Biden Administration Ordered Facebook To Change Algorithms To Suppress Conservative News And Opinion

Just The News: Biden White House asked Facebook to tweak algorithm to push mainstream over conservative news: memo 

New memos obtained by Congress Congress show White House wanted the public to see Wall Street Journal and New York Times stories instead of those from The Daily Wire and Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren. 

The Biden White House inquired in meetings with Facebook executives asking whether Facebook could tweak its algorithm to showcase stories from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal over content posted by "polarizing" conservative journalists and commentators in early 2021, according to meeting notes the social media firm turned over to Congress that are alarming some constitutional lawyers. 

The alleged focus of the meetings was to assist the administration while it struggled to combat COVID vaccine hesitancy. 

The memos, reviewed by Just the News, chronicle a series of meetings between White House digital director Rob Flaherty and executives from Facebook, now known as Meta, in spring 2021 as the first questions about the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccine began surging on social media.  

Read more .... 

Update: Biden Administration Ordered Facebook to Change Algorithms to Suppress Conservatives (American Conservative).  

WNU Editor: The only thing that I can add to the above report is that War News Updates, after being on Facebook for years and thousands of posts, was banned by Facebook in 2022.

Is Facebook's Monopoly On Social Media About To End?

VICE: Facebook’s Monopoly Is Imploding Before Our Eyes 

Competition, miscalculations, and regulatory scrutiny have all but killed the advertising giant's dreams of diversifying its business and rolling up the digital world into its platform. 

For years, the definition of success for many tech employees has been getting a job at a FAANG company (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google). 

Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, meanwhile, are often the five major companies people think of when they think of "big tech." 

But there is evidence that Facebook—once a dominant monopoly rightly blamed for all sorts of societal ills—is on the precipice of dropping out of this group through years of sheer mismanagement, a failure to innovate, setting money on fire in pursuit of a metaverse that seemingly no one wants, a vulnerable business model that Apple is squarely taking aim at, and upstart competitors like TikTok that the company seemingly has no answer for. What seemed impossible just a year or two ago—that Facebook will become just another tech company, more or less—now seems like a very real possibility.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: It has been quite a sight to see how quickly this social media platform has lost its influence and reach in the past year. And much of what has happened has been self-inflicted. 

And while I do believe Facebook will be with us for the foreseeable future. Alternative media platforms are now online, and they are providing an environment that does not have the censorship and privacy issues that Facebook has.

Reports Say Facebook Has Been Spying On Conservatives For The FBI Over The Past 19 Months

NYPost: Facebook spied on private messages of Americans who questioned 2020 election  

Facebook has been spying on the private messages and data of American users and reporting them to the FBI if they express anti-government or anti-authority sentiments — or question the 2020 election — according to sources within the Department of Justice. 

Under the FBI collaboration operation, somebody at Facebook red-flagged these supposedly subversive private messages over the past 19 months and transmitted them in redacted form to the domestic terrorism operational unit at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, without a subpoena.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I will not be surprised if these reports are true. Here comes the lawsuits. 

And talk about timing. 

Just today a Facebook executive admitted in a US Senate hearing under oath that Facebook closely works and coordinates actions with the Biden administration to target particular speech .... FB Exec Admits to Coordination with Biden Admin (YouTube). 

Reports Say Facebook Is Spying On Conservatives For The FBI  

Report: Facebook Spied on Messages of Conservatives Questioning 2020 Election, Sent Them to FBI -- Breitbart 

Facebook Spied On Conservative Users’ Private Messages, Fed ‘Leads’ To The FBI: REPORT -- Daily Caller  

Is Silicon Valley Spying on Conservatives for the FBI? -- Reason 

Facebook Worked With the FBI to Spy on Conservatives Who Questioned 2020 Election -- TimCast

Mark Zuckerberg Admits That Facebook Suppressed Hunter Biden Laptop Story After FBI Warning

 

Daily Mail: Mark Zuckerberg tells Joe Rogan that Facebook used its algorithm to suppress Hunter Biden laptop articles for SEVEN DAYS in 2020 - and that FBI warned his team of an impending 'Russian disinformation' dump before the story broke 

* Mark Zuckerberg has admitted Facebook made a mistake when it decided to ban the sharing of The New York Post report on Hunter Biden's laptop 

* New broke just ahead of the 2020 election but Facebook made sure the story would appear towards the bottom of people's news feeds for up to a week 

* Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast Zuckerberg said he regretted Facebook's response to the story which turned out to be true 

* During the interview, Zuckerberg attempted to shift attention by repeating how Twitter's prohibited the sharing of the story about Hunter Biden 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed how the platform used an algorithm to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story when it first surfaced in 2020. 

During Thursday's Joe Rogan Experience Zuckerberg addressed the issue of media censorship and was asked by Rogan how Facebook handles controversial news topics. 

Zuckerberg explained how although the platform did not completely block the story like Twitter, it was still pushed down users newsfeeds for as long as a week until more information came down that would indicate whether the story was true or not.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Unbelievable. 

And talk about timing. 

Facebook has just informed me that War News Updates can no longer be posted on their platform, and they have deleted thousands of old posts.

Mark Zuckerberg Admits That Facebook Suppressed Hunter Biden Laptop Story After FBI Warning  

Mark Zuckerberg tells Joe Rogan Facebook was wrong to ban The Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story -- NYPost  

Mark Zuckerberg tells Joe Rogan FBI warned Facebook of 'Russian propaganda' before Hunter Biden laptop story -- FOX News

Mark Zuckerberg appears on Joe Rogan podcast to reveal why Facebook censored the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story -- SKY News 

Joe Rogan asked Mark Zuckerberg if he 'censored' the Hunter Biden laptop story. The CEO used the opportunity to defend the FBI as a 'legitimate institution.' -- Business Insider  

Mark Zuckerberg admits censoring ‘Hunter Biden Laptop’ story for a week -- The Print

Electrion Interference: Zuck Tells Rogan Facebook Censored Hunter Laptop Story After FBI Request -- Zero Hedge

Kremlin Demands Facebook "Immediately" Lift All Restrictions On A Page Linked To The Foreign Ministry

© REUTERS / Dado Ruvic  

TASS: Facebook bans account of Russian delegation to Vienna military security talks 

The delegation only reposted statements by the Russian leaders and the Russian foreign ministry 

VIENNA, January 16. /TASS/. Facebook has blocked the official account of the Russian delegation to the military security and arms control talks in Vienna, Konstantin Gavrilov, who leads the Russia delegation, told TASS on Sunday. 

"Facebook banned the delegation’s account on Friday, citing prohibited content as a reason," he said, adding that the delegation only reposted statements by the Russian leaders and the Russian foreign ministry. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The page has been unblocked .... Facebook Unblocks Russian Foreign Ministry-Linked Page (Moscow Times/AFP). 

Kremlin Demands Facebook "Immediately" Lift All Restrictions On A Page Linked To The Foreign Ministry  

Facebook blocks page of Russian diplomats taking part in security talks -- RT  

Russia demands Facebook unblock page linked to foreign ministry -- ABC News Australia  

Russia’s Envoy to OSCE Slams Blocking of Delegation's Facebook Page as 'Censorship' -- Sputnik

Facebook Admits It Doesn't Ban Information That Helps Illegal Immigration And Smuggling

 

Daily Mail: Facebook admits users can share information on illegal immigration and being smuggled: Arizona Attorney General calls for investigation into tech giant for 'facilitating human and sex trafficking' 

* Facebook admitted allowing such content in a response to AZ's Mark Brnovich 

* Brnovich wrote to Facebook following a report into advertisements of trafficking 

* Facebook said it does not allow adverts, but it does allow information about how to enter illegally or request information about how to be smuggled 

* Brnovich passed the response on to Merrick Garland, calling for federal action 

Facebook has admitted that it allows users to share information about how to enter countries illegally, along with how to be smuggled, on its social media platforms.

In a letter responding to the Arizona Attorney General, the company said that while offers to provide or facilitate people smuggling are banned on the platform, Facebook does allow information to be shared freely between users about how to enter the US illegally, and request information about people smuggling.   

Read more .... 

 Update #1: Facebook says users can share advice on immigrant smuggling -- Washington Times  

Update #2: Facebook Admits It Doesn't Ban Info Facilitating Illegal Immigration, Smuggling -- Sputnik  

WNU Editor: I am willing to bet that Facebook also does not prohibit information that helps illegal immigration and smuggling in Africa/Europe/and else where.

Facebook 'Whistleblower' Frances Haugen Was Part Of Team That Censored Hunter Biden Laptop Story During The 2020 US Presidential Election

 

he Post Millenial: REVEALED: Facebook 'whistleblower' was part of team that censored Hunter Biden laptop story 

The civic integrity department in October 2020 had Frances Haugen — a left-leaning activist who declared her own war against "misinformation." 

The Facebook civic integrity team that leftist activist whistleblower Frances Haugen was a member of, worked to counter misinformation about the 2020 election. Which in October of last year meant making the decision to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story and the New York Post’s reporting on it. 

Project Veritas whistleblowers haven’t gotten the same mainstream media attention and praise as Frances Haugen has, after coming out publicly to 60 Minutes earlier this week.  

Read more ....  

Update: 'The internet needs regulating': Facebook calls on legislators to create 'standard rules' for the web but hits out at whistleblower Frances Haugen saying she never met with top executives (Daily Mail)  

WNU Editor: Considering when and where she worked at Facebook, why should anyone trust her judgment on what constitutes "misinformation"?  

Update #2: I have a sinking feeling that Glenn Greenwald is probably right .... Democrats and Media Do Not Want to Weaken Facebook, Just Commandeer its Power to Censor (Glenn Greenwald).

Instagram, Facebook, And WhatsApp Apps Have Crashed Worldwide

Daily Mail: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger go DOWN worldwide: Social media apps crash for two hours and counting leaving users unable to communicate 

* First reports of problems with the social media sites came at 16:44 BST (11:44 ET) 

* Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger all reported issues 

* Soon after the first report, the hashtag #facebookdown was trending on Twitter 

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are down for users around the world, with the first report of problems coming in two hours ago. 

According to DownDetector, the issues started at around 16:44 BST (11:44 ET), with tens of thousands of users reporting problems connecting.

NetBlocks, which tracks internet outages and their impact, estimate the two hour plus outage has already cost the global economy $160m (£117 million), and sent the Facebook share price down by more than five per cent.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I always use Messenger to communicate with everyone worldwide. This is a bummer.  

Update #1: I find it hillarious that Facebook has to use Twitter to tell the world that it is down (see below):

We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

— Facebook (@Facebook) October 4, 2021

Update #2: It looks like everything crashed when an update was installed .... Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus are down. Here’s what we know (Ars Technica). 

More News On Instagram, Facebook, And WhatsApp Apps Crashing Worldwide 

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram suffer worldwide outage -- AP  

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are offline -- CNBC 

Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp apps crash throughout the world -- Jerusalem Post  

Facebook, WhatsApp & Instagram ALL down in major worldwide outage -- RT

Facebook Whistleblower Tells All On '60 Minutes'

“The version of Facebook that exists today is tearing our societies apart and causing ethnic violence around the world,” says former Facebook employee France Haugen. She points to Myanmar, where the military used Facebook to launch a genocide. https://t.co/WU4IumjHkO pic.twitter.com/cy9Ed9MgbH

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 3, 2021

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook turned on safety systems to reduce misinformation during the 2020 Election. But she says many of the changes were temporary. Facebook says some of the safety systems remained. https://t.co/pwJ8R4RFLx pic.twitter.com/APKtjIGblL

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 3, 2021

“Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety,” says Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. She believes the federal government should impose regulations and plans to testify before Congress this week. https://t.co/YoKIyorZzu pic.twitter.com/RWlk9QOwZu

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 3, 2021

Daily Mail: Facebook whistleblower unmasked: Frances Haugen comes forward as she reveals she filed at least eight SEC complaints alleging the social media giant lied to investors and played a role in the Capitol riots 

* Frances Haugen, widely known as the Facebook whistleblower, spoke out publicly for the first time since she anonymously filed complaints with the SEC 

* In a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night, Haugen accused the Facebook of prioritizing its own interests over the public good 

* She also alleged that Facebook allowed the spread of misinformation and contributed to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol 

* Haugen said: 'Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money' 

* She also claimed that the social media network betrayed American democracy 

The former Facebook employee who is responsible for thousands of pages of leaked internal company research has been identified as Frances Haugen. Haugen, a 37-year-old data scientist from Iowa who was widely known as the 'Facebook whistleblower,' spoke out publicly for the first time since she anonymously filed at least eight complaints with federal law enforcement. 

In a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night, Haugen accused the social media network of prioritizing its own interests over the public good and allowing spread of misinformation.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Facebook has responded (see below):

Facebook’s written statement to 60 Minutes can be viewed here: https://t.co/gUsxhl7Dcu

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 3, 2021

More News On Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen

Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation -- CBS 60 Minutes  

Facebook whistleblower says company incentivizes "angry, polarizing, divisive content" -- 60 Minutes  

Highlights from 60 Minutes' interview with the Facebook whistleblower -- 60 Minutes  

Ex-Facebook manager alleges social network fed Capitol riot -- AP 

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks publicly ahead of congressional testimony -- NYPost  

Facebook whistleblower reveals herself, condemns company as dangerous -- Politico  

Facebook whistleblower reveals identity, accuses the platform of a ‘betrayal of democracy’ -- CNBC  

Facebook whistleblower revealed on '60 Minutes,' says the company prioritized profit over public good -- CNN  

Whistleblower says Facebook enabled misinformation by eliminating safeguards too soon after the 2020 election, helping to fuel the Capitol riot, report says -- Business Insider  

Facebook denies whistleblower's claims it contributed to Capitol riot -- Axios

Mother Of U.S. Marine Kareem Nikoui Killed In Kabul Has Had Her Facebook And Instagram Accounts Suspended For Posts Blaming President Biden

Shana Chappell, the mother of Kareem Nikoui, said that President Joe Biden is to blame for her son's death. Facebook

Shana Chappell, mother of Marine and American hero Kareem Nikoui killed in Kabul, has had her FB and Instagram accounts suspended for posts she made about her son.

— Senator Melissa Melendez (@senatormelendez) August 31, 2021

Daily Mail: Mother of Marine killed in ISIS bomb attack has her Instagram account disabled after she blamed Biden for her son's death and claimed President 'rolled his eyes' and 'turned his back on her' when she confronted him 

* Shana Chapell's son Kareem Nikoui, 20, was killed in Kabul on Thursday 

* Thousands flooded her page - where she has complained about Biden in the past - afterwards 

* On Thursday, her Instagram account was suddenly disabled 

* She had posted on Facebook, blaming Biden for her son's death in Afghanistan 

* Instagram says it was a mistake, has restored the account and apologized 

* They won't explain how Ms. Chapell's account was flagged to them 

* It is another example of Silicon Valley censoring conservative voices 

* Trump has been banned from Facebook and Instagram since January and a host of his supporters have been censored 

* Chapell had also described meeting Biden on Sunday at Dover Air Base 

* She said he 'rolled his eyes' at her and 'turned his back' as she confronted him 

* White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to comment on Biden's meeting with the Marines' families on Monday 

Facebook temporarily deleted the Instagram account of the mother of one of the Marines killed in Afghanistan by an ISIS bomb last week after she publicly blamed President Biden his death and the deaths of the other servicemembers killed. 

Shana Chapell is the mother of Kareem Nikoui, 20, who was killed in the ISIS bomb attack at Kabul airport on August 26. 

She has been vocal in her criticism of President Biden and says she blamed him for her son's death, along with the deaths of the 12 other troops who were killed.  

Read more ....  

Update: Mom of slain Marine protests as Facebook temporarily removes her Instagram (NYPost)  

WNU Editor: The negative reaction to this suspension has been massive. No surprise. Facebook just reversed the suspension .... Instagram restores account of fallen troop's mother, acknowledges mistakenly deleting her (Washington Times).

Is Facebook Responsible For The Recent Surge In Covid-19 Deaths As President Biden claims?

 

Daily Mail: 'Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed': Mark Zuckerberg's crew blasts White House in lengthy blog post following accusations 'misinformation' is to blame for Biden Administration missing its July 4th target to have 70 per cent of Americans vaccinated 

* Facebook on Saturday defended itself against President Biden's assertion social media platform is 'killing people' by allowing misinformation on covid vaccines 

* The social media platform insists the facts tell a different story 

* 'The data shows that 85 per cent of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against Covid-19,' Facebook said, in a corporate blog post 

* 'President Biden's goal was for 70 per cent of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed,' the blog stated 

* Biden Administration is stepping up its tracking of COVID-19 misinformation circulating on social media as it tries to tackle slowing vaccination rates 

* White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has singled out Facebook, and says the company should be doing more to stop misleading claims from proliferating 

* Biden claimed Facebook was 'killing people' by allowing misinformation 

* Facebook has now blasted back, accusing the President of looking for a 'scapegoat' for his failure to have more Americans vaccinated 

* Researchers and lawmakers have long accused Facebook of failing to police harmful content on its platforms Facebook has defended itself against 

U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the social media platform is 'killing people' by allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to proliferate. 

'The data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against COVID-19,' Facebook claimed in a lengthy corporate blog post by Guy Rosen, a company vice president. 

'President Biden's goal was for 70% of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed.'  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: After initially making this claim .... Biden on Facebook: ‘They’re killing people’ with vaccine misinformation (NBC), the White House is now doubling down on its claims that Facebook is responsible for the surge of Covid-19 deaths .... White House doubles down on its harsh criticism of Facebook following Biden's 'killing' remarks (FOX News). And then there is this claim .... Fauci says polio would still exist in the US if the 'false information' currently being spread existed decades ago (CNN). 

More News On Facebook's Response To President Biden's Claim that "They Are Killing People" 

Facebook exec says platform is a ‘scapegoat’ for Biden’s vaccine failure -- NYPost  

Facebook suggests it's more effective than Biden on vaccinations -- NBC  

Facebook Extends Pushback on Biden Criticism of Social Media -- Bloomberg  

Facebook pushes back against White House criticism -- The Hill  

Facebook says 85% of US users are pro-vaccine as it rejects Biden’s criticism of ‘killing people’ with Covid-19 misinformation -- RT  

Facebook rejects Joe Biden's claim it's 'killing people' with misinformation, saying vaccine hesitancy among its users has dropped by 50% -- Business Insider

Biden Administration Admits That It Is 'Flagging Problematic Posts' To Facebook

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,' which riled up critics  

Daily Mail: White House admits it is 'flagging problematic posts' to Facebook they believe spread 'disinformation' about the COVID vaccine - sparking Glenn Greenwald to call the move a 'hallmark of fascism' 

* White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation' about COVID-19 

* This riled up critics, including reporter Glenn Greenwald, who ripped the White House for censoring dissenting voices in an eight-tweet thread * He said the president shouldn't be allowed to flag content that he considers 'problematic' 

* The 'union of corporate and state power (is) one of the classic hallmarks of fascism,' Greenwald tweeted 

* Psaki's comments came the same day US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said health misinformation is 'a serious threat to public health' 

* Psaki criticized Facebook for not working fast enough to remove 'harmful, violative posts' and ban the sources of the posts 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts' on Facebook 'that spread disinformation' about the COVID-19 vaccine and the pandemic, which sent critics into a frenzy. 

Psaki's comments during Thursday's press briefing after the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's said health misinformation is 'a serious threat to public health.' 

During her comments, Psaki said the White House has increased disinformation tracking and is working with Facebook and popular influencers who can get 'accurate information' out to the public. 

Among the critics who lashed out against the White House on Twitter and other social media outlets was journalist Glenn Greenwald, who said the 'union of corporate and state power (is) one of the classic hallmarks of fascism.'  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Twitter is saying the obvious .... ‘Shady government’: Twitter slams White House for helping Facebook censor posts (SKY News). 

More News On The Biden Administration 'Flagging Problematic Posts' To Facebook  

White House ‘flagging’ posts for Facebook to censor over COVID ‘misinformation’ -- NYPost

'We're Flagging Problematic Posts for Facebook': White House Works to Increase Vaccinations and Silence 'Misinformation' -- CBN  

White House admits to ‘flagging problematic posts’ for Facebook, says it’s necessary to fight medical ‘misinformation’ -- RT  

The White House isn't letting Facebook off the hook for allowing misinformation to spread on its platforms -- Business Insider  

Critics slam the White House after Psaki reveals it's consulting with Facebook to 'flag misinformation' -- FOX News

Facebook Blocks Iranian Hackers Who Were Targeting US Military Personnel And Defense Contractors

Facebook said the group made fictitious profiles across multiple social media platforms to appear more credible, often posing as recruiters or employees of aerospace and defense companies. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters  

CNN: Facebook disrupts Iranian hackers who targeted US military personnel and defense contractors 

(CNN Business)Facebook said Thursday it has disrupted a group of Iranian hackers who created fake social media profiles and sent targeted, malicious links to victims in an attempt to spy on Western defense contractors and military personnel.

The campaign has apparent links to the Iranian government. 

The hackers ran a sophisticated operation to gain their victims' trust, Facebook said, often posing as representatives of aerospace and defense firms to build deep relationships with their targets before directing them to fraudulent websites. 

Though the sites looked and acted like their legitimate counterparts — including a US Labor Department job site — they were designed to steal data and scan computer systems. 

The group zeroed in on individuals who work in the US military and defense industry, and also targeted similar victims in the UK and Europe, Facebook said. 

Read more .... 

More News On Facebook Blocking Iranian Hackers Who Were Targeting US Military Personnel And Defense Contractors 

Facebook says Iranian hackers used site in spying on U.S. military personnel -- Reuters  

Facebook blocks highly targeted Iran-linked hacking campaign -- Politico  

Facebook Catches Iranian Spies Catfishing US Military Targets -- Wired  

Facebook says Iranian hackers used it to lure defense company employees -- NBC 

Facebook removes 200 accounts in 'highly targeted' Iran-based espionage operation -- ABC News/AFP

The Pentagon Has A Number Of Fake Users On Facebook

Mother Jones: Facebook Doesn’t Want to Talk About Fake Users Created by the Pentagon 

Social media platforms have promised to root out similar activity by “foreign” actors. 

On a press call a few years ago, I asked Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, if the company would treat a misinformation campaign orchestrated by the US government the same as it would as one from a foreign adversary. 

Facebook had organized the call to tout how it had discovered and deleted dozens of Iranian accounts, groups, and pages linked to “coordinated inauthentic behavior”—the company’s term for when people and organizations create fake accounts in an attempt to mislead and manipulate other users and the broader information landscape. The conversation came at a time when Facebook was conducting a spate of such announcements and media briefings championing its work removing phony networks tied to foreign governments. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I am sure the US Department of Defense is not the only government agency with fake accounts.

Facebook Board Upholds Former President Trump Ban

 

Daily Mail: 'A total disgrace and embarrassment to our country': Trump blasts 'radical left lunatics' on Facebook's Oversight Board for upholding Zuckerberg's ban on his accounts and warns big tech will pay a 'political price' for taking away his free speech 

* Facebook's Oversight Board ruled to keep Trump banned for another 6 months 

* Then, the final decision will be made by Facebook on whether he can come back 

 * Trump was banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in January 

* The social media giants blamed him for the January 6 riot at the Capitol 

* It punts the controversial decision back to Facebook after months of waiting 

 * The board has 20 highly paid, left leaning members who make the decisions 

 * They get paid six figure salaries for approximately 15 hours of work a week 

 * The non-decision on Wednesday has galvanized Republicans' calls to split FB up 

 * They say it is proof of Facebook's continued censorship on free speech 

 * Trump issued a statement from his office to criticize the decision 

 * He said it showed the 'Radical Left Lunatics' are 'afraid of the truth' 

Former President Donald Trump says it is a 'total disgrace' that Facebook's Oversight Board is upholding the ban on his accounts, and says big tech will pay a 'political price' for taking away his free speech. 

In an email to supporters on Wednesday, Trump fumed: 'What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country. 

'Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I have said this more than once. These tech monopolies need to be broken up.

More News On Facebook Board Upholding Former President Trump Ban  

Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not indefinitely -- AP  

Trump's Facebook ban to stay in place, board rules -- The Hill  

Facebook upholds decision to suspend Donald Trump from platform -- France 24  

Facebook's Trump ban upheld by Oversight Board for now -- BBC Facebook upholds ban on Donald Trump's account -- DW  

Trump rips Facebook, Twitter, Google for taking ‘free speech’ away from him to appease ‘radical left lunatics’ -- RT 

Donald Trump's Facebook ban upheld but review is called for before former president lashes out -- ABC News (Australia)  

Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Ban on Donald Trump's Account -- Sputnik

Facebook Bans Myanmar Military Accounts From Its Platforms

 

CNBC: Facebook bans Myanmar’s military accounts after deadly coup 

 * Myanmar’s military has been banned from using Facebook and Instagram with immediate effect, Facebook said in a blog post on Thursday. 

 * “Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban. We believe the risks of allowing the Tatmadaw on Facebook and Instagram are too great,” the statement said.  * Myanmar’s army seized power after arresting members of the democratically elected government, including Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. 

SINGAPORE — Myanmar’s military has been banned from using Facebook and Instagram with immediate effect, Facebook said in a blog post on Thursday. 

“Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban. We believe the risks of allowing the Tatmadaw on Facebook and Instagram are too great,” the statement said, referring to the official name of Myanmar’s armed forces. 

Military-controlled state and media companies will also be blocked from the two social media platforms, while army-linked commercial firms will not be able to run advertisements. 

Read more .... 

 More News On Facebook Banning Myanmar Military Accounts From Its Platforms 

Facebook Takes a Side, Banning Myanmar Military After Coup -- NYTimes 

Facebook bans Myanmar military from its platforms as violent protests continue -- Reuters 

Facebook bans Myanmar military accounts from its platforms, citing coup -- France 24 

Facebook bans all Myanmar military-linked accounts -- DW 

EXPLAINER: Why is Facebook banning Myanmar military pages? -- AP

How Australians Have Responded To Facebook’s News Ban

 

CNBC: It will ‘annoy a huge group of the population’: How Australians have responded to Facebook’s news ban 

 * Facebook said on Thursday it was no longer going to allow publishers and Australian users to share and view news content on its site. 

 * The move was a direct response to Australia’s proposed “new media code,” which would force it to pay news publishers for the right to link to their content in news feeds. 

 * Facebook’s actions have divided opinion across the country, with some indifferent, and others angry. 

The #deletefacebook hashtag was trending on Twitter in Australia on Thursday. 

Facebook users in Australia are slowly coming to terms with the fact that they’ll no longer be able to get their daily news updates on the platform. 

In a snap decision announced Wednesday, the social media giant said it was no longer going to allow publishers and Australian users to share and view news content on its site. 

The move was a direct response to Australia’s proposed “new media code,” which would force Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for the right to link to their content in news feeds or search results. 

Read more .... 

Update: Facebook is gambling Australia can't live without it. Imagine if we prove them wrong (Lenore Taylor, The Guardian) 

WNU Editor: I think Facebook is making a serious mistake. Facebook is just a website. People will adjust. 

Update #2: Canada is vowing to be the next country to demand Facebook to pay for news .... Canada vows to be next country to go after Facebook to pay for news (Reuters). I have my doubts that this is going to happen. The person who runs Facebook in Canada has deep ties to Prime Minister Trudeau's government. But we shall see.

Facebook Faces Worldwide Backlash From Publishers And Politicians After Blocking News Feeds In Australia

 

Reuters: Facebook 'unfriends' Australia: global uproar as news pages go dark 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Facebook faced a worldwide backlash from publishers and politicians on Thursday after blocking news feeds in Australia in a surprise escalation of a dispute with the government over a law to require it to share revenue from news. 

Facebook wiped out pages from Australian state governments and charities as well as from domestic and international news organisations, three days before the launch of a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme. 

Though the measure was limited to Australia, denunciations came from far afield, with politicians elsewhere describing it as an attempt to put pressure on governments that are considering similar measures around the world.

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Facebook is not deterred .... Facebook unrepentant as Prime Minister dubs emergency services block 'arrogant' (ABC News Australia). 

 More News On Facebook Blocking News Feeds In Australia

#DeleteFacebook! Campaign to ditch the social media giant surges on Twitter as Dem lawmaker says blocking all news from Australians 'wasn't compatible with democracy' -- Daily Mail 

Facebook blocks users from sharing news in Australia -- CNET 

Reaction to Facebook blocking Australian news -- Reuters 

‘Arrogant’ and ‘wrong’: Australia slams Facebook’s move to block news as unnecessary and heavy-handed -- CNET 

Australia will not be intimidated by Facebook ‘unfriending’ it, says Scott Morrison -- The Independent 

Prime minister Scott Morrison attacks Facebook for 'arrogant' move to 'unfriend Australia' -- The Guardian 

Pacific media warns Facebook ban on Australian news could have serious effects in the region -- ABC News (Australia) 

Facebook shares fall by 1% as the company pays the price for declaring war with Australia and blocking all news content -- Daily Mail 

Facebook shares dip as Wall Street ponders Australia news fallout -- Reuters 

Throwing the book at Facebook: How the platform that rivals governments for power left a trail of scandals, privacy breaches and censorship in its wake before declaring war on Australia -- Daily Mail 

Explainer: Australia's news revenue-sharing law behind battle with Big Tech -- Reuters 

Why Facebook banned news in Australia, but Google cut a deal instead with News Corp. and Murdoch -- VOX

Some Of Facebook's Social-Media Censors Are From China

Sohrab Ahmari, New York Post: Meet your (Chinese) Facebook censors 

China is one of the most censorious societies on earth. So what better place for Facebook to recruit social-media censors? 

There are at least half a dozen “Chinese nationals who are working on censorship,” a former Facebook insider told me last week. 

“So at some point, they [Facebook bosses] thought, ‘Hey, we’re going to get them H-1B visas so they can do this work.’ ” 

The insider shared an internal directory of the team that does much of this work. It’s called Hate-Speech Engineering (George Orwell, call your office), and most of its members are based at Facebook’s offices in Seattle. 

Many have Ph.D.s, and their work is extremely complex, involving machine learning — teaching “computers how to learn and act without being explicitly programmed,” as the techy Web site DeepAI.org puts it. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Facebook better be careful. This is what happened to Nortel in Canada when they permitted Chinese engineers access to their technology .... Exclusive: Did Huawei bring down Nortel? Corporate espionage, theft, and the parallel rise and fall of two telecom giants (National Post).

Facebook And Twitter Crossed A Line This Week That Is Far More Dangerous Than What They Censored

Charles Lipson, The Spectator: Behind the social-media blackout of Biden family corruption 

If a bombshell goes off in the forest and no one is allowed to talk about it, does it make a sound? 

Hunter Biden is now the subject of multiple stories involving serious corruption. Whether he committed any crimes is a question for prosecutors and the courts. Whether he was paid handsomely for his family’s political clout is a question for voters. You wouldn’t know that from ABC’s pathetic town hall with his father Joe Biden on Thursday night. They spoke with him for 90 minutes and didn’t ask a single question about the shocking emails published by the New York Post. That’s either journalistic malpractice or public-relations work. 

After all, the emails raise profound questions that the candidate needs to answer. They appear to show his son, Hunter, repeatedly using his last name to fill his pockets. Hunter’s family is his only asset. How else did someone with no special skills manage to collect such huge payments from foreign companies with deep interests in US policy? He has no knowledge of Ukraine or China, no experience in energy or banking, and a crack pipe full of personal problems. So, how exactly did he get rich? 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The suppression of the Hunter Biden emails has definitely been a learning experience for a lot of people. From blocking people who want to share it on social media, to not even asking one question at Joe Biden during his townhall at ABC news on Thursday on his son's emails, all of this just proves a point that I have been making for years about the media. It is not the stories that the main stream media covers that bothers me, it is what they choose to ignore. And now with social media being responsible for much of the news that people receive, their interference on an important story that may influence an election to the detriment of their favorite candidate is only going to make people wake-up with the realization that that there is a problem here, and that the legal protections that social media giants receive should now be reconsidered. 

Update: I could not have said it any better ...... Facebook and Twitter Cross a Line Far More Dangerous Than What They Censor (Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept).