Activist registers as a candidate in California's 2022 gubernatorial election merely to run false Facebook ads, in a challenge to its controversial policy
someone WOULD register as a politician to run ads with misinformation. Zuckerberg said there was intent behind the policy, and FB would “evolve” if necessary. Now it's happened, and Facebook is evolving. https://twitter.com/... Judd Legum / @juddlegum : So Facebook's policy is all political candidates can lie in ads except if Facebook decides you aren't a serious candidate in which case you can't run false ads https://twitter.com/... Carole Cadwalladr / @carolecadwalla : Facebook has now made up an entirely new policy aimed at a single man who registered as a political candidate to place false ads. Facebook has said it won't allow them. So new rule: genuinely lying politicians allowed to lie on Facebook. But not lying lying politicians https://twitter.com/... Zeynep Tufekci / @zeynep : This makes no sense. A candidate can't pay Facebook to spread lies if they admit that's what they're doing. But if they don't explicitly admit it, Facebook will take their money to spread their lies? (There's no easy way to fix paid digital microtargeting for political messages). https://twitter.com/... @adrielhampton : “Facebook's position isn't really that ‘false political ads are good,” but more “candidates are going to run them anyway, so lets at least make some money off it.’” https://www.inc.com/... Casey Newton / @caseynewton : So politicians can run false political ads on Facebook ... except now sometimes they can't? Excited for this news cycle to enter its third week ... https://twitter.com/... Jason Kint / @jason_kint : Option 3 - eliminate targeting of audiences smaller than X in political ad campaigns. Show us you actually are willing to put public interest ahead of more scrutiny for your toxic business model. Otherwise stop trying to spin the public. https://twitter.com/... Ron Wyden / @ronwyden : Can someone at @facebook show this to Mark: Listen to your own employees. Stop microtargeting political ads without public transparency. https://twitter.com/... Adam Savage / @donttrythis : We need to widen this debate beyond “what Facebook allows to be posted”? These “postings” are not neutral events, spread far and wide; they're not like flyers on a lamppost. They're SPECIFICALLY TARGETED in a way never before possible. Facebook allows lies to be weaponized. https://twitter.com/... Peter W. Singer / @peterwsinger : A classic illustration of social media firms not gaming out the likely ways their polices will be exploited. #LikeWar https://twitter.com/... Liz Carolan / @lizcarolan : Allowing political candidates to lie as long as they pay to boost the lie is such a monumentally ill conceived idea by Facebook on so many levels. This guys is running to make a point; how many will run - and distort ballot papers - just to be able to spread hate? https://twitter.com/... Who Targets Me / @whotargetsme : There are around 3,000 candidates in a UK general election. https://twitter.com/... Donie O'Sullivan / @donie : 🚨 This morning @adrielhampton registered as a candidate in California's 2022 gubernatorial election — not with the primary goal of becoming governor, but so he can run false Facebook ads. http://www.cnn.com/... Daniel Tunkelang / @dtunkelang : An absurd policy deserves an absurd response. https://www.cnn.com/... See also Mediagazer
Facebook employees, execs clash on how to handle political ads
@donie
Donie O'Sullivan on x
NEW: Facebook saying tonight they will NOT allow @adrielhampton run false ads on their platform. Hampton tells me he is now considering legal action against Facebook. https://www.cnn.com/...
@donie
Donie O'Sullivan on x
A Facebook spokesperson telling CNN: “This person has made clear he registered as a candidate to get around our policies, so his content, including ads, will continue to be eligible for third-party fact-checking.”
@grimmelm
James Grimmelmann on x
In other words, Facebook is confident that it can tell who is a legitimate candidate but not what is true or false. This is not going to end well. (OTOH, any lawsuit against Facebook is a nonstarter under § 230.) https://twitter.com/...
@kantrowitz
Alex Kantrowitz on x
I told Facebook something like this was coming on last week's press call — someone WOULD register as a politician to run ads with misinformation. Zuckerberg said there was intent behind the policy, and FB would “evolve” if necessary. Now it's happened, and Facebook is evolving. h…
@juddlegum
Judd Legum on x
So Facebook's policy is all political candidates can lie in ads except if Facebook decides you aren't a serious candidate in which case you can't run false ads https://twitter.com/...
@carolecadwalla
Carole Cadwalladr on x
Facebook has now made up an entirely new policy aimed at a single man who registered as a political candidate to place false ads. Facebook has said it won't allow them. So new rule: genuinely lying politicians allowed to lie on Facebook. But not lying lying politicians https://tw…
@zeynep
Zeynep Tufekci on x
This makes no sense. A candidate can't pay Facebook to spread lies if they admit that's what they're doing. But if they don't explicitly admit it, Facebook will take their money to spread their lies? (There's no easy way to fix paid digital microtargeting for political messages).…
@adrielhampton
@adrielhampton on x
“Facebook's position isn't really that ‘false political ads are good,” but more “candidates are going to run them anyway, so lets at least make some money off it.’” https://www.inc.com/...
@caseynewton
Casey Newton on x
So politicians can run false political ads on Facebook ... except now sometimes they can't? Excited for this news cycle to enter its third week ... https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint
Jason Kint on x
Option 3 - eliminate targeting of audiences smaller than X in political ad campaigns. Show us you actually are willing to put public interest ahead of more scrutiny for your toxic business model. Otherwise stop trying to spin the public. https://twitter.com/...
@ronwyden
Ron Wyden on x
Can someone at @facebook show this to Mark: Listen to your own employees. Stop microtargeting political ads without public transparency. https://twitter.com/...
@donttrythis
Adam Savage on x
We need to widen this debate beyond “what Facebook allows to be posted”? These “postings” are not neutral events, spread far and wide; they're not like flyers on a lamppost. They're SPECIFICALLY TARGETED in a way never before possible. Facebook allows lies to be weaponized. https…
@peterwsinger
Peter W. Singer on x
A classic illustration of social media firms not gaming out the likely ways their polices will be exploited. #LikeWar https://twitter.com/...
@lizcarolan
Liz Carolan on x
Allowing political candidates to lie as long as they pay to boost the lie is such a monumentally ill conceived idea by Facebook on so many levels. This guys is running to make a point; how many will run - and distort ballot papers - just to be able to spread hate? https://twitter…
@whotargetsme
Who Targets Me on x
There are around 3,000 candidates in a UK general election. https://twitter.com/...
@donie
Donie O'Sullivan on x
🚨 This morning @adrielhampton registered as a candidate in California's 2022 gubernatorial election — not with the primary goal of becoming governor, but so he can run false Facebook ads. http://www.cnn.com/...
@dtunkelang
Daniel Tunkelang on x
An absurd policy deserves an absurd response. https://www.cnn.com/...