Facebook cracks down on bogus posts inciting violence

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Phys.org


July 19, 2018

Facebook on Wednesday built on its campaign to prevent the platform from being used to spread dangerous misinformation, saying it will remove bogus posts likely to spark violence.

The new tactic being spread through the global social network was tested in Sri Lanka, which was recently rocked by inter-religious over false information posted on the world's leading online social network.

"There are certain forms of misinformation that have contributed to physical harm, and we are making a policy change which will enable us to take that type of content down," a Facebook spokesman said after a briefing on the policy at the company's campus in Silicon Valley.

"We will be begin implementing the policy during the coming months."

Read more: https://phys.org/news/2018-07-facebook-bogus-inciting-violence.html

[unblock]

1. But they'll allow non-bogus posts inciting violence?

[herding cats]

2. They left the light on for the holocaust deniers.

It was interesting watching people twist themselves into pretzels over that today. Seems a lot of supporters forget other nations have different laws. Once they lost their US free speech based argument (they ran into a person from another country) they were failing in the wind.

[7962]

5. Amazing that there would be ANY question as to removing those type posts!!

While we have anti Israel folks on DU, ive never seen any "deniers" rear their head & I would expect posts like that would be removed

[Liberty Belle]

3. I got one taken down.

A nut threatened our reporter and then when we filed a police report, defamed him on facebook and riled up his friends, gun nut types, to post death threats and tips on what caliber to use to murder our reporter. They won't take down for mere defamation unfortuantely but DID make him take down the personally identifying info including license plate number, address, etc. and the post that incited the death threats, as well as 68 pages of replies that included the threats.

Scary world, these days.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

4. Dear gods..

WHAT IS THE GD ATTRACTION???? Just shut it off and walk the hell away from it. Almost 2 years free from it and I'm so glad. SO glad. It's just another rat race. An unnecessary one at that. Threw the election. Not ok.

[csziggy]

7. Parts of Facebook are communities, just like DU

I have stayed on FB since some of the needlework groups I am active with have very active FB pages with large communities that share their projects, techniques and other information. I also keep in touch with the local Indivisible group via Facebook.

Other than following those groups I post a lot of factual articles about political issues on my FB page. I started out doing it just to share with my husband but have been posting them so they are visible to the public. Since I only have three "friends" on FB (my husband, my sister & my niece) I don't get a lot of views - but if I get negative responses, I block those users. I'm not on FB to get into arguments.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

10. I'm recovering FB.

If it works for you. Glad you find enjoyment in it I guess. Just really mad at what Zuckerberg let happen. Fool me once I suppose. Have a good weekend.

[csziggy]

13. I don't spend much time on FB

It is a time sucker. But for me to get informative political articles to the attention of my husband, it's the best tool I have. He spends hours a day on FB since that is where his family posts most of their pictures and information.

If it weren't for the groups that I follow, I would quit FB. But I check the feed from the groups two-three times a week and that is it. I almost never post to those groups, I almost never post original messages on FB at all, just the articles and other stuff I find interesting that I want my husband to see.

If those groups had other places to keep up with their activities, I would be happy to stay away from FB forever!

[LanternWaste]

9. Like any tool, it can be used for positive as well as negative purposes.

If I threw away my hammer because some idiot in South Dakota killed his girlfriend with one, I'd be forced to consider myself irrational.

But I get it. A lot of people believe usage of hammers are just another rat race, an unnecessary one at that. And are SO glad to rid themselves of hammers.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

11. I just prefer to not have it.

Everyones face is in their phones, and it's usually fb. Live life. Not your phone I guess.

[Liberty Belle]

14. There are a lot of good and useful things there.

As a reporter I find info on Facebook almost daily that's useful. During the frequent wildfires in our area, people use facebook to post updates on the fire's patch, evacuation info, needs of those displaced, etc., to name just one example.

Locally we've had some progressive politicians with no money defeat well-funded incumbents by using Facebook effectively; for instance an environmental group got word out about a preservationist running against a developer's tool, the tool with all that developer cash was shocked when he lost.

There are online neighborhood watch groups, and other community groups on Facebook.

Small businesses use Facebook to reach customers. We have many local wineries that post their weekend activities on Facebook to all their fans/friends/customers for instance. This weekend is "dog days of summer" and my pups and I are definitely going!

We don't stop driving cars or outlaw their production because some maniacs drive recklessly.

We shouldn't ban social media either, but we should regulate to require that there be an easy way to get harassment or defamation removed, and people who are serial harassers online should have their accounts shutdown.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

15. Not telling anyone what to do.

I chose not to be led by disinformation or the need to keep up w the Jones's. Thats just me. I couldn't care less about FB. If you have put advertising dollars into it...that's on you. Most "ad sites" are FB pages set up for free. If your business HAS to have free advertising...well...
Google searches still find you. How do I know? Bc I have had a long standing business and I advertise in the paper, on radio etc. Never needed fb. Plus, I choose not to advertise(?) w a company that willing helps cripple my country for shareholder profits. This isn't russia. And people have died for decades in furtherance of NOT letting it become so. That means something to me beyond sketchy ad revenue. But hey, that's me.
Things were fine before social media.
Waiting on someone else to clean out the bad actors seems an exercise in folly. fb will be myspace in two years...and the country will be lost forever. I'm not down with that. Fb makes fixing the damage the gop has done take twice as long. I choose not to shoot myself and my family and my community in the foot for profit.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. If they eliminated lies and stupidity

the shrinkage would approach 50%

[Dave Starsky]

8. They need to take down ALL the Russian bots and trolls.

But, then, more than half of their "membership" would evaporate.

[hamsterjill]

12. Facebook's oversight is non existent IMHO.

I reported a post earlier this month whereby someone made a very slanderous remark about someone's parent. It was a veiled threat and went way over the typical Trump supporter response. Facebook said it didn't go against their "community standards".

Because they don't have any standards. So, block the bots. It's the best thing to do.