Facebook works with Israel to curb posts inciting violence

Facebook is no stranger to fighting terrorism online, but it’s about to take those efforts one step further. In the wake of lawsuits from terror victims’ families, the social network is partnering with Israel on ways to track and pull content that incites violence. The country claims that a year-long surge in Palestinian violence was partly sparked by social posts, and hopes that tighter controls on those posts will help douse those flames. The two aren’t saying exactly what they’ll do, but Facebook has stressed its belief that it can fight extremism through a “strong partnership” between public and private organizations.

Whatever the plan, Facebook is likely feeling pressure to cooperate. Although monitoring pro-violence posts would be consistent with its more aggressive anti-terrorism stance in recent times, it also has to worry about proposed Israeli legislation that would force social services to censor pro-violence content themselves. The country might well be depending on that anxiety to have Facebook take voluntary action.

The alliance won’t please digital rights advocates, who see it as a fast track to censorship. Just what constitutes inciting violence in a case like this — will Facebook only block explicit calls for death and destruction, or will it be asked to silence anyone who objects to an Israeli presence in disputed areas? And needless to say, many Palestinians will argue that it’s the Israeli presence that’s at fault. They’d see agitation on Facebook as the symptom, not the cause. Regardless of the exact circumstances, Facebook may not have much of a choice.

Source: The Guardian

Bad experiences on Facebook have real-world consequences

Researchers at Brown University believe that they have established a link between Facebook use and depression. The study examined 264 people and tracked if, and when, they reported having an NFE: a Negative Facebook Experience. When that data was boiled down, the team concluded that people who reported experiencing NFEs were 3.2 times more likely to risk suffering from the symptoms of depression.

Importantly, this study in unique because the participants were first tested in 2002, before Facebook was even founded. That enabled researchers to feel confident that people’s experiences on the social network are a material issue in altering mental health. Brown University Professor of Epidemiology Stephen Buka says that the study “permits us to answer the chicken-and-egg problem: which comes first — adverse experiences on Facebook or depression, low self-esteem and the like.”

The team behind the study want to make the point that people shouldn’t discredit online bullying because it’s somehow just Facebook. Project lead Samantha Rosenthal says that people shouldn’t “think of it somehow as less impactful because it’s a virtual experienced as opposed to [one] in-person.” Rosenthal goes on to say that because “people tend to feel more entitled to bully online than they do in person,” there’s a “higher risk” of genuine hurt being caused. That’s why, if your Facebook experience isn’t great, you should disable your account and walk away.

The wider point here is that online aggression is a seriously problematic element of the online experience. The Online Disinhibition Effect (or the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory) is a documented phenomenon that allows people to be more obnoxious online than in person. Nations are just now beginning to work on criminal penalties for online abuse, and companies like Twitter and Facebook struggle to cope with the bearpit mentality. Until such time as a “solution” to this problem can be found, we’re going to keep seeing studies like this reveal what we already know: online abuse can hurt.

Source: Science Daily

Facebook bans, then reinstates, iconic ‘napalm girl’ photo

Facebook’s policy on what constitutes as nudity is in the news again. This time, though, there’s a reversal involving a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo from the Vietnam war, The Guardian reports. The Terror of War is a photograph of children running from a napalm attack with armed soldiers behind them, taken by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. One of the kids, Kim Phúc, is naked. When Norwegian writer Tom Egeland posted it along with six others as a status concerning photos that “changed the history of warfare,” the author’s account was suspended.

More than that, when the editor in chief of Norway’s largest newspaper, Aftenposten, published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg about the removal, the article used the same image as its lead photo. Facebook reached out and asked the publication to either remove or pixelate the photo. And then Facebook took action and deleted the post from the newspaper’s profile page before EiC Espen Egil Hansen could respond, stripping the publication of its own editorial judgment.

“Even though I am editor-in-chief of Norway’s largest newspaper, I have to realize that you are restricting my room for exercising my editorial responsibility,” he writes. “I think you are abusing your power, and I find it hard to believe that you have thought it through thoroughly.

“The media have a responsibility to consider publication in every single case. This right and duty, which all editors in the world have, should not be undermined by algorithms encoded in your office in California. Editors cannot live with you, Mark [Zuckerberg], as a master editor.”

As The BBC writes, Norway’s prime minister posted the photo as well, only to have it removed in similar fashion.

Facebook has responded, both by reinstating the photo and offering reasoning for why the deletion occurred in the first place.

“While we recognize that this photo is iconic, it’s difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others,” the social network tells The Guardian. “We try to find the right balance between enabling people to express themselves while maintaining a safe and respectful experience for our global community. Our solutions won’t always be perfect, but we will continue to try to improve our policies and the ways in which we apply them.”

Facebook has repeatedly said that it’s a tech company, not a media organization. But this, combined with its checkered past concerning how it portrays news on the site, is evidence that Zuckerberg and Co. don’t quite realize how others view the site’s role in modern life.

Source: The Guardian, Aftenposten (Norwegian), The BBC

Facebook’s trending algorithm promoted a 9/11 truther story

Facebook’s trending news algorithm has failed once again. Earlier today, Facebook users who clicked on the “9/11” trending topic on the social network were directed to a tabloid story by The Daily Star, which claimed that bombs destroy the World Trade Center towers. As The Washington Post reports, the story was quickly removed after they contacted Facebook.

This flub comes just a week after Facebook’s algorithm promoted a false story about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, which followed the company’s decision to stop its human editors from writing descriptions about trending stories. Instead, Facebook’s remaining editors just choose potential topics. That move followed controversy around potential bias from its human editors, which a Facebook investigation refuted.

“We’re aware a hoax article showed up there,” a Facebook spokesperson told the Washington Post, “and as a temporary step to resolving this we’ve removed the topic.”

It’s makes sense that Facebook’s human editors chose to highlight 9/11 as a trending topic, since there are plenty of stories popping up as we approach the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attack. But it’s surprising they didn’t pay extra attention to what, exactly, the algorithm surfaced for such a touchy subject. (Or perhaps it’s in their best interest to prove that the algorithm isn’t smart enough on its own.)

Via: The Washington Post

Facebook co-founder donates $20 million to elect Hillary Clinton

Mark Zuckerberg’s other half, Dustin Moskovitz, has pledged to donate $20 million to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign and other Democratic efforts this election year. Moskovitz, a co-creator of Facebook and founder of Asana, outlines his intentions in a Medium post that criticizes Republican candidate Donald Trump and praises Clinton.

“The Republican Party, and Donald Trump in particular, is running on a zero-sum vision, stressing a false contest between their constituency and the rest of the world,” Muskovitz says. “We believe their positions, especially on immigration, which purport to improve the lives of Americans, would in practice hurt citizens and noncitizens alike. In contrast, the Democratic Party, and Hillary Clinton in particular, is running on a vision of optimism, pragmatism, inclusiveness and mutual benefit.”

The $20 million will be divided among a handful of organizations, including the For our Future PAC and League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund, which will receive $5 million each.

Moskovitz acknowledges that some people will look unfavorably on such a large donation made to one political party and candidate. The conversation around campaign finance reform has been heated this election cycle; many voters and politicians are dissatisfied with existing rules that allow large donations to individual candidates’ campaigns.

“This decision was not easy, particularly because we have reservations about anyone using large amounts of money to influence elections,” Moskovitz says. “That said, we believe in trying to do as much good as we can, which in this case means using the tools available to us (as they are also available to the opposition).”

Moskovitz, 32, has been vocal about using his fortune to benefit the social good. His net worth is currently valued at $10.3 billion, according to Forbes.

Via: Politico

Source: Medium

Oculus Story Studios won its first Emmy for an interactive film

Virtual reality is an art form that’s still in its early stages. Headsets, like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, were only released this year, and people still need to be convinced that VR can be a powerful new way to tell and experience movies, TV shows, and video games. In what could be a tipping point for the VR industry, Facebook-owned Oculus won its first Emmy for Outstanding Original Interactive Program for its animated VR short film, Henry.

The movie, which is only available on the Oculus Rift, is about the titular, cute hedgehog — voiced by Elijah Wood — who likes to hug. It’s directed by Ramiro Lopez Dau, who previously worked on Monsters University and Cars 2. Henry is the first VR original to receive such a prestigious award, which was previously given to apps and online video projects, such as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

Creators are still figuring out how to produce full-length VR films that can rival a movie theater experience. But, this Emmy can be a big step forward for VR, and could help validate this technology as a legitimate tool for storytelling in the coming years.

Via: Variety

Source: Oculus