Facebook says it is removing misleading posts about how Oregon wildfires were started after initially saying it was reducing the distribution of such posts
We are removing false claims that the wildfires in Oregon were started by certain groups. This is based on confirmation from law enforcement that these rumors are forcing local fire and police agencies to divert resources from fighting the fires and protecting the public. (1/2)
This is a largely unregulated, inconsistently self-regulated private platform run by the values of one too-powerful person who idiosyncratically: 1) defines harm 2) decides how much & whose harm triggers action 3) chooses when to act Celebrating this celebrates a broken system. h…
Also consistent with being too little, too late. Like the wildfires, these rumors spread far and fast. I'm now hearing them repeated as if fact in conversations about the fires with people in Oregon who say they saw them on Facebook first, then heard them from neighbors etc. http…
Nov 5, 2020: We are removing false claims about [insert election undermining rubbish posted to FB by nut jobs]. This is based on confirmation from law enforcement that these rumors are false. (1/2) https://twitter.com/...
The AP's @AliSwenson published a story about the proliferation of this misinformation as fires raged on Thursday. The FBI warned of the problem on Friday. Facebook didn't take this action until late Saturday. https://apnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
.@kateconger, @ByMikeBaker and I published our story on this on the evening of Sept. 10. I wonder why it took Facebook this long? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...