Facebook Inc on Wednesday removed 50 personal and professional pages connected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone, who is due to report to prison next week.

The social media platform said Stone and his associates, including a prominent supporter of the right-wing Proud Boys group in Stone’s home state of Florida, had used fake accounts and followers to promote Stone’s books and posts.

Facebook moved against Stone on the same day it took down accounts tied to employees of the family of Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro and two other networks connected to domestic political operations in Ecuador and Ukraine.

Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, said the removals were meant to show that artificially inflating engagement for political impact would be stopped, no matter how well connected the practitioners.

“It doesn’t matter what they’re saying, and it doesn’t matter who they are,” Gleicher told Reuters before the announcement on the company's blog bit.ly/2Z7QSzc. “We expect we’re going to see more political actors cross this line and use coordinated inauthentic behaviour to try to influence public debate.”

Facebook officials said they took down Stone’s personal Facebook and Instagram pages and his Stone Cold Truth Facebook page, which had 141,000 followers. A total of 54 Facebook accounts and 50 pages were removed for misbehaviour, including the creation of fake accounts. The accounts spent more than $300,000 on advertisements over the past few years, Facebook said.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was briefed on the actions beforehand, officials said.

The removals risk further angering Trump and other conservatives who accuse Facebook of suppressing right-wing voices. Facebook last month took down a Trump re-election ad that included a Nazi symbol, and it pledged to steer users to facts on voting when Trump, or anyone else, touches on the topic.

Facebook is under pressure from civil rights advocates and allied groups as well, and hundreds of advertisers have joined a boycott demanding the company crackdown on hateful and divisive messages.

Facebook Inc on Wednesday removed 50 personal and professional pages connected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone, who is due to report to prison next week.

Facebook Inc on Wednesday removed 50 personal and professional pages connected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone, who is due to report to prison next week. The social media platform said Stone and his associates, including a prominent supporter of the right-wing Proud Boys group in Stone’s home state of Florida, had used fake accounts and followers to promote Stone’s books and posts. Facebook moved against Stone on the same day it took down accounts tied to employees of the family of Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro and two other networks connected to domestic political operations in Ecuador and Ukraine. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, said the removals were meant to show that artificially inflating engagement for political impact would be stopped, no matter how well connected the practitioners. “It doesn’t matter what they’re saying, and it doesn’t matter who they are,” Gleicher told Reuters before the announcement on the company's blog bit.ly/2Z7QSzc. “We expect we’re going to see more political actors cross this line and use coordinated inauthentic behaviour to try to influence public debate.” Facebook officials said they took down Stone’s personal Facebook and Instagram pages and his Stone Cold Truth Facebook page, which had 141,000 followers. A total of 54 Facebook accounts and 50 pages were removed for misbehaviour, including the creation of fake accounts. The accounts spent more than $300,000 on advertisements over the past few years, Facebook said. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was briefed on the actions beforehand, officials said. The removals risk further angering Trump and other conservatives who accuse Facebook of suppressing right-wing voices. Facebook last month took down a Trump re-election ad that included a Nazi symbol, and it pledged to steer users to facts on voting when Trump, or anyone else, touches on the topic. Facebook is under pressure from civil rights advocates and allied groups as well, and hundreds of advertisers have joined a boycott demanding the company crackdown on hateful and divisive messages.

Facebook takes down accounts and pages of Trump ally Roger Stone

US tech giants face a reckoning over how Hong Kong's security law will reshape their businesses, with their suspension of processing government requests for user data a stop-gap measure as they weigh options, people close to the industry say.

While Hong Kong is not a significant market for firms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, they have used it as a perch to reach deep-pocketed advertisers in mainland China, where many of their services are blocked.

But the companies are now in the crosshairs of a national security law that gives China authority to demand that they turn over user data or censor content seen to violate the law - even when posted from abroad.

"These companies have to totally reassess the liability of having a presence in Hong Kong," Charles Mok, a legislator who represents the technology industry in Hong Kong, told Reuters.&nbsp;

If they refuse to cooperate with government requests, he said, authorities "could go after them and take them to court and fine them, or imprison their principals in Hong Kong".

Facebook, Google, and Twitter have suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong, they said on Monday, following China's imposition of the new national security law on the semi-autonomous city.

Facebook, which started operating in Hong Kong in 2010, last year opened a big new office in the city.

It sells more than $5 billion (roughly Rs. 37,510 crores) a year worth of ad space to Chinese businesses and government agencies looking to promote messages abroad, Reuters reported in January. That makes China Facebook's biggest country for revenue after the United States.

The US internet firms are no strangers to governments demands regarding content and user information, and generally say they are bound by local laws.

The companies have often used a technique known as "geo-blocking" to restrict content in a particular country without removing it altogether.

But the sweeping language of Hong Kong's new law could mean such measures won't be enough. Authorities will no longer need to get court orders before requesting assistance or information, analysts said.

Requests for data about overseas users would put the companies in an especially tough spot.

"It's a global law ... if they comply with national security law in Hong Kong then there is the problem that they may violate laws in other countries," said Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of Hong Kong's Information Technology Federation.

Content question 
 
While the US social media services are blocked in mainland China, they have operated freely in Hong Kong.

Other US Internet platforms are also rich with content that is banned in mainland China and may now be judged illegal in Hong Kong.

US video streaming site Netflix, for example, carries Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, a 2017 documentary on activist Joshua Wong whose books were removed from Hong Kong public libraries last week.

Ten Years, a 2015 film that has been criticised by Chinese state media for portraying a dystopian future Hong Kong under Chinese Communist Party control, is also available on its platform.

Netflix declined to comment.

Google's YouTube is a popular platform for critics of Beijing. New York-based fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui has regularly voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in his videos. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

None of these companies has yet said how they will handle requests from Hong Kong to block or remove content, and the risk of being caught in political crossfire looms large.

"The foreign content players have to rethink what they display in Hong Kong," said Duncan Clark, chairman at consultancy BDA China.

"The downside is very big if they get US senators on their backs for accommodating. Any move they make will be heavily scrutinised."

US tech giants face a reckoning over how Hong Kong's security law will reshape their businesses, with their suspension of processing government requests for user data a stop-gap measure as they weigh options, people close to the industry say.

US tech giants face a reckoning over how Hong Kong's security law will reshape their businesses, with their suspension of processing government requests for user data a stop-gap measure as they weigh options, people close to the industry say. While Hong Kong is not a significant market for firms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, they have used it as a perch to reach deep-pocketed advertisers in mainland China, where many of their services are blocked. But the companies are now in the crosshairs of a national security law that gives China authority to demand that they turn over user data or censor content seen to violate the law - even when posted from abroad. "These companies have to totally reassess the liability of having a presence in Hong Kong," Charles Mok, a legislator who represents the technology industry in Hong Kong, told Reuters. If they refuse to cooperate with government requests, he said, authorities "could go after them and take them to court and fine them, or imprison their principals in Hong Kong". Facebook, Google, and Twitter have suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong, they said on Monday, following China's imposition of the new national security law on the semi-autonomous city. Facebook, which started operating in Hong Kong in 2010, last year opened a big new office in the city. It sells more than $5 billion (roughly Rs. 37,510 crores) a year worth of ad space to Chinese businesses and government agencies looking to promote messages abroad, Reuters reported in January. That makes China Facebook's biggest country for revenue after the United States. The US internet firms are no strangers to governments demands regarding content and user information, and generally say they are bound by local laws. The companies have often used a technique known as "geo-blocking" to restrict content in a particular country without removing it altogether. But the sweeping language of Hong Kong's new law could mean such measures won't be enough. Authorities will no longer need to get court orders before requesting assistance or information, analysts said. Requests for data about overseas users would put the companies in an especially tough spot. "It's a global law ... if they comply with national security law in Hong Kong then there is the problem that they may violate laws in other countries," said Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of Hong Kong's Information Technology Federation. Content question While the US social media services are blocked in mainland China, they have operated freely in Hong Kong. Other US Internet platforms are also rich with content that is banned in mainland China and may now be judged illegal in Hong Kong. US video streaming site Netflix, for example, carries Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, a 2017 documentary on activist Joshua Wong whose books were removed from Hong Kong public libraries last week. Ten Years, a 2015 film that has been criticised by Chinese state media for portraying a dystopian future Hong Kong under Chinese Communist Party control, is also available on its platform. Netflix declined to comment. Google's YouTube is a popular platform for critics of Beijing. New York-based fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui has regularly voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in his videos. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. None of these companies has yet said how they will handle requests from Hong Kong to block or remove content, and the risk of being caught in political crossfire looms large. "The foreign content players have to rethink what they display in Hong Kong," said Duncan Clark, chairman at consultancy BDA China. "The downside is very big if they get US senators on their backs for accommodating. Any move they make will be heavily scrutinised."

US tech giants face hard choices under Hong Kong's new security law

Facebook Inc has not done enough to fight discrimination on its platform and some of its decisions were setbacks for civil rights, according to an independent audit commissioned by the company, the New York Times reported.

The auditors' findings are likely to add further pressure to the company which is already facing a boycott by some 900 advertisers, including major brands such as Coca-Cola, over what civil rights campaigners say is its promotion of hate speech.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/facebook-boycott-leaders-disappointed-after-meeting-with-ceo-zuckerberg-311586" hreflang="en">Facebook boycott leaders 'disappointed' after meeting with CEO Zuckerberg</a>

"Many in the civil rights community have become disheartened, frustrated and angry after years of engagement where they implored the company to do more to advance equality and fight discrimination, while also safeguarding free expression," the auditors wrote, according to the Times, which said it had obtained a prepublication report of the findings.

Facebook commissioned Laura Murphy, a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union's legislative office, to lead the audit of its civil rights policies in 2018. It was responding to a range of criticisms over issues such as data privacy, voter suppression, incitement of violence and a lack of transparency in political advertising.

A Facebook spokesperson said the audit "has been a deep analysis of how we can strengthen and advance civil rights at every level of our company – but it is the beginning of the journey, not the end.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/facebook-google-twitter-block-hong-kong-govt-from-accessing-user-data-311243" hreflang="en">Facebook, Google, Twitter block Hong Kong govt from accessing user data</a>

"What has become increasingly clear is that we have a long way to go. As hard as it has been to have our shortcomings exposed by experts, it has undoubtedly been a really important process for our company.”

The auditors said Facebook had been too willing to exempt politicians from abiding by its rules, allowing them to spread misinformation, harmful and divisive rhetoric, and even calls to violence.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/danger-to-society-vietnam-jails-man-for-8-years-citing-facebook-posts-critical-of-government-311367" hreflang="en">'Danger to society': Vietnam jails man for 8 years citing Facebook posts critical of government</a>

Facebook has taken a hands-off approach to political speech compared to rivals, notably leaving untouched a post by President Donald Trump in May which its rival Twitter flagged as an incitement to violence.

Organizers of the advertising boycott, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the NAACP, met for more than an hour via video conference with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg on Tuesday. After the meeting, activists said they saw "no commitment to action" from the company.

Facebook Inc has not done enough to fight discrimination on its platform and some of its decisions were setbacks for civil rights, according to an independent audit commissioned by the company, the New York Times reported.

Facebook Inc has not done enough to fight discrimination on its platform and some of its decisions were setbacks for civil rights, according to an independent audit commissioned by the company, the New York Times reported. The auditors' findings are likely to add further pressure to the company which is already facing a boycott by some 900 advertisers, including major brands such as Coca-Cola, over what civil rights campaigners say is its promotion of hate speech. Also read: Facebook boycott leaders 'disappointed' after meeting with CEO Zuckerberg "Many in the civil rights community have become disheartened, frustrated and angry after years of engagement where they implored the company to do more to advance equality and fight discrimination, while also safeguarding free expression," the auditors wrote, according to the Times, which said it had obtained a prepublication report of the findings. Facebook commissioned Laura Murphy, a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union's legislative office, to lead the audit of its civil rights policies in 2018. It was responding to a range of criticisms over issues such as data privacy, voter suppression, incitement of violence and a lack of transparency in political advertising. A Facebook spokesperson said the audit "has been a deep analysis of how we can strengthen and advance civil rights at every level of our company – but it is the beginning of the journey, not the end. Also read: Facebook, Google, Twitter block Hong Kong govt from accessing user data "What has become increasingly clear is that we have a long way to go. As hard as it has been to have our shortcomings exposed by experts, it has undoubtedly been a really important process for our company.” The auditors said Facebook had been too willing to exempt politicians from abiding by its rules, allowing them to spread misinformation, harmful and divisive rhetoric, and even calls to violence. Also read: 'Danger to society': Vietnam jails man for 8 years citing Facebook posts critical of government Facebook has taken a hands-off approach to political speech compared to rivals, notably leaving untouched a post by President Donald Trump in May which its rival Twitter flagged as an incitement to violence. Organizers of the advertising boycott, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the NAACP, met for more than an hour via video conference with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg on Tuesday. After the meeting, activists said they saw "no commitment to action" from the company.

Facebook not doing enough to fight discrimination, audit says

Instagram has launced&nbsp;the pinned comment feature to help users maximise their engagement with their friends and family members.

"We're rolling out pinned comments everywhere. That means you can a pin a few comments to the top of your feed post and better manage the conversation," the company said.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today we’re rolling out pinned comments everywhere. 📌 
 
That means you can a pin a few comments to the top of your feed post and better manage the conversation. <a href="https://t.co/iPCMJVLxMh">pic.twitter.com/iPCMJVLxMh</a>
— Instagram (@instagram) <a href="https://twitter.com/instagram/status/1280534351680122881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

In addition to this,&nbsp;Instagram has begun testing the new Shops feature with select users to help set up a single online store. In the future, they will be able to view a business shop and make purchases right within a chat in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/chinese-apps-banned-instagram-set-to-launch-tiktok-rival-reels-in-india-311333">Also Read:&nbsp;Instagram set to launch TikTok rival 'Reels' in India</a>

The company is also planning to expand its new video-music remix feature Reels which offer TikTok-like functionalities to India. Instagram Reels is a video-editing tool to allow users to create short,15-second video clips set to music or other audio and share those on the platform.

&nbsp;"Reels is a fun, creative way for people to both express themselves and be entertained,” said a Facebook spokesperson. The app was first launched in Brazil and recently in France and Germany.

(With inputs from agencies)

Instagram has launced the pinned comment feature to help users maximise their engagement with their friends and family members. "We're rolling out pinned comments everywhere.

Instagram has launced the pinned comment feature to help users maximise their engagement with their friends and family members. "We're rolling out pinned comments everywhere. That means you can a pin a few comments to the top of your feed post and better manage the conversation," the company said. Today we’re rolling out pinned comments everywhere. 📌 That means you can a pin a few comments to the top of your feed post and better manage the conversation. pic.twitter.com/iPCMJVLxMh — Instagram (@instagram) July 7, 2020 × In addition to this, Instagram has begun testing the new Shops feature with select users to help set up a single online store. In the future, they will be able to view a business shop and make purchases right within a chat in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct. Also Read: Instagram set to launch TikTok rival 'Reels' in India The company is also planning to expand its new video-music remix feature Reels which offer TikTok-like functionalities to India. Instagram Reels is a video-editing tool to allow users to create short,15-second video clips set to music or other audio and share those on the platform. "Reels is a fun, creative way for people to both express themselves and be entertained,” said a Facebook spokesperson. The app was first launched in Brazil and recently in France and Germany. (With inputs from agencies)

Instagram rolls out new features including pinned comments

Facebook, Google and Twitter said Monday they have stopped giving information on users to Hong Kong's government or police force, following China's imposition of draconian security law, according to AFP report.

Facebook, Google and Twitter said Monday they have stopped giving information on users to Hong Kong's government or police force, following China's imposition of draconian security law, according to AFP report. The pause at leading online social network Facebook and its popular messaging service WhatsApp would remain in place "pending further assessment" of the new national security law, and would include "formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts," the report said quoting a statement by a Facebook spokesman. "We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions," the spokesman said. Also read: Five ways Hong Kong has changed under China's security law Twitter and Google told that they too would not comply with information requests by Hong Kong authorities in the immediate future, the report added. "Like many public interest organizations, civil society leaders and entities, and industry peers, we have grave concerns regarding both the developing process and the full intention of this law," Twitter reportedly told AFP. "Twitter cares and is committed to protecting the people using our service and their freedom of expression." China last week imposed the security law on the restive city of around 7.5 million people, banning acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Also read: China has no legal authority to enact security law for Hong Kong: Bar Association The law stipulates that trials can be held behind closed doors without juries, with offenders subject to a maximum of a life sentence. The legislation, which has sent a wave of fear through the territory, has criminalized dissenting opinions such as calls for independence or autonomy. "Last Wednesday, when the law took effect, we paused production on any new data requests from Hong Kong authorities, and we'll continue to review the details of the new law," a Google spokesperson said. Digital rights group ProPrivacy called Facebook's move "a win for both digital privacy and human rights in the region." "With the stakes so high, and the punishments so severe, it is great news to see big tech companies like WhatsApp pushing back in favour of democracy and freedom of expression," the group said. However, it noted the move could lead to WhatsApp being blocked in Hong Kong, as it has been in mainland China. (With inputs from AFP)

Facebook, Google, Twitter block Hong Kong govt from accessing user data

China has unveiled new powers to censor Hong Kong's internet and access user data using its feared national security law. Tech giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter have suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong due to China’s new national security law.

WION Dispatch: Push back against Security Law | Tech giants resist sharing users

A man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday in Vietnam for “anti-state” posts made on his Facebook account.

"Opposing the state"

According to the country’s security ministry, the man, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, 29, is facing the charges of “making, storing, spreading, information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the state”. His trial lasted for just one day in the province of Lam Dong.

The Communist Party, which rules Vietnam, heavily censors the media and has been unaccepting of criticism.

You might also like:&nbsp;<a href="/world/vietnam-opens-worlds-first-gold-plated-hotel-310471" hreflang="en">Vietnam opens world's 'first' gold-plated hotel</a>

As per the charge, Vuong had live-streamed 110 hours worth of videos, and had written 366 posts on Facebook targeting Ho Chi Minh, the founding leader of Vietnam. Additionally, he was also spreading “anti-state propaganda”,.

AFP reported that Vuong pled not guilty to the charge and claimed to have simply been voicing his personal views. However, the court ascertained that he was a “danger to society”.

"Outrageous"

The Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson hit out at the move and called it “outrageous and unacceptable”.

"Vietnam must recognise that expressing political views contrary to Communist Party line should not be a crime," he added in a digital statement.

You might also like:&nbsp;<a href="/opinions-blogs/vietnam-has-reported-no-coronavirus-deaths-how-293853" hreflang="en">Vietnam has reported no coronavirus deaths – how?</a>

Besides his eight-year-long sentence, Vuong will have to undergo three years of house arrest after completing the jail term.

Reuters reported that arrests of activists in the country have shot up over the last year, attributing it to the upcoming party congress in 2021.

Just yesterday, on July 6, the government had jailed three people for over seven years citing attempts to overthrow the Communist Party.

(With inputs from AFP &amp; Reuters)

A man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday in Vietnam for “anti-state” posts made on his Facebook account. "Opposing the state" According to the country’s security ministry, the man, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, 29, is facing the charges of “making, storing, spreading, information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the state”.

A man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday in Vietnam for “anti-state” posts made on his Facebook account. "Opposing the state" According to the country’s security ministry, the man, Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, 29, is facing the charges of “making, storing, spreading, information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the state”. His trial lasted for just one day in the province of Lam Dong. The Communist Party, which rules Vietnam, heavily censors the media and has been unaccepting of criticism. You might also like: Vietnam opens world's 'first' gold-plated hotel As per the charge, Vuong had live-streamed 110 hours worth of videos, and had written 366 posts on Facebook targeting Ho Chi Minh, the founding leader of Vietnam. Additionally, he was also spreading “anti-state propaganda”,. AFP reported that Vuong pled not guilty to the charge and claimed to have simply been voicing his personal views. However, the court ascertained that he was a “danger to society”. "Outrageous" The Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson hit out at the move and called it “outrageous and unacceptable”. "Vietnam must recognise that expressing political views contrary to Communist Party line should not be a crime," he added in a digital statement. You might also like: Vietnam has reported no coronavirus deaths – how? Besides his eight-year-long sentence, Vuong will have to undergo three years of house arrest after completing the jail term. Reuters reported that arrests of activists in the country have shot up over the last year, attributing it to the upcoming party congress in 2021. Just yesterday, on July 6, the government had jailed three people for over seven years citing attempts to overthrow the Communist Party. (With inputs from AFP & Reuters)

'Danger to society': Vietnam jails man for 8 years citing Facebook posts critical of government

TikTok says it will stop offering its social video app in Hong Kong after the region adopted a new national security law granting expanded powers to the mainland Chinese government.

TikTok pulls out of Hong Kong due to new security law

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday.

"I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programmes in Augmented Reality for teachers and Digital Safety and online-wellbeing for students. I encourage the teachers and students to apply for the programmes commencing on July 6," Mr. Nishank wrote on Twitter.

According to CBSE officials, the comprehensive curriculum is aimed at ensuring online well-being of students and preparing them for the future of work.

"The modules are for secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website. This partnership is led by Facebook for Education, a global initiative by Facebook, to build diverse learning communities and bring the world closer together,” a senior board official said.

“As more and more young users get online, it becomes important to educate young adults, and students on making well informed choices online and also help them develop skills they need to safely navigate the internet,” the official explained.

The curriculum will cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits.

The module has been designed to guide students become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation.

At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training which will be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR), the officials said.

"Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce Artificial Reality (AR) as a curriculum. In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase. The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook’s software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences,” the official said.

“The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences. The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy. The teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase," the official added.

According to Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia, “the current global pandemic is the most severe health and humanitarian crisis that the country has seen, with far-reaching impact on our lives. We recognise the disruption it has caused to traditional pedagogical methods, necessitating a shift to virtual modes of learning the most."

"Through our Facebook for Education programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences, addressing online well-being as well as sharing easy toolkit for parents, educators and students to promote resilience and learning in the current environment," Ms. Das said.

“Besides, the AR curriculum offers an opportunity for young learners to explore emerging technology for the first time as part of their curriculum,” Ms. Das added.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday. "I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programmes in Augmented Reality for teachers and Digital Safety and online-wellbeing for students. I encourage the teachers and students to apply for the programmes commencing on July 6," Mr. Nishank wrote on Twitter. According to CBSE officials, the comprehensive curriculum is aimed at ensuring online well-being of students and preparing them for the future of work. "The modules are for secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website. This partnership is led by Facebook for Education, a global initiative by Facebook, to build diverse learning communities and bring the world closer together,” a senior board official said. “As more and more young users get online, it becomes important to educate young adults, and students on making well informed choices online and also help them develop skills they need to safely navigate the internet,” the official explained. The curriculum will cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits. The module has been designed to guide students become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation. At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training which will be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR), the officials said. "Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce Artificial Reality (AR) as a curriculum. In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase. The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook’s software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences,” the official said. “The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences. The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy. The teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase," the official added. According to Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia, “the current global pandemic is the most severe health and humanitarian crisis that the country has seen, with far-reaching impact on our lives. We recognise the disruption it has caused to traditional pedagogical methods, necessitating a shift to virtual modes of learning the most." "Through our Facebook for Education programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences, addressing online well-being as well as sharing easy toolkit for parents, educators and students to promote resilience and learning in the current environment," Ms. Das said. “Besides, the AR curriculum offers an opportunity for young learners to explore emerging technology for the first time as part of their curriculum,” Ms. Das added.

CBSE partners with Facebook for curriculum on digital safety

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to a new meeting with activists on the social media giant's content policies while vowing to resist pressure from an advertiser boycott, the company said Thursday.

The news comes amid increased pressure on the leading social network to clamp down on incendiary content which promotes racism and violence, which has gained momentum with more tan 650 advertisers joining a boycott.

Zuckerberg told an employee meeting this week the boycott is not likely to have a major impact and that most of the advertisers "will be back on the platform soon enough," according to an account first reported by The Information and confirmed by AFP.

The Facebook CEO repeated that he would not change policy based on "a threat" to revenue but based on "the right things" for the Facebook community.

"We're not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or any percent of our revenue," he said.

"We're gonna do what we think are the right things that we think are gonna serve the community best over time."

A Facebook spokesperson, asked about the pressure, said in an email:&nbsp;"We take these matters very seriously and respect the feedback from our partners... But as we've said, we make policy changes based on principles, not revenue pressures."&nbsp;

The spokesperson said Zuckerberg agreed to join a meeting with activist leaders including from the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change to discuss Facebook's moderation practices.

"They asked about having Mark at the&nbsp;meeting, and we've since confirmed that Mark is able to join," the statement said.

The Washington Post reported the meeting would take place Monday.

The groups are seeking a top level executive to evaluate "products and policies for discrimination, bias, and hate," according to a statement from the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, as well as independent audits of "identity-based hate and misinformation."

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to a new meeting with activists on the social media giant's content policies while vowing to resist pressure from an advertiser boycott, the company said Thursday.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to a new meeting with activists on the social media giant's content policies while vowing to resist pressure from an advertiser boycott, the company said Thursday. The news comes amid increased pressure on the leading social network to clamp down on incendiary content which promotes racism and violence, which has gained momentum with more tan 650 advertisers joining a boycott. Zuckerberg told an employee meeting this week the boycott is not likely to have a major impact and that most of the advertisers "will be back on the platform soon enough," according to an account first reported by The Information and confirmed by AFP. The Facebook CEO repeated that he would not change policy based on "a threat" to revenue but based on "the right things" for the Facebook community. "We're not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or any percent of our revenue," he said. "We're gonna do what we think are the right things that we think are gonna serve the community best over time." A Facebook spokesperson, asked about the pressure, said in an email: "We take these matters very seriously and respect the feedback from our partners... But as we've said, we make policy changes based on principles, not revenue pressures." The spokesperson said Zuckerberg agreed to join a meeting with activist leaders including from the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change to discuss Facebook's moderation practices. "They asked about having Mark at the meeting, and we've since confirmed that Mark is able to join," the statement said. The Washington Post reported the meeting would take place Monday. The groups are seeking a top level executive to evaluate "products and policies for discrimination, bias, and hate," according to a statement from the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, as well as independent audits of "identity-based hate and misinformation."

Facebook's Zuckerberg to meet activists, won't act on boycott

Canada`s biggest lenders confirmed on Friday they had joined a widespread boycott of Facebook Inc begun by U.S. civil rights groups seeking to pressure the world`s largest social media platform to take concrete steps to block hate speech.

More than 400 brands have pulled advertising on Facebook in response to the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, begun after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-news-advertisers-boycott-of-facebook-to-end-soon-enough-says-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-310389">Also read|&nbsp;Advertisers' boycott of Facebook to end 'soon enough' says CEO Mark Zuckerberg</a>

Canadian lenders Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, National Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce all said they will pause advertising on Facebook platforms in July.

Desjardins Group, Canada`s largest federation of credit unions, also said on its website on Thursday it will pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram for the month "barring any exceptional situations where we need to communicate with our members or clients."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-ad-boycott-campaign-to-go-global-pepsi-to-stop-ads-on-social-media-platform-309253">Also read|&nbsp;Facebook ad boycott campaign to go global, Pepsi to stop ads on social media platform</a>

Most cited their commitments to inclusion and diversity.

Facebook policy chief Nick Clegg told reporters in a call last month that the company "emphatically stands against hate speech" and removed 10 million hateful posts from its services last quarter.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

BMO said it is continuing its "ongoing dialogue with Facebook on changes they can make to their platforms to reduce the spread of hate speech."

RBC said one way to help clients and communities is to stand against "misinformation and hate speech, which only make systemic racism more pervasive."

Canada`s biggest lenders confirmed on Friday they had joined a widespread boycott of Facebook Inc begun by U.S. civil rights groups seeking to pressure the world`s largest social media platform to take concrete steps to block hate speech.

Canada`s biggest lenders confirmed on Friday they had joined a widespread boycott of Facebook Inc begun by U.S. civil rights groups seeking to pressure the world`s largest social media platform to take concrete steps to block hate speech. More than 400 brands have pulled advertising on Facebook in response to the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, begun after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Also read| Advertisers' boycott of Facebook to end 'soon enough' says CEO Mark Zuckerberg Canadian lenders Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, National Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce all said they will pause advertising on Facebook platforms in July. Desjardins Group, Canada`s largest federation of credit unions, also said on its website on Thursday it will pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram for the month "barring any exceptional situations where we need to communicate with our members or clients." Also read| Facebook ad boycott campaign to go global, Pepsi to stop ads on social media platform Most cited their commitments to inclusion and diversity. Facebook policy chief Nick Clegg told reporters in a call last month that the company "emphatically stands against hate speech" and removed 10 million hateful posts from its services last quarter. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. BMO said it is continuing its "ongoing dialogue with Facebook on changes they can make to their platforms to reduce the spread of hate speech." RBC said one way to help clients and communities is to stand against "misinformation and hate speech, which only make systemic racism more pervasive."

Canada's biggest banks join boycott of Facebook platforms

In the wake of the latest surge in the coronavirus cases in the United States, Facebook said it will remind users to wear masks to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we're putting an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings," the company said in a statement. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebooks-avatars-allows-users-in-india-to-create-own-digital-profile-309831">Also Read: Facebook's Avatars allows users in India to create own digital profile</a>

The social media platform will also include additional prevention tips and links to public health agencies in its COVID-19 Information Center.

Joining the chorus, Twitter too encouraged users to wear face masks with a sarcastic tweet. Twitter said the feature, which would allow users to edit their tweets, will be rolled out once everyone starts wearing face masks. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/read-before-retweeting-twitter-aims-to-limit-sharing-unread-articles-307770">Also Read: Read before retweeting: Twitter aims to limit sharing unread articles</a> 
 
"You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask," said a tweet from the official Twitter account,

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 2,679,230 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 54,357 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 725 to 128,024.

Meanwhile, India’s coronavirus infections surpassed 600,000 on Thursday, with 17,834 deaths. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

In the wake of the latest surge in the coronavirus cases in the United States, Facebook said it will remind users to wear masks to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In the wake of the latest surge in the coronavirus cases in the United States, Facebook said it will remind users to wear masks to contain the spread of coronavirus. "With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we're putting an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings," the company said in a statement. Also Read: Facebook's Avatars allows users in India to create own digital profile The social media platform will also include additional prevention tips and links to public health agencies in its COVID-19 Information Center. Joining the chorus, Twitter too encouraged users to wear face masks with a sarcastic tweet. Twitter said the feature, which would allow users to edit their tweets, will be rolled out once everyone starts wearing face masks. Also Read: Read before retweeting: Twitter aims to limit sharing unread articles "You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask," said a tweet from the official Twitter account, You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask — Twitter (@Twitter) July 2, 2020 × The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 2,679,230 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 54,357 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 725 to 128,024. Meanwhile, India’s coronavirus infections surpassed 600,000 on Thursday, with 17,834 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook, Twitter encourage people to wear masks

Top American brands join boycott Facebook ads campaign!

Facebook is now being accused of promoting hateful content taking money through misleading political advertisements and overall having a very week policy regarding combating hate. Watch report.

Facebook's CEO Zuckerberg accused of promoting hate

Organizers of a Facebook Inc advertising boycott campaign that has drawn support from a list of major companies are now preparing to take the battle global to increase pressure on the social media company to remove hate speech, reported news agency Reuters.

Organizers of a Facebook Inc advertising boycott campaign that has drawn support from a list of major companies are now preparing to take the battle global to increase pressure on the social media company to remove hate speech, reported news agency Reuters. The "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign will begin calling on major companies in Europe to join the boycott, Jim Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media, said in an interview with Reuters on Saturday. Since the campaign launched earlier this month, more than 160 companies, including Verizon Communications and Unilever Plc, have signed on to stop buying ads on the world’s largest social media platform for the month of July, the report said. Free Press and Common Sense, along with US civil rights groups Colour of Change and the Anti-Defamation League, launched the campaign following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by Minneapolis police. "The next frontier is global pressure," Steyer said, adding the campaign hopes to embolden regulators in Europe to take a harder stance on Facebook. The outrage in the United States over the death of Floyd has led to an unprecedented reaction from corporations around the world. Its impact has been felt beyond US borders. Unilever, for example, changed the name of a skin-lightening product popular in India called Fair and Lovely. Steyer said they will urge global advertisers such as Unilever and Honda, which have only committed to pausing US ads, to pull their Facebook ads globally. Annually, Facebook generates $70 billion in advertising sales and about a quarter of it comes from big companies such as Unilever with the vast majority of its revenue derived from small businesses. But the publicity around its hate speech policies have hurt its perception and stock. On Friday, Facebook's 8.3% decline in stock price wiped out $56 billion in market capitalization. The boycott has accelerated to include other digital advertising platforms such as Twitter. Starbucks said Sunday it would pause advertising on all social media platforms while it works with civil rights organizations to "stop the spread of hate speech." PepsiCo Inc will stop advertising on Facebook Inc, FOX Business Network reported, citing sources. The halt on advertising will run through July and August, the report said. Sources described the move as a "global boycott" on placing Facebook ads, the report said. The food and beverage company joins a growing number of companies pulling ad dollars from Facebook. (With inputs from Reuters)

Facebook ad boycott campaign to go global, Pepsi to stop ads on social media platform

After a series of controversies regarding hate speech and delivering misinformation, Facebook has announced that the social media giant will&nbsp;flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians that break its rules, including those from the President Donald Trump.

Until Friday, all Facebook posts of Trump remained untouched. However, the same posts, with the exact same wordings, were labelled with a warning on twitter.

This had brought a lot of criticism towards Facebook, whether it was from the outside world or the Facebook employees.

After a three-week long review, Facebook has now decided to flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians.

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An update from our company town hall.
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"The policies we're implementing today are designed to address the reality of the challenges our country is facing and how they're showing up across our community," Mark Zuckerberg,&nbsp;wrote on his Facebook page announcing the changes.

He also announced that the social network is taking additional steps to counter election-related misinformation.

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Three weeks ago, I committed to reviewing our policies ahead of the 2020 elections. That work is ongoing, but today I...
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Facebook will also be banning any future posts that spread any false information about election process or the local polling conditions. He aims to complete the process of removing all such posts within 72 hours.

The company also aims to identify and remove all hate posts against minority communities and/or individuals, even before people report such posts.

Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Civic Media, said the changes are a "reminder of how powerful Facebook may be in terms of spreading disinformation during the upcoming election".

"If every post that mentions voting links, people will start ignoring those links. If they're targeted to posts that say things like 'Police will be checking warrants and unpaid traffic tickets at polls' - a classic voter suppression disinfo tactic - and clearly mark posts as disinfo, they might be useful," he said.

However, Zuckerberg has also made it clear that Facebook "has a history of trying hard not to alienate right-leaning users, and given how tightly President Trump has aligned himself with voter-suppressing misinfo, it seems likely that Facebook will err on the side of non-intrusive and ignorable labels, which would minimize impact of the campaign."

This announcement has come after several companies, such as Unilever, Ben &amp; Jerry's and Coca-Cola,&nbsp;decided to&nbsp;&nbsp;boycott Facebook ads through the end of the year due to the amount of hate speech and divisive rhetoric on its platform.

(With inputs from Reuters)

After a series of controversies regarding hate speech and delivering misinformation, Facebook has announced that the social media giant will flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians that break its rules, including those from the President Donald Trump.

After a series of controversies regarding hate speech and delivering misinformation, Facebook has announced that the social media giant will flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians that break its rules, including those from the President Donald Trump. Until Friday, all Facebook posts of Trump remained untouched. However, the same posts, with the exact same wordings, were labelled with a warning on twitter. This had brought a lot of criticism towards Facebook, whether it was from the outside world or the Facebook employees. After a three-week long review, Facebook has now decided to flag all "newsworthy" posts from politicians. An update from our company town hall. Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, June 26, 2020 × "The policies we're implementing today are designed to address the reality of the challenges our country is facing and how they're showing up across our community," Mark Zuckerberg, wrote on his Facebook page announcing the changes. He also announced that the social network is taking additional steps to counter election-related misinformation. Three weeks ago, I committed to reviewing our policies ahead of the 2020 elections. That work is ongoing, but today I... Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, June 26, 2020 × Facebook will also be banning any future posts that spread any false information about election process or the local polling conditions. He aims to complete the process of removing all such posts within 72 hours. The company also aims to identify and remove all hate posts against minority communities and/or individuals, even before people report such posts. Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Civic Media, said the changes are a "reminder of how powerful Facebook may be in terms of spreading disinformation during the upcoming election". "If every post that mentions voting links, people will start ignoring those links. If they're targeted to posts that say things like 'Police will be checking warrants and unpaid traffic tickets at polls' - a classic voter suppression disinfo tactic - and clearly mark posts as disinfo, they might be useful," he said. However, Zuckerberg has also made it clear that Facebook "has a history of trying hard not to alienate right-leaning users, and given how tightly President Trump has aligned himself with voter-suppressing misinfo, it seems likely that Facebook will err on the side of non-intrusive and ignorable labels, which would minimize impact of the campaign." This announcement has come after several companies, such as Unilever, Ben & Jerry's and Coca-Cola, decided to boycott Facebook ads through the end of the year due to the amount of hate speech and divisive rhetoric on its platform. (With inputs from Reuters)

Facebook to flag all 'newsworthy' posts from politicians that break rules

Twitter & Facebook seem to have united in regulating political speech in the United States. The biggest target is U.S President Donald Trump. Is their policing biased? Are they calling out both sides? Who are they answerable to? WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay gets you a report.

Gravitas: Are Facebook & Twitter uniting against Trump?

Social media companies are increasingly regulating political speech in the United States and their biggest and common target is President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted a video, showing two toddlers, one black and one white, running around. Through the video, he wanted to show how the American media allegedly twists the facts on racism.&nbsp;

But this video was doctored and it carried a fake headline wrongly attributed to CNN. Twitter has flagged this tweet by President Donald Trump, with a warning that it contained ''manipulated media'' designed to mislead people. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/twitter-labels-trump-tweet-about-racist-baby-as-manipulated-307017">Also Read: Twitter labels Trump tweet about 'racist baby' as 'manipulated'</a>

Another social media giant Facebook has removed a number of posts and ads run by Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that featured a symbol used by the Nazis for violating its “policy against organised hate”.

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"We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate. Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol," Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson said. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-takes-down-trump-ads-for-violating-its-policy-against-organised-hate-306951">Also Read:&nbsp;Facebook takes down Trump ads for violating its policy against 'organised hate'</a>

These events mark another flashpoint in the increasingly contentious debate on political disinformation.

Facebook and Twitter have massive reach and they've become engines of the narrative. Both social media companies have the potential to influence political outcomes. Censorship is a double-edged sword, and Twitter and Facebook must call out both sides for harmful content. 
 
&nbsp;

Social media companies are increasingly regulating political speech in the United States and their biggest and common target is President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Trump tweeted a video, showing two toddlers, one black and one white, running around.

Social media companies are increasingly regulating political speech in the United States and their biggest and common target is President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Trump tweeted a video, showing two toddlers, one black and one white, running around. Through the video, he wanted to show how the American media allegedly twists the facts on racism. But this video was doctored and it carried a fake headline wrongly attributed to CNN. Twitter has flagged this tweet by President Donald Trump, with a warning that it contained ''manipulated media'' designed to mislead people. Also Read: Twitter labels Trump tweet about 'racist baby' as 'manipulated' Another social media giant Facebook has removed a number of posts and ads run by Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that featured a symbol used by the Nazis for violating its “policy against organised hate”. "We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate. Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol," Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson said. Also Read: Facebook takes down Trump ads for violating its policy against 'organised hate' These events mark another flashpoint in the increasingly contentious debate on political disinformation. Facebook and Twitter have massive reach and they've become engines of the narrative. Both social media companies have the potential to influence political outcomes. Censorship is a double-edged sword, and Twitter and Facebook must call out both sides for harmful content.

Social media companies must ensure unbiased policing

Facebook&nbsp;has removed a number of posts and ads run by Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that featured a symbol used by the Nazis for violating its “policy against organised hate”.

The takedown on Thursday came amid increasing&nbsp;pressure on Facebook&nbsp;from civil rights leaders, Democratic politicians, and the company’s own employees to take a stronger stance against the president’s ugly and at times violent and hateful rhetoric on the platform, though it is not the first time that Facebook has removed Trump campaign ads for violating policies.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-removes-hundreds-more-accounts-as-right-wing-violence-spreads-306406">Facebook removes hundreds more accounts as right-wing violence spreads</a>

"We removed these posts and ads for violating&nbsp;our policy&nbsp;against organized hate. Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol," Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson said.

The company said the offending ad contained an inverted red triangle similar to that used by the Nazis to label opponents such as communists.

Trump's campaign team said they were aimed at the far-left activist group antifa, which it said uses the symbol.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-sharpens-transparency-rule-to-close-political-ad-loophole-306415">Facebook sharpens transparency rule to close political-ad loophole</a>

The now-removed ads featured an image of an inverted red triangle with a black border and the message: “Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem. They are DESTROYING our cities and rioting – it’s absolute madness … Please add your name IMMEDIATELY to stand with your President and his decision to declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization.”

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The Trump campaign ran a number of ads on Facebook lambasting antifa.&nbsp;Those using the inverted red triangle, a symbol used by Nazis in the concentration camps, have been removed. Photograph: Facebook

The ads, which were posted on the site on pages belonging to President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, were online for about 24 hours and had received hundreds of thousands of views before they were taken down.

The inverted red triangle was used by the Nazis to identify political prisoners in concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish activist organization, drew attention to the ads on Twitter on on Wednesday, writing: “The President of the United States is campaigning for re-election using a Nazi concentration camp symbol … Trump &amp; the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors. Their masks are off.”

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The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol. 
 
Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews. 
 
Trump &amp; the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors. 
 
Their masks are off. <a href="https://t.co/UzmzDaRBup">pic.twitter.com/UzmzDaRBup</a>
— Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) <a href="https://twitter.com/jewishaction/status/1273482511918616578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"The inverted red triangle is a symbol used by antifa, so it was included in an ad about antifa," Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

"We would note that Facebook still has an inverted red triangle emoji in use, which looks exactly the same," he added.

Trump has recently accused antifa of starting riots at street protests across the US over the death in police custody of African American George Floyd.

Facebook has removed a number of posts and ads run by Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that featured a symbol used by the Nazis for violating its “policy against organised hate”.

Facebook has removed a number of posts and ads run by Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that featured a symbol used by the Nazis for violating its “policy against organised hate”. The takedown on Thursday came amid increasing pressure on Facebook from civil rights leaders, Democratic politicians, and the company’s own employees to take a stronger stance against the president’s ugly and at times violent and hateful rhetoric on the platform, though it is not the first time that Facebook has removed Trump campaign ads for violating policies. Also read: Facebook removes hundreds more accounts as right-wing violence spreads "We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate. Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol," Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson said. The company said the offending ad contained an inverted red triangle similar to that used by the Nazis to label opponents such as communists. Trump's campaign team said they were aimed at the far-left activist group antifa, which it said uses the symbol. Also read: Facebook sharpens transparency rule to close political-ad loophole The now-removed ads featured an image of an inverted red triangle with a black border and the message: “Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem. They are DESTROYING our cities and rioting – it’s absolute madness … Please add your name IMMEDIATELY to stand with your President and his decision to declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization.” The Trump campaign ran a number of ads on Facebook lambasting antifa. Those using the inverted red triangle, a symbol used by Nazis in the concentration camps, have been removed. Photograph: Facebook The ads, which were posted on the site on pages belonging to President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, were online for about 24 hours and had received hundreds of thousands of views before they were taken down. The inverted red triangle was used by the Nazis to identify political prisoners in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish activist organization, drew attention to the ads on Twitter on on Wednesday, writing: “The President of the United States is campaigning for re-election using a Nazi concentration camp symbol … Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors. Their masks are off.” The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol. Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews. Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors. Their masks are off. pic.twitter.com/UzmzDaRBup — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 18, 2020 × "The inverted red triangle is a symbol used by antifa, so it was included in an ad about antifa," Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement. "We would note that Facebook still has an inverted red triangle emoji in use, which looks exactly the same," he added. Trump has recently accused antifa of starting riots at street protests across the US over the death in police custody of African American George Floyd.

Facebook takes down Trump ads for violating its policy against 'organised hate'

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it has filed lawsuits against individuals in Europe and the United States for abusing its platforms to offer automated tools for scraping users’ personal data and gathering likes.

The social network said the defendant in the US lawsuit operated a data scraping service, called “Massroot8”, which improperly collected data by asking users to provide their Facebook login credentials. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-and-microsoft-allows-employees-to-work-from-home-till-end-of-year-297640">Also Read: Facebook and Microsoft allows employees to work from home till end of year</a>

The defendants in the European lawsuit operated a Spain-based fake engagement service that provided automation software to receive fake likes and comments on Instagram, Facebook said.

"This is one of the first times a social media company is using coordinated, multi-jurisdictional litigation to enforce its Terms and protect its users," the company said here in a blog post.&nbsp;

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it has filed lawsuits against individuals in Europe and the United States for abusing its platforms to offer automated tools for scraping users’ personal data and gathering likes.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it has filed lawsuits against individuals in Europe and the United States for abusing its platforms to offer automated tools for scraping users’ personal data and gathering likes. The social network said the defendant in the US lawsuit operated a data scraping service, called “Massroot8”, which improperly collected data by asking users to provide their Facebook login credentials. Also Read: Facebook and Microsoft allows employees to work from home till end of year The defendants in the European lawsuit operated a Spain-based fake engagement service that provided automation software to receive fake likes and comments on Instagram, Facebook said. "This is one of the first times a social media company is using coordinated, multi-jurisdictional litigation to enforce its Terms and protect its users," the company said here in a blog post.

Facebook sues individuals for offering to extract data, gather likes

Facebook on Monday rejected calls from the Australian government and news companies that it shares advertising revenue with the media, suggesting it would rather cut news content from its platform.

The US tech giant said in a submission to Australia's competition watchdog that news represents a "very small fraction" of the content in an average user's news feed.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-asks-facebook-twitter-google-to-report-monthly-on-fake-news-fight-304840">EU asks Facebook, Twitter, Google to report monthly on fake news fight</a>

"If there were no news content available on Facebook in Australia, we are confident the impact on Facebook's community metrics and revenues in Australia would not be significant," it said in a thinly veiled threat to boycott local news companies.

"Given the social value and benefit to news publishers, we would strongly prefer to continue enabling news publishers' content to be available on our platform," it said.

In an effort being closely watched around the world, Australia is set to unveil plans to force Facebook and Google to share advertising revenue they earn from news featured in their services.

The initiative has been strongly pushed by Australia's two biggest media companies, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Nine Entertainment.

They argue that the crisis roiling the news industry worldwide is mainly because of Google, Facebook and other large tech firms capturing the vast majority of online advertising revenues, without fairly compensating media companies for advertisements placed against news content.

Newspapers' loss of advertising dollars has forced cutbacks and bankruptcies across the sector, a process exacerbated by the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 170 newsrooms have seen cuts or halted publication in recent years.

Code of conduct&nbsp;

Australia's competition regulator, the ACCC, has estimated that Google and Facebook together earn some Aus$6 billion (US$4 billion) a year from advertising in the country.

Leading news publishers have demanded the two companies pay at least 10 per cent of that money each year to local news organisations.

Google last month already rejected the demand, saying it made barely Aus$10 million a year from news-linked advertising.

Google and Facebook both argue they provide hundreds of millions of dollars in value to Australian news companies by driving traffic to their websites, where they can be monetised through ads or turned into paying subscribers.

"We allow news organisations of all sizes, not just the big ones, to post links, raise awareness of their brands and drive monetisable traffic to their websites, free of charge," said Mia Garlick, Facebook's director of public policy for Australia and New Zealand.

Facebook and Google also say they provide millions of dollars to media companies through grant programmes and limited purchases of news content.

Both companies say they are willing to participate on a collaborative "code of conduct" in Australia to mediate complaints, provide greater transparency in how they rank and distribute news on their platforms and share data on user interactions with their content.

But Facebook insisted Monday it was "not healthy" to expect two private companies to solve the challenges facing Australian media.

The rejection bodes ill for ACCC-led negotiations. The watchdog has until the end of July to draw up the final code, which the government has vowed to implement quickly. 
&nbsp;

Facebook on Monday rejected calls from the Australian government and news companies that it shares advertising revenue with the media, suggesting it would rather cut news content from its platform.

Facebook on Monday rejected calls from the Australian government and news companies that it shares advertising revenue with the media, suggesting it would rather cut news content from its platform. The US tech giant said in a submission to Australia's competition watchdog that news represents a "very small fraction" of the content in an average user's news feed. Also read | EU asks Facebook, Twitter, Google to report monthly on fake news fight "If there were no news content available on Facebook in Australia, we are confident the impact on Facebook's community metrics and revenues in Australia would not be significant," it said in a thinly veiled threat to boycott local news companies. "Given the social value and benefit to news publishers, we would strongly prefer to continue enabling news publishers' content to be available on our platform," it said. In an effort being closely watched around the world, Australia is set to unveil plans to force Facebook and Google to share advertising revenue they earn from news featured in their services. The initiative has been strongly pushed by Australia's two biggest media companies, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Nine Entertainment. They argue that the crisis roiling the news industry worldwide is mainly because of Google, Facebook and other large tech firms capturing the vast majority of online advertising revenues, without fairly compensating media companies for advertisements placed against news content. Newspapers' loss of advertising dollars has forced cutbacks and bankruptcies across the sector, a process exacerbated by the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 170 newsrooms have seen cuts or halted publication in recent years. Code of conduct Australia's competition regulator, the ACCC, has estimated that Google and Facebook together earn some Aus$6 billion (US$4 billion) a year from advertising in the country. Leading news publishers have demanded the two companies pay at least 10 per cent of that money each year to local news organisations. Google last month already rejected the demand, saying it made barely Aus$10 million a year from news-linked advertising. Google and Facebook both argue they provide hundreds of millions of dollars in value to Australian news companies by driving traffic to their websites, where they can be monetised through ads or turned into paying subscribers. "We allow news organisations of all sizes, not just the big ones, to post links, raise awareness of their brands and drive monetisable traffic to their websites, free of charge," said Mia Garlick, Facebook's director of public policy for Australia and New Zealand. Facebook and Google also say they provide millions of dollars to media companies through grant programmes and limited purchases of news content. Both companies say they are willing to participate on a collaborative "code of conduct" in Australia to mediate complaints, provide greater transparency in how they rank and distribute news on their platforms and share data on user interactions with their content. But Facebook insisted Monday it was "not healthy" to expect two private companies to solve the challenges facing Australian media. The rejection bodes ill for ACCC-led negotiations. The watchdog has until the end of July to draw up the final code, which the government has vowed to implement quickly.

Facebook rejects call to share revenue with Australian media

Facebook, Google and Twitter should provide monthly reports on their fight against disinformation, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday as they called out Russia and China for their roles in the spread of fake news.

The comments underscore the bloc's concerns about the prevalence of misleading news on COVID-19 and the attempts by foreign actors to influence Europe.

The Commission said online platforms should provide monthly reports with details on their actions to promote authoritative content and to limit coronavirus disinformation and advertising related to it.

"It really showed that disinformation does not only harm the health of our democracies, it also harms the health of our citizens. It can negatively impact the economy and undermine the response of the public authorities and therefore weaken the health measures," one of the officials said, at a news conference.

The next fake news front was vaccination, citing a study showing that Germans' willingness to be vaccinated had fallen by 20 per cent points in two months.

At the conference, it was also said that video app TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, will be joining the bloc's voluntary code of conduct to combat fake news on its platform.&nbsp;

Signatories to the code of conduct include Google, Facebook, Twitter and Mozilla. 
Borrell described the fake news fight as involving warriors wielding keyboards rather than swords.

"Foreign actors and certain third countries, in particular Russia and China, have engaged in targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns in the EU, its neighbourhood, and globally," the Commission said.

The EU executive plans to counter foreign actors by stepping up its communication strategy and diplomacy, and provide more support to free and independent media, fact checkers and researchers.

Facebook, Google and Twitter should provide monthly reports on their fight against disinformation, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday as they called out Russia and China for their roles in the spread of fake news.

Facebook, Google and Twitter should provide monthly reports on their fight against disinformation, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday as they called out Russia and China for their roles in the spread of fake news. The comments underscore the bloc's concerns about the prevalence of misleading news on COVID-19 and the attempts by foreign actors to influence Europe. The Commission said online platforms should provide monthly reports with details on their actions to promote authoritative content and to limit coronavirus disinformation and advertising related to it. "It really showed that disinformation does not only harm the health of our democracies, it also harms the health of our citizens. It can negatively impact the economy and undermine the response of the public authorities and therefore weaken the health measures," one of the officials said, at a news conference. The next fake news front was vaccination, citing a study showing that Germans' willingness to be vaccinated had fallen by 20 per cent points in two months. At the conference, it was also said that video app TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, will be joining the bloc's voluntary code of conduct to combat fake news on its platform. Signatories to the code of conduct include Google, Facebook, Twitter and Mozilla. Borrell described the fake news fight as involving warriors wielding keyboards rather than swords. "Foreign actors and certain third countries, in particular Russia and China, have engaged in targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns in the EU, its neighbourhood, and globally," the Commission said. The EU executive plans to counter foreign actors by stepping up its communication strategy and diplomacy, and provide more support to free and independent media, fact checkers and researchers.

EU asks Facebook, Twitter, Google to report monthly on fake news fight

Social media giant Facebook recently removed over 200 accounts with links to white supremacy groups in the United States.

People using these accounts encouraged people to join the protests across the country, but many asked them to carry weapons and firearms to the protests.

Facebook found that these accounts, both on Instagram and the parent company, were affiliated to Proud Boys and American Guard, two white supremacy hate groups that are already banned on the platforms.

Reportedly, the company had been monitoring these accounts for a while but took the shot when they saw how the accounts were being manipulated to incite violence in the protests.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-to-introduce-a-package-of-bills-to-curb-police-excesses-304438" hreflang="en">New York to introduce a package of bills to curb police excesses</a>

"We saw that these groups were planning to rally supporters and members to physically go to the protests and in some cases were preparing to go with weapons," said Brian Fishman, Facebook's director of counterterrorism and dangerous organizations policy, in a statement.

“Approximately”, 190 accounts were removed. No other detail was made public, like the location of the people sharing the messages or of the target audience.

Facebook prohibits hate speech on its platforms, which is why it had banned these organisations on its platforms earlier. The company further said that they will continue to monitor and prevent such accounts to resurge.

Many people linked to white supremacy groups were removed from Facebook earlier this week, after it was found that they were posing to be ANTIFA members.

The murder of George Floyd in the United States has triggered protests not only in the country, but across the world. Protesters are demanding justice for Floyd while calling for an end to systemic racism which targets black people across the globe.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bail-raised-to-125-million-for-officer-charged-with-murdering-george-floyd-304432" hreflang="en">Bail raised to $1.25 million for officer charged with murdering George Floyd</a>

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo recently said that state legislators are coming up with an overhaul of criminal justice, which could pave the way for nationwide reform.

In the video that went viral after Floyd’s death, the officer was seen kneeling on the man for almost nine minutes, even when he was repeatedly telling the officer about his inability to breathe. It was only when the ambulance arrived that the officer retracted his knee from the neck. An hour later, Floyd was dead.

Social media giant Facebook recently removed over 200 accounts with links to white supremacy groups in the United States. People using these accounts encouraged people to join the protests across the country, but many asked them to carry weapons and firearms to the protests.

Social media giant Facebook recently removed over 200 accounts with links to white supremacy groups in the United States. People using these accounts encouraged people to join the protests across the country, but many asked them to carry weapons and firearms to the protests. Facebook found that these accounts, both on Instagram and the parent company, were affiliated to Proud Boys and American Guard, two white supremacy hate groups that are already banned on the platforms. Reportedly, the company had been monitoring these accounts for a while but took the shot when they saw how the accounts were being manipulated to incite violence in the protests. Also read: New York to introduce a package of bills to curb police excesses "We saw that these groups were planning to rally supporters and members to physically go to the protests and in some cases were preparing to go with weapons," said Brian Fishman, Facebook's director of counterterrorism and dangerous organizations policy, in a statement. “Approximately”, 190 accounts were removed. No other detail was made public, like the location of the people sharing the messages or of the target audience. Facebook prohibits hate speech on its platforms, which is why it had banned these organisations on its platforms earlier. The company further said that they will continue to monitor and prevent such accounts to resurge. Many people linked to white supremacy groups were removed from Facebook earlier this week, after it was found that they were posing to be ANTIFA members. The murder of George Floyd in the United States has triggered protests not only in the country, but across the world. Protesters are demanding justice for Floyd while calling for an end to systemic racism which targets black people across the globe. Also read: Bail raised to $1.25 million for officer charged with murdering George Floyd The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo recently said that state legislators are coming up with an overhaul of criminal justice, which could pave the way for nationwide reform. In the video that went viral after Floyd’s death, the officer was seen kneeling on the man for almost nine minutes, even when he was repeatedly telling the officer about his inability to breathe. It was only when the ambulance arrived that the officer retracted his knee from the neck. An hour later, Floyd was dead.

Facebook bans around 200 accounts linked to white supremacist groups for inciting violence

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company will review its policies after facing widespread backlash,&nbsp;&nbsp;including from its own employees, over the decision to leave up controversial posts from Donald Trump.

The social media giant will look at improving content policies while also building products to advance racial justice, the CEO said on Friday in response to the protests in the United States.

The announcement, which came in the form of a letter to employees, appeared aimed at quelling anger inside the company that was so severe it prompted some to quit.

The outrage was sparked when Zuckerberg said Facebook would not remove or flag Trump's recent posts that appeared to encourage violence against those protesting police racism.

<img alt="Facebook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f9c7513d-616b-44c0-a2e7-fbcdc656e79e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Capture_3.PNG" />

<aside data-component="rich-link" data-link-name="rich-link-2 | 1">
''I know many of you think we should have labeled the President’s posts in some way last week,''&nbsp;Zuckerberg&nbsp;said in a lengthy Facebook post<a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10111985969467901">,</a>&nbsp;referring to his decision not to remove inflammatory content by Trump containing the phrase ''when the looting starts, the shooting starts,'' which has racist origins&nbsp;and was&nbsp;censored by Twitter, a Facebook rival.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-employees-walk-out-after-accusing-zuckerberg-of-inadequate-policing-302499">Facebook employees walk out after accusing Zuckerberg of 'inadequate policing'</a>
</aside>

''We’re going to review potential options for handling violating or partially-violating content aside from the binary leave-it-up or take-it-down decisions,''&nbsp;Zuckerberg’s statement continued.

''Our current policy is that if content is actually inciting violence, then the right mitigation is to take that content down – not let people continue seeing it behind a flag. There is no exception to this policy for politicians or newsworthiness. I think this policy is principled and reasonable, but I also respect a lot of the people who think there may be better alternatives, so I want to make sure we hear all those ideas. I started meeting with the team yesterday and we’re continuing the discussion soon.''

Zuckerberg has faced significant backlash over the choice not to remove Trump’s post this week amid nationwide protests over police brutality.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company will review its policies after facing widespread backlash, including from its own employees, over the decision to leave up controversial posts from Donald Trump.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company will review its policies after facing widespread backlash, including from its own employees, over the decision to leave up controversial posts from Donald Trump. The social media giant will look at improving content policies while also building products to advance racial justice, the CEO said on Friday in response to the protests in the United States. The announcement, which came in the form of a letter to employees, appeared aimed at quelling anger inside the company that was so severe it prompted some to quit. The outrage was sparked when Zuckerberg said Facebook would not remove or flag Trump's recent posts that appeared to encourage violence against those protesting police racism. ''I know many of you think we should have labeled the President’s posts in some way last week,'' Zuckerberg said in a lengthy Facebook post, referring to his decision not to remove inflammatory content by Trump containing the phrase ''when the looting starts, the shooting starts,'' which has racist origins and was censored by Twitter, a Facebook rival. Also read: Facebook employees walk out after accusing Zuckerberg of 'inadequate policing' ''We’re going to review potential options for handling violating or partially-violating content aside from the binary leave-it-up or take-it-down decisions,'' Zuckerberg’s statement continued. ''Our current policy is that if content is actually inciting violence, then the right mitigation is to take that content down – not let people continue seeing it behind a flag. There is no exception to this policy for politicians or newsworthiness. I think this policy is principled and reasonable, but I also respect a lot of the people who think there may be better alternatives, so I want to make sure we hear all those ideas. I started meeting with the team yesterday and we’re continuing the discussion soon.'' Zuckerberg has faced significant backlash over the choice not to remove Trump’s post this week amid nationwide protests over police brutality.

Facebook will review policies, says Zuckerberg after backlash over Trump posts

Facebook Inc is set to start labelling Russian, Chinese and other state-controlled media organisations. It also plans to block any ads from such outlets that target US users later this summer.

The new measure comes just months ahead of the November US presidential election.

The world's biggest social network will apply the label to Russia's Sputnik, Iran's Press TV and China's Xinhua News, according to a partial list Facebook provided. The company will apply the label to about 200 pages at the outset.

The company announced plans last year to create a state media label, but is introducing the tool amid a deep crisis over its hands-off treatment of racially charged posts by US President Donald Trump.

Facebook will not label any US-based news organisations, as it determined that the government-run outlets have editorial independence.

Facebook, which has acknowledged its failure to stop Russian use of its platforms to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, has since stepped up its defences and imposed greater transparency requirements for pages and ads on its platforms.

Under the measure, Facebook will not use the label for media outlets affiliated with individual political figures or parties.

In a blog post, Facebook said its label will appear on pages globally, as well as on News Feed posts within the United States.

Facebook also said it will ban US-targetted ads from state-controlled entities "out of an abundance of caution" ahead of the November presidential election. Elsewhere, the ads will receive a label.

Facebook is not the first company to take such action.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, in 2018 started identifying video channels that predominantly carry news items and are funded by governments. But critics charge YouTube has failed to label some state news outlets, allowing them to earn ad revenue from videos with misinformation and propaganda.

Facebook Inc is set to start labelling Russian, Chinese and other state-controlled media organisations. It also plans to block any ads from such outlets that target US users later this summer.

Facebook Inc is set to start labelling Russian, Chinese and other state-controlled media organisations. It also plans to block any ads from such outlets that target US users later this summer. The new measure comes just months ahead of the November US presidential election. The world's biggest social network will apply the label to Russia's Sputnik, Iran's Press TV and China's Xinhua News, according to a partial list Facebook provided. The company will apply the label to about 200 pages at the outset. The company announced plans last year to create a state media label, but is introducing the tool amid a deep crisis over its hands-off treatment of racially charged posts by US President Donald Trump. Facebook will not label any US-based news organisations, as it determined that the government-run outlets have editorial independence. Facebook, which has acknowledged its failure to stop Russian use of its platforms to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, has since stepped up its defences and imposed greater transparency requirements for pages and ads on its platforms. Under the measure, Facebook will not use the label for media outlets affiliated with individual political figures or parties. In a blog post, Facebook said its label will appear on pages globally, as well as on News Feed posts within the United States. Facebook also said it will ban US-targetted ads from state-controlled entities "out of an abundance of caution" ahead of the November presidential election. Elsewhere, the ads will receive a label. Facebook is not the first company to take such action. YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, in 2018 started identifying video channels that predominantly carry news items and are funded by governments. But critics charge YouTube has failed to label some state news outlets, allowing them to earn ad revenue from videos with misinformation and propaganda.

Facebook to place state media labels on Russian, Chinese outlets

There is an internal protest on Facebook. Employees are unhappy with CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to not remove a post by U.S. President Donald Trump. Facebook employees are tweeting against their CEO, some are even staging virtual walkouts. WION's Palki Sharma gets you the details.

Gravitas: Facebook is facing a mutiny

Over 30 former employees from Facebook's early days have blasted CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to not act against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump as "cowardly" and a "betrayal" of company ideals.

The open letter, initially reported by the New York Times, deepened a crisis facing Facebook's leadership team, who had to defend their decision at a tense all-hands meeting the day prior following an employee walkout over the issue.

It all started after rival social network Twitter began putting warning labels on several Trump tweets that the platform said contained misleading information and glorified violence. Questions were then raised on similar posts on Facebook and apparent inaction by Zuckerberg.&nbsp;

Snapchat also has taken a hard line, booting Trump's account on Wednesday from a curated "discover" section of its app which promotes fresh content. It said it would not amplify voices inciting "racist violence."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/snapchat-stops-promoting-trumps-posts-for-inciting-racial-violence-303061">Also read |&nbsp;Snapchat stops promoting Trump's posts for inciting 'racial violence'</a>

Facebook left the same posts untouched.

The former employees, including a staffer who opened Facebook's office in Washington, implored Zuckerberg to implement checks on speech by political leaders as it does for other users, including fact-checks and labels on harmful posts.

"The company we joined valued giving individuals a voice as loud as their government's — protecting the powerless rather than the powerful," they wrote.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-facebook-is-facing-a-mutiny-303074">Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Facebook is facing a mutiny</a>

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Facebook's current approach, they said, "is not a noble stand for freedom. It is incoherent, and worse, it is cowardly."

The group warned that Trump's post on Friday, which used the racially charged phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in reference to protests over the police killing of a black man in Minnesota, could incite violence.

"In an age of live-streamed shootings, Facebook should know the danger of this better than most," they said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-defends-decision-to-label-trumps-tweets-says-it-is-to-provide-context-not-fact-checking-303057">Also read |&nbsp;Twitter defends decision to label Trump's tweets, says it is to provide 'context, not fact-checking'</a>

Over 30 former employees from Facebook's early days have blasted CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to not act against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump as "cowardly" and a "betrayal" of company ideals.

Over 30 former employees from Facebook's early days have blasted CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to not act against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump as "cowardly" and a "betrayal" of company ideals. The open letter, initially reported by the New York Times, deepened a crisis facing Facebook's leadership team, who had to defend their decision at a tense all-hands meeting the day prior following an employee walkout over the issue. It all started after rival social network Twitter began putting warning labels on several Trump tweets that the platform said contained misleading information and glorified violence. Questions were then raised on similar posts on Facebook and apparent inaction by Zuckerberg. Snapchat also has taken a hard line, booting Trump's account on Wednesday from a curated "discover" section of its app which promotes fresh content. It said it would not amplify voices inciting "racist violence." Also read | Snapchat stops promoting Trump's posts for inciting 'racial violence' Facebook left the same posts untouched. The former employees, including a staffer who opened Facebook's office in Washington, implored Zuckerberg to implement checks on speech by political leaders as it does for other users, including fact-checks and labels on harmful posts. "The company we joined valued giving individuals a voice as loud as their government's — protecting the powerless rather than the powerful," they wrote. Watch | Gravitas: Facebook is facing a mutiny × Facebook's current approach, they said, "is not a noble stand for freedom. It is incoherent, and worse, it is cowardly." The group warned that Trump's post on Friday, which used the racially charged phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in reference to protests over the police killing of a black man in Minnesota, could incite violence. "In an age of live-streamed shootings, Facebook should know the danger of this better than most," they said. Also read | Twitter defends decision to label Trump's tweets, says it is to provide 'context, not fact-checking'

Facebook employees from early days denounce Zuckerberg stance on Trump posts

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told his employees that he stands by his decision to not challenge inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump in the wake of his employees staging a rare public protest.

A group of Facebook staffers walked off the job on Monday. They complained the company should have acted against Trump’s posts containing the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

On Friday, Twitter Inc affixed a warning label to a Trump tweet about widespread protests over the death of a black man in Minnesota that included the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Twitter said the post violated its rules against glorifying violence but was left up as a public interest exception, with reduced options for interactions and distribution.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-employees-walk-out-after-accusing-zuckerberg-of-inadequate-policing-302499">Also read |&nbsp;</a><a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/facebook-employees-walk-out-after-accusing-zuckerberg-of-inadequate-policing-302499" hreflang="en">Facebook employees walk out after accusing Zuckerberg of 'inadequate policing'</a>

Facebook declined to act on the same message, and Zuckerberg sought to distance his company from the fight between the president and Twitter. He maintained that while he found Trump’s remarks “deeply offensive,” they did not violate company policy against incitements to violence.

Zuckerberg told his employees on a video chat that Facebook had conducted a thorough review and was right to leave the posts unchallenged, a company spokeswoman said.

She said Zuckerberg also acknowledged the decision had upset many employees and said the company was looking into “non-binary” options beyond either leaving up such posts or taking them down.

One Facebook employee, who tweeted criticism on Monday, posted again on Twitter during the all-hands meeting to express disappointment.

“It’s crystal clear today that leadership refuses to stand with us,” Facebook employee Brandon Dail wrote on Twitter. Dail’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a user interface engineer at Facebook in Seattle.

Timothy Aveni, a junior software engineer on Facebook’s team dedicated to fighting misinformation, announced his resignation in protest over that decision.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-will-not-be-arbiters-of-truth-says-zuckerberg-after-trump-threat-301827">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat</a>

“Mark always told us that he would draw the line at speech that calls for violence. He showed us on Friday that this was a lie. Facebook will keep moving the goalposts every time Trump escalates, finding excuse after excuse not to act,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Civil rights leaders who attended an hour-long video call on Monday night with Zuckerberg and other top Facebook executives called the CEO’s defense of the hands-off approach to Trump’s “incomprehensible.”

“He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters,” said a joint statement from leaders of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Color of Change.

Some critics posted calls on Twitter for Facebook’s independent oversight board to weigh in. But the board will not review any cases until early fall, and users initially will only be able to appeal to the board about removed content, not content that Facebook has decided to leave untouched. The board, which can overrule Zuckerberg, will only review a small slice of content decisions.

Zuckerberg spoke with Trump on Friday, as first reported by news website Axios.

(with inputs from Reuters)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told his employees that he stands by his decision to not challenge inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump in the wake of his employees staging a rare public protest.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told his employees that he stands by his decision to not challenge inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump in the wake of his employees staging a rare public protest. A group of Facebook staffers walked off the job on Monday. They complained the company should have acted against Trump’s posts containing the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” On Friday, Twitter Inc affixed a warning label to a Trump tweet about widespread protests over the death of a black man in Minnesota that included the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter said the post violated its rules against glorifying violence but was left up as a public interest exception, with reduced options for interactions and distribution. Also read | Facebook employees walk out after accusing Zuckerberg of 'inadequate policing' Facebook declined to act on the same message, and Zuckerberg sought to distance his company from the fight between the president and Twitter. He maintained that while he found Trump’s remarks “deeply offensive,” they did not violate company policy against incitements to violence. Zuckerberg told his employees on a video chat that Facebook had conducted a thorough review and was right to leave the posts unchallenged, a company spokeswoman said. She said Zuckerberg also acknowledged the decision had upset many employees and said the company was looking into “non-binary” options beyond either leaving up such posts or taking them down. One Facebook employee, who tweeted criticism on Monday, posted again on Twitter during the all-hands meeting to express disappointment. “It’s crystal clear today that leadership refuses to stand with us,” Facebook employee Brandon Dail wrote on Twitter. Dail’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a user interface engineer at Facebook in Seattle. Timothy Aveni, a junior software engineer on Facebook’s team dedicated to fighting misinformation, announced his resignation in protest over that decision. Also read | Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat “Mark always told us that he would draw the line at speech that calls for violence. He showed us on Friday that this was a lie. Facebook will keep moving the goalposts every time Trump escalates, finding excuse after excuse not to act,” he wrote in a Facebook post. Civil rights leaders who attended an hour-long video call on Monday night with Zuckerberg and other top Facebook executives called the CEO’s defense of the hands-off approach to Trump’s “incomprehensible.” “He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters,” said a joint statement from leaders of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Color of Change. Some critics posted calls on Twitter for Facebook’s independent oversight board to weigh in. But the board will not review any cases until early fall, and users initially will only be able to appeal to the board about removed content, not content that Facebook has decided to leave untouched. The board, which can overrule Zuckerberg, will only review a small slice of content decisions. Zuckerberg spoke with Trump on Friday, as first reported by news website Axios. (with inputs from Reuters)

After staff walkout, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg defends no action on Trump posts

Facebook employees walked away from their work-from-home desks on Monday and took to Twitter to accuse Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg of inadequately policing US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's posts as strictly as the rival platform has done.

The move of the employees,&nbsp;critical of Zuckerberg's decision to leave Trump's most inflammatory verbiage unchallenged where Twitter had labeled it, is&nbsp;reminiscent of a 2018 walkout at Alphabet Inc's&nbsp;Google over sexual harassment.

As protests and rioting over the death in police custody of Floyd&nbsp;spread through several American cities this weekend, Zuckerberg was forced to defend Facebook’s position as, in his words, ''an institution committed to free expression.''

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-will-not-be-arbiters-of-truth-says-zuckerberg-after-trump-threat-301827">Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat</a>

Ryan Freitas, who leads Facebook’s News Feed design team, tweeted:&nbsp;

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Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind.
— Ryan Freitas (@ryanchris) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanchris/status/1267252760182788096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Jason Toff, who joined Facebook as a director of product management a year ago, pointed to a broader upsurge of employee activism inside the company.

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I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard.
— Jason Toff (@jasontoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasontoff/status/1267318891203530752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Andrew Crow, head of design for Facebook’s Portal video-conferencing device, tweeted:

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Censoring information that might help people see the complete picture *is* wrong. But giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy. I disagree with Mark’s position and will work to make change happen.
— Andrew (@AndrewCrow) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewCrow/status/1267313197377187842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Jason Stirman, a member of the company’s R&amp;D team and the former chief executive of the “mental training” app Lucid, also posted on Twitter, saying:

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I don't know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not acceptable. I'm a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark's decision to do nothing about Trump's recent posts, which clearly incite violence. I'm not alone inside of FB. There isn't a neutral position on racism.
— Stirman (@stirman) <a href="https://twitter.com/stirman/status/1266876587472896000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Some appealed to the company’s oversight board, a quasi-independent body that Facebook has funded to act as a ''supreme court''&nbsp;capable of ruling on difficult questions around content moderation.

But on Saturday, the board said it would not be able to intervene in time, but was ''working hard to set the board up to begin operating later this year.'

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There are many significant issues relating to online content that we recognize people want the Board to consider. We're working hard to set the Board up to begin operating later this year so it can start considering cases referred by users and Facebook.
— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) <a href="https://twitter.com/OversightBoard/status/1266736657509875718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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It was a rare case of staff publicly taking their CEO to task, with one employee tweeting that thousands participated. Among them were all seven engineers on the team maintaining the React code library which supports Facebook's apps.

Facebook Inc will allow employees participating in the protest to take the time off without drawing down their vacation days, spokesman Andy Stone said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fact-checking-doesnt-make-twitter-arbiter-of-truth-jack-dorseys-retort-to-donald-trump-301527">Fact-checking doesn't make Twitter 'arbiter of truth': Jack Dorsey's retort to Donald Trump</a>

Separately, online therapy company Talkspace said it ended partnership discussions with Facebook. Talkspace CEO Oren Frank tweeted he would "not support a platform that incites violence, racism, and lies.''

Executives and companies across the tech industry, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Netflix, as well as Salesforce, Slack, Uber and Twitter, expressed their support for anti-racism and criminal justice campaigns, through messages to employees, on their homepages or through official social media accounts.

Tech workers at companies including Facebook, Google, and Amazon.com Inc&nbsp;have pursued social justice issues in recent years, urging the companies to change policies.

Facebook employees walked away from their work-from-home desks on Monday and took to Twitter to accuse Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg of inadequately policing US President Donald Trump's posts as strictly as the rival platform has done.

Facebook employees walked away from their work-from-home desks on Monday and took to Twitter to accuse Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg of inadequately policing US President Donald Trump's posts as strictly as the rival platform has done. The move of the employees, critical of Zuckerberg's decision to leave Trump's most inflammatory verbiage unchallenged where Twitter had labeled it, is reminiscent of a 2018 walkout at Alphabet Inc's Google over sexual harassment. As protests and rioting over the death in police custody of Floyd spread through several American cities this weekend, Zuckerberg was forced to defend Facebook’s position as, in his words, ''an institution committed to free expression.'' Also read: Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat Ryan Freitas, who leads Facebook’s News Feed design team, tweeted: Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind. — Ryan Freitas (@ryanchris) June 1, 2020 × Jason Toff, who joined Facebook as a director of product management a year ago, pointed to a broader upsurge of employee activism inside the company. I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard. — Jason Toff (@jasontoff) June 1, 2020 × Andrew Crow, head of design for Facebook’s Portal video-conferencing device, tweeted: Censoring information that might help people see the complete picture *is* wrong. But giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy. I disagree with Mark’s position and will work to make change happen. — Andrew (@AndrewCrow) June 1, 2020 × Jason Stirman, a member of the company’s R&D team and the former chief executive of the “mental training” app Lucid, also posted on Twitter, saying: I don't know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not acceptable. I'm a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark's decision to do nothing about Trump's recent posts, which clearly incite violence. I'm not alone inside of FB. There isn't a neutral position on racism. — Stirman (@stirman) May 30, 2020 × Some appealed to the company’s oversight board, a quasi-independent body that Facebook has funded to act as a ''supreme court'' capable of ruling on difficult questions around content moderation. But on Saturday, the board said it would not be able to intervene in time, but was ''working hard to set the board up to begin operating later this year.' There are many significant issues relating to online content that we recognize people want the Board to consider. We're working hard to set the Board up to begin operating later this year so it can start considering cases referred by users and Facebook. — Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) May 30, 2020 × It was a rare case of staff publicly taking their CEO to task, with one employee tweeting that thousands participated. Among them were all seven engineers on the team maintaining the React code library which supports Facebook's apps. Facebook Inc will allow employees participating in the protest to take the time off without drawing down their vacation days, spokesman Andy Stone said. Also read: Fact-checking doesn't make Twitter 'arbiter of truth': Jack Dorsey's retort to Donald Trump Separately, online therapy company Talkspace said it ended partnership discussions with Facebook. Talkspace CEO Oren Frank tweeted he would "not support a platform that incites violence, racism, and lies.'' Executives and companies across the tech industry, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Netflix, as well as Salesforce, Slack, Uber and Twitter, expressed their support for anti-racism and criminal justice campaigns, through messages to employees, on their homepages or through official social media accounts. Tech workers at companies including Facebook, Google, and Amazon.com Inc have pursued social justice issues in recent years, urging the companies to change policies.

Facebook employees walk out after accusing Zuckerberg of 'inadequate policing'

Facebook employees critical of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to remove&nbsp;an inflammatory comment from U.S. President Donald Trump took their dissent public over the weekend on Twitter, praising the rival social media firm for taking action and rebuking their own employer.

Many tech workers at companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon have become active on social justice issues in recent years and urged their employers take action and change policies.&nbsp;

Still, the criticism of Zuckerberg marked a rare case of high-level employees publicly taking their own CEO to task, with at least three of the seven critical posts seen by Reuters coming from people who identified themselves as senior managers.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/facebook-will-not-be-arbiters-of-truth-says-zuckerberg-after-trump-threat-301827" hreflang="en">Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat</a>

“Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind," wrote Ryan Freitas, whose Twitter account identifies him as director of product design for Facebook’s News Feed. He added he had mobilized "50+ likeminded folks" to lobby for internal change.

Jason Toff, identified as director of product management, wrote: "I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard."

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the employee dissent.

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Twitter on Friday hid a tweet from Trump that included the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" behind a warning label. It explained the tweet violated Twitter's rules against "glorifying violence" but was being left up as a "public service exception."&nbsp;

Facebook declined to take action on the same message, with Zuckerberg saying in a Facebook post on Friday that while he found the remarks "deeply offensive," the company decided they did not violate its policy against "incitements to violence."

Some of the dissenting employees directly praised Twitter's response.

"Respect to @Twitter’s integrity team for making the enforcement call," wrote David Gillis, identified as a director of product design. In a long Twitter thread he said he understood the logic of Facebook's decision, but said: "I think it would have been right for us to make a 'spirit of the policy' exception that took more context into account."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/facebook-plans-to-shift-to-work-from-home-lesser-salary-packages-expected-300372" hreflang="en">Facebook plans to shift to work-from-home; lesser salary packages expected</a>

Toff was one of several Facebook employees who were organizing fundraisers for non-profit groups assisting protesters in Minnesota. Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post early Monday that the company would contribute an additional $10 million to social justice causes.&nbsp;

"Giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy," wrote another Facebook manager, Andrew Crow, head of design for the Portal product. "I disagree with Mark’s position and will work to make change happen."

Facebook employees critical of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to remove an inflammatory comment from U.S. President Donald Trump took their dissent public over the weekend on Twitter, praising the rival social media firm for taking action and rebuking their own employer.

Facebook employees critical of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to remove an inflammatory comment from U.S. President Donald Trump took their dissent public over the weekend on Twitter, praising the rival social media firm for taking action and rebuking their own employer. Many tech workers at companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon have become active on social justice issues in recent years and urged their employers take action and change policies. Still, the criticism of Zuckerberg marked a rare case of high-level employees publicly taking their own CEO to task, with at least three of the seven critical posts seen by Reuters coming from people who identified themselves as senior managers. Also read: Facebook will not be 'arbiters of truth', says Zuckerberg after Trump threat “Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind," wrote Ryan Freitas, whose Twitter account identifies him as director of product design for Facebook’s News Feed. He added he had mobilized "50+ likeminded folks" to lobby for internal change. Jason Toff, identified as director of product management, wrote: "I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard." Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the employee dissent. Twitter on Friday hid a tweet from Trump that included the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" behind a warning label. It explained the tweet violated Twitter's rules against "glorifying violence" but was being left up as a "public service exception." Facebook declined to take action on the same message, with Zuckerberg saying in a Facebook post on Friday that while he found the remarks "deeply offensive," the company decided they did not violate its policy against "incitements to violence." Some of the dissenting employees directly praised Twitter's response. "Respect to @Twitter’s integrity team for making the enforcement call," wrote David Gillis, identified as a director of product design. In a long Twitter thread he said he understood the logic of Facebook's decision, but said: "I think it would have been right for us to make a 'spirit of the policy' exception that took more context into account." Also read: Facebook plans to shift to work-from-home; lesser salary packages expected Toff was one of several Facebook employees who were organizing fundraisers for non-profit groups assisting protesters in Minnesota. Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post early Monday that the company would contribute an additional $10 million to social justice causes. "Giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy," wrote another Facebook manager, Andrew Crow, head of design for the Portal product. "I disagree with Mark’s position and will work to make change happen."

Facebook's Zuckerberg faces employee blowback over ruling on Trump comments

The U.S. President is set to pass an executive order to curtail censorship powers of social media platforms. Meanwhile Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey (@jack) are sparring over Twitter's decision to fact-check Donald Trump's tweets.

Gravitas: Twitter & Facebook clash over Trump

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