be on the victim’s friend list. Last year, Apple fixed the bug that let your contacts eavesdrop on you through FaceTime. Silvanovich said after this exploit was found, she began to research other apps. Till now, she’s managed to find bugs in other communication apps such as Signal, Mocha, and JioChat; all of them have been patched.  Facebook revealed details about this bug as a part of the blog on the 10th anniversary of its bug bounty program. The company said it has paid $11.7 million to security researchers for 6,900 accepted bug reports out of more than 130,000 submitted. Last month, the social network unveiled a new loyalty program, called Hacker Plus, to further incentivize bug sleuths discovering vulnerabilities in Facebook’s platforms. You can read the full technical description of the vulnerability here. Read next: 10 embarrassing PR fails that show how NOT to pitch

Facebook is teaming up with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce to feature more than 60 different small black-owned businesses and the products they sale. MEMPHIS, Tenn — Millions of Americans look forward to Thanksgiving and the day after, an unofficial shopping holiday called “Black Friday.”  This year, there is a push to support small businesses impacted by the pandemic, but particularly black-owned businesses.   Facebook is leading a national campaign called “Buy Black Challenge” and a local event strategist is gearing up for a virtual black Christmas expo.    Facebook Manager for State Public Policy and Memphis native Erica Woods says black-owned businesses are closing at an alarming rate during the pandemic so an initiative like this will really help dozens of minority owners stay afloat.  “Essentially, it’s a campaign that redirects your Black Friday spending, holiday spending towards small black owned businesses. At Facebook we understand that small businesses have been negatively impacted by Covid and the pandemic,” Woods explained.    The campaign has several elements.  One includes Facebook teaming up with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce to feature more than 60 different small black-owned businesses and the products they sale.    “Some of your favorite shops in Memphis if you got to their Instagram pages and make sure to include the hashtag buy black or if you post them on your Instagram stories or on your own feed they will be featured under the hashtag as well,” Woods said.    Memphis is full of black-owned businesses.  Next month, event strategist Cynthia Daniels is launching her 3rd annual Black Christmas Expo.   "Juneteenth was so successful.  We had one million dollars spent in one day with one hundred Black businesses, so I felt like it was important to do the same thing for the Christmas holiday," founder of Black Christmas Expo.   The expo is free and people can register on Eventbrite.    INITIATIVES SUPPORTING BLACK BUSINESSES -…

Thursday, November 19th, 2020, by J. Schafer Tune in to Audio-Reader's Facebook page on Thursday, November 19 at 6:00 pm, featuring a special appearance by vinyl record guru Laura Lorson, local host of KPR's All Things Considered. Customers tuning in will watch as the hosts showcase various pieces of audio equipment along with some media, each priced below market value.  Simply comment "Sold" along with the item number to secure the item. Audio-Reader will send a link via Facebook Messenger to pay directly online for the item.  Customers will also sign up for a time to pick up their equipment at Audio-Reader on Saturday, November 20. New for this sale: Audio-Reader can ship records to customers for $5 a package (3 records per package).  Currently, Audio-Reader can only offer local pick-up for audio equipment and is unable to ship or deliver such equipment at this time. Audio-Reader plans to hold Facebook Live sales events at least once a month, featuring different items such as audio equipment, vinyl records, CD packages by genre, DVDs, musical instruments and more!  Don't miss these fun virtual events!  All proceeds benefit the excellent work of Audio-Reader, serving blind and vision-impaired listeners across Kansas.  Fueled by more than 450 volunteers, Audio-Reader offers reading services over specially-tuned radios, the Internet and through the services of Telephone Reader.   Find more information at reader.ku.edu. - 30 - Share this page              

SINGAPORE, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Martial arts organization ONE Championship today announced a multifaceted global partnership with Facebook that includes distribution of exclusive content on Facebook Watch, a Facebook Gaming channel where ONE's top athletes will stream gameplay and gaming commentary, and the addition of ONE Virtual Reality content to the Venues app on the Oculus platform. ONE Championship and Facebook have long worked together in bringing the most exciting martial arts content to millions of fans globally, leveraging the platform's power. ONE's Facebook page now exceeds 25M+ followers and the company exceeded 5 billion platform video views in 2019. "ONE Championship is committed to finding new ways to connect authentically with our fans and allow them to experience the stories of hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration created by our athlete superheroes. Our long-term partnership with Facebook has been instrumental in allowing us to build reach and audiences around the world. We are excited to expand our partnership and leverage the power of the Facebook platform, be that VR with Oculus, the rapid growth of esports and community gaming with Facebook Gaming, or simply non-stop action clips for Facebook Watch you cannot find anywhere else," said Hari Vijayarajan, Group CCO of ONE Championship. The partnership's agreement includes: An agreement to deliver custom content to martial arts fans globally, featuring unique camera angles, behind-the-scenes footage and more, exclusively made for Facebook Watch and IGTV. The joint launch of ONE Championship and ONE Esports Facebook Gaming channel, where fans can watch their favorite ONE athletes stream their gaming activity exclusively on Facebook Gaming, playing and engaging daily. The launch of "Only on Oculus" next-generation VR content in the Venues app for Oculus Quest where martial arts fans across the globe can experience the best seat in the house, virtually. "We're thrilled…