Brian Fung | @[email protected]

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Just in: The FTC has filed its expected amended complaint seeking to break up Facebook: https://t.co/AGtzFWytxC — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

In a banner year for hackings and ransomware attacks, this seems... not good — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Facebook obviously has to start somewhere, and this is the first of many reports, so I'm sure future reports will cover much more. But just something to consider in terms of what this report brings to the table and how it fits into the broader convo about misinfo. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

When lawmakers call on Facebook to police misinformation and conspiracy theories, they don't qualify it by saying "just do something about links and you'll be off the hook." They mean the total universe of misinformation that exists on the platform. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

When Facebook says "hey, guess what, links are only a slice of the pie and 87 percent of what people see is organic!" it raises further questions about how much of that 87 percent is false, misleading or inflammatory organic content. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Setting aside whether the relevant metric should be engagement, views or some combo as a way of gauging influence and reach, we know from researchers and academics that misinformation and conspiracy theories shared as organic content is a major issue for social media. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

One key way the report does this is by saying, "Look, links only make up a tiny slice of what people see on Facebook." The majority of what people see, Facebook says, is actually organic content from friends and groups. But I'm not sure this framing is that helpful, either. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Facebook's new quarterly report on "most widely viewed" content tries to confront the idea that the platform is dominated by highly engaging right-wing voices as identified by the likes of @FacebooksTop10, which reports the most engaging links on FB. https://t.co/CIEZA2y9ae — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Now do Q4 2020! https://t.co/CIEZA2y9ae — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @Eater_DC: The family behind Lapis bistro is collecting supplies for Afghan refugees arriving in D.C. https://t.co/yTvxMGyxHU https://t.… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Sens. Blumenthal and Markey call for an FTC investigation into whether Tesla’s Autopilot marketing is unfair or deceptive, after numerous high-profile crashes involving the driver-assist feature: https://t.co/h6CxrjCw3K — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @WillOremus: This is provocative, erudite, historically informed, and worth reading for anyone who thinks about "disinfo." I think it'… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

T-Mobile says its data breach affects 7.8 million postpaid subscribers, 850,000 prepaid customers and over 40 million credit applicants: https://t.co/sTL1VFTZ3d — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

I bet @darth would have some good OF content about potatoes — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Lol this reddit ad did not end up where I expected it to https://t.co/29McYSPjT1 — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

More Twitter: “We may not take action on and cannot respond to each report in the experiment, but your input will help us identify trends so that we can improve the speed and scale of our broader misinformation work.” — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

In its response, YouTube also told us this is a longstanding approach. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@issielapowsky Just to close the loop on this, if helpful — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

NEW: YouTube tells me that Afghan Taliban accounts are banned from the platform after all and will be "terminated" when found, because the group is named on the OFAC SDN list. The company's statement: https://t.co/i6HxnlJYhx — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

!! Subscribed. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@issielapowsky This brings us back to the distinction between the State and Treasury lists. Going by what YouTube told you, and if YouTube factors in OFAC sanctions, then perhaps the Taliban is eligible for such a speaker-level ban. But if YouTube only goes by the State Department FTO list... — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@eilperin This is amazing, congrats! Looking forward to reading. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @NatashaBertrand: Multiple sources told CNN US officials overestimated the Afghan security forces' will to fight and the risk of a full… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Oh, one more thing about this: In its follow-up, YouTube did link to a Treasury notice (implying it *does* account for OFAC guidance) but YouTube did not specifically say anything about OFAC and the notice was totally unrelated (IDing an al Qaeda person). https://t.co/wzaUpUgcGl — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Anyway, that was basically a dump of my entire notebook from the last 18-24 hours. You now know what we know, as well as what we don't. Hope you found it helpful! — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Worth noting: In March, Twitter said it's reviewing its world leaders policy and asked for public comment. The Taliban's resurgence on the world stage probably amplifies the urgency of this review but the feedback window is now closed. Will they reopen it? https://t.co/FMp19v5iJf — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

And then there is the exception to the world leader policy. World leaders don't get the benefit of the doubt if their account(s) promote terrorism or threaten specific people. At what point does Twitter invoke this rule? https://t.co/WMLJShSssi — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Twitter has long given world leaders greater leeway on the platform due to the public-interest value of their tweets. This same policy allowed President Trump to skirt Twitter's rules for years. So does Twitter recognize all Taliban accounts under this policy? Some? None? — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

So Twitter's approach seems more in line with YouTube's here. But now that the Taliban controls the levers of power in Afghanistan, we have the world leaders policy to contend with. Does this policy apply to the Taliban? I haven't gotten an answer on that yet. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

When Twitter has taken down extremist content en masse in the past, it typically focuses on the content shared by an account rather than an account holder's affiliation or identity. Here's an example of an ISIS-related takedown in 2016. https://t.co/bcjHElvD73 https://t.co/FLdzSwn1UT — PolitiTweet.org