Mercer County and Trenton officials said Monday they are investigating 'rumblings' posted on social media about the shooting that killed one and injured 22 people early Sunday morning at the Art All Night festival in downtown Trenton. Councilman-elect Jerell Blakeley showed reporters a statement posted by an unknown source Saturday that said, "Please. Please. Please. Do Not Go to the Art All Night. They will be shooting it up." On Monday, Blakeley told NJ Advance Media that although the statement was posted Saturday, he didn't see it until after the shooting spree occurred. Blakeley added that he was aware there were "some rumblings online" about a fight, and believed law enforcement was aware of the posts. A county official said they saw the warning after the shooting. "We have been made aware of Facebook and social media posts and are trying to run down the timing of when those posts may have been made," Casey DeBlasio, a spokesperson for the Mercer County … [Read more...] about ‘They will be shooting it up’ Facebook post warned about Trenton festival chaos
Judge Asked to Toss Lawsuit Challenging Gosar’s Facebook Blocks
The House general counsel is asking a federal judge in Arizona to throw out a lawsuit seeking to bar Rep. Paul Gosar from blocking constituents on Facebook. Thomas Hungar said the two plaintiffs, who sued Gosar after he blocked them on the social media platform, do not have standing to sue the representative because they are not blocked from his page anymore, according to local media reports. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the plaintiffs in the case and hopes that U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell will rule that lawmakers blocking constituents on social media violates their First Amendment rights. Such a ruling could set legal precedent restricting members of Congress from policing comments on their official social media pages. In his lastest filing, Hungar is effectively asking the judge to dodge weighty free speech issues by dismissing the case on procedural grounds. Hungar said that the plaintiffs, Arizona residents J’aime … [Read more...] about Judge Asked to Toss Lawsuit Challenging Gosar’s Facebook Blocks
Foretold on Facebook: A Colorado Springs veteran leaps to his death
0 View Gallery View Comments Hours after being discharged from a mental health treatment facility, 38-year-old disabled veteran Lee Cole hiked into a wilderness area in southwest Colorado Springs with a backpack and the cellphone on which he planned to record his final message. Most of that roughly four-minute Facebook Live video, posted publicly the evening of April 23, shows a wobbly pan around a bramble-choked gully, with only a fleeting careen over Lee's expressionless face. Turn up the volume, though, and his pain is achingly clear. "I'm gonna die tonight," he says, in a taut and breathless voice, his dark pronouncement backed by a dissonant chorus of birdsong. "I'm going to find the highest cliff here and jump off." The video spread quickly among Lee's Facebook intimates and then beyond, with friends, acquaintances and strangers posting prayers and pleas, and then joining the family to try to pinpoint his last known location. By the following day, his brother, Clayton … [Read more...] about Foretold on Facebook: A Colorado Springs veteran leaps to his death
Facebook set to ban weapon accessory ads for users under the age of 18
File photo - The Facebook logo is displayed on their website in an illustration photo taken in Bordeaux, France, Feb. 1, 2017. (REUTERS/Regis Duvignau) Facebook will prevent advertisers from showing weapon accessory ads to minors, the social network has announced. The move comes in the wake of the deadly school shootings at Parkland, Fla. and Santa Fe, Texas. On Feb. 14, 17 people died and several were wounded in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Last month, 10 people were killed and 13 wounded when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School near Houston. “We already prohibit ads for weapon sales and modifications like magazines,” explained Facebook, in a blog post. “However, advertisers have been able to promote other weapons accessories, including products that are mounted on guns for the purposes of illuminating, magnifying or focusing in on (e.g. optics, flashlights) a target as well as holsters and belt … [Read more...] about Facebook set to ban weapon accessory ads for users under the age of 18
Google, Facebook Propel Jump in Global Ad-Spending Forecast
By Alexandra Bruell Alexandra Bruell The Wall Street Journal BiographyAlexandra Bruell [email protected] June 18, 2018 1:30 a.m. ET 0 COMMENTS The backlash against Google and Facebook FB 1.26% from some big marketers isn’t denting their ad business. Magna, a division of Interpublic Group of Companies, predicts global ad revenue will increase 6.4% to $551 billion this year, up from an earlier projection of 5.2% growth, including ad spending on cyclical events like the Olympics. The reason for the adjustment is the growth of the digital ad titans. While some brands have pulled back in spending on Google and Facebook due to issues that range from brand safety to performance challenges, ad buys from small and local businesses are more than making up for the cuts, said Vincent Letang, executive vice president of global market intelligence at Magna. “The thing really that we revise up for is digital,” Mr. Letang said. Growth from small and local … [Read more...] about Google, Facebook Propel Jump in Global Ad-Spending Forecast