Search results for "misinformation"

Facebook's oversight board: Watchdog or distraction?

Facebook’s oversight board, which on Wednesday upheld the company’s ban of former President Donald Trump, also had some harsh words for the company. Calling Facebook’s indefinite ban of Trump a “vague, standardless penalty,” the board accused Facebook — its corporate sponsor — of seeking to “avoid its responsibilities” by asking its quasi-independent oversight group to […]

Facebook board's Trump decision could have wider impacts

Since the day after the deadly Jan. 6 riots on the U.S. Capitol, former President Donald Trump’s social media accounts have been silent — muzzled for inciting violence using the platforms as online megaphones. On Wednesday, his fate on Facebook, the biggest social platform around, will be decided. The company’s quasi-independent Oversight Board will announce […]

India censors social media, as second wave of COVID intensifies

Last week, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology urged several social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to take down user content critical of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak as cases go on a sharp rise yet again. Over 100 such take-down requests were sent out to stamp out […]

Apple's iPhone privacy clampdown arrives after 7-month delay

Apple is following through on its pledge to crack down on Facebook and other snoopy apps that secretly shadow people on their iPhones in order to target more advertising at users. The new privacy feature, dubbed “App Tracking Transparency,” rolled out Monday as part of an update to the operating system powering the iPhone and […]

Muslim civil rights group sues Facebook over hate speech

A civil rights group is suing Facebook and its executives, saying CEO Mark Zuckerberg made “false and deceptive” statements to Congress when he said the giant social network removes hate speech and other material that violates its rules. The lawsuit, filed by Muslim Advocates in Washington, D.C., Superior Court on Thursday, claims Zuckerberg and other […]

Facebook removes accounts tied to Iranian exile group

Facebook said Tuesday it has removed hundreds of fake accounts linked to an Iranian exile group and a troll farm in Albania. The accounts posted content critical of Iran’s government and supportive of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a dissident group known as MEK. In many cases, the Facebook and Instagram accounts used fake profile names and photos. Facebook […]

WebMD bestows Health Heroes Awards amid continuing pandemic

Health Portal, WebMD, announced Tuesday the winners of their 2021 Health Heroes Award, with recipients ranging from frontline health workers, the well-known infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, a Native American fashion executive and a teen entrepreneur. For the WebMD editorial team, these persons, and more represent individuals working “tirelessly on the frontlines on the […]

Lawmakers press Big Tech CEOs on speech responsibility

The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling in Congress Thursday as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies’ roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. In a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, lawmakers pounded Facebook CEO Mark […]

CEO says Harry hire is a natural fit, not a publicity stunt

The CEO of BetterUp Inc. said Wednesday that he hired Prince Harry as an executive because of his tenacious advocacy for the kind of mental health services that his firm provides, and the publicity brought by the move is merely a perk. Chief Executive Alexi Robichaux spoke to The Associated Press a day after the […]

Report: Extremist groups thrive on Facebook despite bans

A new outside report found that Facebook has allowed groups — many tied to QAnon, boogaloo and militia movements — to glorify violence during the 2020 election and in the weeks leading up to the deadly riots on the U.S. Capitol in January. Avaaz, a nonprofit advocacy group that says it seeks to protect democracies […]