A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund, ruling that Facebook and Instagram contributed to harming young users and created a public nuisance.

The court also directed Meta to implement stronger youth safety measures, including limits on teen usage, stricter controls on adult interactions with minors, notification restrictions, and safeguards against inappropriate AI chatbot interactions.

The landmark ruling could influence similar lawsuits across the United States, where dozens of states and more than 1,300 school districts are pursuing legal action against social media companies over alleged harm to children.

Meta Hit With $567 Million Penalty Over Teen Mental Health | Facebook & Instagram Under Fire

Meta's latest tests on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram will limit some users and publishers from viewing or sharing some news content in Canada. While the specific timeline for the supposed testing has not been shared, Meta Platforms Inc. said that the testing period will run several weeks.

The minor percentage of Canadian users enrolled in testing will be notified if they attempt to share news content.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-meta-threaten-to-withdraw-news-access-if-online-news-act-becomes-law-588871">Google, Meta threaten to withdraw news access if Online News Act becomes law</a>

It must be noted that the supposed disruption in sharing the news content would only occur for the Canadians enrolled for the testing.

<h2>Canada's Online News Act</h2>

The test comes in response to Canada's proposed "Online News Act" which would force platforms like Meta and Google parent Alphabet Inc. to negotiate commercial deals and pay Canadian news publishers for their content.

Meta had, in March, warned it would end the availability of news content for Canadians on its platforms if the proposed bill was passed in its current form.

Also watch |&nbsp;WION Business News | Meta preparing large-scale layoffs: Reports

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Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill last year, called the tests "unacceptable".

"When a big tech company... tells us, 'If you don't do this or that, then I’m pulling the plug' – that’s a threat. I’ve never done anything because I was afraid of a threat," Rodriguez was quoted as saying by&nbsp;Reuters.

Earlier, Google had rolled out similar tests earlier this year blocking news content for some Canadian users as a test run for a potential response to the online news bill.

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Meta's latest tests on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram will limit some users and publishers from viewing or sharing some news content in Canada.

Meta's latest tests on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram will limit some users and publishers from viewing or sharing some news content in Canada. While the specific timeline for the supposed testing has not been shared, Meta Platforms Inc. said that the testing period will run several weeks. The minor percentage of Canadian users enrolled in testing will be notified if they attempt to share news content. Also read | Google, Meta threaten to withdraw news access if Online News Act becomes law It must be noted that the supposed disruption in sharing the news content would only occur for the Canadians enrolled for the testing. Canada's Online News Act The test comes in response to Canada's proposed "Online News Act" which would force platforms like Meta and Google parent Alphabet Inc. to negotiate commercial deals and pay Canadian news publishers for their content. Meta had, in March, warned it would end the availability of news content for Canadians on its platforms if the proposed bill was passed in its current form. Also watch | WION Business News | Meta preparing large-scale layoffs: Reports × Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill last year, called the tests "unacceptable". "When a big tech company... tells us, 'If you don't do this or that, then I’m pulling the plug' – that’s a threat. I’ve never done anything because I was afraid of a threat," Rodriguez was quoted as saying by Reuters. Earlier, Google had rolled out similar tests earlier this year blocking news content for some Canadian users as a test run for a potential response to the online news bill. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Canada: Meta to withdraw news access on Facebook, Instagram for some users. Here's why

Mark Zuckerberg's security allowance is reported to have been hiked to $14 million by Facebook owner Meta amid a spell of layoffs. Social media giants owned by Meta - including Facebook and Instagram - have also recently witnessed retrenchment in what Zuckerberg defined as a "Year of Efficiency". Facebook and other American firms have been downsizing staff strength in the midst of what analysts have termed as an unspoken recession.&nbsp;

In a filing cited by news agency Reuters, Meta - on increasing Zuckerberg's security allowance by $4 million - said: "This increased allowance, together with the costs of Zuckerberg's existing overall security programme, are appropriate and necessary under the circumstances."&nbsp;

Meta has been cutting costs recently. It has also reportedly also delayed setting team budgets months after dismissing nearly 13 per cent of its global workforce. For 2023, the firm has lowered its estimates between the range of &nbsp;$89 billion- $95 billion, which were earlier in $94 billion-$100 billion range. &nbsp;

“Our management theme for 2023 is the ‘Year of Efficiency’ and we’re focused on becoming a stronger and more nimble organization,” Zuckerberg said as part of the release of Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings report.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/mark-zuckerberg-loses-more-than-118-million-followers-on-facebook-heres-why-524865">Mark Zuckerberg 'loses' more than 118 million followers on Facebook - Here's why</a>

On the drop in revenues, he said: “The first 18 years I think we grew it 20 per cent, 30 per cent compound or a lot more every year, And then obviously that changed dramatically in 2022, where our revenue was negative for growth, for the first time in the company’s history.”

(With agency inputs)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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Mark Zuckerberg's security allowance is reported to have been hiked to $14 million by Facebook owner Meta amid a spell of layoffs. Social media giants owned by Meta - including Facebook and Instagram - have also recently witnessed retrenchment in what Zuckerberg defined as a "Year of Efficiency".

Mark Zuckerberg's security allowance is reported to have been hiked to $14 million by Facebook owner Meta amid a spell of layoffs. Social media giants owned by Meta - including Facebook and Instagram - have also recently witnessed retrenchment in what Zuckerberg defined as a "Year of Efficiency". Facebook and other American firms have been downsizing staff strength in the midst of what analysts have termed as an unspoken recession. In a filing cited by news agency Reuters, Meta - on increasing Zuckerberg's security allowance by $4 million - said: "This increased allowance, together with the costs of Zuckerberg's existing overall security programme, are appropriate and necessary under the circumstances." Meta has been cutting costs recently. It has also reportedly also delayed setting team budgets months after dismissing nearly 13 per cent of its global workforce. For 2023, the firm has lowered its estimates between the range of $89 billion- $95 billion, which were earlier in $94 billion-$100 billion range. “Our management theme for 2023 is the ‘Year of Efficiency’ and we’re focused on becoming a stronger and more nimble organization,” Zuckerberg said as part of the release of Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings report. Also read: Mark Zuckerberg 'loses' more than 118 million followers on Facebook - Here's why On the drop in revenues, he said: “The first 18 years I think we grew it 20 per cent, 30 per cent compound or a lot more every year, And then obviously that changed dramatically in 2022, where our revenue was negative for growth, for the first time in the company’s history.” (With agency inputs) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Zuckerberg security allowance hiked to $14 million amid layoffs: A lowdown

Ireland's High Court on Friday rejected Facebook's bid to block a regulatory probe that could potentially stop data transfers from the European Union to the United States.

"I refuse all of the reliefs sought by (Facebook Ireland) and dismiss the claims made by it in the proceedings," read a statement from High Court judge David Barniville, dismissing its challenge against the Data Protection Commissioner's decision to hold a probe.

"FBI has not established any basis for impugning the DPC decision or the PDD or the procedures for the inquiry adopted by the DPC," the judgment said.

The case originates from EU concern that US government's surveillance may not respect privacy rights of EU citizens.

Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) had launched an inquiry in August. It had issued a provisional order saying that the main mechanism Facebook uses to transfer EU user data to the United States "cannot in practice be used". Facebook had challenged the inquiry and the Preliminary Draft Decision (PDD).

Facebook had said that the inquiry threatened "devastating" and "irreversible" consequences for its business, which relies on processing user data to serve targeted online ads. The HIgh Court rejected the challenge.

While the decision does not trigger an immediate halt to data flows, Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, who forced the Irish data regulator to act in a series of legal actions over the past eight years, said he believed the decision made it inevitable.

"After eight years, the DPC is now required to stop Facebook's EU-U.S. data transfers, likely before summer," he said.

A Facebook spokesman said the company looked forward to defending its compliance with EU data rules as the Irish regulator's provisional order "could be damaging not only to Facebook, but also to users and other businesses".

(With inputs from agencies)

Ireland's High Court on Friday rejected Facebook's bid to block a regulatory probe that could potentially stop data transfers from the European Union to the United States.

Ireland's High Court on Friday rejected Facebook's bid to block a regulatory probe that could potentially stop data transfers from the European Union to the United States. "I refuse all of the reliefs sought by (Facebook Ireland) and dismiss the claims made by it in the proceedings," read a statement from High Court judge David Barniville, dismissing its challenge against the Data Protection Commissioner's decision to hold a probe. "FBI has not established any basis for impugning the DPC decision or the PDD or the procedures for the inquiry adopted by the DPC," the judgment said. The case originates from EU concern that US government's surveillance may not respect privacy rights of EU citizens. Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) had launched an inquiry in August. It had issued a provisional order saying that the main mechanism Facebook uses to transfer EU user data to the United States "cannot in practice be used". Facebook had challenged the inquiry and the Preliminary Draft Decision (PDD). Facebook had said that the inquiry threatened "devastating" and "irreversible" consequences for its business, which relies on processing user data to serve targeted online ads. The HIgh Court rejected the challenge. While the decision does not trigger an immediate halt to data flows, Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, who forced the Irish data regulator to act in a series of legal actions over the past eight years, said he believed the decision made it inevitable. "After eight years, the DPC is now required to stop Facebook's EU-U.S. data transfers, likely before summer," he said. A Facebook spokesman said the company looked forward to defending its compliance with EU data rules as the Irish regulator's provisional order "could be damaging not only to Facebook, but also to users and other businesses". (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook may face prospect of data transfer ban after Irish ruling

Australia has passed a new law that will require digital platforms like Facebook and Google to pay local media outlets and publishers.

Australia passes news media, digital platforms code

Facebook on Sunday deleted the main page of the Myanmar military under it standards prohibiting the incitement of violence.

Facebook suspends military's official page over incitement of violence

The Australian govt refrained from making any changes in the content laws despite Facebook's block. The feud between Australia and Facebook surfaced last week when the social media giant abruptly blocked all access to news content.

Australia won't change content laws despite FB block

Australia and Facebook are now in talks to find a way for social media giant over the news content law. After a week of sharp exchanges, Australia has said that Facebook has befriended Australia again. Australia and facebook have high stake talks on Friday by sparking outrage by blacking out all news feed from the Facebook page in Australia.

Australia and Facebook held high stake talks on content law

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

Facebook has told Ireland’s High Court it cannot see how its services could operate in the European Union if regulators freeze its data transfer mechanism

Facebook may pull social media platforms from Europe

Think about a child who constantly makes mistakes,&nbsp;he is told to never steal, he is told to not lie, people explain to him that the use of foul language is not acceptable. For a moment, it looks like he is listening to you. He nods, apologies and promises to not repeat the actions again, but nothing has changed. The child continues to do indulge in all the objectionable acts, repeatedly.

Facebook is like that child in question. Over the last few years, the social network giant has been slammed for violating user privacy, fuelling hate, and spreading disinformation. The list of wrongdoings is extensive.

I don't want to get into the charges pressed against the world’s biggest social network, because all the scandals and controversies are out there for you to see. Instead, I am going to talk about the three things that Facebook needs to fix as soon as possible to win back the trust of users. It's a video appeal to Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Facebook.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tech-it-out-how-to-fix-facebook-328592/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

1. Facebook has been on an apology tour for a long time. For every mistake or fiasco that has been reported, Facebook has mostly reacted with the same answer, “We apologise”.

A random Google search with the words “Facebook apologises” gives you over 10 million results. No, I don’t mean to say that Facebook has apologised this many times, but what I am trying to highlight is that the log of Facebook wrongdoings is pretty long and endless. And not much seems to be changing. Zuckerberg needs to re-learn that apologies are good only if they are sincere. They need to come with a promise to do better.

For instance, Zuckerberg claims that Facebook has teamed up with civil rights groups and experts to develop more tools to fight hate speech. Those groups and experts, however, say Facebook isn’t committed or at least, the commitment in not translating into action. Zuckerberg should understand that when you apologise, you make amends and rebuild trust. And most importantly, you make sincere efforts to avoid mistakes from happening again.

2. Secondly, I am all up for new-age technologies, but when it comes to tackling sensitive issues like suicide, self-injury and child exploitation, human intervention becomes very important. So here's another suggestion for Zuckerberg. You should increase your pool of human reviewers to tackle sensitive issues, on priority. I mean, algorithms and artificial intelligence can never be as good as human content reviewers in determining, let's say, how dangerous a hate speech can be. Instead of looking at new acquisitions, Facebook should spend more money on hiring content reviewers who are well-versed with diverse cultures.

3. All of us understand that data is the new currency and Facebook makes billions of dollars from our data. Your data is used to serve you ads that you see on Facebook. And who makes all the money? Facebook.

In 2019, Facebook’s ad revenue was close to $70 billion. In the second quarter of this year alone, Facebook earned $18.3 billion in advertising revenue. So, if you think you’re getting to use Facebook for free, that’s not how it is. There are no free lunches.

Many people understand this and they don’t want their data to be harvested and used by Facebook or any other corporation, for that matter. I think, Zuckerberg should take this issue seriously. He should introduce paid accounts for such people and charge a monthly or annual fee. The company needs to give this option to users in times when data privacy is a matter of huge concern.

I hope Zuckerberg takes it as constructive feedback. All of us like using Facebook, but there is no denying that these issues need to be fixed on on priority.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Think about a child who constantly makes mistakes, he is told to never steal, he is told to not lie, people explain to him that the use of foul language is not acceptable.

Think about a child who constantly makes mistakes, he is told to never steal, he is told to not lie, people explain to him that the use of foul language is not acceptable. For a moment, it looks like he is listening to you. He nods, apologies and promises to not repeat the actions again, but nothing has changed. The child continues to do indulge in all the objectionable acts, repeatedly. Facebook is like that child in question. Over the last few years, the social network giant has been slammed for violating user privacy, fuelling hate, and spreading disinformation. The list of wrongdoings is extensive. I don't want to get into the charges pressed against the world’s biggest social network, because all the scandals and controversies are out there for you to see. Instead, I am going to talk about the three things that Facebook needs to fix as soon as possible to win back the trust of users. It's a video appeal to Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Facebook. 1. Facebook has been on an apology tour for a long time. For every mistake or fiasco that has been reported, Facebook has mostly reacted with the same answer, “We apologise”. A random Google search with the words “Facebook apologises” gives you over 10 million results. No, I don’t mean to say that Facebook has apologised this many times, but what I am trying to highlight is that the log of Facebook wrongdoings is pretty long and endless. And not much seems to be changing. Zuckerberg needs to re-learn that apologies are good only if they are sincere. They need to come with a promise to do better. For instance, Zuckerberg claims that Facebook has teamed up with civil rights groups and experts to develop more tools to fight hate speech. Those groups and experts, however, say Facebook isn’t committed or at least, the commitment in not translating into action. Zuckerberg should understand that when you apologise, you make amends and rebuild trust. And most importantly, you make sincere efforts to avoid mistakes from happening again. 2. Secondly, I am all up for new-age technologies, but when it comes to tackling sensitive issues like suicide, self-injury and child exploitation, human intervention becomes very important. So here's another suggestion for Zuckerberg. You should increase your pool of human reviewers to tackle sensitive issues, on priority. I mean, algorithms and artificial intelligence can never be as good as human content reviewers in determining, let's say, how dangerous a hate speech can be. Instead of looking at new acquisitions, Facebook should spend more money on hiring content reviewers who are well-versed with diverse cultures. 3. All of us understand that data is the new currency and Facebook makes billions of dollars from our data. Your data is used to serve you ads that you see on Facebook. And who makes all the money? Facebook. In 2019, Facebook’s ad revenue was close to $70 billion. In the second quarter of this year alone, Facebook earned $18.3 billion in advertising revenue. So, if you think you’re getting to use Facebook for free, that’s not how it is. There are no free lunches. Many people understand this and they don’t want their data to be harvested and used by Facebook or any other corporation, for that matter. I think, Zuckerberg should take this issue seriously. He should introduce paid accounts for such people and charge a monthly or annual fee. The company needs to give this option to users in times when data privacy is a matter of huge concern. I hope Zuckerberg takes it as constructive feedback. All of us like using Facebook, but there is no denying that these issues need to be fixed on on priority. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

How to fix Facebook: An appeal to Mark Zuckerberg

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&nbsp;blocked access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that has criticised the country's king, but said it was planning a legal challenge to the government's demand that it block the group.

The move comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government led by the former military junta chief and unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy.

The "Royalist Marketplace" group was created in April by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled academic and critic of the monarchy.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/down-with-the-dictatorship-thailand-witness-biggest-anti-government-protest-in-years-321005">'Down with the dictatorship': Thailand witness biggest anti-government protest in years</a>

On Monday night, the group's page brought up a message: "Access to this group has been restricted within Thailand pursuant to a legal request from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society."

Pavin, who lives in Japan, said&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;had bowed to the military-dominated government's pressure.

"Our group is part of a democratisation process, it is a space for freedom of expression. By doing this,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;is cooperating with the authoritarian regime to obstruct democracy and cultivating authoritarianism in Thailand."

Pavin's new group of the same name already had over 455,000 members on Tuesday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hamster-hero-how-a-japanese-cartoon-became-thai-youth-protesters-symbol-317486">Hamster hero? How a Japanese cartoon became Thai youth protesters' symbol</a>

Facebook&nbsp;said on Tuesday it was planning to legally challenge the Thai government after being "compelled" to block access to the group.

"Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people's ability to express themselves," a&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;spokesperson said.

"We work to protect and defend the rights of all internet users and are preparing to legally challenge this request."

Thailand's lese majeste laws, which forbid defaming the king, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison, is often the basis for such requests to block or remove content on social media platforms.

Earlier this month, Thailand's digital minister accused&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;of not complying with requests to restrict content, including insults to the monarchy.

On August 10, he gave&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;15 days to comply with court takedown orders or face charges under the local Computer Crime Act, which carries a fine of up to $6,368&nbsp;(200,000 baht) and an additional $160 (5,000 baht) per day until each order is observed.

Digital ministry spokesman Putchapong Nodthaisong said on Monday that&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;cooperated before the deadline because it understood the context of Thai society.

Putchapong did not comment on&nbsp;Facebook's plan for legal action when asked by Reuters on Tuesday.

The ministry last week filed a separate cybercrime complaint against Pavin for creating the group.

Facebook blocked access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that has criticised the country's king, but said it was planning a legal challenge to the government's demand that it block the group.

Facebook blocked access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that has criticised the country's king, but said it was planning a legal challenge to the government's demand that it block the group. The move comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government led by the former military junta chief and unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy. The "Royalist Marketplace" group was created in April by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled academic and critic of the monarchy. Also see: 'Down with the dictatorship': Thailand witness biggest anti-government protest in years On Monday night, the group's page brought up a message: "Access to this group has been restricted within Thailand pursuant to a legal request from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society." Pavin, who lives in Japan, said Facebook had bowed to the military-dominated government's pressure. "Our group is part of a democratisation process, it is a space for freedom of expression. By doing this, Facebook is cooperating with the authoritarian regime to obstruct democracy and cultivating authoritarianism in Thailand." Pavin's new group of the same name already had over 455,000 members on Tuesday. Also read: Hamster hero? How a Japanese cartoon became Thai youth protesters' symbol Facebook said on Tuesday it was planning to legally challenge the Thai government after being "compelled" to block access to the group. "Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people's ability to express themselves," a Facebook spokesperson said. "We work to protect and defend the rights of all internet users and are preparing to legally challenge this request." Thailand's lese majeste laws, which forbid defaming the king, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison, is often the basis for such requests to block or remove content on social media platforms. Earlier this month, Thailand's digital minister accused Facebook of not complying with requests to restrict content, including insults to the monarchy. On August 10, he gave Facebook 15 days to comply with court takedown orders or face charges under the local Computer Crime Act, which carries a fine of up to $6,368 (200,000 baht) and an additional $160 (5,000 baht) per day until each order is observed. Digital ministry spokesman Putchapong Nodthaisong said on Monday that Facebook cooperated before the deadline because it understood the context of Thai society. Putchapong did not comment on Facebook's plan for legal action when asked by Reuters on Tuesday. The ministry last week filed a separate cybercrime complaint against Pavin for creating the group.

Facebook planning to challenge Thai government's demand to block group critical of monarchy

Facebook stocks leapt over six per cent on Thursday as the social networking giant launched Instagram's new feature Reels helping founder Mark Zuckerberg's net worth to surge to $100 billion.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mark-zuckerberg-suggests-google-and-apple-are-bigger-threats-than-facebook-316907">Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg suggests Google and Apple are bigger threats than Facebook</a>

The social networking site had launched Reels in America on Wednesday pitching it as a competitor to TikTok which has been involved a battle with the Trump administration over its continuation in the US amid espionage allegation by the US government.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/twitter-facebook-remove-trumps-video-over-false-claim-about-children-and-covid-19-318517/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Zuckerberg who holds 13 per cent stake in the company has joined Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the $100 billion club.

Zuckerberg aims to create a short video platform with Reels pitching it as a substitute for TikTok in America. Facebook had earlier created a platform named Lasso two years ago but it had failed to compete with TikTok which was enjoying huge popularity among users at that time.

Facebook shares have been on the rise for the past week rising over 13 per cent amid buoyant quarterly report on July 30. Facebook had said it had made a profit of $5.2 billion on $18.7 billion in revenue in the recent quarter amid the coronavirus pandemic. The users in the platform also grew rising to a high of 2.7 billion.

"This was a strong quarter for us, especially compared to what we expected at the start," Zuckerberg had said while announcing the results. The Facebook chief also informed that the user base of WhatsApp and Messenger each month topped three billion.

On the pandemic, Zuckerberg said: "Imagine going through this pandemic two decades ago when the internet was nascent Facebook didn't even exist."

Facebook stocks leapt over six per cent on Thursday as the social networking giant launched Instagram's new feature Reels helping founder Mark Zuckerberg's net worth to surge to $100 billion.

Facebook stocks leapt over six per cent on Thursday as the social networking giant launched Instagram's new feature Reels helping founder Mark Zuckerberg's net worth to surge to $100 billion. Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg suggests Google and Apple are bigger threats than Facebook The social networking site had launched Reels in America on Wednesday pitching it as a competitor to TikTok which has been involved a battle with the Trump administration over its continuation in the US amid espionage allegation by the US government. Watch: Zuckerberg who holds 13 per cent stake in the company has joined Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the $100 billion club. Zuckerberg aims to create a short video platform with Reels pitching it as a substitute for TikTok in America. Facebook had earlier created a platform named Lasso two years ago but it had failed to compete with TikTok which was enjoying huge popularity among users at that time. Facebook shares have been on the rise for the past week rising over 13 per cent amid buoyant quarterly report on July 30. Facebook had said it had made a profit of $5.2 billion on $18.7 billion in revenue in the recent quarter amid the coronavirus pandemic. The users in the platform also grew rising to a high of 2.7 billion. "This was a strong quarter for us, especially compared to what we expected at the start," Zuckerberg had said while announcing the results. The Facebook chief also informed that the user base of WhatsApp and Messenger each month topped three billion. On the pandemic, Zuckerberg said: "Imagine going through this pandemic two decades ago when the internet was nascent Facebook didn't even exist."

Zuckerberg's net worth zooms to $100 billion amid launch of Instagram Reels; joins Gates, Bezos in elite club

Australia on Friday unveiled a draft law to force Google and Facebook to pay news media for their content in a "world-leading" initiative sure to prompt a confrontation with the digital giants.

An unprecedented move by Australia to protect independent journalism

Facebook announced on Monday that it has delayed the release of its second-quarter results by a day to July 30 so that CEO Mark Zuckerberg can provide testimony before a US congressional hearing.

FB Delays second quarter results as Zuckerberg set to appear before Congress

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