2024-03-22
Wow, this is an impressive list. In my opinion, the groups on here represent the exact types of civil society organizations with deep local expertise & knowledge that large platforms need to be working with *more*...not turning their backs on. https://foundation.mozilla.org/ ...
Engadget
The Mozilla Foundation and 90+ research and advocacy groups urge Meta to keep CrowdTangle online until January 2025 to track election misinformation globally
Karissa Bell / Engadget :
2023-06-10
“He said open-source software enables greater outside scrutiny of the technology because it can be seen by millions of technologists. He said working closely with outsiders' advances would make Meta's platforms better.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://twitter.com/...
Axios
Mark Zuckerberg shared with employees Meta's plan to add generative AI text, image, and video tools to its products, such as Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram
2023-06-09
“He said open-source software enables greater outside scrutiny of the technology because it can be seen by millions of technologists. He said working closely with outsiders' advances would make Meta's platforms better.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://twitter.com/...
The Verge
At an all-hands, Mark Zuckerberg addressed Apple's Vision Pro, saying “that could be the vision of the future of computing” but “not the one that I want”
/ Zuckerberg directly addressed Apple's Vision Pro unveiling in a meeting with Meta employees today …
2022-07-22
@BrendanNyhan It's too politically hard (trying to be neutral means incenting everyone to constantly complain), it's too technically hard (the systems & content move too quickly) and ultimately, the financial upside just isn't that big.
The Verge
Facebook splits the Feed on iOS and Android into Home, a TikTok-style tab with recommended content, and Feeds, a chronological tab of followed pages and people
@BrendanNyhan It's too politically hard (trying to be neutral means incenting everyone to constantly complain), it's too technically hard (the systems & content move too quickly) and ultimately, the financial upside just isn't that big.
The Verge
Instagram says all new video posts under 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels and videos under 90 seconds from public accounts will be recommended to others
And it's combining the Reels / Video section of your profile under one tab — Welcome to the new era of Instagram …
@BrendanNyhan I think the more immediate & significant impact is in places (including lot of developing world) where FB operates as quasi-internet. When it becomes more of an entertainment platform, it will mean returning a lot of control of the information ecosystems to legacy gatekeepers.
The Verge
Instagram says all new video posts under 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels and videos under 90 seconds from public accounts will be recommended to others
And it's combining the Reels / Video section of your profile under one tab — Welcome to the new era of Instagram …
@BrendanNyhan I wouldn't underestimate the degree to which one of lessons that the social media industry is taking from the last few years is that intentionally trying to attract & amplify political discourse just isn't worth it.
The Verge
Instagram says all new video posts under 15 minutes will now be shared as Reels and videos under 90 seconds from public accounts will be recommended to others
And it's combining the Reels / Video section of your profile under one tab — Welcome to the new era of Instagram …
@BrendanNyhan I think the more immediate & significant impact is in places (including lot of developing world) where FB operates as quasi-internet. When it becomes more of an entertainment platform, it will mean returning a lot of control of the information ecosystems to legacy gatekeepers.
The Verge
Facebook splits the Feed on iOS and Android into Home, a TikTok-style tab with recommended content, and Feeds, a chronological tab of followed pages and people
@BrendanNyhan I wouldn't underestimate the degree to which one of lessons that the social media industry is taking from the last few years is that intentionally trying to attract & amplify political discourse just isn't worth it.
The Verge
Facebook splits the Feed on iOS and Android into Home, a TikTok-style tab with recommended content, and Feeds, a chronological tab of followed pages and people
2022-06-25
@brianboland @robleathern I actually think there's a lot of advantages to being in an org that is entirely partner focused. It's either that or within an entire org dedicated entirely to transparency & data sharing. All the other options came with a lot of challenges.
Bloomberg
Source: in February, Meta started an official internal process to shut down CrowdTangle, but paused the plan as the EU's Digital Services Act gained traction
and fund it for a year or two — to ensure that this vital tool is here for the next series of elections. https://twitter.com/... Davey Alba / @daveyalba : NEW from me: CrowdTangle ...
2022-03-02
@CaseyNewton That's because it's not actually a transparency report.
Social Media Today
Meta releases its Q4 Widely Viewed Content report, showing the most viewed Facebook Page comes from a banned account; Meta would not reveal the account
Safe to say that Meta's efforts to refute the idea that Facebook amplifies divisive political content are not going exactly as it would have hoped.
2022-01-18
@TomPaineToday ... FWIW, the bill isn't just about academic access to data...but it includes a fairly sweeping set of data access tools designed for a lot of different parts of civil society, as well as the public writ large...the researcher piece is a big piece of it but also just one component.
Washington Post
The Tech Oversight Project, mainly funded by Pierre Omidyar and Chris Hughes' organizations, launches Tuesday to push for Big Tech antitrust regulation
Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post :
@TomPaineToday ... 💯, although it's a bit hard to mandate useability. I think the answer is some combo of (in order): requiring APIs, standardizing some kind of industry-wide interface (where appropriate for the data) and an agency with the flexibility & authority to evolve the approach over time.
Washington Post
The Tech Oversight Project, mainly funded by Pierre Omidyar and Chris Hughes' organizations, launches Tuesday to push for Big Tech antitrust regulation
Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post :
2021-11-22
This also represents, in so many ways, what we always aimed for in our work with CrowdTangle: to enable civil society, academics, journalists and ideally, platforms, to work together to understand what was happening on social media (including identifying gaps in enforcement).
MIT Technology Review
Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages
some that you can trace to a body count. Great, if enraging, follow-the-money reporting here. https://twitter.com/... Ian Sherr / @iansherr : Still happening how many years after a...
It's also a testament to why platforms need to invest in making real-time data, interactive data available to local experts...especially in the global south. The goal should be to identify these sort of activities *as they're happening* instead of looking back years later.
MIT Technology Review
Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages
some that you can trace to a body count. Great, if enraging, follow-the-money reporting here. https://twitter.com/... Ian Sherr / @iansherr : Still happening how many years after a...
Lastly, I wish platforms found more ways to encourage and support this sort of work, instead of complaining about the ways in which it might not be 100% accurate.
MIT Technology Review
Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages
some that you can trace to a body count. Great, if enraging, follow-the-money reporting here. https://twitter.com/... Ian Sherr / @iansherr : Still happening how many years after a...
Among other things, it reaffirms the role that local expertise has in helping understand the nuances of what's happening in parts of the world that often get less resources & attention from global platforms.
MIT Technology Review
Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages
some that you can trace to a body count. Great, if enraging, follow-the-money reporting here. https://twitter.com/... Ian Sherr / @iansherr : Still happening how many years after a...
Kudos to @_KarenHao, @riovictoire and @jeff4llen for this important story. A few thoughts to add as well: https://www.technologyreview.com/ ...
MIT Technology Review
Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages
some that you can trace to a body count. Great, if enraging, follow-the-money reporting here. https://twitter.com/... Ian Sherr / @iansherr : Still happening how many years after a...
2021-10-28
One of the things that the #FacebookPapers are highlighting is actually why our team at CrowdTangle continued to expand our overall mission over the years once we were acquired.
Platformer
Ex-Facebook integrity member says articles on Haugen leaks are based on internal posts and comments, making it hard to assign credibility as names are redacted
Casey Newton / Platformer :
We saw firsthand how much Facebook struggled internally to track public content around the world in real-time...especially if it wasn't violating any existing rules or needed local context to fully understand.
Platformer
Ex-Facebook integrity member says articles on Haugen leaks are based on internal posts and comments, making it hard to assign credibility as names are redacted
Casey Newton / Platformer :