Some 75 major tech players are backing a French initiative committing them to make a "fair tax contribution" in countries where they operate.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the "Tech For Good" initiative at the Elysee Palace on Monday in a move designed to draw up the ground rules for ensuring the internet is a borderless "free, open and safe space".

Tech big-hitters such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Snapchat, and Huawei have also signed the initiative.&nbsp;Assorted tech 'unicorns', start-ups and NGOs have also joined.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/britain-bans-installation-of-new-huawei-5g-equipment-from-september-2021-346456" hreflang="en">Britain bans installation of new Huawei 5G equipment from September 2021</a>

Two big names yet to sign on are Amazon and Apple, but French presidential sources said both have expressed a "desire" to join.

The initiative comes with France having last week pledged to enforce a new digital levy for online technology giants, breaking a truce with Washington over a long-running tax fight that could prompt a round of punitive US tariffs on French goods.

France suspended collection of the tax, which will hit companies like Facebook and Amazon, early this year while negotiations were underway at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on an overhaul of international tax rules.

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The finance ministry has long said it would collect the tax in December as planned if the talks proved unfruitful by then, which is what happened when the nearly 140 countries involved agreed last month to keep negotiating until mid-2021.

"Companies subject to the tax have received their notice to pay the 2020 installment," a ministry official said.

France last year applied a 3 per cent&nbsp;levy on revenue from digital services earned in France by companies with revenues of more than 25 million euros there and 750 million euros worldwide.

Facebook's stance "is to ensure compliance with all tax laws in the jurisdictions where we operate", it said, adding it had received its tax bill from the French authorities.

Amazon has received a reminder from the French authorities to pay the tax and will comply, according to a person familiar with the matter at the online retailer.

Paris has said it will withdraw the tax as soon as an OECD deal is reached to update the rules on cross-border taxation for the age of online commerce, where big internet companies can book profits in low-tax countries regardless of where their customers are.

The talks stalled as the Trump administration became reluctant to sign on to a multilateral agreement, officials have said.

"We will levy this digital taxation mid-December as we always explained to the US&nbsp;administration," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told a Bloomberg event on Monday.

"Our goal remains to have an OECD agreement by the first months of 2021," he said.

Dan Neidle, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, was skeptical US&nbsp;President-elect Joe Biden would agree to such a deal.

"I'm not sure why Biden would agree to something which enables US&nbsp;corporations to pay more tax in Europe and has not many benefits to the US," said Neidle.

Some 75 major tech players are backing a French initiative committing them to make a "fair tax contribution" in countries where they operate. French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the "Tech For Good" initiative at the Elysee Palace on Monday in a move designed to draw up the ground rules for ensuring the internet is a borderless "free, open and safe space".

Some 75 major tech players are backing a French initiative committing them to make a "fair tax contribution" in countries where they operate. French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the "Tech For Good" initiative at the Elysee Palace on Monday in a move designed to draw up the ground rules for ensuring the internet is a borderless "free, open and safe space". Tech big-hitters such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Snapchat, and Huawei have also signed the initiative. Assorted tech 'unicorns', start-ups and NGOs have also joined. Also read: Britain bans installation of new Huawei 5G equipment from September 2021 Two big names yet to sign on are Amazon and Apple, but French presidential sources said both have expressed a "desire" to join. The initiative comes with France having last week pledged to enforce a new digital levy for online technology giants, breaking a truce with Washington over a long-running tax fight that could prompt a round of punitive US tariffs on French goods. France suspended collection of the tax, which will hit companies like Facebook and Amazon, early this year while negotiations were underway at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on an overhaul of international tax rules. The finance ministry has long said it would collect the tax in December as planned if the talks proved unfruitful by then, which is what happened when the nearly 140 countries involved agreed last month to keep negotiating until mid-2021. "Companies subject to the tax have received their notice to pay the 2020 installment," a ministry official said. France last year applied a 3 per cent levy on revenue from digital services earned in France by companies with revenues of more than 25 million euros there and 750 million euros worldwide. Facebook's stance "is to ensure compliance with all tax laws in the jurisdictions where we operate", it said, adding it had received its tax bill from the French authorities. Amazon has received a reminder from the French authorities to pay the tax and will comply, according to a person familiar with the matter at the online retailer. Paris has said it will withdraw the tax as soon as an OECD deal is reached to update the rules on cross-border taxation for the age of online commerce, where big internet companies can book profits in low-tax countries regardless of where their customers are. The talks stalled as the Trump administration became reluctant to sign on to a multilateral agreement, officials have said. "We will levy this digital taxation mid-December as we always explained to the US administration," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told a Bloomberg event on Monday. "Our goal remains to have an OECD agreement by the first months of 2021," he said. Dan Neidle, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, was skeptical US President-elect Joe Biden would agree to such a deal. "I'm not sure why Biden would agree to something which enables US corporations to pay more tax in Europe and has not many benefits to the US," said Neidle.

Fair tax contribution: 75 major tech players sign the French initiative

In the tense days after the presidential election, a team of Facebook employees presented the chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, with an alarming finding: Election-related misinformation was going viral on the site.

President Donald Trump was already casting the election as rigged, and stories from right-wing media outlets with false and misleading claims about discarded ballots, miscounted votes and skewed tallies were among the most popular news stories on the platform.

In response, the employees proposed an emergency change to the site’s news feed algorithm, which helps determine what more than 2 billion people see every day. It involved emphasizing the importance of what Facebook calls “news ecosystem quality” scores, or NEQ, a secret internal ranking it assigns to news publishers based on signals about the quality of their journalism.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-to-curb-google-and-facebooks-dominance-with-tougher-rules-345681">UK to curb Google and Facebook's dominance with tougher rules</a>

Typically, NEQ scores play a minor role in determining what appears on users’ feeds. But several days after the election, Zuckerberg agreed to increase the weight that Facebook’s algorithm gave to NEQ scores to make sure authoritative news appeared more prominently, said three people with knowledge of the decision, who were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

The change was part of the “break glass” plans Facebook had spent months developing for the aftermath of a contested election. It resulted in a spike in visibility for big, mainstream publishers like CNN, The New York Times and NPR, while posts from highly engaged hyperpartisan pages, such as Breitbart and Occupy Democrats, became less visible, the employees said.

It was a vision of what a calmer, less divisive Facebook might look like. Some employees argued the change should become permanent, even if it was unclear how that might affect the amount of time people spent on Facebook. In an employee meeting the week after the election, workers asked whether the “nicer news feed” could stay, said two people who attended.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/in-a-first-facebook-offers-estimate-of-hate-speech-prevalence-on-its-platform-344315">In a first, Facebook offers estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform</a>

Guy Rosen, a Facebook executive who oversees the integrity division that is in charge of cleaning up the platform, said on a call with reporters last week that the changes were always meant to be temporary. “There has never been a plan to make these permanent,” he said. John Hegeman, who oversees the news feed, said in an interview that while Facebook might roll back these experiments, it would study and learn from them.

The news feed debate illustrates a central tension that some inside Facebook are feeling acutely these days: that the company’s aspirations of improving the world are often at odds with its desire for dominance.

In the past several months, as Facebook has come under more scrutiny for its role in amplifying false and divisive information, its employees have clashed over the company’s future. On one side are idealists, including many rank-and-file workers and some executives, who want to do more to limit misinformation and polarizing content. On the other side are pragmatists who fear those measures could hurt Facebook’s growth, or provoke a political backlash that leads to painful regulation.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-social-media-companies-will-handle-post-us-election-scenarios-337122" hreflang="en">How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios</a>

“There are tensions in virtually every product decision we make and we’ve developed a companywide framework called ‘Better Decisions’ to ensure we make our decisions accurately, and that our goals are directly connected to delivering the best possible experiences for people,” said Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson.

These battles have taken a toll on morale. In an employee survey this month, Facebook workers reported feeling less pride in the company compared to previous years. About half felt that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world, down from roughly three-quarters earlier this year, according to a copy of the survey, known as Pulse, which was reviewed by The New York Times. Employees’ “intent to stay” also dropped, as did confidence in leadership.

BuzzFeed News previously reported on the survey results.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-takes-down-group-stop-the-steal-alleging-voter-fraud-by-democrats-342138" hreflang="en">Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats</a>

Even as Election Day and its aftermath have passed with few incidents, some disillusioned employees have quit, saying they could no longer stomach working for a company whose products they considered harmful. Others have stayed, reasoning they can make more of a difference on the inside. Still others have made the moral calculation that even with its flaws, Facebook is, on balance, doing more good than harm.

“Facebook salaries are among the highest in tech right now, and when you’re walking home with a giant paycheck every two weeks, you have to tell yourself that it’s for a good cause,” said Gregor Hochmuth, a former engineer with Instagram, which Facebook owns, who left in 2014. “Otherwise, your job is truly no different from other industries that wreck the planet and pay their employees exorbitantly to help them forget.”

With most employees working remotely during the pandemic, much of the soul-searching has taken place on Facebook’s internal Workplace network.

In May, during the heat of the Black Lives Matter protests, Zuckerberg angered many employees when he declined to remove a post by Trump that said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Lawmakers and civil rights groups said the post threatened violence against protesters and called for it to be taken down. But Zuckerberg said the post did not violate Facebook’s rules.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/instagram-to-let-users-live-stream-for-up-to-four-hours-338583" hreflang="en">Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours</a>

To signal their dissatisfaction, several employees formed a new Workplace group called “Take Action.” People in the group, which swelled to more than 1,500 members, pointedly changed their profile photos to an image of a raised “Black Lives Matter” fist.

The group became a home for internal dissent and dark humor about Facebook’s foibles. On several occasions, employees reacted to negative news stories about the company by posting a meme from a British comedy sketch in which two Nazis have a moral epiphany and ask themselves, “Are we the baddies?”

In June, employees staged a virtual walkout to protest Zuckerberg’s decisions regarding Trump’s posts.

In September, Facebook updated its employee policies to discourage workers from holding contentious political debates in open Workplace forums, saying they should confine the conversations to specifically designated spaces. It also required employees to use their real faces or the first initial of their names as their profile photo, a change interpreted by some workers as a crackdown.

Several employees said they were frustrated that to tackle thorny issues like misinformation, they often had to demonstrate that their proposed solutions wouldn’t anger powerful partisans or come at the expense of Facebook’s growth.

The trade-offs came into focus this month, when Facebook engineers and data scientists posted the results of a series of experiments called “P(Bad for the World).”

The company had surveyed users about whether certain posts they had seen were “good for the world” or “bad for the world.” They found that high-reach posts — posts seen by many users — were more likely to be considered “bad for the world,” a finding that some employees said alarmed them.

So the team trained a machine-learning algorithm to predict posts that users would consider “bad for the world” and demote them in news feeds. In early tests, the new algorithm successfully reduced the visibility of objectionable content. But it also lowered the number of times users opened Facebook, an internal metric known as “sessions” that executives monitor closely.

“The results were good except that it led to a decrease in sessions, which motivated us to try a different approach,” according to a summary of the results, which was posted to Facebook’s internal network and reviewed by The Times.

The team then ran a second experiment, tweaking the algorithm so that a larger set of “bad for the world” content would be demoted less strongly. While that left more objectionable posts in users’ feeds, it did not reduce their sessions or time spent.

That change was ultimately approved. But other features employees developed before the election never were.

One, called “correct the record,” would have retroactively notified users that they had shared false news and directed them to an independent fact-check. Facebook employees proposed expanding the product, which is currently used to notify people who have shared COVID-19 misinformation, to apply to other types of misinformation.

But that was vetoed by policy executives who feared it would disproportionately show notifications to people who shared false news from right-wing websites, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Another product, an algorithm to classify and demote “hate bait” — posts that don’t strictly violate Facebook’s hate speech rules, but that provoke a flood of hateful comments — was limited to being used only on groups, rather than pages, after the policy team determined that it would primarily affect right-wing publishers if it were applied more broadly, said two people with knowledge of the conversations.

Rosen, the Facebook integrity executive, disputed those characterizations in an interview, which was held on the condition that he not be quoted directly.

He said that the “correct the record” tool wasn’t as effective as hoped, and that the company had decided to focus on other ways of curbing misinformation. He also said applying the “hate bait” detector to Facebook pages could unfairly punish publishers for hateful comments left by their followers, or make it possible for bad actors to hurt a page’s reach by spamming it with toxic comments. Neither project was shelved because of political concerns or because it reduced Facebook usage, he said.

“No News Feed product change is ever solely made because of its impact on time spent,” said Osborne, the Facebook spokesperson. He added that the people talking to The Times had no decision-making authority.

Facebook's moves to clean up its platform will be made easier, in some ways, by the end of the Trump administration. For years, Trump and other leading conservatives accused the company of anti-conservative bias each time it took steps to limit misinformation.

But even with an incoming Biden administration, Facebook will need to balance employees’ desire for social responsibility with its business goals.

“The question is, what have they learned from this election that should inform their policies in the future?" said Vanita Gupta, chief executive of the civil rights group Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “My worry is that they’ll revert all of these changes despite the fact that the conditions that brought them forward are still with us.”

In the tense days after the presidential election, a team of Facebook employees presented the chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, with an alarming finding: Election-related misinformation was going viral on the site.

In the tense days after the presidential election, a team of Facebook employees presented the chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, with an alarming finding: Election-related misinformation was going viral on the site. President Donald Trump was already casting the election as rigged, and stories from right-wing media outlets with false and misleading claims about discarded ballots, miscounted votes and skewed tallies were among the most popular news stories on the platform. In response, the employees proposed an emergency change to the site’s news feed algorithm, which helps determine what more than 2 billion people see every day. It involved emphasizing the importance of what Facebook calls “news ecosystem quality” scores, or NEQ, a secret internal ranking it assigns to news publishers based on signals about the quality of their journalism. Also read| UK to curb Google and Facebook's dominance with tougher rules Typically, NEQ scores play a minor role in determining what appears on users’ feeds. But several days after the election, Zuckerberg agreed to increase the weight that Facebook’s algorithm gave to NEQ scores to make sure authoritative news appeared more prominently, said three people with knowledge of the decision, who were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. The change was part of the “break glass” plans Facebook had spent months developing for the aftermath of a contested election. It resulted in a spike in visibility for big, mainstream publishers like CNN, The New York Times and NPR, while posts from highly engaged hyperpartisan pages, such as Breitbart and Occupy Democrats, became less visible, the employees said. It was a vision of what a calmer, less divisive Facebook might look like. Some employees argued the change should become permanent, even if it was unclear how that might affect the amount of time people spent on Facebook. In an employee meeting the week after the election, workers asked whether the “nicer news feed” could stay, said two people who attended. Also read| In a first, Facebook offers estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform Guy Rosen, a Facebook executive who oversees the integrity division that is in charge of cleaning up the platform, said on a call with reporters last week that the changes were always meant to be temporary. “There has never been a plan to make these permanent,” he said. John Hegeman, who oversees the news feed, said in an interview that while Facebook might roll back these experiments, it would study and learn from them. The news feed debate illustrates a central tension that some inside Facebook are feeling acutely these days: that the company’s aspirations of improving the world are often at odds with its desire for dominance. In the past several months, as Facebook has come under more scrutiny for its role in amplifying false and divisive information, its employees have clashed over the company’s future. On one side are idealists, including many rank-and-file workers and some executives, who want to do more to limit misinformation and polarizing content. On the other side are pragmatists who fear those measures could hurt Facebook’s growth, or provoke a political backlash that leads to painful regulation. Also see: How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios “There are tensions in virtually every product decision we make and we’ve developed a companywide framework called ‘Better Decisions’ to ensure we make our decisions accurately, and that our goals are directly connected to delivering the best possible experiences for people,” said Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson. These battles have taken a toll on morale. In an employee survey this month, Facebook workers reported feeling less pride in the company compared to previous years. About half felt that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world, down from roughly three-quarters earlier this year, according to a copy of the survey, known as Pulse, which was reviewed by The New York Times. Employees’ “intent to stay” also dropped, as did confidence in leadership. BuzzFeed News previously reported on the survey results. Also read: Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats Even as Election Day and its aftermath have passed with few incidents, some disillusioned employees have quit, saying they could no longer stomach working for a company whose products they considered harmful. Others have stayed, reasoning they can make more of a difference on the inside. Still others have made the moral calculation that even with its flaws, Facebook is, on balance, doing more good than harm. “Facebook salaries are among the highest in tech right now, and when you’re walking home with a giant paycheck every two weeks, you have to tell yourself that it’s for a good cause,” said Gregor Hochmuth, a former engineer with Instagram, which Facebook owns, who left in 2014. “Otherwise, your job is truly no different from other industries that wreck the planet and pay their employees exorbitantly to help them forget.” With most employees working remotely during the pandemic, much of the soul-searching has taken place on Facebook’s internal Workplace network. In May, during the heat of the Black Lives Matter protests, Zuckerberg angered many employees when he declined to remove a post by Trump that said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Lawmakers and civil rights groups said the post threatened violence against protesters and called for it to be taken down. But Zuckerberg said the post did not violate Facebook’s rules. Also read: Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours To signal their dissatisfaction, several employees formed a new Workplace group called “Take Action.” People in the group, which swelled to more than 1,500 members, pointedly changed their profile photos to an image of a raised “Black Lives Matter” fist. The group became a home for internal dissent and dark humor about Facebook’s foibles. On several occasions, employees reacted to negative news stories about the company by posting a meme from a British comedy sketch in which two Nazis have a moral epiphany and ask themselves, “Are we the baddies?” In June, employees staged a virtual walkout to protest Zuckerberg’s decisions regarding Trump’s posts. In September, Facebook updated its employee policies to discourage workers from holding contentious political debates in open Workplace forums, saying they should confine the conversations to specifically designated spaces. It also required employees to use their real faces or the first initial of their names as their profile photo, a change interpreted by some workers as a crackdown. Several employees said they were frustrated that to tackle thorny issues like misinformation, they often had to demonstrate that their proposed solutions wouldn’t anger powerful partisans or come at the expense of Facebook’s growth. The trade-offs came into focus this month, when Facebook engineers and data scientists posted the results of a series of experiments called “P(Bad for the World).” The company had surveyed users about whether certain posts they had seen were “good for the world” or “bad for the world.” They found that high-reach posts — posts seen by many users — were more likely to be considered “bad for the world,” a finding that some employees said alarmed them. So the team trained a machine-learning algorithm to predict posts that users would consider “bad for the world” and demote them in news feeds. In early tests, the new algorithm successfully reduced the visibility of objectionable content. But it also lowered the number of times users opened Facebook, an internal metric known as “sessions” that executives monitor closely. “The results were good except that it led to a decrease in sessions, which motivated us to try a different approach,” according to a summary of the results, which was posted to Facebook’s internal network and reviewed by The Times. The team then ran a second experiment, tweaking the algorithm so that a larger set of “bad for the world” content would be demoted less strongly. While that left more objectionable posts in users’ feeds, it did not reduce their sessions or time spent. That change was ultimately approved. But other features employees developed before the election never were. One, called “correct the record,” would have retroactively notified users that they had shared false news and directed them to an independent fact-check. Facebook employees proposed expanding the product, which is currently used to notify people who have shared COVID-19 misinformation, to apply to other types of misinformation. But that was vetoed by policy executives who feared it would disproportionately show notifications to people who shared false news from right-wing websites, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Another product, an algorithm to classify and demote “hate bait” — posts that don’t strictly violate Facebook’s hate speech rules, but that provoke a flood of hateful comments — was limited to being used only on groups, rather than pages, after the policy team determined that it would primarily affect right-wing publishers if it were applied more broadly, said two people with knowledge of the conversations. Rosen, the Facebook integrity executive, disputed those characterizations in an interview, which was held on the condition that he not be quoted directly. He said that the “correct the record” tool wasn’t as effective as hoped, and that the company had decided to focus on other ways of curbing misinformation. He also said applying the “hate bait” detector to Facebook pages could unfairly punish publishers for hateful comments left by their followers, or make it possible for bad actors to hurt a page’s reach by spamming it with toxic comments. Neither project was shelved because of political concerns or because it reduced Facebook usage, he said. “No News Feed product change is ever solely made because of its impact on time spent,” said Osborne, the Facebook spokesperson. He added that the people talking to The Times had no decision-making authority. Facebook's moves to clean up its platform will be made easier, in some ways, by the end of the Trump administration. For years, Trump and other leading conservatives accused the company of anti-conservative bias each time it took steps to limit misinformation. But even with an incoming Biden administration, Facebook will need to balance employees’ desire for social responsibility with its business goals. “The question is, what have they learned from this election that should inform their policies in the future?" said Vanita Gupta, chief executive of the civil rights group Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “My worry is that they’ll revert all of these changes despite the fact that the conditions that brought them forward are still with us.”

Roiled by election, Facebook struggles to balance civility and growth

Social media giant&nbsp;Facebook on Friday offered the&nbsp;first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform.

Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

The world's largest social media company&nbsp;said&nbsp;out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech.

Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US&nbsp;presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-social-media-companies-will-handle-post-us-election-scenarios-337122" hreflang="en">How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios</a>

The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets.

In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-takes-down-group-stop-the-steal-alleging-voter-fraud-by-democrats-342138" hreflang="en">Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats</a>

Facebook&nbsp;said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter.

The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies.

On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/instagram-to-let-users-live-stream-for-up-to-four-hours-338583" hreflang="en">Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours</a>

The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram.

Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale.

These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. 
The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report.

The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions.

During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said.

This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to act against hate speech.

The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on&nbsp;Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record.

On a call with reporters,&nbsp;Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021."

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said&nbsp;Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance.

"We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to&nbsp;Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics. The world's largest social media company said out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech. Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report. Also see: How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets. In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time". Also read: Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats Facebook said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter. The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies. On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added. Also read: Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram. Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale. These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report. The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions. During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said. This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure Facebook to act against hate speech. The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record. On a call with reporters, Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021." The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance. "We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

In a first, Facebook offers estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform

As the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of this year, majority of the companies shifted to working from home to safeguard their employees from the deadly coronavirus. This included the social media giant Facebook.

However, now more than 200 Facebook content moderators have urged the social media company to provide better health and safety precautions for the workers, who have now been called back to the office.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/canada-facing-cyber-security-threat-from-china-russia-state-sponsored-programs-report-343994" hreflang="en">Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report</a>

"After months of allowing content moderators to work from home, faced with intense pressure to keep Facebook free of hate and disinformation, you have forced us back to the office," said the open letter released by the British-based legal activist firm Foxglove.

The content moderators are responsible for keeping the platform free of hate speech and false information, which has played a very important role during the pandemic and the recently concluded <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections.</a>&nbsp;While the moderators were working from home till now, they have been called back to the office for more 'effective working'.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tried-and-tested-twitter-launches-fleets-globally-after-successful-testing-in-india-343840" hreflang="en">Tried and tested: Twitter launches 'Fleets' globally after successful testing in India</a>

Moderators have signed a petition asking the Zuckerberg-led company to "keep moderators and their families safe" rather than exposing them to the deadly virus. The petitioners have requested for remote working to the highest possible limit, or at least offer"hazard pay" to the moderators who come to the office in the pandemic.

"We appreciate the valuable work content reviewers do and we prioritize their health and safety," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP.&nbsp;

"The majority of these 15,000 global content reviewers have been working from home and will continue to do so for the duration of the pandemic," the spokesperson said.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-accused-of-tracking-iphone-users-without-consent-343572" hreflang="en">Apple accused of tracking iPhone users without consent</a>

The petitioners have said the current environment does call for human moderators, as the Artificial Intelligence has failed to match up to the standards and the company has now discovered limitations on what the employees can manage in remote working, after which they decided to turn to AI, which resulted in shortcomings.

"The AI wasn't up to the job. Important speech got swept into the maw of the Facebook filter -- and risky content, like self-harm, stayed up," the letter said.

"The lesson is clear. Facebook's algorithms are years away from achieving the necessary level of sophistication to moderate content automatically. They may never get there."

The moderators have also urged Facebook to turn the moderators to full-term employees.

As the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of this year, majority of the companies shifted to working from home to safeguard their employees from the deadly coronavirus.

As the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of this year, majority of the companies shifted to working from home to safeguard their employees from the deadly coronavirus. This included the social media giant Facebook. However, now more than 200 Facebook content moderators have urged the social media company to provide better health and safety precautions for the workers, who have now been called back to the office. Also read| Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report "After months of allowing content moderators to work from home, faced with intense pressure to keep Facebook free of hate and disinformation, you have forced us back to the office," said the open letter released by the British-based legal activist firm Foxglove. The content moderators are responsible for keeping the platform free of hate speech and false information, which has played a very important role during the pandemic and the recently concluded US elections. While the moderators were working from home till now, they have been called back to the office for more 'effective working'. Also read| Tried and tested: Twitter launches 'Fleets' globally after successful testing in India Moderators have signed a petition asking the Zuckerberg-led company to "keep moderators and their families safe" rather than exposing them to the deadly virus. The petitioners have requested for remote working to the highest possible limit, or at least offer"hazard pay" to the moderators who come to the office in the pandemic. "We appreciate the valuable work content reviewers do and we prioritize their health and safety," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP. "The majority of these 15,000 global content reviewers have been working from home and will continue to do so for the duration of the pandemic," the spokesperson said. Also read| Apple accused of tracking iPhone users without consent The petitioners have said the current environment does call for human moderators, as the Artificial Intelligence has failed to match up to the standards and the company has now discovered limitations on what the employees can manage in remote working, after which they decided to turn to AI, which resulted in shortcomings. "The AI wasn't up to the job. Important speech got swept into the maw of the Facebook filter -- and risky content, like self-harm, stayed up," the letter said. "The lesson is clear. Facebook's algorithms are years away from achieving the necessary level of sophistication to moderate content automatically. They may never get there." The moderators have also urged Facebook to turn the moderators to full-term employees.

Facebook content moderators urge for safety precautions amid pandemic

Fifteen US Democratic Senators have urged Facebook to fully address anti-Muslim bigotry on its platform, which has enabled offline violence against Muslims in the United States and around the world.

"Facebook is a groundbreaking company that has revolutionised the way we communicate. Unfortunately, the connectivity that can bring people together in many positive ways also has been used to dehumanise and stoke violence against Muslims, Black people, Latinos, immigrants, the Jewish community, Sikhs, Christians, women, and other communities here and across the world," the Senators wrote.

Reports indicate that the platform has also been used to support the internment of the Uyghurs in China and other human rights violations against this population, that Facebook and WhatsApp have been used to incite violence against Muslims, and that Facebook has been used to promote hate and violence in other areas around the world, the Senators wrote in the letter to Zuckerberg.

Advocacy groups similarly detailed the extent and persistence of anti-Muslim hate content on Facebook&nbsp;in multiple reports last year, concerns that have been amplified by recent allegations that some high-ranking employees at Facebook&nbsp;have enabled hate speech against Muslims and others by applying the platform's content moderation policies in a selective manner, wrote the Senators. 
 
In June 2019, Facebook responded to concerns about these practices by creating a "call to arms" policy that prohibits event pages that call for individuals to bring weapons to a location.

However, the senators note that Facebook has not taken adequate steps to enforce this policy, which should have barred an event page in Kenosha, Wisconsin earlier this year, as well as a 2019 event page used to plan an armed protest at the largest Muslim community convention in the country.

Meanwhile, Hate crimes in the US rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s, according to an FBI report released Monday.

There were 51 hate crime murders in 2019, which includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas, the report said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Fifteen US Democratic Senators have urged Facebook to fully address anti-Muslim bigotry on its platform, which has enabled offline violence against Muslims in the United States and around the world.

Fifteen US Democratic Senators have urged Facebook to fully address anti-Muslim bigotry on its platform, which has enabled offline violence against Muslims in the United States and around the world. "Facebook is a groundbreaking company that has revolutionised the way we communicate. Unfortunately, the connectivity that can bring people together in many positive ways also has been used to dehumanise and stoke violence against Muslims, Black people, Latinos, immigrants, the Jewish community, Sikhs, Christians, women, and other communities here and across the world," the Senators wrote. Reports indicate that the platform has also been used to support the internment of the Uyghurs in China and other human rights violations against this population, that Facebook and WhatsApp have been used to incite violence against Muslims, and that Facebook has been used to promote hate and violence in other areas around the world, the Senators wrote in the letter to Zuckerberg. Advocacy groups similarly detailed the extent and persistence of anti-Muslim hate content on Facebook in multiple reports last year, concerns that have been amplified by recent allegations that some high-ranking employees at Facebook have enabled hate speech against Muslims and others by applying the platform's content moderation policies in a selective manner, wrote the Senators. In June 2019, Facebook responded to concerns about these practices by creating a "call to arms" policy that prohibits event pages that call for individuals to bring weapons to a location. However, the senators note that Facebook has not taken adequate steps to enforce this policy, which should have barred an event page in Kenosha, Wisconsin earlier this year, as well as a 2019 event page used to plan an armed protest at the largest Muslim community convention in the country. Meanwhile, Hate crimes in the US rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s, according to an FBI report released Monday. There were 51 hate crime murders in 2019, which includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas, the report said. (With inputs from agencies)

'Take action to combat anti-Muslim bigotry': Democratic senators tell Facebook

The&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;censored messages mentioning&nbsp;Taiwan and&nbsp;the Republic of China&nbsp;under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures.

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Multiple sources, including myself, found that <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHO</a>’s official Facebook account seems to have blocked any comment containing the word “<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taiwan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taiwan</a>” o go through. What is this deal? Censorship? <a href="https://t.co/p9BNKOeZv5">pic.twitter.com/p9BNKOeZv5</a>
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120/status/1326678007797280769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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WHO's live stream&nbsp;on the social networking website Facebook was a Q&amp;A on COVID-19 vaccines by its chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan and the head of the&nbsp;department of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, Kate O'Brien.

Taiwan's delegate to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao&nbsp;said on Twitter that ''If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.''

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If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.
— Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) <a href="https://twitter.com/bikhim/status/1326684804205719555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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However, a Facebook spokesperson said ''The professional Facebook fan manager can independently manage all visitors’ comments on the fan page, including some keywords that may appear in the messages that may be automatically blocked by default. The manager can use this to avoid these words from appearing on fan pages.''

"This fan page has enabled this feature, and some words in the comments have been hidden and disabled," he added.

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In order to circumvent the content censorship mechanism of the&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization,&nbsp;numerous Taiwanese netizens consolidated "Taiwan" with different images in the message region of ​​the live transmission, to "counterattack" the WHO's audit of Taiwan-related messages.&nbsp;

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More creative work. But there are also other regular "Taiwan" in the comments. Not sure what causes the blocking for some. <a href="https://t.co/95xzHLJmg6">pic.twitter.com/95xzHLJmg6</a>
— Pierre-Yves Baubry (@pybaubry) <a href="https://twitter.com/pybaubry/status/1326687761198297089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Before the resumption of the World Health Assembly this week, the United States, Taiwan's political partners, and numerous European nations all distributed their petitions to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, trusting that the WHO might permit Taiwan to take an interest in the World Health Assembly as an onlooker. In any case, eventually, Taiwan was not welcomed to take an interest.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-urges-who-chief-to-invite-taiwan-to-a-key-meeting-341119">US urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to a key meeting</a>

Taiwan's&nbsp;participation in the WHO continues to be blocked due to China's massive influence.

At the WHO gathering, the United States, Japan, and 11 Taiwanese partners straightforwardly referenced Taiwan in their talks and communicated solid help for Taiwan's incorporation in the WHO. Be that as it may, the Norwegian director of the World Health Assembly, Bjørn-Inge Larsen, first chose not to incorporate "welcoming Taiwan to partake in the WHO Assembly as an onlooker" in the proposition stage. Afterward, Larsen intruded on Swadini's discourse on the tenth when Swadini, a Taiwanese companion, talked on the side of Taiwan and reminded the following nation to "not talk about spectators."&nbsp;

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie reacted to the concealment of Taiwan's investment in the World Health Organization on the morning of the twelfth, communicating disappointment and lament with the World Health Secretariat's practices, and said that he had held up a dissent with the World Health Organization.

Wu Zhaoxie stressed that Taiwan's entitlement to take an interest in the World Health Organization has won the help of an ever-increasing number of individuals on the planet, including in excess of 1,700 parliamentarians from Europe and different spots.&nbsp;

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Since the episode of the new crown pandemic toward the start of this current year, the battle among Taiwan and the World Health Organization has consistently pulled in worldwide consideration.

Since the accomplishments of Taiwan's plague counteraction have pulled in worldwide consideration, the voices in the global network supporting Taiwan's entrance into the WHO have additionally gotten stronger.

Before the World Health Conference in May this year, the United States welcomed Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to sign a letter to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, requesting that he welcome Taiwan to go to the World Health Conference in mid-May.&nbsp;

Eventually, the issue of welcoming Taiwan to take an interest in the WHO was excluded from the plan of the May World Health Assembly. US Secretary of State Pompeo additionally reprimanded the WHO's choice at that point, condemning it for additional harming the WHO's believability and viability.&nbsp;

In April of this current year, WHO Secretary-General Tedros freely blamed the Taiwan government for permitting Taiwanese netizens to actually assault him. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan fought Tedros' comments at that point and offered to welcome him to visit Taiwan and let him experience How the individuals of Taiwan are experiencing segregation and confinement. She said that Taiwan will keep ongoing worldwide and add to the global network.

The World Health Organization censored messages mentioning Taiwan and the Republic of China under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures.

The World Health Organization censored messages mentioning Taiwan and the Republic of China under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures. Multiple sources, including myself, found that @WHO’s official Facebook account seems to have blocked any comment containing the word “#Taiwan” o go through. What is this deal? Censorship? pic.twitter.com/p9BNKOeZv5 — William Yang (@WilliamYang120) November 12, 2020 × WHO's live stream on the social networking website Facebook was a Q&A on COVID-19 vaccines by its chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan and the head of the department of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, Kate O'Brien. Taiwan's delegate to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao said on Twitter that ''If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.'' If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19. — Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) November 12, 2020 × However, a Facebook spokesperson said ''The professional Facebook fan manager can independently manage all visitors’ comments on the fan page, including some keywords that may appear in the messages that may be automatically blocked by default. The manager can use this to avoid these words from appearing on fan pages.'' "This fan page has enabled this feature, and some words in the comments have been hidden and disabled," he added. In order to circumvent the content censorship mechanism of the World Health Organization, numerous Taiwanese netizens consolidated "Taiwan" with different images in the message region of the live transmission, to "counterattack" the WHO's audit of Taiwan-related messages. More creative work. But there are also other regular "Taiwan" in the comments. Not sure what causes the blocking for some. pic.twitter.com/95xzHLJmg6 — Pierre-Yves Baubry (@pybaubry) November 12, 2020 × Before the resumption of the World Health Assembly this week, the United States, Taiwan's political partners, and numerous European nations all distributed their petitions to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, trusting that the WHO might permit Taiwan to take an interest in the World Health Assembly as an onlooker. In any case, eventually, Taiwan was not welcomed to take an interest. Also read: US urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to a key meeting Taiwan's participation in the WHO continues to be blocked due to China's massive influence. At the WHO gathering, the United States, Japan, and 11 Taiwanese partners straightforwardly referenced Taiwan in their talks and communicated solid help for Taiwan's incorporation in the WHO. Be that as it may, the Norwegian director of the World Health Assembly, Bjørn-Inge Larsen, first chose not to incorporate "welcoming Taiwan to partake in the WHO Assembly as an onlooker" in the proposition stage. Afterward, Larsen intruded on Swadini's discourse on the tenth when Swadini, a Taiwanese companion, talked on the side of Taiwan and reminded the following nation to "not talk about spectators." Taiwan's Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie reacted to the concealment of Taiwan's investment in the World Health Organization on the morning of the twelfth, communicating disappointment and lament with the World Health Secretariat's practices, and said that he had held up a dissent with the World Health Organization. Wu Zhaoxie stressed that Taiwan's entitlement to take an interest in the World Health Organization has won the help of an ever-increasing number of individuals on the planet, including in excess of 1,700 parliamentarians from Europe and different spots. × Since the episode of the new crown pandemic toward the start of this current year, the battle among Taiwan and the World Health Organization has consistently pulled in worldwide consideration. Since the accomplishments of Taiwan's plague counteraction have pulled in worldwide consideration, the voices in the global network supporting Taiwan's entrance into the WHO have additionally gotten stronger. Before the World Health Conference in May this year, the United States welcomed Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to sign a letter to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, requesting that he welcome Taiwan to go to the World Health Conference in mid-May. Eventually, the issue of welcoming Taiwan to take an interest in the WHO was excluded from the plan of the May World Health Assembly. US Secretary of State Pompeo additionally reprimanded the WHO's choice at that point, condemning it for additional harming the WHO's believability and viability. In April of this current year, WHO Secretary-General Tedros freely blamed the Taiwan government for permitting Taiwanese netizens to actually assault him. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan fought Tedros' comments at that point and offered to welcome him to visit Taiwan and let him experience How the individuals of Taiwan are experiencing segregation and confinement. She said that Taiwan will keep ongoing worldwide and add to the global network.

WHO censors Taiwan under a live stream of its press conference

The social media platforms Facebook and Twitter suspended several accounts on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a> day as the accounts were spreading misinformation about the elections and were wrongly predicting win of the current President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;against the former Vice President and&nbsp;Democratic nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

Twitter claimed that multiple accounts had been suspended for "coordination", a practice where the accounts post identical content but claim to be different individuals or groups. These accounts have been suspended for indulging in inauthentic behavior and spreading misinformation about the US elections.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-result-live-update-donald-trump-joe-biden-votes-tally-president-predictions-begins-vote-count-how-to-follow-the-2020-us-election-results-from-india-Trump-wins-Kentucky-joe-Biden-Vermont-340293" hreflang="en">LIVE: Trump claims victory, says will go to SC to dispute election count</a>

One of the accounts suspended by Twitter,&nbsp;SVNewsAlerts, had more than 78,000 followers, out of which more than 10,000 have increased in the past one week. The acount was suspended for posting content related to and hinting towards civil unreast after the US election results&nbsp;and kept stressing that the voting was a fruad and the process of vote counting was not reliable.

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The accounts were suspended after #StopTheSteal started trending on social media platforms and the Twitter mentions increased form 10-12 to nearly 2,000 within minutes, loacal reporters claimed.

Meanwhile, the FBI and the New York attorney general have also started an investigation to find the criminal mind behind the numerous mysterious robocalls that Americans received urging them to stay home instead of casting their ballots. The call was received in several states and nobody has been caught for this yet. The calls, however, have stopped, local media houses claimed.

Facebook also labelled Trump's post in which he had questioned the reliability of the mail-in voting and claiming the in-person voting system has a "history of trustworthiness" in the country. Another video posted by the Fix news channel was also labelled by Facebook a trump was heard accusing Biden of "cheating” in Pennsylvania voting.

The social media platforms Facebook and Twitter suspended several accounts on the US election day as the accounts were spreading misinformation about the elections and were wrongly predicting win of the current President Donald Trump against the former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The social media platforms Facebook and Twitter suspended several accounts on the US election day as the accounts were spreading misinformation about the elections and were wrongly predicting win of the current President Donald Trump against the former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Twitter claimed that multiple accounts had been suspended for "coordination", a practice where the accounts post identical content but claim to be different individuals or groups. These accounts have been suspended for indulging in inauthentic behavior and spreading misinformation about the US elections. LIVE: Trump claims victory, says will go to SC to dispute election count One of the accounts suspended by Twitter, SVNewsAlerts, had more than 78,000 followers, out of which more than 10,000 have increased in the past one week. The acount was suspended for posting content related to and hinting towards civil unreast after the US election results and kept stressing that the voting was a fruad and the process of vote counting was not reliable. × The accounts were suspended after #StopTheSteal started trending on social media platforms and the Twitter mentions increased form 10-12 to nearly 2,000 within minutes, loacal reporters claimed. Meanwhile, the FBI and the New York attorney general have also started an investigation to find the criminal mind behind the numerous mysterious robocalls that Americans received urging them to stay home instead of casting their ballots. The call was received in several states and nobody has been caught for this yet. The calls, however, have stopped, local media houses claimed. Facebook also labelled Trump's post in which he had questioned the reliability of the mail-in voting and claiming the in-person voting system has a "history of trustworthiness" in the country. Another video posted by the Fix news channel was also labelled by Facebook a trump was heard accusing Biden of "cheating” in Pennsylvania voting.

Facebook suspends groups spreading misinformation on US Election results day as #StopTheSteal trends

It was billed as a must-watch showdown between US Senators and big tech. What we got instead was a political slugfest. The Q&amp;A revolved around content moderation. Republicans accused big tech of an anti-conservative bias. Democrats did not want to be there at all. They rejected the hearing as a sham. A Republican plan to discredit fact-checking on social media is trying to score political points. Both sides ended up giving a free pass to the 3 CEOs.

The big debate was around the future of Section 230. It is a legal provision that provides immunity to tech giants. It protects their rights to regulate content on their platform. Twitter and Google defended the law fiercely. Facebook was open to possible amendments.

"Section 230 is the most important law protecting Internet speech and removing Section 230 will remove speech from the Internet," said Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter.

"Our ability to provide access to a wide range of information is only possible because of existing legal frameworks like Section 230," said Alphabet Inc (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai

"I believe Congress has a role to play, too, in order to give people confidence that the process is carried out in a way that balances societies deeply held values appropriately," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

When the hearing moved on to the question of anti-conservative bias, things got a bit heated up.

"Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear? And why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic super PAC," said Ted Cruz, Republican Senator from Texas

"We're not doing that and this is why I opened this hearing with calls for more transparency. We realize we need to earn trust more. We realize that more accountability is needed to show our intentions and to show the outcome. So I hear the concerns and acknowledge them but we want to fix it with more transparency," said Jack Dorsey in response.

Jack Dorsey fielded 48 questions compared to 21 for Zuckerberg and 12 for Pichai. The Republican Senators were putting on a show for Donald Trump and from the White House, the President was watching, and tweeting.

Three and half hours of questioning and it again got underlined that tech giants are too big. Their control over political discourse must be reigned in. Big Tech has made enemies everywhere. It plays the role of publisher, fact-checker and arbiter. Ideally, these roles should not be centralised. But ambiguous digital laws let them get away with it.

Fact-checking has been delegated to third party groups. But are these groups truly neutral? Or are they using fact-checking as an excuse for censorship? Can a private company be made the gatekeeper for social and political narratives?

Countries are waking up to the threat this poses. The European Union is preparing a new digital rulebook. India is also mulling regulations on social media content. Big tech is in the dock. The question they face is this, who is fact-checking the fact-checkers?

It was billed as a must-watch showdown between US Senators and big tech. What we got instead was a political slugfest. The Q&A revolved around content moderation.

It was billed as a must-watch showdown between US Senators and big tech. What we got instead was a political slugfest. The Q&A revolved around content moderation. Republicans accused big tech of an anti-conservative bias. Democrats did not want to be there at all. They rejected the hearing as a sham. A Republican plan to discredit fact-checking on social media is trying to score political points. Both sides ended up giving a free pass to the 3 CEOs. The big debate was around the future of Section 230. It is a legal provision that provides immunity to tech giants. It protects their rights to regulate content on their platform. Twitter and Google defended the law fiercely. Facebook was open to possible amendments. "Section 230 is the most important law protecting Internet speech and removing Section 230 will remove speech from the Internet," said Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter. "Our ability to provide access to a wide range of information is only possible because of existing legal frameworks like Section 230," said Alphabet Inc (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai "I believe Congress has a role to play, too, in order to give people confidence that the process is carried out in a way that balances societies deeply held values appropriately," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg When the hearing moved on to the question of anti-conservative bias, things got a bit heated up. "Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear? And why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic super PAC," said Ted Cruz, Republican Senator from Texas "We're not doing that and this is why I opened this hearing with calls for more transparency. We realize we need to earn trust more. We realize that more accountability is needed to show our intentions and to show the outcome. So I hear the concerns and acknowledge them but we want to fix it with more transparency," said Jack Dorsey in response. Jack Dorsey fielded 48 questions compared to 21 for Zuckerberg and 12 for Pichai. The Republican Senators were putting on a show for Donald Trump and from the White House, the President was watching, and tweeting. Three and half hours of questioning and it again got underlined that tech giants are too big. Their control over political discourse must be reigned in. Big Tech has made enemies everywhere. It plays the role of publisher, fact-checker and arbiter. Ideally, these roles should not be centralised. But ambiguous digital laws let them get away with it. Fact-checking has been delegated to third party groups. But are these groups truly neutral? Or are they using fact-checking as an excuse for censorship? Can a private company be made the gatekeeper for social and political narratives? Countries are waking up to the threat this poses. The European Union is preparing a new digital rulebook. India is also mulling regulations on social media content. Big tech is in the dock. The question they face is this, who is fact-checking the fact-checkers?

Big tech CEOs Senate hearing turns into a political slugfest

A unique situation unfolded itself as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg struggled to appear remotely for a US Senate hearing. Network or connection issues are generally faced by ordinary internet users but for Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of a tech giant and social media Czar to have difficulty connecting was a unique situation indeed. He was facing US Senate Commerce Committee. The hearing was on a key social media legal protection.

"We are unable to make contact with Mr. Mark Zuckerberg," Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee, said agreeing to a five-minute delay after the chief executives of Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google had spoken.

Facebook told the committee that Zuckerberg was alone. He was able to get connected in a couple of minutes.

"I was able to hear the other opening statements. I was just having a hard time connecting myself," Zuckerberg said.

Wicker responded: "I know the feeling Mr. Zuckerberg."

(With Reuters inputs)

A unique situation unfolded itself as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg struggled to appear remotely for a US Senate hearing. Network or connection issues are generally faced by ordinary internet users but for Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of a tech giant and social media Czar to have difficulty connecting was a unique situation indeed.

A unique situation unfolded itself as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg struggled to appear remotely for a US Senate hearing. Network or connection issues are generally faced by ordinary internet users but for Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of a tech giant and social media Czar to have difficulty connecting was a unique situation indeed. He was facing US Senate Commerce Committee. The hearing was on a key social media legal protection. "We are unable to make contact with Mr. Mark Zuckerberg," Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee, said agreeing to a five-minute delay after the chief executives of Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google had spoken. Facebook told the committee that Zuckerberg was alone. He was able to get connected in a couple of minutes. "I was able to hear the other opening statements. I was just having a hard time connecting myself," Zuckerberg said. Wicker responded: "I know the feeling Mr. Zuckerberg." (With Reuters inputs)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hit by 'bad connection', causes delay in US Senate hearing

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.

This decision was announced after the Judiciary Committee held a vote on Thursday to subpoena <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a> and&nbsp;Jack Dorsey.

As per the orders, the two CEOs will have to appear before the US&nbsp;Senate panel on November 17 — days after the US election 2020.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-loss-joe-biden-breaks-television-spending-record-week-before-us-election-2020-337663">Also read|&nbsp;Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020</a>

The two bosses of the social media giants have been&nbsp;subpoenaed over the allegations of taking the decision&nbsp;to block stories that made claims about the Democratic nominee and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>'s son.

The two&nbsp;social media platforms,&nbsp;&nbsp;Facebook and Twitter, had gained criticism for reportedly&nbsp;flagging two New York Post stories as spreading disinformation.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, the US President, had also criticised the social media platforms for flagging the New York Post stories.

Zuckerberg and Dorsey&nbsp;will testify on allegations of anti-conservative bias, the committee said.

The two CEOs along with the head of Alphabet will also be appearing before the US Senate Commerce Committee on October 28&nbsp;about a key law protecting internet companies.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post US elections.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post US elections. This decision was announced after the Judiciary Committee held a vote on Thursday to subpoena Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. As per the orders, the two CEOs will have to appear before the US Senate panel on November 17 — days after the US election 2020. Also read| Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020 The two bosses of the social media giants have been subpoenaed over the allegations of taking the decision to block stories that made claims about the Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden's son. The two social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, had gained criticism for reportedly flagging two New York Post stories as spreading disinformation. Donald Trump, the US President, had also criticised the social media platforms for flagging the New York Post stories. Zuckerberg and Dorsey will testify on allegations of anti-conservative bias, the committee said. The two CEOs along with the head of Alphabet will also be appearing before the US Senate Commerce Committee on October 28 about a key law protecting internet companies.

Facebook's Zuckerberg, Twitter's Dorsey to testify before US Senate panel after US election

How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios

Facebook’s vice president Nick Clegg has said that the social media giant rejected a total of 2.2 million ads on Facebook and Instagram and withdrawn 120,000 posts for attempting to “obstruct voting” in the upcoming US presidential election. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-fumes-as-facebook-twitter-limit-reach-of-smoking-gun-article-on-biden-and-his-son-335344">Also read | Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son</a> 
 
Earlier in September, the social network site had said it would block new political ads in late October, among other measures, to reduce misinformation and interference.

Facebook had said that it will also remove misinformation about the pandemic and voting as well as any premature posts from candidates declaring victory.

Facebook has been increasing its efforts to avoid a repeat of events leading up to the 2016 US presidential election, won by Donald Trump, when its network was used for attempts at voter manipulation, carried out from Russia.

There were similar problems ahead of Britain's 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union.

"Thirty-five thousand employees take care of the security of our platforms and contribute for elections," said Clegg, who is vice president of global affairs and communications at Facebook.

"We have established partnerships with 70 specialised media, including five in France, on the verification of information", he added.

In 2016, while he was still deputy prime minister, Clegg complained to the Journal du Dimanche that Facebook had not identified or suppressed a single foreign network interfering in the US election.

On Wednesday President Trump rebuked Facebook and Twitter for blocking links to a New York Post article purporting to expose corrupt dealings by election rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine. 
 
The story had raised&nbsp;allegations against Hunter Biden and his actions that involved Joe Biden.

"So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of “Smoking Gun” emails related to Sleepy Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in the @NYPost. It is only the beginning for them. There is nothing worse than a corrupt politician. REPEAL SECTION 230!!!" tweeted Trump.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook’s vice president Nick Clegg has said that the social media giant rejected a total of 2.2 million ads on Facebook and Instagram and withdrawn 120,000 posts for attempting to “obstruct voting” in the upcoming US presidential election.

Facebook’s vice president Nick Clegg has said that the social media giant rejected a total of 2.2 million ads on Facebook and Instagram and withdrawn 120,000 posts for attempting to “obstruct voting” in the upcoming US presidential election. Also read | Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son Earlier in September, the social network site had said it would block new political ads in late October, among other measures, to reduce misinformation and interference. Facebook had said that it will also remove misinformation about the pandemic and voting as well as any premature posts from candidates declaring victory. Facebook has been increasing its efforts to avoid a repeat of events leading up to the 2016 US presidential election, won by Donald Trump, when its network was used for attempts at voter manipulation, carried out from Russia. There were similar problems ahead of Britain's 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. "Thirty-five thousand employees take care of the security of our platforms and contribute for elections," said Clegg, who is vice president of global affairs and communications at Facebook. "We have established partnerships with 70 specialised media, including five in France, on the verification of information", he added. In 2016, while he was still deputy prime minister, Clegg complained to the Journal du Dimanche that Facebook had not identified or suppressed a single foreign network interfering in the US election. On Wednesday President Trump rebuked Facebook and Twitter for blocking links to a New York Post article purporting to expose corrupt dealings by election rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine. The story had raised allegations against Hunter Biden and his actions that involved Joe Biden. "So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of “Smoking Gun” emails related to Sleepy Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in the @NYPost. It is only the beginning for them. There is nothing worse than a corrupt politician. REPEAL SECTION 230!!!" tweeted Trump. (With inputs from agencies)

Rejected 2.2 million advertisements seeking to obstruct voting in US election: Facebook

Bosses of tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google have declined to appear before a panel of US Senate, said a Republican Senator. The panel had unanimously voted on Thursday to summon Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Google's Sundar Pichai. They were to be questioned by the Commerce Committee of the US Senate on disinformation, online scams and a range of social ills.

"After extending an invitation to these executives, I regret that they have again declined to participate and answer questions on the record about issues that are so visible and urgent to the American people," said Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the panel.

Big tech platforms face heightened scrutiny on monopoly concerns. They are also on line for failing to stop the spread of hateful content.

"We have questioned how they are protecting and securing the data of millions of Americans, we've explored how they're combating disinformation fraud and other online scams, we've examined whether they are providing a safe and secure internet experience for children and teens," said Wicker.

Big Tech firms, including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, have seen their economic power grow in recent years and accelerate during the coronavirus pandemic, dominating a range of economic sectors.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-fumes-as-facebook-twitter-limit-reach-of-smoking-gun-article-on-biden-and-his-son-335344">Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son</a>

President Donald Trump and his allies have claimed tech platforms are biased against conservatives, despite his own vast social media following.

Democrats meanwhile have expressed concerns over monopoly abuses and the failure of social media to stem misinformation from Trump himself.

Lawmakers from both parties have called for changes to the legal liability shield of online services under a law known as Section 230, claiming the provision enables toxic and harmful content to proliferate.

Google and Facebook are also under scrutiny by federal and state antitrust regulators.

(With inputs from AFP)

Bosses of tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google have declined to appear before a panel of US Senate, said a Republican Senator. The panel had unanimously voted on Thursday to summon Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Google's Sundar Pichai.

Bosses of tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google have declined to appear before a panel of US Senate, said a Republican Senator. The panel had unanimously voted on Thursday to summon Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Google's Sundar Pichai. They were to be questioned by the Commerce Committee of the US Senate on disinformation, online scams and a range of social ills. "After extending an invitation to these executives, I regret that they have again declined to participate and answer questions on the record about issues that are so visible and urgent to the American people," said Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the panel. Big tech platforms face heightened scrutiny on monopoly concerns. They are also on line for failing to stop the spread of hateful content. "We have questioned how they are protecting and securing the data of millions of Americans, we've explored how they're combating disinformation fraud and other online scams, we've examined whether they are providing a safe and secure internet experience for children and teens," said Wicker. Big Tech firms, including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, have seen their economic power grow in recent years and accelerate during the coronavirus pandemic, dominating a range of economic sectors. Also Read | Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son President Donald Trump and his allies have claimed tech platforms are biased against conservatives, despite his own vast social media following. Democrats meanwhile have expressed concerns over monopoly abuses and the failure of social media to stem misinformation from Trump himself. Lawmakers from both parties have called for changes to the legal liability shield of online services under a law known as Section 230, claiming the provision enables toxic and harmful content to proliferate. Google and Facebook are also under scrutiny by federal and state antitrust regulators. (With inputs from AFP)

Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Sundar Pichai decline to appear before US Senate

US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired an angry tweet against Facebook and Twitter's decision to limit online distribution of a New York Post article on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The story raises allegations against Hunter Biden and his actions that involved Joe Biden.

"So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of “Smoking Gun” emails related to Sleepy Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in the&nbsp;@NYPost. It is only the beginning for them. There is nothing worse than a corrupt politician. REPEAL SECTION 230!!!" tweeted Trump.

The New York Post story says that Hunter Biden tried introducing a top executive of a Ukrainian firm to his father Joe Biden. Hunter Biden worked for this firm.

Donald Trump has been in dock in past over allegations that he colluded with Russia to secure victory in US Presidential elections 2020. Donald Trump's son was investigated for his contact with a Russian lawyer who had Russian spy agency as her client.

Given the background, latest allegations against Hunter Biden and Joe Biden may well present Trump with an opportunity to score political brownie points close to elections.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-son-barron-tests-positive-for-covid-19-335340">Trump's son Barron tests positive for COVID-19</a>

Meanwhile, Facebook Spokesperson Andy Stone said that the New York Post story had enough for it to be eligible for a fact check.

"While I will intentionally not link to the New York Post, I want be clear that this story is eligible to be fact-checked by Facebook's third-party fact-checking partners. In the meantime, we are reducing its distribution on our platform," tweeted Andy Stone, Facebook Spokesperson.

Spokesperson for Biden campaign defended Joe Biden and Hunter Biden by saying that there was "no wrongdoing" on part of Joe Biden. He added that New York Post never reached out to Biden campaign for their response on this.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired an angry tweet against Facebook and Twitter's decision to limit online distribution of a New York Post article on Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired an angry tweet against Facebook and Twitter's decision to limit online distribution of a New York Post article on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The story raises allegations against Hunter Biden and his actions that involved Joe Biden. "So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of “Smoking Gun” emails related to Sleepy Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in the @NYPost. It is only the beginning for them. There is nothing worse than a corrupt politician. REPEAL SECTION 230!!!" tweeted Trump. The New York Post story says that Hunter Biden tried introducing a top executive of a Ukrainian firm to his father Joe Biden. Hunter Biden worked for this firm. Donald Trump has been in dock in past over allegations that he colluded with Russia to secure victory in US Presidential elections 2020. Donald Trump's son was investigated for his contact with a Russian lawyer who had Russian spy agency as her client. Given the background, latest allegations against Hunter Biden and Joe Biden may well present Trump with an opportunity to score political brownie points close to elections. Also Read | Trump's son Barron tests positive for COVID-19 Meanwhile, Facebook Spokesperson Andy Stone said that the New York Post story had enough for it to be eligible for a fact check. "While I will intentionally not link to the New York Post, I want be clear that this story is eligible to be fact-checked by Facebook's third-party fact-checking partners. In the meantime, we are reducing its distribution on our platform," tweeted Andy Stone, Facebook Spokesperson. Spokesperson for Biden campaign defended Joe Biden and Hunter Biden by saying that there was "no wrongdoing" on part of Joe Biden. He added that New York Post never reached out to Biden campaign for their response on this.

Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son

&nbsp;

The social media giant Facebook has decided to stop all political and social ad campaigns after the US polls close on November 03.

Facebook had earlier declared that the platform will not be entertaining or allowing any political ad campaigns near the upcoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections</a>. However, a fixed timeline was not revealed at that time.

Now, the decision has been announced explaining that in addition to the political campaigns, all ads created to social issues will also face the ban.&nbsp;

<a href="wionews.com/world/six-takeaways-from-the-vice-presidential-debate-333402">Also read:&nbsp;Six takeaways from the vice-presidential debate</a>

In addition to this, if any political party claims victory or predicts results before the the administration or main media houses release the result, Facebook will be adding additional notices around those posts.

"If a candidate or party declares premature victory before a race is called by major media outlets, we will add more specific information in the notifications that counting is still in progress and no winner has been determined," said vice president of integrity Guy Rosen.

The decision has been taken as an extension of the careful approach that various social media platforms such as Twitter and&nbsp;Facebook have adopted for the past few months in respect to the misinformation being spread about the US elections.

Facebook's decision to suspend all such posts is&nbsp;being read as an effort to curb President Trump's warning of not coooperating during the transition of power if he loses the elections.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/next-us-presidential-debate-to-be-virtual-trump-says-wont-participate-333504">Also read:&nbsp;Next US Presidential debate to be 'virtual'; Trump says won't 'participate'</a>

"We will remove statements of intent or advocacy to go to an election site with military language," the&nbsp;vice president of content policy Monika Bickert.

"We will also remove calls to go to polls to monitor if it involves exerting control or showing power."

This decision has come after Facebook actively banned the posts that urged citizens to head out and cast their votes, as the social media platform said it sends out a wrong message with respect to the existing COVID-19 guidelines of staying indoors.

Facebook has also revealed that the platform has removed nearly 120,000 posts on Facebook and Instagram that were spreading the wrong information and and has added warning labels on more than 150 million posts on Facebook.

The platform is also redirecting people to voting information centre that has been set up by facebook and has, till now, helped nearly 2.5 million people register to vote.

The experts at Facebook are also prepared to spot, identify and kill the posts and content that can go viral and result in acivil unrest.

Nick Clegg, a former deputy British prime minister who is Facebook's head of global affairs, said recently that the social platform could take exceptional steps to "restrict the circulation of content" in case of turmoil.

"There are some break-glass options available to us if there really is an extremely chaotic and, worse still, violent set of circumstances," Clegg said,

The social media giant Facebook has decided to stop all political and social ad campaigns after the US polls close on November 03. Facebook had earlier declared that the platform will not be entertaining or allowing any political ad campaigns near the upcoming US elections.

The social media giant Facebook has decided to stop all political and social ad campaigns after the US polls close on November 03. Facebook had earlier declared that the platform will not be entertaining or allowing any political ad campaigns near the upcoming US elections. However, a fixed timeline was not revealed at that time. Now, the decision has been announced explaining that in addition to the political campaigns, all ads created to social issues will also face the ban. Also read: Six takeaways from the vice-presidential debate In addition to this, if any political party claims victory or predicts results before the the administration or main media houses release the result, Facebook will be adding additional notices around those posts. "If a candidate or party declares premature victory before a race is called by major media outlets, we will add more specific information in the notifications that counting is still in progress and no winner has been determined," said vice president of integrity Guy Rosen. The decision has been taken as an extension of the careful approach that various social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have adopted for the past few months in respect to the misinformation being spread about the US elections. Facebook's decision to suspend all such posts is being read as an effort to curb President Trump's warning of not coooperating during the transition of power if he loses the elections. Also read: Next US Presidential debate to be 'virtual'; Trump says won't 'participate' "We will remove statements of intent or advocacy to go to an election site with military language," the vice president of content policy Monika Bickert. "We will also remove calls to go to polls to monitor if it involves exerting control or showing power." This decision has come after Facebook actively banned the posts that urged citizens to head out and cast their votes, as the social media platform said it sends out a wrong message with respect to the existing COVID-19 guidelines of staying indoors. Facebook has also revealed that the platform has removed nearly 120,000 posts on Facebook and Instagram that were spreading the wrong information and and has added warning labels on more than 150 million posts on Facebook. The platform is also redirecting people to voting information centre that has been set up by facebook and has, till now, helped nearly 2.5 million people register to vote. The experts at Facebook are also prepared to spot, identify and kill the posts and content that can go viral and result in acivil unrest. Nick Clegg, a former deputy British prime minister who is Facebook's head of global affairs, said recently that the social platform could take exceptional steps to "restrict the circulation of content" in case of turmoil. "There are some break-glass options available to us if there really is an extremely chaotic and, worse still, violent set of circumstances," Clegg said,

Facebook to ban political ads after US election poll ends to curb fake news

Facebook classified QAnon conspiracy theory movement as dangerous on Tuesday and banned all accounts and groups linked to it. The move is a major escalation since August from Facebook's earlier actions of restricting the reach of such posts and banning just a third of QAnon groups for promoting violence. Facebook will now treat QAnon like other militarised bodies instead of just relying on user reports.

What is QAnon?

QAnon is a conspiracy theory that says US President Donald Trump is&nbsp;battling satan-worshipping pedophiles among elite circles.

After Facebook put restrictions on QAnon in the month of August, some QAnon members have resorted to adding members using code-language in order to avoid detection.

Meanwhile, adherents have worked to integrate themselves in other groups, such as those concerned with child safety and those critical of restrictions on gatherings due to the coronavirus, according to researchers at Facebook and elsewhere.

“While we’ve removed QAnon content that celebrates and supports violence, we’ve seen other QAnon content tied to different forms of real world harm, including recent claims that the west coast wildfires were started by certain groups,” Facebook wrote.

“QAnon messaging changes very quickly and we see networks of supporters build an audience with one message and then quickly pivot to another.”

Recent QAnon posts have spread false information about voting and about COVID-19, researchers said, even claiming that President Donald Trump faked his diagnosis of COVID-19 in order to orchestrate secret arrests.

Classed as a potential source of domestic terrorism by the FBI, QAnon is driven by an anonymous internet poster nicknamed Q who claims to be a Trump administration insider. The core, nonsensical claim is that Trump is secretly leading a crackdown against an enormous pedophile ring that includes prominent Democrats and the Hollywood elite.

There has been no surge in arrests, and the fictitious Satanic rituals that the group cites echo longstanding legends used to anger people for political reasons, often against minorities.

Trump has praised the group as patriotic, and more than a dozen Republican congressional candidates have promoted it.

Facebook classified QAnon conspiracy theory movement as dangerous on Tuesday and banned all accounts and groups linked to it. The move is a major escalation since August from Facebook's earlier actions of restricting the reach of such posts and banning just a third of QAnon groups for promoting violence.

Facebook classified QAnon conspiracy theory movement as dangerous on Tuesday and banned all accounts and groups linked to it. The move is a major escalation since August from Facebook's earlier actions of restricting the reach of such posts and banning just a third of QAnon groups for promoting violence. Facebook will now treat QAnon like other militarised bodies instead of just relying on user reports. What is QAnon? QAnon is a conspiracy theory that says US President Donald Trump is battling satan-worshipping pedophiles among elite circles. After Facebook put restrictions on QAnon in the month of August, some QAnon members have resorted to adding members using code-language in order to avoid detection. Meanwhile, adherents have worked to integrate themselves in other groups, such as those concerned with child safety and those critical of restrictions on gatherings due to the coronavirus, according to researchers at Facebook and elsewhere. “While we’ve removed QAnon content that celebrates and supports violence, we’ve seen other QAnon content tied to different forms of real world harm, including recent claims that the west coast wildfires were started by certain groups,” Facebook wrote. “QAnon messaging changes very quickly and we see networks of supporters build an audience with one message and then quickly pivot to another.” Recent QAnon posts have spread false information about voting and about COVID-19, researchers said, even claiming that President Donald Trump faked his diagnosis of COVID-19 in order to orchestrate secret arrests. Classed as a potential source of domestic terrorism by the FBI, QAnon is driven by an anonymous internet poster nicknamed Q who claims to be a Trump administration insider. The core, nonsensical claim is that Trump is secretly leading a crackdown against an enormous pedophile ring that includes prominent Democrats and the Hollywood elite. There has been no surge in arrests, and the fictitious Satanic rituals that the group cites echo longstanding legends used to anger people for political reasons, often against minorities. Trump has praised the group as patriotic, and more than a dozen Republican congressional candidates have promoted it.

Facebook classifies QAnon as dangerous, bans groups and accounts

Online abuse is driving girls to quit social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with nearly 60 per cent&nbsp;experiencing harassment, a global study showed on Sunday.

One in five girls and young women has abandoned or cut down on using a social media platform after being targeted, with some saying harassment started when they were as young as eight, the survey by girls’ rights group Plan International showed.

“Girls are being silenced by a toxic level of harassment,” said the organisation’s chief executive, Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-failing-women-as-online-abuse-flourishes-says-amnesty-36559">Twitter failing women as online abuse flourishes, says Amnesty</a>

Attacks were most common on Facebook, where 39 per cent&nbsp;of girls polled said they had been harassed, followed by Instagram (23 per cent), WhatsApp (14 per cent), Snapchat (10 per cent), Twitter (9 per cent) and TikTok (6 per cent).

The charity, which will share the report with social media companies and lawmakers around the world, said the abuse was suppressing girls’ voices at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was increasing the importance of communicating online.

It called on social media companies to take urgent action to address the issue and urged governments to pass laws to deal with online harassment.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/web-is-not-working-for-women-girls-internet-founder-285988">Web is not working for women, girls: Internet founder</a>

The study found reporting tools were ineffective in stopping the abuse, which included explicit messages, pornographic photos and cyberstalking.

Nearly half of girls targeted had been threatened with physical or sexual violence, according to the poll. Many said the abuse took a mental toll, and a quarter felt physically unsafe.

“It is time for this to stop. Girls should not have to put up with behaviour online which would be criminal on the streets,” the report said.

Facebook and Instagram said they used artificial intelligence to look for bullying content, constantly monitored users’ reports of abuse and always removed rape threats.

Twitter said it also used technology to catch abusive content and has launched tools to improve users’ control over their conversations.

The survey polled 14,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 25 in 22 countries including Brazil, India, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand and the United States.

Online abuse is driving girls to quit social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with nearly 60 per cent experiencing harassment, a global study showed on Sunday.

Online abuse is driving girls to quit social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with nearly 60 per cent experiencing harassment, a global study showed on Sunday. One in five girls and young women has abandoned or cut down on using a social media platform after being targeted, with some saying harassment started when they were as young as eight, the survey by girls’ rights group Plan International showed. “Girls are being silenced by a toxic level of harassment,” said the organisation’s chief executive, Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen. Also read: Twitter failing women as online abuse flourishes, says Amnesty Attacks were most common on Facebook, where 39 per cent of girls polled said they had been harassed, followed by Instagram (23 per cent), WhatsApp (14 per cent), Snapchat (10 per cent), Twitter (9 per cent) and TikTok (6 per cent). The charity, which will share the report with social media companies and lawmakers around the world, said the abuse was suppressing girls’ voices at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was increasing the importance of communicating online. It called on social media companies to take urgent action to address the issue and urged governments to pass laws to deal with online harassment. Also read: Web is not working for women, girls: Internet founder The study found reporting tools were ineffective in stopping the abuse, which included explicit messages, pornographic photos and cyberstalking. Nearly half of girls targeted had been threatened with physical or sexual violence, according to the poll. Many said the abuse took a mental toll, and a quarter felt physically unsafe. “It is time for this to stop. Girls should not have to put up with behaviour online which would be criminal on the streets,” the report said. Facebook and Instagram said they used artificial intelligence to look for bullying content, constantly monitored users’ reports of abuse and always removed rape threats. Twitter said it also used technology to catch abusive content and has launched tools to improve users’ control over their conversations. The survey polled 14,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 25 in 22 countries including Brazil, India, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand and the United States.

'Toxic': Online violence against women 'flourishing'; driving them away from social media

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it would start promoting content from public Facebook Groups in users' news feeds and in search engine results, defying calls by watchdog groups to limit algorithmic recommendations ahead of US&nbsp;elections next month.

In a blog post, Facebook app chief Fidji Simo said the company would surface recommendations in news feeds by showing "related discussions" from public groups next to a link or post. Facebook Groups are communities that form around shared interests, and public groups' posts can be viewed by any user.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/big-tech-companies-may-be-handling-data-of-hong-kong-users-to-china-331385">Also read:&nbsp;Big tech companies may be handling data of Hong Kong users to China</a>

Simo said Facebook would also start showing conversations from public groups outside the app, such as in web searches.

Facebook declined to specify when the changes would be rolled out, with a spokesman saying only that US tests would begin "in a very limited capacity" in the coming weeks.

The company, which made groups a strategic priority last year, also said it was adding new moderation tools for the more than 70 million people running those communities to help them reject posts, lead discussions and arrange paid sponsorships.

According to an internal memo seen by The Verge, the groups push this year has been a success for engagement on the Facebook app, with posts up 31.9% year over year as of August.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/expansive-study-finds-consistent-facebook-usage-linked-to-ill-being-330948">Also read:&nbsp;Expansive study finds consistent Facebook usage linked to ill-being</a>

At the same time, the company has faced a series of scandals over extremist activity within groups, including the spread of thousands of Boogaloo, QAnon and militia groups and communities promoting health misinformation.

Facebook has gradually removed some such groups and limited recommendations to others.

Its new groups push comes days after Accountable Tech and a dozen other advocacy organisations called on Facebook to pause its use of group recommendations altogether until the results of the November&nbsp;3 elections are formally certified.

The coalition accused Facebook of prioritising groups despite red flags from researchers, warning the tools have become "hidden breeding grounds for disinformation campaigns and organizing platforms for extremists."

Adam Conner, a former Facebook executive who now leads technology policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said the company's decision risked accelerating those dynamics.

"Giving content from those groups wider distribution and easier discovery is a dangerous choice right before a contentious election during a pandemic," said Conner.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it would start promoting content from public Facebook Groups in users' news feeds and in search engine results, defying calls by watchdog groups to limit algorithmic recommendations ahead of US elections next month.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it would start promoting content from public Facebook Groups in users' news feeds and in search engine results, defying calls by watchdog groups to limit algorithmic recommendations ahead of US elections next month. In a blog post, Facebook app chief Fidji Simo said the company would surface recommendations in news feeds by showing "related discussions" from public groups next to a link or post. Facebook Groups are communities that form around shared interests, and public groups' posts can be viewed by any user. Also read: Big tech companies may be handling data of Hong Kong users to China Simo said Facebook would also start showing conversations from public groups outside the app, such as in web searches. Facebook declined to specify when the changes would be rolled out, with a spokesman saying only that US tests would begin "in a very limited capacity" in the coming weeks. The company, which made groups a strategic priority last year, also said it was adding new moderation tools for the more than 70 million people running those communities to help them reject posts, lead discussions and arrange paid sponsorships. According to an internal memo seen by The Verge, the groups push this year has been a success for engagement on the Facebook app, with posts up 31.9% year over year as of August. Also read: Expansive study finds consistent Facebook usage linked to ill-being At the same time, the company has faced a series of scandals over extremist activity within groups, including the spread of thousands of Boogaloo, QAnon and militia groups and communities promoting health misinformation. Facebook has gradually removed some such groups and limited recommendations to others. Its new groups push comes days after Accountable Tech and a dozen other advocacy organisations called on Facebook to pause its use of group recommendations altogether until the results of the November 3 elections are formally certified. The coalition accused Facebook of prioritising groups despite red flags from researchers, warning the tools have become "hidden breeding grounds for disinformation campaigns and organizing platforms for extremists." Adam Conner, a former Facebook executive who now leads technology policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said the company's decision risked accelerating those dynamics. "Giving content from those groups wider distribution and easier discovery is a dangerous choice right before a contentious election during a pandemic," said Conner.

Facebook steps up promotion of groups content in feeds, around the web

Facebook said Friday it struck a deal in which Apple agreed to temporarily forgo its cut of revenue from paid events at the leading social network to help pandemic-hit performers earn money during the pandemic.

The social network had asked Apple to skip its usual 30 percent cut of transactions in mobile apps prior to enable the Facebook Live streaming to be used to create, promote and host paid events from concerts and theatrical performances to yoga classes and cooking lessons.

Apple agreed to a respite through the end of the year "after which struggling businesses will have to, yet again, pay Apple the full 30 percent App Store tax," Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Apple originally stuck to its commission, but has since had a change of heart, according to Facebook.

The temporary reprieve means that transactions for events in Live on the iOS platform can be handled by Facebook's payment system instead of Apple's network, the social network said.

Gaming creators, however, will still have to use Apple's commission-collecting payment system for live events on its mobile devices, according to Facebook gaming vice president Vivek Sharma.

Facebook said it would not collect any fees from paid online events while businesses remain closed for the pandemic, until at least August 2021.

Apple did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. It has defended the commission to cover the costs of managing the App Store and protecting user security, but critics say the commission is an abuse of its position.

Other app developers have argued that Apple's commission is a "tax" and can thwart competitors.

Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games are in a legal battle over the matter, with a hearing in the case slated for Monday.

Facebook said Friday it struck a deal in which Apple agreed to temporarily forgo its cut of revenue from paid events at the leading social network to help pandemic-hit performers earn money during the pandemic.

Facebook said Friday it struck a deal in which Apple agreed to temporarily forgo its cut of revenue from paid events at the leading social network to help pandemic-hit performers earn money during the pandemic. The social network had asked Apple to skip its usual 30 percent cut of transactions in mobile apps prior to enable the Facebook Live streaming to be used to create, promote and host paid events from concerts and theatrical performances to yoga classes and cooking lessons. Apple agreed to a respite through the end of the year "after which struggling businesses will have to, yet again, pay Apple the full 30 percent App Store tax," Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne said in response to an AFP inquiry. Apple originally stuck to its commission, but has since had a change of heart, according to Facebook. The temporary reprieve means that transactions for events in Live on the iOS platform can be handled by Facebook's payment system instead of Apple's network, the social network said. Gaming creators, however, will still have to use Apple's commission-collecting payment system for live events on its mobile devices, according to Facebook gaming vice president Vivek Sharma. Facebook said it would not collect any fees from paid online events while businesses remain closed for the pandemic, until at least August 2021. Apple did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. It has defended the commission to cover the costs of managing the App Store and protecting user security, but critics say the commission is an abuse of its position. Other app developers have argued that Apple's commission is a "tax" and can thwart competitors. Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games are in a legal battle over the matter, with a hearing in the case slated for Monday.

Facebook gets reprieve from Apple on live events cut

Facebook, already under fire for its handling of misinformation and fake news, is going to launch its independent Oversight Board in mid to late October. This will put the board in action just before US Presidential elections due to take place on November 3. Facebook had plans to launch the Oversight Board last year but it was delayed due to coronavirus pandemic.

The board will initially have the power to review decisions to take down posts from Facebook and Instagram and recommend policy changes.

Oversight Board member Alan Rusbridger told Reuters in an interview that the board was now aiming for an October launch. A spokesman confirmed that timetable, saying the launch, originally planned for last year, had also been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Rusbridger said he did not know whether the board would hear cases about content connected to the U.S. presidential election.

Also&nbsp;Read&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/thailand-takes-first-legal-action-against-facebook-twitter-over-content-329917">Thailand takes first legal action against Facebook, Twitter over content</a>

Although this is a step towards improving Facebook's handling of problematic content, some experts have said that that it will not be able to help combat misinformation as the board&nbsp;won't have authority to evaluate posts that the company decides to leave up.

Facebook has been on the receiving end of criticism about the kind of content it allows on its platform, especially political and social.

On Wednesday, Facebook took down pages that were created in China and were aimed at influencing US elections. Facebook said that people behind these activities tried to hide their location and identity using VPNs.

In addition to concerns surrounding content, Facebook is facing flak for privacy issues as well. On September 18, Bloomberg reported that a lawsuit was filed against Facebook for allegedly spying on Instagram users through phone camera. Facebook owns Instagram. Facebook had declined to comment at the time.

Facebook, already under fire for its handling of misinformation and fake news, is going to launch its independent Oversight Board in mid to late October. This will put the board in action just before US Presidential elections due to take place on November 3.

Facebook, already under fire for its handling of misinformation and fake news, is going to launch its independent Oversight Board in mid to late October. This will put the board in action just before US Presidential elections due to take place on November 3. Facebook had plans to launch the Oversight Board last year but it was delayed due to coronavirus pandemic. The board will initially have the power to review decisions to take down posts from Facebook and Instagram and recommend policy changes. Oversight Board member Alan Rusbridger told Reuters in an interview that the board was now aiming for an October launch. A spokesman confirmed that timetable, saying the launch, originally planned for last year, had also been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic. Rusbridger said he did not know whether the board would hear cases about content connected to the U.S. presidential election. Also Read | Thailand takes first legal action against Facebook, Twitter over content Although this is a step towards improving Facebook's handling of problematic content, some experts have said that that it will not be able to help combat misinformation as the board won't have authority to evaluate posts that the company decides to leave up. Facebook has been on the receiving end of criticism about the kind of content it allows on its platform, especially political and social. On Wednesday, Facebook took down pages that were created in China and were aimed at influencing US elections. Facebook said that people behind these activities tried to hide their location and identity using VPNs. In addition to concerns surrounding content, Facebook is facing flak for privacy issues as well. On September 18, Bloomberg reported that a lawsuit was filed against Facebook for allegedly spying on Instagram users through phone camera. Facebook owns Instagram. Facebook had declined to comment at the time.

Facebook to launch Oversight Board to combat misinformation just before US elections

Social media platform Facebook has taken down fake pages created in China aimed at influencing this year's&nbsp;US election.

In the United States, the network that operated the ''sliver&nbsp;of&nbsp;accounts'',&nbsp;posted material both in support of and against presidential candidates President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-spying-on-millions-around-the-world-by-harvesting-personal-details-from-the-dark-web-327896">China spying on millions around the world by harvesting personal details from the dark web</a>

According to Facebook,&nbsp;the people behind the network tried to conceal their identity and location via virtual private networks and other methods.

The social networking company said it suspended 155 accounts on its main platform along with six Instagram accounts.&nbsp;

Facebook cybersecurity policy chief Nathaniel Gleicher said that the takedown was the company's first of Chinese-based accounts on foreign-interference grounds with any engagement in US&nbsp;politics.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-trump-and-biden-battle-for-an-advantage-in-brewing-fight-329526" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Trump and Biden battle for an advantage in brewing fight</a>

Concerns about foreign efforts to interfere in the election were underscored by a warning Tuesday from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency that foreign actors and cybercriminals were likely to try to spread disinformation regarding the results of the election, including by creating fake websites or social media content aimed at discrediting the process.

US&nbsp;Intelligence officials warned last month about ongoing or potential efforts by China, Russia and Iran to interfere in November's election. In an August public assessment, the country's chief counterintelligence official, William Evanina, said officials had determined that Beijing regards Trump as unpredictable and wants to see him lose to Biden.

The statement said that China had been expanding its influence operations ahead of the election to ''shape the policy environment in the United States''&nbsp;and had been weighing the pros and cons of taking more aggressive action.

Social media platform Facebook has taken down fake pages created in China aimed at influencing this year's US election. In the United States, the network that operated the ''sliver of accounts'', posted material both in support of and against presidential candidates President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Social media platform Facebook has taken down fake pages created in China aimed at influencing this year's US election. In the United States, the network that operated the ''sliver of accounts'', posted material both in support of and against presidential candidates President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Also read: China spying on millions around the world by harvesting personal details from the dark web According to Facebook, the people behind the network tried to conceal their identity and location via virtual private networks and other methods. The social networking company said it suspended 155 accounts on its main platform along with six Instagram accounts. Facebook cybersecurity policy chief Nathaniel Gleicher said that the takedown was the company's first of Chinese-based accounts on foreign-interference grounds with any engagement in US politics. Also read: US election 2020: Trump and Biden battle for an advantage in brewing fight Concerns about foreign efforts to interfere in the election were underscored by a warning Tuesday from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency that foreign actors and cybercriminals were likely to try to spread disinformation regarding the results of the election, including by creating fake websites or social media content aimed at discrediting the process. US Intelligence officials warned last month about ongoing or potential efforts by China, Russia and Iran to interfere in November's election. In an August public assessment, the country's chief counterintelligence official, William Evanina, said officials had determined that Beijing regards Trump as unpredictable and wants to see him lose to Biden. The statement said that China had been expanding its influence operations ahead of the election to ''shape the policy environment in the United States'' and had been weighing the pros and cons of taking more aggressive action.

US election 2020: Facebook removes fake pages created in China targeting Trump, Biden

A lawsuit filed against Facebook has accused the company of spying on its users through the phone camera via Instagram. Brittany Conditi, an Instagram user filed the lawsuit against Facebook in a Federal court in San Francisco, Bloomberg reported.

Conditi said that the app was using the phone camera intentionally to obtain “lucrative and valuable data on its users that it would not otherwise have access to”, said Bloomberg.

Facebook has declined to comment on this.

The fresh lawsuit is latest in a long list of allegations of privacy breach against Facebook.

In July this year, media reports suggesting Instagram accessed iPhone cameras in unauthorised manner were published. The reports said that such access was gained without the user's knowledge.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-corrects-users-post-under-new-singapore-fake-news-law-265378">Facebook corrects user's post under new Singapore fake news law</a> 
 
Facebook had refuted the claims and had blamed such an access on a bug.

The allegations did not stop after that. Facebook was accused of obtaining biometric data of its users using facial recognition technology. It was alleged that such data was gathered without the users' knowledge or consent.

Facebook had refuted the claims and had said that the photo-sharing app did not use facial-recognition technology.

A lawsuit filed against Facebook has accused the company of spying on its users through the phone camera via Instagram. Brittany Conditi, an Instagram user filed the lawsuit against Facebook in a Federal court in San Francisco, Bloomberg reported.

A lawsuit filed against Facebook has accused the company of spying on its users through the phone camera via Instagram. Brittany Conditi, an Instagram user filed the lawsuit against Facebook in a Federal court in San Francisco, Bloomberg reported. Conditi said that the app was using the phone camera intentionally to obtain “lucrative and valuable data on its users that it would not otherwise have access to”, said Bloomberg. Facebook has declined to comment on this. The fresh lawsuit is latest in a long list of allegations of privacy breach against Facebook. In July this year, media reports suggesting Instagram accessed iPhone cameras in unauthorised manner were published. The reports said that such access was gained without the user's knowledge. Also Read | Facebook corrects user's post under new Singapore fake news law Facebook had refuted the claims and had blamed such an access on a bug. The allegations did not stop after that. Facebook was accused of obtaining biometric data of its users using facial recognition technology. It was alleged that such data was gathered without the users' knowledge or consent. Facebook had refuted the claims and had said that the photo-sharing app did not use facial-recognition technology.

Facebook accused of snooping on Instagram users through phone cameras

Facebook has said it would step in to tackle the false claims that have been doing the rounds on the social media regarding who is reponsible for the Oregon wildfires.

Law enforcement agencies have been flooded with calls about online rumours that members of Antifa, an anti-fascist, often far-left-wing movement, were arrested for setting fires across the state.

FBI Portland, however, says the reports are untrue.

To this end, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said the platform would work to remove the rumours.

"This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on," Stone said about the decision.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oregon-wildfires-are-not-intentional-no-role-of-extremists-fbi-326967">Also read |&nbsp;Oregon wildfires are not intentional, no role of 'extremists': FBI</a>

The claims that Antifa set the fires started when the anonymous account behind QAnon posted a link to a tweet by Paul Joseph Romero Jr., a former Republican US Senate candidate from Oregon, claiming the Douglas County Sheriff's Office had six Antifa "arsonists" in custody.

It took hours for the rumors to be amplified by QAnon's followers.

Romero said he did not plan to remove the tweet.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is urging people to follow official sources of information and local reputable news outlets.

In a Facebook post, the office pleaded: "Do your part, STOP. SPREADING. RUMORS!"

At least eight people have died in the fires that have ravaged more than 875,000 acres across the state.

Facebook has said it would step in to tackle the false claims that have been doing the rounds on the social media regarding who is reponsible for the Oregon wildfires.

Facebook has said it would step in to tackle the false claims that have been doing the rounds on the social media regarding who is reponsible for the Oregon wildfires. Law enforcement agencies have been flooded with calls about online rumours that members of Antifa, an anti-fascist, often far-left-wing movement, were arrested for setting fires across the state. FBI Portland, however, says the reports are untrue. To this end, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said the platform would work to remove the rumours. "This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on," Stone said about the decision. Also read | Oregon wildfires are not intentional, no role of 'extremists': FBI The claims that Antifa set the fires started when the anonymous account behind QAnon posted a link to a tweet by Paul Joseph Romero Jr., a former Republican US Senate candidate from Oregon, claiming the Douglas County Sheriff's Office had six Antifa "arsonists" in custody. It took hours for the rumors to be amplified by QAnon's followers. Romero said he did not plan to remove the tweet. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is urging people to follow official sources of information and local reputable news outlets. In a Facebook post, the office pleaded: "Do your part, STOP. SPREADING. RUMORS!" At least eight people have died in the fires that have ravaged more than 875,000 acres across the state.

Facebook to remove false claims about who started Oregon wildfires

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying&nbsp;technology&nbsp;sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery.

The&nbsp;technology-centric Nasdaq led the declines as its heavyweight stocks took a hit with the biggest drags from companies including Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Inc and Google-parent Alphabet Inc.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/e-commerce-giant-amazon-will-create-7000-jobs-in-the-united-kingdom-324991" hreflang="en">E-commerce giant Amazon will create 7,000 jobs in the United Kingdom</a>

The five stocks, deemed strong bets because of solid cash positions and continued growth despite the coronavirus crisis, also account for roughly a quarter of the S&amp;P 500's market value and have driven the stock market's narrow&nbsp;technology-led recovery from the pandemic lows hit in March.

The Philadelphia chip index and the S&amp;P tech sector also dropped more than 5 per cent&nbsp;each.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/global-economy-will-take-12-trillion-hit-from-covid-19-international-monetary-fund-308349">Global economy will take $12 trillion hit from COVID-19: International Monetary Fund</a>

The pullback comes a day after the S&amp;P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record levels and the Dow came within 1.5 per cent of its February peak, powered by fiscal and monetary support hopes for a swift economic recovery. But some participants said investors had become too optimistic.

Earlier in the day, data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but remained extraordinarily high. The closely watched monthly payrolls report is set for Friday

Separately, a survey showed US&nbsp;services industry growth slowed in August, likely as the boost from the reopening of businesses and fiscal stimulus faded.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 807.77 points, or 2.78 per cent, to close at 28,292.73, the S&amp;P 500 lost 125.78 points, or 3.51 per cent, to 3,455.06 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 598.34 points, or 4.96 per cent, to 11,458.10.

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying technology sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery.

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying technology sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery. The technology-centric Nasdaq led the declines as its heavyweight stocks took a hit with the biggest drags from companies including Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Inc and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. Also read: E-commerce giant Amazon will create 7,000 jobs in the United Kingdom The five stocks, deemed strong bets because of solid cash positions and continued growth despite the coronavirus crisis, also account for roughly a quarter of the S&P 500's market value and have driven the stock market's narrow technology-led recovery from the pandemic lows hit in March. The Philadelphia chip index and the S&P tech sector also dropped more than 5 per cent each. Also read: Global economy will take $12 trillion hit from COVID-19: International Monetary Fund The pullback comes a day after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record levels and the Dow came within 1.5 per cent of its February peak, powered by fiscal and monetary support hopes for a swift economic recovery. But some participants said investors had become too optimistic. Earlier in the day, data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but remained extraordinarily high. The closely watched monthly payrolls report is set for Friday Separately, a survey showed US services industry growth slowed in August, likely as the boost from the reopening of businesses and fiscal stimulus faded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 807.77 points, or 2.78 per cent, to close at 28,292.73, the S&P 500 lost 125.78 points, or 3.51 per cent, to 3,455.06 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 598.34 points, or 4.96 per cent, to 11,458.10.

Tech tumble jams Wall Street into reverse; sharpest fall since June

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-urges-russia-to-cooperate-in-navalny-probe-threatens-restrictive-measures-325084">EU urges Russia to cooperate in Navalny probe; threatens 'restrictive measures'</a>

<img alt="Navalny" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="da1664c8-c93d-43e9-badd-96437fe93aca" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Navalny1.jpg" />

Germany said it has 'unequivocal evidence' that Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/paks-cpec-chairman-retired-lt-general-asim-bajwa-to-step-down-as-special-assistant-to-pm-imran-khan-denies-corruption-charges-325095">CPEC chairman retired Lt General Asim Bajwa to step down as special assistant to PM Imran Khan</a>

<img alt="Bajwa" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0fc9a955-03e2-4c66-8c8a-2a7a157bd586" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/baju1_0.jpg" />

I have not shied away to explain the allegations shamelessly levelled against me, Bajwa said in a statement

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-pressure-on-fda-says-white-house-on-vaccine-as-us-election-nears-325083">No pressure on FDA, says White House on vaccine as US election nears</a>

<img alt="Donald Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7e55440d-7ad8-4215-ad1c-cd49cc010cb1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump1.jpg" />

President Trump had earlier announced that the United States will be ready with the vaccine ahead of the elections.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-to-halt-new-political-ads-on-cusp-of-us-election-325089">Facebook to halt new political ads on cusp of US election</a>

<img alt="Facebook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="89e7175d-2378-4e8a-85ad-9a75741a7ed6" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FB1.jpg" />

The social media giant vowed to fact check premature claims of victory

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-womens-names-can-now-appear-on-afghan-govt-id-325081">Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Women's names can now appear on Afghan Govt ID</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-womens-names-can-now-appear-on-afghan-govt-id-325081/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

EU urges Russia to cooperate in Navalny probe; threatens 'restrictive measures' Germany said it has 'unequivocal evidence' that Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned.

EU urges Russia to cooperate in Navalny probe; threatens 'restrictive measures' Germany said it has 'unequivocal evidence' that Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned. CPEC chairman retired Lt General Asim Bajwa to step down as special assistant to PM Imran Khan I have not shied away to explain the allegations shamelessly levelled against me, Bajwa said in a statement No pressure on FDA, says White House on vaccine as US election nears President Trump had earlier announced that the United States will be ready with the vaccine ahead of the elections. Facebook to halt new political ads on cusp of US election The social media giant vowed to fact check premature claims of victory Watch: Gravitas: Women's names can now appear on Afghan Govt ID

Morning news brief: EU urges Russia to cooperate in Navalny probe, Facebook to halt new political ads ahead of US elections & more!

Facebook&nbsp;Inc said on Thursday&nbsp;it ban&nbsp;new political ads the week before the US election&nbsp;in November, bowing to concern that its loose approach to free speech could once again be exploited to interfere with the vote.

The social media giant vowed to fact check premature claims of victory, stating that if a candidate tries to declare himself the winner before final votes are tallied "we'll add a label to their posts directing people to the official results."

<img alt="F" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5398e53e-8552-4a23-9dc2-061705f94e05" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Capture%20345.PNG" />

The world's biggest social network also said it was creating a label for posts by candidates or campaigns that try to claim victory before the election results are official, and widening the criteria for content to be removed as voter suppression.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/russian-influence-campaign-targeted-left-wing-voters-in-us-and-uk-says-facebook-324614" hreflang="en">Russian influence campaign targeted left-wing voters in US and UK, says Facebook</a>

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;post announcing the changes that he was concerned about the unique challenges voters would face due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted a surge in voting by mail.

"I'm also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country," he said.

Facebook also started limiting its Messenger service to allow users to&nbsp;forward missives to no more than five people or groups at a time "to help curb the efforts of those looking to cause chaos, sow uncertainty or inadvertently undermine accurate information."

The moves follow sharp criticism of Facebook's handling of the 2016 presidential election, when it failed to restrict disinformation from Russian operatives that spread conspiracy theories and discouraged voting in some cases.

Facebook&nbsp;has been battered by criticism, including from its own employees, since allowing several inflammatory posts by President Donald Trump to remain untouched earlier this summer, including one which contained misleading claims about mail-in ballots.

Disinformation experts have also raised the alarm, echoed in threat assessments by&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;executives, about false claims and conspiracy theories spreading in the increasingly likely scenario that official results are not immediately available on election night.

Zuckerberg said&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;was "increasingly seeing attempts to undermine the legitimacy of our elections from within our own borders" in addition to foreign influence campaigns, like the one it and U.S. intelligence agencies determined Russia carried out to meddle in the 2016 vote.

The US is gearing up for what is expected to be a bruising campaign season against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and mass protests for racial justice that have led to violent conflict in some cities between civil rights groups and armed right-wing vigilantes.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it ban new political ads the week before the US election in November, bowing to concern that its loose approach to free speech could once again be exploited to interfere with the vote.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it ban new political ads the week before the US election in November, bowing to concern that its loose approach to free speech could once again be exploited to interfere with the vote. The social media giant vowed to fact check premature claims of victory, stating that if a candidate tries to declare himself the winner before final votes are tallied "we'll add a label to their posts directing people to the official results." The world's biggest social network also said it was creating a label for posts by candidates or campaigns that try to claim victory before the election results are official, and widening the criteria for content to be removed as voter suppression. Also read: Russian influence campaign targeted left-wing voters in US and UK, says Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post announcing the changes that he was concerned about the unique challenges voters would face due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted a surge in voting by mail. "I'm also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country," he said. Facebook also started limiting its Messenger service to allow users to forward missives to no more than five people or groups at a time "to help curb the efforts of those looking to cause chaos, sow uncertainty or inadvertently undermine accurate information." The moves follow sharp criticism of Facebook's handling of the 2016 presidential election, when it failed to restrict disinformation from Russian operatives that spread conspiracy theories and discouraged voting in some cases. Facebook has been battered by criticism, including from its own employees, since allowing several inflammatory posts by President Donald Trump to remain untouched earlier this summer, including one which contained misleading claims about mail-in ballots. Disinformation experts have also raised the alarm, echoed in threat assessments by Facebook executives, about false claims and conspiracy theories spreading in the increasingly likely scenario that official results are not immediately available on election night. Zuckerberg said Facebook was "increasingly seeing attempts to undermine the legitimacy of our elections from within our own borders" in addition to foreign influence campaigns, like the one it and U.S. intelligence agencies determined Russia carried out to meddle in the 2016 vote. The US is gearing up for what is expected to be a bruising campaign season against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and mass protests for racial justice that have led to violent conflict in some cities between civil rights groups and armed right-wing vigilantes.

Facebook to halt new political ads on cusp of US election

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/not-acts-of-peaceful-protest-but-domestic-terror-says-trump-in-kenosha-324610">Not acts of peaceful protest but domestic terror, says Trump in Kenosha</a>

<img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b4ba409f-57c8-4475-a6e1-b784ffd87af2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Ttt.jpg" />

Trump's motorcade was greeted by angry protesters holding banners "not my president" as anger spilled out on the streets as he visited Kenosha

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/misinformation-fake-news-india-calls-out-pakistan-over-false-propaganda-on-social-media-after-stanford-internet-observatory-report-324616">'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pak&nbsp;over false propaganda on social media after SIO&nbsp;report</a>

<img alt="Pakistan on social media" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aeaab616-30ae-4108-ac41-f70cb467b433" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/PakInsta.jpg" />

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations tweeted a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory(SIO) which said that Pakistan based Facebook and Instagram accounts leveraged mass reporting to silence critics.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/russian-influence-campaign-targeted-left-wing-voters-in-us-and-uk-says-facebook-324614">Russian influence campaign targeted left-wing voters in US and UK, says Facebook</a>

<img alt="Facebook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c94cb5d7-daa5-4c7f-9073-858c8dde4064" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pak3.jpg" />

Facebook Inc said the operation, which partly focused on US politics and racial tensions in the run-up to the November 3 presidential election, centred around a pseudo media organisation called Peace Data.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/los-angeles-protests-erupt-after-police-fatally-shoots-black-man-over-suspected-bike-violation-324613">Los Angeles: Protests erupt after police fatally shoots Black man over suspected bike violation</a>

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The cyclist, 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, was shot more than 20 times in the back after two sheriff's deputies tried to stop him for a bicycle code violation.

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-5-years-after-attack-charlie-hebdo-reprints-prophets-cartoons-324604">Gravitas: 5 years after attack, Charlie Hebdo reprints Prophet's cartoons</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-5-years-after-attack-charlie-hebdo-reprints-prophets-cartoons-324604/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Not acts of peaceful protest but domestic terror, says Trump in Kenosha Trump's motorcade was greeted by angry protesters holding banners "not my president" as anger spilled out on the streets as he visited Kenosha 'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pak over false propaganda on social media after SIO report The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations tweeted a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory(SIO) which said that Pakistan based Facebook and Instagram accounts leveraged mass reporting to silence critics.

Not acts of peaceful protest but domestic terror, says Trump in Kenosha Trump's motorcade was greeted by angry protesters holding banners "not my president" as anger spilled out on the streets as he visited Kenosha 'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pak over false propaganda on social media after SIO report The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations tweeted a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory(SIO) which said that Pakistan based Facebook and Instagram accounts leveraged mass reporting to silence critics. Russian influence campaign targeted left-wing voters in US and UK, says Facebook Facebook Inc said the operation, which partly focused on US politics and racial tensions in the run-up to the November 3 presidential election, centred around a pseudo media organisation called Peace Data. Los Angeles: Protests erupt after police fatally shoots Black man over suspected bike violation The cyclist, 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, was shot more than 20 times in the back after two sheriff's deputies tried to stop him for a bicycle code violation. Watch: Gravitas: 5 years after attack, Charlie Hebdo reprints Prophet's cartoons

Morning news brief: Domestic terror in Kenosha, says Trump, protests erupt in Los Angeles & more

A Russian influence operation posed as an independent news outlet to target left-wing voters in the United States and Britain, including by recruiting freelance journalists to write about domestic politics, Facebook said on Tuesday.

Facebook Inc&nbsp;said the operation, which partly focused on US&nbsp;politics and racial tensions in the run-up to the November&nbsp;3 presidential election, centred around a pseudo media organisation called Peace Data.

The website operated 13 Facebook accounts and two pages, which were set up in May and suspended on Monday for using fake identities and other forms of "coordinated inauthentic behaviour," the company said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-reportedly-raised-300-million-in-august-highest-ever-for-a-us-presidential-candidate-324595" hreflang="en">Joe Biden reportedly raised $300 million in August, highest ever for a US presidential candidate</a>

Facebook said its investigation "found links to individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency", a St Petersburg-based company which US&nbsp;intelligence officials say was central to Russian efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election.

Twitter said it had also suspended five accounts as part of the operation which it could "reliably attribute to Russian state actors."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerberg-says-facebooks-failure-to-remove-militia-page-an-operational-mistake-323884" hreflang="en">Zuckerberg says Facebook's failure to remove militia page an 'operational mistake'</a>

Peace Data did not respond to an emailed request for comment and Russian officials were not immediately available after normal working hours in Moscow. Russia has previously denied US&nbsp;allegations of trying to sway elections and says it does not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries.

Investigators at social media analytics firm Graphika studied the operation and said Peace Data predominately targeted progressive and left-wing groups in the United States and Britain, but also posted about events in other countries including Algeria and Egypt.

It said in a report that the website pushed messages critical of right-wing voices and the centre left, and in the United States "paid particular attention to racial and political tensions", including civil rights protests and criticism of President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Graphika said only around 5 per cent&nbsp;of Peace Data's English-language articles directly concerned the US&nbsp;election, but that "this facet of the operation suggests an attempt to build a left-wing audience and steer it away from Biden's campaign."

The findings support an assessment by the United States' top counterintelligence official last month, who said Moscow was using online disinformation to try to undercut the Biden campaign, and could stoke fears about further Russian efforts to interfere in the November vote.

A spokesman for the Trump campaign said the president would win re-election "fair and square and we don’t need or want any foreign interference." The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The US&nbsp;Office of the Director of National Intelligence referred questions to the FBI. In a statement, the FBI said it had flagged the activity to Facebook.

"The FBI provided information in this matter to better protect against threats to the nation's security and our democratic processes," the statement said.

Information provided by FBI

Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said his team acted on the FBI's tip and suspended the accounts before they gathered a large online following. Only 14,000 people followed one or more of the suspended accounts, he said.

"I think it's very important that we know about this," Gleicher said. "I want people to know that Russian actors are still trying and their tactics are evolving, but I wouldn't want people to think that this was a large, successful campaign."

Peace Data publishes in English and Arabic and says on its website it is a non-profit news organisation seeking "the truth about key world events".

But the three permanent staff listed online are not real, according to the Graphika analysis, which found the profiles used computer-generated photographs of non-existent people and were linked to fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and business-networking site LinkedIn.

The fake personas advertised for writers on freelance journalism websites and Twitter, offering up to $75 for an article, screenshots of the adverts seen by Reuters showed.

Peace Data's website lists 22 "contributors", mostly freelance journalists in the United States and Britain. Facebook and Graphika said there was no indication the writers knew who was behind the website.

Peace Data "staff" then shared the articles, covering a wide range of political issues, in left-wing social media groups, Graphika said. The website published over 700 articles in English and Arabic between February and August this year.

Ben Nimmo, head of investigations at Graphika, said co-opting real people made it easier for political influence operations to remain undetected.

"What we've seen recently has been much smaller and much lower profile," he said. "It looks like they're trying harder and harder to hide."

A Russian influence operation posed as an independent news outlet to target left-wing voters in the United States and Britain, including by recruiting freelance journalists to write about domestic politics, Facebook said on Tuesday.

A Russian influence operation posed as an independent news outlet to target left-wing voters in the United States and Britain, including by recruiting freelance journalists to write about domestic politics, Facebook said on Tuesday. Facebook Inc said the operation, which partly focused on US politics and racial tensions in the run-up to the November 3 presidential election, centred around a pseudo media organisation called Peace Data. The website operated 13 Facebook accounts and two pages, which were set up in May and suspended on Monday for using fake identities and other forms of "coordinated inauthentic behaviour," the company said. Also read: Joe Biden reportedly raised $300 million in August, highest ever for a US presidential candidate Facebook said its investigation "found links to individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency", a St Petersburg-based company which US intelligence officials say was central to Russian efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election. Twitter said it had also suspended five accounts as part of the operation which it could "reliably attribute to Russian state actors." Also read: Zuckerberg says Facebook's failure to remove militia page an 'operational mistake' Peace Data did not respond to an emailed request for comment and Russian officials were not immediately available after normal working hours in Moscow. Russia has previously denied US allegations of trying to sway elections and says it does not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries. Investigators at social media analytics firm Graphika studied the operation and said Peace Data predominately targeted progressive and left-wing groups in the United States and Britain, but also posted about events in other countries including Algeria and Egypt. It said in a report that the website pushed messages critical of right-wing voices and the centre left, and in the United States "paid particular attention to racial and political tensions", including civil rights protests and criticism of President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. Graphika said only around 5 per cent of Peace Data's English-language articles directly concerned the US election, but that "this facet of the operation suggests an attempt to build a left-wing audience and steer it away from Biden's campaign." The findings support an assessment by the United States' top counterintelligence official last month, who said Moscow was using online disinformation to try to undercut the Biden campaign, and could stoke fears about further Russian efforts to interfere in the November vote. A spokesman for the Trump campaign said the president would win re-election "fair and square and we don’t need or want any foreign interference." The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence referred questions to the FBI. In a statement, the FBI said it had flagged the activity to Facebook. "The FBI provided information in this matter to better protect against threats to the nation's security and our democratic processes," the statement said. Information provided by FBI Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said his team acted on the FBI's tip and suspended the accounts before they gathered a large online following. Only 14,000 people followed one or more of the suspended accounts, he said. "I think it's very important that we know about this," Gleicher said. "I want people to know that Russian actors are still trying and their tactics are evolving, but I wouldn't want people to think that this was a large, successful campaign." Peace Data publishes in English and Arabic and says on its website it is a non-profit news organisation seeking "the truth about key world events". But the three permanent staff listed online are not real, according to the Graphika analysis, which found the profiles used computer-generated photographs of non-existent people and were linked to fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and business-networking site LinkedIn. The fake personas advertised for writers on freelance journalism websites and Twitter, offering up to $75 for an article, screenshots of the adverts seen by Reuters showed. Peace Data's website lists 22 "contributors", mostly freelance journalists in the United States and Britain. Facebook and Graphika said there was no indication the writers knew who was behind the website. Peace Data "staff" then shared the articles, covering a wide range of political issues, in left-wing social media groups, Graphika said. The website published over 700 articles in English and Arabic between February and August this year. Ben Nimmo, head of investigations at Graphika, said co-opting real people made it easier for political influence operations to remain undetected. "What we've seen recently has been much smaller and much lower profile," he said. "It looks like they're trying harder and harder to hide."

Russian influence campaign targeted left-wing voters in US and UK, says Facebook

Facebook has suspended more than 450 Facebook accounts that were caught spreading fake news and anti-India propaganda.

In total,&nbsp;453 Facebook accounts, 103 Facebook pages, 78 groups, and 107 Instagram accounts were spotted and suspended. All these accounts were, reportedly, operating from Pakistan, but claimed to be operating from India to gain trust of the followers.

These accounts were spreading fake news against India, Indian Military and minority communities in Pakistan. The content was being circulated mainly in forms of memes. The content talked about fake policies and criticised India's actions towards Pakistan and China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/law-minister-prasad-urges-zuckerberg-to-protect-fb-from-a-lobby-that-abhors-free-speech-324546">Also read|&nbsp;Law Minister Prasad urges Zuckerberg to protect FB from 'a lobby that abhors free speech'</a>

"We found this network as part of our internal investigation into suspected coordination inauthentic behaviour in the region," Stanford Internet Observatory, who published the report, said.

"The network appears to have primarily targeted Pakistanis and Indians; posts were in Urdu, Hindi, English, and Punjabi. Facebook reports that 70,000 accounts followed at least one of the Pages and 1.1 million users belonged to the Groups," it added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/misinformation-fake-news-india-calls-out-pakistan-over-false-propaganda-on-social-media-after-stanford-internet-observatory-report-324616">ALso read|&nbsp;'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pakistan over false propaganda on social media after Stanford Internet Observatory report</a>

In addition to Pakistan's fake accounts, Facebook also removed 13 accounts and two pages related to Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA). Nearly 55 accounts, 42 pages and 36 Instagram accounts were also suspended in the US for spreading fake news.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Indian Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on September 1 asking about Facebook being used for circulating hate-posts using political bias.

“I’ve been informed that in run up to 2019 Lok Sabha Polls, there was concerted effort by Facebook India to not just delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no right of appeal to affected people who're supportive of right-of-centre ideology”, he wrote.

Facebook has suspended more than 450 Facebook accounts that were caught spreading fake news and anti-India propaganda. In total, 453 Facebook accounts, 103 Facebook pages, 78 groups, and 107 Instagram accounts were spotted and suspended.

Facebook has suspended more than 450 Facebook accounts that were caught spreading fake news and anti-India propaganda. In total, 453 Facebook accounts, 103 Facebook pages, 78 groups, and 107 Instagram accounts were spotted and suspended. All these accounts were, reportedly, operating from Pakistan, but claimed to be operating from India to gain trust of the followers. These accounts were spreading fake news against India, Indian Military and minority communities in Pakistan. The content was being circulated mainly in forms of memes. The content talked about fake policies and criticised India's actions towards Pakistan and China. Also read| Law Minister Prasad urges Zuckerberg to protect FB from 'a lobby that abhors free speech' "We found this network as part of our internal investigation into suspected coordination inauthentic behaviour in the region," Stanford Internet Observatory, who published the report, said. "The network appears to have primarily targeted Pakistanis and Indians; posts were in Urdu, Hindi, English, and Punjabi. Facebook reports that 70,000 accounts followed at least one of the Pages and 1.1 million users belonged to the Groups," it added. ALso read| 'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pakistan over false propaganda on social media after Stanford Internet Observatory report In addition to Pakistan's fake accounts, Facebook also removed 13 accounts and two pages related to Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA). Nearly 55 accounts, 42 pages and 36 Instagram accounts were also suspended in the US for spreading fake news. Meanwhile, Indian Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on September 1 asking about Facebook being used for circulating hate-posts using political bias. “I’ve been informed that in run up to 2019 Lok Sabha Polls, there was concerted effort by Facebook India to not just delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no right of appeal to affected people who're supportive of right-of-centre ideology”, he wrote.

Facebook suspends 453 accounts spreading fake news with anti-India propaganda

Facebook Inc has decided to conduct a study on its impact on the society during the US Presidential elections scheduled on November 03 this year.

The social media giant will be partnering with external&nbsp;researchers for this study, and is expecting to publish the research by the middle of 2021.

The study will be conducted by a group of 17 independent researchers specialising in&nbsp;elections, democracy and social media. The group will comprise of leading academicians&nbsp;who study political impacts of social media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerberg-says-facebooks-failure-to-remove-militia-page-an-operational-mistake-323884">Also read:&nbsp;Zuckerberg says Facebook's failure to remove militia page an 'operational mistake'</a>

The study will be an addition to Facebook's&nbsp;Social Science One project. Facebook is estimating participation between&nbsp;200,000 and 400,000.

The researchers will be provided data of what these participants see, like and post on Facebook and Instagram related to the US elections. This will help study the behaviour and any change in behavioural pattern of the participants during the course of the US Presidential elections.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-to-pay-125-million-in-back-taxes-to-france-322894">Also read:&nbsp;Facebook to pay $125 million in back taxes to France</a>

The researchers will be provided internal data and the assistance of Facebook's data scientists to conduct this research. However, the data provided will be aggravated to protect the privacy of the users participating.

During the course of the research, Facebook will be bringing in specific changes for the targeted audience,&nbsp;such as advertising or types of posts shown to them.

The study will be under close observation, especially after the social media giant has been accused of fake news reporting and misinformation campaigns during the 2016 presidential elections. Facebook has cleared the air by announcing that the researchers will not be restricted or paid for their findings — the cost of the resources used in the research will be borne by Facebook, though. However, the company has added that it is entitled to review the research results before it is published for the public eye.

Facebook Inc has decided to conduct a study on its impact on the society during the US Presidential elections scheduled on November 03 this year. The social media giant will be partnering with external researchers for this study, and is expecting to publish the research by the middle of 2021.

Facebook Inc has decided to conduct a study on its impact on the society during the US Presidential elections scheduled on November 03 this year. The social media giant will be partnering with external researchers for this study, and is expecting to publish the research by the middle of 2021. The study will be conducted by a group of 17 independent researchers specialising in elections, democracy and social media. The group will comprise of leading academicians who study political impacts of social media. Also read: Zuckerberg says Facebook's failure to remove militia page an 'operational mistake' The study will be an addition to Facebook's Social Science One project. Facebook is estimating participation between 200,000 and 400,000. The researchers will be provided data of what these participants see, like and post on Facebook and Instagram related to the US elections. This will help study the behaviour and any change in behavioural pattern of the participants during the course of the US Presidential elections. Also read: Facebook to pay $125 million in back taxes to France The researchers will be provided internal data and the assistance of Facebook's data scientists to conduct this research. However, the data provided will be aggravated to protect the privacy of the users participating. During the course of the research, Facebook will be bringing in specific changes for the targeted audience, such as advertising or types of posts shown to them. The study will be under close observation, especially after the social media giant has been accused of fake news reporting and misinformation campaigns during the 2016 presidential elections. Facebook has cleared the air by announcing that the researchers will not be restricted or paid for their findings — the cost of the resources used in the research will be borne by Facebook, though. However, the company has added that it is entitled to review the research results before it is published for the public eye.

Facebook to conduct research on its impact on US elections

Thailand’s digital minister vowed no relent on Wednesday in a crackdown on social media content deemed illegal and said it was unlikely Facebook would follow through on plans to challenge an order to block access to a group critical of the Thai monarchy.

The “Royalist Marketplace” group, which had over 1 million members, was blocked within Thailand late on Monday after the digital ministry threatened legal action against Facebook under the country’s Computer Crime Act.

Facebook (FB.O) said it was compelled to comply and would mount a legal challenge in court.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/after-block-new-facebook-group-critical-of-thai-monarchy-gains-500000-members-323118">Also read:&nbsp;After block, new Facebook group critical of Thai monarchy gains 500,000 members</a>

The tension comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government of a former junta chief, during which some demonstrators have made unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy, which is illegal to insult in Thailand.

Meanwhile, a new group with a similar name created by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled academic and prominent critic of the monarchy, has amassed over 700,000 members in just two days.

“If they start a new group or do anything illegal again, we’ll need to act again. We’ll keep doing this no matter how many times it takes,” digital minister Puttipong Punnakanta said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-planning-to-challenge-thai-governments-demand-to-block-group-critical-of-monarchy-322913">Also read:&nbsp;Facebook planning to challenge Thai government's demand to block group critical of monarchy</a>

He said he was encouraged by Facebook’s compliance with a deadline to act on court orders, which were attached to government request to block content locally. He warned Facebook’s Thailand office of possible cybercrime charges if the orders were not observed.

“This time Facebook complied in blocking everything we flagged, which is why I don’t think Facebook will pursue legal action,” Puttipong said.

“We’re not bullies. We use Thai laws to protect Thai cyber sovereignty.”

Facebook caving to Thai government pressure set a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression online, said Rasha Abdul-Rahim of rights group Amnesty International.

“It’s welcome that Facebook is now planning legal action to challenge the government’s censorship demands, but the harm has already been done,” she said.

“The company should not have given in to the demands in the first place.”

Thailand’s digital minister vowed no relent on Wednesday in a crackdown on social media content deemed illegal and said it was unlikely Facebook would follow through on plans to challenge an order to block access to a group critical of the Thai monarchy.

Thailand’s digital minister vowed no relent on Wednesday in a crackdown on social media content deemed illegal and said it was unlikely Facebook would follow through on plans to challenge an order to block access to a group critical of the Thai monarchy. The “Royalist Marketplace” group, which had over 1 million members, was blocked within Thailand late on Monday after the digital ministry threatened legal action against Facebook under the country’s Computer Crime Act. Facebook (FB.O) said it was compelled to comply and would mount a legal challenge in court. Also read: After block, new Facebook group critical of Thai monarchy gains 500,000 members The tension comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government of a former junta chief, during which some demonstrators have made unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy, which is illegal to insult in Thailand. Meanwhile, a new group with a similar name created by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled academic and prominent critic of the monarchy, has amassed over 700,000 members in just two days. “If they start a new group or do anything illegal again, we’ll need to act again. We’ll keep doing this no matter how many times it takes,” digital minister Puttipong Punnakanta said. Also read: Facebook planning to challenge Thai government's demand to block group critical of monarchy He said he was encouraged by Facebook’s compliance with a deadline to act on court orders, which were attached to government request to block content locally. He warned Facebook’s Thailand office of possible cybercrime charges if the orders were not observed. “This time Facebook complied in blocking everything we flagged, which is why I don’t think Facebook will pursue legal action,” Puttipong said. “We’re not bullies. We use Thai laws to protect Thai cyber sovereignty.” Facebook caving to Thai government pressure set a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression online, said Rasha Abdul-Rahim of rights group Amnesty International. “It’s welcome that Facebook is now planning legal action to challenge the government’s censorship demands, but the harm has already been done,” she said. “The company should not have given in to the demands in the first place.”

Thai minister says clampdown won't stop as Facebook plans to fight order

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