Dispatches investigation reveals how facebook moderates content

The CEO of advertising giant WPP, Martin Sorrel, declared advertisers boycotting YouTube for hosting extremist content “doesn’t make sense,” but that Google and Facebook need to “step up” their fight against the inappropriate content on their platform. Speaking to CNBC , Sorrel discussed the recent boycott of YouTube by many advertisers who were upset that advertisements for their products were appearing alongside extremist content on the video sharing platform. Sorrell stated that while companies may have reason to temporarily disable their ads on YouTube, a permanent suspension of ads on the platform is not beneficial to YouTube or advertisers. “Boycotting what is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful medium, doesn’t make sense,” Sorrell told CNBC. WPP invests a lot of money in advertisement, spending $5 billion advertising with Google last year on behalf of their clients. This makes Google the largest digital platform that the company invests in, spending … [Read more...] about Advertising CEO: Google, Facebook Must ‘Step Up’ to Fight Extremist Content on Their Platforms

Gab founder and CEO Andrew Torba was temporarily banned from Facebook last night after sharing a link to Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos’ Dangerous Faggot tour trailer just hours before his event at Texas Tech university. Torba documented the temporary suspension from Facebook on Twitter and Gab, relaying his confusion as to the reason of his ban and the removal of the post, which purely consisted of a link to the video and the comment, “Wew lads… Coming to college campuses everywhere. Release the frogs.” https://twitter.com/torbahax/status/775492029648293888 https://twitter.com/torbahax/status/775521165477412864 “I shared a link to Milo’s new tour trailer on Facebook hours before his first live show. About an hour before the show at Texas Tech, Milo started actively posting on Gab promoting it. During the livestream I went to check my Facebook only to find that I was logged out. When I logged back in, I was told the link to Milo’s trailer had been removed for me because … [Read more...] about Facebook Suspends Gab CEO Andrew Torba for Sharing Milo Video

Social media platforms TikTok and Facebook say rumors spreading about a "National Rape Day" on April 24 are unsubstantiated. TikTok users have been warning others to be careful on Saturday after videos declaring the day "National Rape Day" circulated on the platform. The theory posits that a group of men were caught on video encouraging others to follow their lead and engage in sexual assaults on the designated day, according to USA Today . However, TikTok told USA Today it could not find evidence of an original video behind the trend. ADVERTISEMENT Talk of the video went viral on TikTok, causing panic among users who urged others to stay home on Saturday and avoid risking their personal safety. The warnings spread across other social media platforms as well, such as Facebook, where many posts were flagged as false information. The Hill has reached out to Facebook for comment. TikTok is also working to dispel rumors of "National Rape Day," reporting none of the … [Read more...] about TikTok, Facebook tamp down false rumor about ‘National Rape Day’

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black teenager seen on video charging at two people with a knife, came within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd’s killing — causing outrage by some over the continued use of lethal force by Columbus police. Officials with the Columbus Division of Police released body cam footage of the shooting Tuesday night just hours after it happened, a departure from protocol as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes. READ MORE: Columbus Police Show Body Camera Footage Of Officer Fatally Shooting 16-Year-Old Girl (Photo Credit: CBS News) The girl was identified by Franklin County Children Services, which said in a release that the 16-year-old Bryant was under the care of the agency at the time of her death. The 10-second clip begins with the officer getting out of his car at a house where police had been dispatched … [Read more...] about Columbus Police Release 10-Second Body Cam Clip Of Ma’Khia Bryant’s Shooting, Criminal Investigation Bureau Reviewing Incident

Facebook-owned Instagram announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new tool to help users automatically filter out direct messages (DMs) that contain offensive words, phrases, and even emojis. The tool is geared toward celebrities and public figures, who receive unwanted DMs in their message requests, the social media platform explained in its announcement . “We know that many in our community, particularly people with larger followings, have faced abuse in their DM request inbox from people they don’t follow,” Instagram said. “Because DMs are private conversations, we don’t proactively look for hate speech or bullying the same way we do elsewhere on Instagram,” the site added. “That’s why we’re introducing a new tool which, when turned on, will automatically filter DM requests containing offensive words, phrases and emojis, so you never have to see them.” Instagram also said the tool will focus on message requests, “because this is where people usually receive abusive … [Read more...] about Instagram to Launch Tool that Automatically Filters Out ‘Abusive’ Messages