Tag Archives: Facebook

Politico reports: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was the beneficiary of at least one of the Russian-bought political ads on Facebook that federal government officials suspect were intended to influence the 2016 election. Other advertisements paid for by shadowy Russian buyers criticized Hillary Clinton and promoted Donald Trump. Some backed Bernie Sanders and his platform even after his presidential …

Buzzfeed reports: Steve Bannon plotted to plant a mole inside Facebook, according to emails sent days before the Breitbart boss took over Donald Trump’s campaign and obtained by BuzzFeed News. The email exchange with a conservative Washington operative reveals the importance that the giant tech platform — now reeling from its role in the 2016 election — held for one …

The Daily Beast reports: In his latest early morning tweetstorm, President Trump called the reports of Russian ads on Facebook a “hoax” and pointed the finger, once again at former challenger Hillary Clinton: “What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?” The Daily Beast first reported Russian efforts to mobilize Trump voters during the …

The New York Times reports: Under growing public pressure to reveal more about the spread of covert Russian propaganda on its site, Facebook said on Thursday that it was turning over more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads to Congressional committees investigating the Kremlin’s influence operation during the 2016 presidential election. “I care deeply about the democratic process and protecting its integrity,” …

The Daily Beast reports: Suspected Russia propagandists on Facebook tried to organize more than a dozen pro-Trump rallies in Florida during last year’s election, The Daily Beast has learned. The demonstrations—at least one of which was promoted online by local pro-Trump activists— brought dozens of supporters together in real life. They appear to be the first case of Russian provocateurs …

During her appearance on last night’s Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton took aim at Facebook’s role in spreading fake news during the 2016 election. The Hill reports: “We may have our disagreements among Americans, we’re not going to let the Russians come in and divide us. And so we’re going to make Facebook own up to everything. They’ve just begun …

The Washington Post reports: Representatives of Facebook told congressional investigators Wednesday that it has discovered it sold ads during the U.S. presidential election to a shadowy Russian company seeking to target voters, according to several people familiar with the company’s findings. Facebook officials reported that they traced the ad sales, totaling $100,000, to a Russian “troll farm” with a history …

Reuters reports: Russian intelligence agents attempted to spy on President Emmanuel Macron’s election campaign earlier this year by creating phony Facebook personas, according to a U.S. congressman and two other people briefed on the effort. About two dozen Facebook accounts were created to conduct surveillance on Macron campaign officials and others close to the centrist former financier as he sought …

USA Today reports: It’s the biggest status update ever from Mark Zuckerberg: Two billion people — more than a quarter of the world’s population — hang out on Facebook at least once a month. The milestone that Zuckerberg announced Tuesday is all the more remarkable because no other Internet company has ever reached it. If Facebook were a country, it …

Facebook this afternoon published a blog post outlining their artificial intelligence strategies in combating terrorists who use the site to spread propaganda, recruit, and share tactics. An excerpt: We want to find terrorist content immediately, before people in our community have seen it. Already, the majority of accounts we remove for terrorism we find ourselves. But we know we can …

The Dallas Morning News reports: The CEOs of 14 top companies, including Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, have sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott urging him not to pass discriminatory legislation. “As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families,” the …

Politico reports: A member of the Federal Election Commission is calling on the agency to investigate whether Russian agents paid for Facebook ads to spread damaging stories about Hillary Clinton ahead of last fall’s presidential election. “I think there is potential there for finding a violation, but I don’t want to suggest that I have prejudged anything that could potentially …

Posted this morning by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook — either live or in video posted later. It’s heartbreaking, and I’ve been reflecting on how we can do better for our community. If we’re going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly. We’re working …

GoErie.com reports: Erie police have confirmed the suicide in Erie on Tuesday of Steve Stephens, the Cleveland resident suspected of fatally shooting a Cleveland man on Sunday and posting video of the slaying on Facebook. Stephens died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while driving a white Ford Fusion near Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue around 11:10 a.m., police said. State …

The BBC reports: Facebook is launching an educational tool as part of measures it is taking to counter fake news. For three days, an ad will appear at the top of users’ news feeds linking to advice on “how to spot fake news” and report it. The campaign, which will be promoted in 14 countries, is “designed to help people …

Raw Story reports: President-elect Donald Trump has been having a hard time convincing people his inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20 is a worthy event to attend. Trump shared a video on his Facebook page just days before his swearing in to the highest office of the United States, with a key message, “See you on January 20th.” Now the president-elect …

In an interview with right wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, incoming White House press secretary and current RNC spokesman Sean Spicer today suggested that Trump will communicate largely through social media instead of traditional press conferences. Via Mediaite: “Do you expect him to keep up a regular and as energetic a series of press conferences as previous presidents?” Hewitt asked …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Family members of three men killed in the Pulse nightclub attack are suing Twitter, Facebook and Google, claiming that the social media companies allowed the so-called Islamic State to post propaganda and push its agenda. The suit was filed Monday in a federal court in eastern Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, 25; …

Casey Newton writes at The Verge: Facebook is capping one of the longest weeks in American history by telling everyone that they are dead. Log on to your profile and there’s a good chance it will have a memorial banner sitting on top of it, urging your friends and family members to remember you. “We hope people who love Casey …

Wired reports: Tonight, the Trump campaign is kicking off a show that will air on the candidate’s Facebook page every night at 6:30 pm ET via Facebook Live from the campaign war room at Trump Tower. The show will be hosted by Boris Epshteyn, a senior adviser to the campaign, Tomi Lahren, a conservative commentator for Glen Beck’s TheBlaze, and …