Facebook struggles to contain Russia narrative
Source: Politico
Hearings this week will increase the pressure for the company to explain how bots and fake news exploited its network beyond a narrow focus on political ads.
By STEVEN OVERLY, LI ZHOU and JOSH MEYER 10/29/2017 07:05 AM EDT
Facebook has been happy to keep congressional investigators focused on the Russian-bought online ads that helped sway voters in last years election despite the many other ways that fake messages and bogus accounts spread on the dark side of social media.
But that may be about to end: Facebook, Twitter and Google are preparing for hearings this week where lawmakers are expected to grill the companies about the broad reach that foreign actors achieved through fake accounts and deliberate misinformation, a topic that encompasses far more than the 3,000 paid political ads that Facebook disclosed last month.
Some lawmakers are already pressing for more details about so-called organic content, including unpaid posts from thousands of fake, automated and hijacked user accounts. Those questions could require Facebook to divulge more details about the priceless proprietary algorithms it uses to decide what messages its users see.
Top Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday for a wealth of additional data about Russian activity on its networks, including all organic content and ads "targeted to any part of the United States" by any users who "may be connected in some way to Russia." The California senator also sent an extensive data request to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/29/facebook-russia-narrative-244285
BlueIdaho
(13,582 posts)I say kill Facebook and kill Twitter. That goes for any other social media platform the greedily accepted money and traffic from Russia and other outside sources.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)I can't imagine how that is legal. They are basically defrauding their advertisers.
BlueIdaho
(13,582 posts)Fiendish Thingy
(15,363 posts)#Zuckerbergsucks
#FascismbyFacebook
Perhaps I could get a little trending help from fellow DU'ers?