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Facebook takes down 16,000 groups trading fake reviews after another poke by UK’s CMA

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facebook takes down 16000 groups trading fake reviews after another poke by uks cma

Facebook has removed 16,000 groups that were trading fake reviews on its platform after another intervention by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator said today.

The CMA has been leaning on tech giants to prevent their platforms being used as thriving marketplaces for selling fake reviews since it began investigating the issue in 2018 — pressuring both eBay and Facebook to act against fake review sellers back in 2019.

The two companies pledged to do more to tackle the insidious trade förra året, after coming under further pressure from the regulator — which found that Facebook-owned Instagram was also a thriving hub of fake review trades.

The latest intervention by the CMA looks considerably more substantial than last year’s action — when Facebook removed a mere 188 groups and disabled 24 user accounts. Although it’s not clear how many accounts the tech giant has banned and/or suspended this time it has removed orders of magnitude more groups. (We’ve asked.)

Update: We understand that the regulator has focused on the removal of groups trading misleading/fake reviews, rather than individual accounts — as banned or suspended users are able to create new profiles, whereas removing the group in which fake reviews are being traded is seen as a more effective way to impact and deter the activity.

Facebook was also contacted with questions but it did not answer what we asked directly, sending us this statement instead:

“We have engaged extensively with the CMA to address this issue. Fraudulent and deceptive activity is not allowed on our platforms, including offering or trading fake reviews. Our safety and security teams are continually working to help prevent these practices.”

Since the CMA has been raising the issue of fake review trading, Facebook has been repeatedly criticised for not doing enough to clean up its platforms, plural.

Today the regulator said the social media giant has made further changes to the systems it uses for “identifying, removing and preventing the trading of fake and/or misleading reviews on its platforms to ensure it is fulfilling its previous commitments”.

It’s not clear why it’s taken Facebook well over a year — and a number of high profile interventions — to dial up action against the trade in fake reviews. But the company suggested that the resources it has available to tackle the problem had been strained as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated impacts, such as home working. (Facebook’s full year revenue increased in 2020 but so too did its expenses.)

According to the CMA changes Facebook has made to its system for combating traders of fake reviews include:

  • suspending or banning users who are repeatedly creating Facebook groups and Instagram profiles that promote, encourage or facilitate fake and misleading reviews
  • introducing new automated processes that will improve the detection and removal of this content
  • making it harder for people to use Facebook’s search tools to find fake and misleading review groups and profiles on Facebook and Instagram
  • putting in place dedicated processes to make sure that these changes continue to work effectively and stop the problems from reappearing

Again it’s not clear why Facebook would not have already been suspending or banning repeat offenders — at least, not if it was actually taking good faith action to genuinely quash the problem, rather than seeing if it could get away with doing the bare minimum.

Commenting in a statement, Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, essentially makes that point, saying: “Facebook has a duty to do all it can to stop the trading of such content on its platforms. After we intervened again, the company made significant changes — but it is disappointing it has taken them over a year to fix these issues.”

“We will continue to keep a close eye on Facebook, including its Instagram business. Should we find it is failing to honour its commitments, we will not hesitate to take further action,” Coscelli added.

A quick search on Facebook’s platform for UK groups trading in fake reviews appears to return fewer obviously dubious results than when we’ve checked in on this problem in 2019 och 2020. Although the results that were returned included a number of private groups so it was not immediately possible to verify what content is being solicited from members.

We did also find a number of Facebook groups offering Amazon reviews intended for other European markets, such as France and Spain (and in one public group aimed at Amazon Spain we found someone offering a “fee” via PayPal for a review; see below screengrab) — suggesting Facebook isn’t applying the same level of attention to tackling fake reviews that are being traded by users in markets where it’s faced fewer regulatory pokes than it has in the UK.

Screenshot 2021 04 09 at 16.31.57

Screengrab: TechCrunch

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Meta explores ban on political ads in Europe

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Meta explores ban on political ads in Europe

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Meta Platforms Inc’s logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms Inc executives are discussing a company-wide ban on political advertising in Europe due to concerns that Facebook (NASDAQ:) and Instagram will be unable to comply with upcoming EU regulations targeting online campaigns, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

EU lawmakers in February agreed to tougher rules on targeted political advertising aimed at countering misinformation during elections. The proposed rules require U.S. tech giants to provide more data on their targeted political ads, with fines up to 4% of their global turnover for breaches.

Meta executives are concerned the definition of political ads under EU plans will be excessively broad that it will be easier to refuse all paid-for political campaigns on the company’s sites, the newspaper said, citing two people briefed on the discussions.

The European Commission last December warned Facebook parent Meta that it was breaching EU antitrust laws by distorting competition in markets for online classified advertising and abusing its dominant position.

Meta didn’t immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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Extremely Rare Amur Leopard Cubs Make Their Debut at the San Diego Zoo!

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Extremely Rare Amur Leopard Cubs Make Their Debut at the San Diego Zoo!

It’s been an exciting few months for zoos across the U.S. as cubs of vulnerable or endangered species are being born. This is terrific news for conservationists working against the clock to save animals teetering on the brink of extinction.

Yesterday, it was announced by the San Diego Zoo that twin Amur leopard cubs had been born at the facility, which is a major boon for the world’s most endangered big cat species anywhere on the planet.

Amur leopard cub
Photo: Facebook/San Diego Zoo

Wildlife Baby Boom

The tiny twins’ mother, known as Satka, is said to be doing well. “Satka is fur-miliar with her motherly duties,” a recent Facebook post read. “When she’s not in the den grooming and nursing the cubs, she is keeping a watchful eye as they begin to explore the habitat outside.”

There’s no word yet on whether or not the babies had been named, but often times zoos will ask the public for help in choosing a moniker — or two! For instance, last year, the Cincinnati Zoo asked for the public’s assistance in naming a new baby hippo that was the little brother of the renowned Fiona.

Anmur leopard cubs
Photo: Facebook/San Diego Zoo

Critically Endangered Species

This most recent arrival makes the third set of Amur leopard twins to be born in San Diego over the years. These new births help to increase the rare animal’s plummeting populations with only about 120 specimens estimated to be left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The animals are known for their thick, luxurious coats and full furry tails they’re able to wrap around themselves for added warmth. During winter months, the hairs can grow up to nearly 3 inches in length!

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China. In the wild, they live to be between 10 and 15 years old. Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, there are only a handful estimated to survive in southeastern Russia and northeastern China today. That’s why these small milestones are far more significant than most people realize.

Anmur Leopard cub
Photo: Facebook/San Diego Zoo

Andean Bears

In more baby-milestone news, visitors to the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, D.C., were treated to the first sightings of twin Andean bear cubs this week on display in their specially designed habitat. Named Sean and Ian, Andean bears are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Today, it’s estimated that less than 20,000 of the animals are left in the wild.

You can view the short video of the adorable leopard cubs on the Zoo’s Facebook page or via YouTube below.

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Donald Trump is back on social media, and now what happens?

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Donald Trump is back on social media, and now what happens?

This illustration photo show the Facebook page of former President Donald Trump on a smartphone screen in Los Angeles, March 17, 2023.

Chris Delmas | AFP | Getty Images

On Friday, Donald Trump wrote a message on his Truth Social messaging platform that was reminiscent of the waning days of his presidency, when his public posts got him kicked off Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

In complaining about a potential indictment, Trump warned of “potential death & destruction” should he be charged with a crime. Trump was reacting to the latest developments in a hush money probe and to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office has been leading the investigation.

Following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack over two years ago, the major U.S. social networks banned Trump, citing his threatening rhetoric and the risks of further violence if he were to remain on their platforms.

They’ve since welcomed him back.

In November, Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, said he was reinstating Trump’s account after running a straw poll asking his followers if he should readmit the ex-president, who is again campaigning for his old job.

“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated,” Musk wrote. He’d foreshadowed the decision months earlier, saying at a conference in May that “permanent bans should be extremely rare and really reserved for accounts that are bots, or scam, spam accounts,” adding that, “it was not correct to ban Donald Trump.” 

Meta announced in late January that Trump would soon be allowed to return to Facebook and Instagram. Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, wrote in a blogginlägg that “the public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box.”

And most recently, Google’s Youtube said this month that Trump would be allowed to start posting videos again.

Now the question is — what are the rules from here?

Thus far, Trump has been relatively quiet on the major social media platforms. Rather, he’s stuck to daily musings on Truth Social, writing in a post this week that Democrats are “INTERFERING IN OUR ELECTIONS, THEIR NEW FORM OF CHEATING!!”

He hasn’t tweeted since Jan. 8, 2021. On Facebook, Trump has posted a few snippets from his rallies and some some fundraising blasts. On YouTube, he’s got one new video, from March 17, announcing to his 2.7 million subscribers, “I’M BACK!”

The companies that punished Trump for his prior antics have little reason to believe his behavior will change. His Truth Social posts are littered with examples to the contrary. Advocacy group Accountable Tech wrote in a recent report that it found over 350 Trump posts on Truth Social that would violate Facebook’s safety rules.

“He’s using Truth Social to incite people,” said Jessica González, co-CEO of media and tech advocacy organization Free Press. She said his posts there remind her “in some ways of what he was saying before January 6.”

Prior to Meta’s reinstatement of Trump’s Facebook account, Free Press sent a letter to the company urging it to “permanently instate Meta’s ban on former President Donald Trump.” The letter cited a draft report on the Jan. 6 attack by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Committee that said the “the risk of violence has not abated” since the insurrection.

Meta said in January, in letting Trump back onto Facebook and Instagram, that the risk to to public safety “has sufficiently receded.”

The company said at the time it had implemented “new guardrails” intended “to deter repeat offenses” by Trump, including limiting his reach and removing the reshare button on questionable posts.

“In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation,” Meta said.

A Meta spokesperson declined to comment about Trump’s Truth Social posts and pointed to the company’s statement in January.

Twitter responded to a request for comment with Musk’s standard poop emoji retort.

Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City.

Dimitrios Kambouris | Getty Images

YouTube didn’t provide a comment for this story. Leslie Miller, vice president of public policy in Google’s video unit, said in a prior statement that the company “carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.”

Miller said the “channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube.”

The clearest restrictions on Trump come from Truth Social, but they have nothing to do with the substance of his posts. According to an agreement between the two parties, Trump must post on Truth Social six hours before publishing on a competing social network.

However, that exclusivity deal is scheduled to end in June.

“That’s when we’ll really see whether the platforms are going to be willing to abide by the guardrails they put in place,” González said, adding that the limitations put in place by Meta “are just weak.”

Angelo Carusone, CEO of the nonprofit Media Matters, said he’s concerned that Trump’s campaign will spread disinformation and incite violence on Truth Social and Rumble, another conservative social network. Facebook and Twitter can be used to guide his many millions of followers to those other apps, which have minimal guidelines on content.

The risks posed by Trump’s social media habits are greater now that Musk is in control of Twitter, Carusone said.

“Twitter was typically the first one out of the gate to make a policy change” regarding content and disinformation, Carusone said. Under Musk, Twitter “will no longer be a vanguard for addressing disinformation or extremism,” he said.

Musk has said that he’s only running Twitter as CEO temporarily and that he hopes to appoint a successor by the end of this year. As the 2024 elections near, it’s unclear if any other social network will assume a leadership role regarding policy matters.

González says it’s only a matter of time before Trump’s inflammatory posts create headaches for the major social networks.

“The more cornered he feels and the more his power and his freedom are under threat, the more we’re going to see him lash out,” González said. “He’s proven that he will have no restraint.”

Kolla på: Will a Trump indictment impact the debt ceiling debate?

Will a Trump indictment impact the debt ceiling debate?

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