Tag: Misinformation

UK deputy PM initiates worldwide effort to defend elections from AI and false information

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Democratic countries around the world should band together to confront the threat of AI used by malign states to threaten free elections and spread misinformation, British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Tuesday.

In Seoul for the Summit for Democracy, Dowden on Monday announced what he hopes will be a “groundbreaking” new global government compact on countering deceptive use of artificial intelligence by foreign states in elections.

South Korea is hosting the third Summit for Democracy conference, an initiative of U.S. President Joe Biden aimed at discussing ways to stop democratic backsliding and erosion of rights and freedoms.

Details of the compact are still being worked out, but Dowden said several countries had signed on, without naming any.

Citing how major technology companies agreed at the Munich Security Conference in February to coordinate responses to AI-generated deepfakes that deliberately trick voters, Dowden said it is time for governments to follow suit.

“What the UK is leading on is a government-led process, a government-led agreement to tackle the threat from AI from foreign states,” he said in an interview at the UK Embassy in Seoul.

Britain has been embroiled in a debate over an edited photograph of Kate, Princess of Wales, for which she apologised after several leading news organisations, including Reuters, withdrew the picture citing post-publication analysis that showed it did not meet editorial standards.

Dowden said that incident is “totally separate” from the misinformation risks from “malign foreign states” seeking to interfere in democratic elections.

The compact “is not about the internal politics of each individual nation states that’s rightly a matter for nation states”, he said.

The risks from AI come amid other challenges to freedom and democracy around the world, Dowden said.

“For me the number one threat to democracy right now is the war that’s going on in Ukraine,” he said. “That’s why I think the discussions going on today have that added edge, because of the threats we face to democracy right now.”

Dowden said he was deeply concerned about the reported weapons transfers from North Korea to Russia, and called on Moscow to stop interfering on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang and Moscow have forged closer ties since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia in September and vowed to deepen military relations. They deny Western accusations that North Korea is supplying Russia with artillery shells and missiles used in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

AI-led misinformation tops global risks with 4 billion people set to vote in next 2 years: WEF MD

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report for 2024 has identified misinformation as the foremost global risk over the next two years, casting a shadow over the democratic processes of over 50 nations gearing up for elections.

With an estimated four billion people set to cast their votes in the next two years, the potential impact of false information on the electoral landscape has raised alarm bells worldwide, said Managing Director at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Saadia Zahidi, in an interview with CNBC-TV18.

Zahidi emphasised the significance of AI-driven misinformation as a major threat, particularly in the context of elections.

“It’s surprising how it climbed from being ranked 16th last year to securing the top spot in the two-year timeframe this year,” she informed.

“This and the next year mark a crucial period with national or municipal elections impacting nearly four billion people. The concern arises: Will those utilising zero-cost or low-cost methods to generate synthetic content disrupt voters’ perceptions of key election issues — be it social justice, health, education, or jobs? Those leveraging such technologies now have an abundance of options. While it may not necessarily alter outcomes, it holds the potential for corruption in global election processes.”

Zahidi urged stakeholders to take proactive measures in content moderation, standards, and media literacy.

“People are acutely aware that with such a significant number of individuals influencing decision-makers, this could be a major disruptor. Nevertheless, there are proactive measures that can be taken. Social media platforms can enhance content moderation, the media industry can strengthen its standards and principles, and governments can promote media literacy and online education for citizens. It’s not a rigid forecast but a recognition of the considerably high risk surrounding this issue.”

The report revealed that nearly 30% of experts surveyed anticipate an elevated risk of global catastrophes in the next two years, while nearly two-thirds foresee such risks within the next decade. The report, encompassing insights from over 1,400 global risk experts, also underscored extreme weather events, critical changes to Earth systems, and an ecosystem collapse as the top environmental threats in the next decade. “Extreme weather events, the second major risk in the next two years, emphasise the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation efforts, particularly in the global South,” it said.

The report suggested that a multipolar world order is emerging, with more than two-thirds of respondents believing in an ongoing shift, making it harder to achieve global cooperation. While strides have been made in areas like climate change, challenges such as misinformation and AI governance necessitate increased collaboration.

Addressing geopolitical concerns, Zahidi acknowledged the impact of events like the Ukraine-Russia war and the Middle East crisis on the global economy, citing disruptions to shipping routes and a potential resurgence of inflation as key uncertainties.

She also delved into the economic strains on low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the potential risk of stalling economic development. However, Zahidi noted that India, with over 6% expected growth in 2024, stands in a different position, having the potential to become an AI-related powerhouse.

“India has a unique opportunity to become an AI-related powerhouse, showcasing its skills and technological capabilities in disrupting technological concentration.”

Watch video for full interview

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Poor quality results for online searches made people believe possible misinformation: study

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A study has found that people who performed online searches to verify the truthfulness of a piece of possible misinformation actually ended up believing it due to “poor quality results” from search engines. The findings, according to researchers, flag the need for online search engines to address the challenge posed by the appearance of non-credible information at the top of search results.

The study conducted by a research team from the University of Central Florida, New York University and Stanford University, US, aimed at understanding the impact of search results produced when people used search engines to evaluate the veracity of news. The findings, published in the journal Nature, highlighted the need for media literacy programs to ground recommendations in empirically tested interventions and search engines to invest in solutions to the challenges identified by this study.

“Our study shows that the act of searching online to evaluate news increases belief in highly popular misinformation — and by notable amounts,” said study author Zeve Sanderson, founding executive director of New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP).

The researchers evaluated people’s behaviour after reading latest and older news articles dating a few months back.

The dataset included a combination of news articles that had misleading or false information and verified news about a topic with significant coverage, such as Covid-19. The team included “false popular articles” on Covid-19 vaccines, the Trump impeachment proceedings, and climate events, they said.

They found that users performing online searches to evaluate the veracity of news articles, especially those with misleading or false information, were more likely to end up believing them when “poor quality results” were showed by search engines.

The researchers also found that this occurred both shortly after the article’s publication and months later, suggesting that passage of time and seemingly opportunities for fact checks to enter the information ecosystem did not lessen the misinformation-believing impact of online searching.

Further, from one of the five studies that assessed the impact of quality of search results on believing or disbelieving misinformation, the researchers found that online users exposed to “low-quality” search results were more likely to believe the falsehoods.

“This points to the danger that ‘data voids’ – areas of the information ecosystem that are dominated by low quality, or even outright false, news and information – may be playing a consequential role in the online search process, leading to low return of credible information or, more alarming, the appearance of non-credible information at the top of search results,” said lead author Kevin Aslett, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Midterms, misinformation & now the Musk factor — what ails US elections 2022

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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• Conspiracy theories about mail ballots.
• Anonymous text messages warning voters to stay home.
• Fringe social media platforms where election misinformation spreads with impunity.

Misinformation about the upcoming midterm elections in the US has been building for months, challenging election officials and tech companies, while offering another reminder of how conspiracy theories and distrust are shaping America’s politics.

The claims are fuelling the candidacies of election deniers and threatening to further corrode faith in voting and democracy. Many of them can be traced back to 2020, when then-president Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the election he lost to Joe Biden and began lying about its results.

“Misinformation is going to be central to this midterm election and central to the 2024 election,” said Bhaskar Chakravorti, who studies technological change and society, and is the dean of global business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. “The single galvanising narrative is that the 2020 election was stolen.”

A look at key misinformation challenges heading into the 2022 election:

Also read: Explained | US Midterm Elections — how they work and why Joe Biden is worried

Misleading claims about voting

Political misinformation often focuses on immigration, crime, public health, geopolitics, disasters, education or mass shootings. This year, it’s mostly about voting.

Claims about the security of mail ballots have grown in recent weeks, as have baseless rumours about non-citizens voting. That’s in addition to claims about dead people casting ballots, ballot drop boxes being moved or wild stories about voting machines.

Trump, a Republican, attacked the legitimacy of the election even before he lost. He then refused to concede, spreading lies about the election that inspired the deadly January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. His contention was rejected in more than 60 court cases and by his own attorney general, William Barr.

Also read: US Fed unleashes another big rate hike, raises rates by 75 bps

Together, these misleading claims about the nation’s electoral system have led some Republicans to say they’re going to hold onto their mail ballots until election day — a move that could slow down the count.

Others vow to monitor the polls to prevent cheating, leading to concerns about intimidation and even the possibility of violence at election sites.

Tech companies say they’ve implemented new policies and programmes designed to ferret out misinformation.

“We’ve seen hundreds of elections play out on our platforms in recent years and we’ve been applying lessons from each one to strengthen our preparations,” Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said in a statement.

Yet, critics say the volume of false claims spreading now shows there’s more to be done, such as better enforcement of existing rules or government regulations requiring more aggressive policies.

Also read: Brazil: Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro call on military to intervene after Lula victory

“This is no longer a new problem,” said Jon Lloyd, senior adviser at the nonprofit Global Witness, which last week released a report showing that TikTok failed to remove many advertisements that contain election misinformation. Big social media platforms, he said, “are still simply not doing enough to stop threats to democracy.”

Mistakes will happen — while clock is ticking

Elections involve the combined efforts of tens of thousands of people working under pressure. Mistakes are expected, which is why there’s a robust system of checks and balances to ensure errors are found and corrected.

Taken out of context, stories about glitchy voting machines, mixed-up ballots or even “suspicious” vehicles arriving at election centres can become fodder for the next election fraud myth.

Also read: US Mid-term elections: Experts say current momentum in favour of Republicans

And with so much work to do at such a fast pace, election workers, local officials and even the media can have little time to push back on such claims before they go viral.

In Georgia in 2020, a water leak at a site where ballots were being counted was used to spin a far-fetched tale of ballot rigging. In Arizona, the choice of pens given to voters filling out ballots led to similarly preposterous claims.

To avoid falling for a misleading claim, consult multiple sources, including local election offices. Any significant voting irregularity will be covered by multiple news outlets and addressed by election officials. Be sceptical of claims from second-hand sources, said Shaye-Ann McDonald, a behavioural researcher at Duke University who studies ways to improve resistance to misinformation.

The most viral misinformation often elicits anger or fear that motivates readers to repost it before they’ve had time to coolly consider the underlying claim.

“When you read about something that provokes a strong emotion, that should be a warning sign,” McDonald said.

A multilingual challenge

Just before the 2020 election, Spanish-language Facebook ads falsely claimed Biden, a Democrat, was a communist. On other platforms, posts warned Latinos in the US not to vote at all.

Misinformation in non-English languages is a particular concern cited by researchers who say the major platforms — most of them US-based — are focused on content moderation in English. Automated systems written to detect misinformation in English don’t work as well when applied to other languages.

“As bad as they (tech companies) are moderating content in English, they’re even worse when it comes non-English languages,” said Jessica Gonzalez, co-CEO of Free Press, a nonprofit that works on issues of racial justice and technology.

Misinformation by text?

While misinformation about elections spreads easily on big social media platforms like Facebook, it also has taken root on a long list of less familiar platforms: Gab, Gettr, Parler and Truth Social, Trump’s platform.

Meanwhile, TikTok has emerged as a key network for younger voters — and the politicians who want to reach them. The platform, owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance, has created an election centre to connect users with trustworthy information about elections and voting. But nonetheless misinformation persists.

The problem isn’t limited to social media. The number of false claims transmitted by text and email has steadily increased in recent years. Last summer, Democratic voters in Kansas received misleading texts telling them a yes vote on an upcoming referendum would protect abortion rights; the opposite was true.

Musk and Twitter

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter just weeks before the 2022 election upended that platform’s plans for combating misinformation ahead of the midterms.

Musk quickly fired the executive who had overseen content moderation. Over the weekend he posted a tweet advancing a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, before deleting it.

Musk has called himself a free speech absolutist and had said he disagreed with the decision to boot out Trump from the platform for incitement of violence on January 6, 2021.

Also read: Some of world’s biggest brands have quietly paused ads on Twitter

He has said that a content moderation committee will examine possible revisions to Twitter’s rules but that no changes would be made until after the election.

“We’re staying vigilant against attempts to manipulate conversations about the 2022 US midterms.” Yoel Roth, Twitter’s Head of Safety and Integrity, tweeted Tuesday.

Threats foreign and domestic

Russian efforts to interfere in US elections go back years, and there are indications that China and Iran are stepping up their game.

Tech companies, government officials and misinformation researchers say they’re monitoring for such activity ahead of the midterms. But the misinformation threat posed by domestic groups may be far greater.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US, 60 allies pledge to protect ‘future of the internet’; India not a signatory

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The US, European Union and a host of other global partners have pledged to reinforce democracy online and make the internet “open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure”.

The Declaration for the Future of the Internet, launched by the US and 60 global partners, represents a political commitment by the governments of these countries to advance a positive vision for the Internet and digital technologies. The signatories promised not to shut down access to the internet, or use it to spy illegally on citizens, access an individual’s personal data or run misinformation campaigns to undermine elections, the White House said on Thursday. The government also promised to ensure safety of its users, especially young people and women, while promoting access to the internet.

“We affirm our commitment to promote and sustain an Internet that: is an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure and to ensure that the Internet reinforces democratic principles and human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the declaration said.

In partnership with 60 global partners, the United States has launched the Declaration for the Future of the Internet — a commitment to advance a single global internet that is truly open and fosters competition, privacy, and respect for human rights. https://t.co/Sv99FroBxr

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 28, 2022

India and Brazil, two of the most important markets for technology in the world, are not among the 61 nations that signed the declaration.

Although the declaration is not legally binding, the signatories said in the three-page document that the declaration should act as a reference for policymakers, citizens, businesses and civil society organisations.

According to senior US government officials, the pledge will serve as a counterpoint to countries like Russia and China that have tried to disconnect the internet from the rest of the world, The New York Times reported. The pledge emphasises the need to decentralise and globally interconnect the Internet.

Also Read: Elon Musk explains free speech remark, but jabs ‘extreme antibody reaction’

The document highlights the need to ensure privacy and safety, steps that the EU has taken in recent years through its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Services Act (DSA). The declaration condemns the use of “algorithmic tools or techniques” for surveillance and oppression, The Verge reported.

On India not being a partner to the declaration, a senior official said the time has not fully passed yet for the country to join. “We’ve been engaged in — in very intensive efforts to have all of these — all of these countries join,” Business Line quoted the official as saying.

The US and the 60 global partners of the declaration will work together to implement the principles in the declaration and promote its vision globally. At the same time, they will respect each other’s regulatory autonomy within their own jurisdictions.

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Pinterest bans climate misinformation; find out how Google, Meta, Twitter battle deniers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Pinterest has introduced a comprehensive policy to combat misleading information and claims around climate change on its platform. It will remove content that denies the existence of impacts of climate change, human influence on climate change, and content misrepresenting scientific data and more. According to Pinterest, repeat offenders of the policy may face action by the platform, including removal of their accounts.

Many companies have introduced similar measures to combat misinformation on climate change and do more to contribute with environmentally friendly initiatives.

Also read: After code red alert, IPCC issues ‘now or never’ warning over 1.5 Celsius climate target

Google

Google had last year announced that it will ban all ads that spread misinformation on climate change, and YouTube videos and other content that promote misinformation will be prohibited from monetisation. Google uses a combination of automated tools and human review to filter such content.

Also read: One in 5 ads on Google from fossil fuel companies, finds study

Google has also powered its facilities with renewable energy sources and hosted a myriad of environment friendly events. Google has an environmentally-aware corporate culture that solidifies its reputation of being one of the world’s most forward-thinking companies.

Meta

Meta’s Facebook had announced efforts to combat climate crisis misinformation by expanding its Climate Science Center to provide more reliable information, investing in organisations that fight misinformation, and launching a video series to promote young climate advocates on Facebook and Instagram.

Meta has also taken several steps to address climate misinformation. It is applying information labels to posts about climate change while relying on third-party fact checkers to label false claims.  It also promotes reliable information through the Climate Science Center.

Also read: Tech firms to telecom giants, these sectors have committed to fighting climate change

Twitter

During the United Nations COP26 climate summit in 2021, Twitter announced that it will be making authoritative information about climate change more accessible to users.

Twitter also rolled out a new programme designed to “pre-bunk” climate misinformation, to get ahead of false narratives about climate change and expose people to more accurate information about the crisis on its platform.

Also read: World’s biggest money manager BlackRock does u-turn on climate commitments?

eBay

E-commerce retail giant eBay has been the hub for used items since 1995. eBay has contributed positively to the growing waste management concerns and has diverted discarded items from going into landfills.

The company has also been a contributor to sustainable fashion.  The company’s research last year showed it has saved 17,771 tonnes of fashion waste from landfills. eBay encourages the public to continue purchasing second-hand clothes to reduce the total annual wastage of the clothing.

Also read: Making tweaks in grocery shopping can reduce carbon emissions; new study reveals how

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Explained: Why musicians are pulling their songs from Spotify

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Spotify is a behemoth in the music streaming industry. The company commands nearly a third of the market share and sits higher than its rivals like Apple Music and Amazon Music. Nearly all artists, record labels, podcast makers find themselves on the Stockholm-based audio platform.

But despite how important Spotify is in terms of reaching listeners, some musicians have recently pulled their entire catalogues from the platform. Artists like Neil Young, followed quickly by Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren and podcasters like Brené Brown, Wendy Zukerman and Blythe Terrell have pulled their content from the platform and stopped releasing new content. 

But what is the reason behind this action?

Free speech vs misinformation

The “walkout” is a result of Young removing his catalogue following an incident on the incredibly popular The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, run by the eponymous host Joe Rogan. 

Rogan, and thus Spotify, have been facing the heat for weeks over hosting a guest who proceeded to spread misinformation about COVID-19. The guest, already banned from Twitter and YouTube over his spread of misinformation regarding the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines, proceeded to talk about how millions of people have been “hypnotised” to believe in COVID-19 symptoms. 

However, “mass formation psychosis”, as the guest called hypnosis, doesn’t exist and psychologists have discredited his statements as having no basis in real science. 

Rogan has his own history of spreading COVID-19 misinformation but to a much smaller degree in comparison. 

“If you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well … like, I don’t think you need to worry about this (getting COVID-19 vaccines),” he said in an April episode on his podcast.

Rogan, whose podcast is downloaded 200 million times a month, was exclusively platformed for his podcast in a $100 million deal by Spotify. 

The continued support of Spotify, whose CEO Daniel Ek said that “it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor”, towards Rogan set up the stage for the artists’ walkout. 

Spotify’s controversy harkens back to similar debacles that tech giants, especially those that host content of any kind, have had in the past. Facebook and Twitter faced similar protests in 2020 over concerns of not doing enough to prevent hate speech, which culminated in the January 6 Capitol Riots, and other platforms like YouTube have faced it even further in the past. 

Rogan, for his part, has apologised though maintaining that he is not trying to spread misinformation intentionally. 

“I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial. I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people,” Rogan said on a 10-minute long Instagram post where he apologised to his viewers and fans. 

Rogan also thanked Spotify for its support while adding that he would be taking steps to prevent such incidents by booking more mainstream experts and doing his own research into topics. 

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Fact checkers say YouTube lets its platform be ‘weaponized’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A group of more than 80 fact-checking organizations is calling on YouTube to address rampant misinformation on its platform.

In a letter to CEO Susan Wojcicki published Wednesday, the groups said the Google-owned video platform is one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide.

YouTube’s efforts to address the problem, they say, are proving insufficient.

What we do not see is much effort by YouTube to implement policies that address the problem, the letter says. On the contrary, YouTube is allowing its platform to be weaponized by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organize and fundraise themselves.

The problem, these groups said, is especially rampant in non-English speaking countries and the global south.

The fact checkers are all members of the International Fact Checking Network and include Rappler in the Philippines, Africa Check, Science Feedback in France and dozens of other groups. They lambasted YouTube, saying it frames discussions about disinformation as a false dichotomy” of deleting or not deleting content.

Displaying fact-checked information is more effective than deleting content, the fact checkers wrote.

They propose that YouTube focuses on providing context and debunks that are clearly superimposed on videos. They also called for YouTube to act against repeat offenders and beef up efforts against misinformation in languages other than English.

In a statement, YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez said the company has invested heavily in policies and products in all countries we operate to connect people to authoritative content, reduce the spread of borderline misinformation, and remove violative videos.

She called fact checking a crucial tool to help viewers make their own informed decisions, but added that it is one piece of a much larger puzzle to address the spread of misinformation.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Facebook-backed group launches misinformation adjudication panel in Australia

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A tech body backed by the Australian units of Facebook, Google and Twitter said on Monday it has set up an industry panel to adjudicate complaints over misinformation, a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online posts.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week labelled social media “a coward’s palace” https://www.reuters.com/technology/australian-law-chief-wants-defamation-rules-fixed-internet-age-letter-2021-10-07, while the government said on Sunday it was looking at measures to make social media companies more responsible, including forcing legal liability onto the platforms https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-mulls-measures-making-social-media-giants-responsible-defamatory-2021-10-10 for the content published on them.

The issue of damaging online posts has emerged as a second battlefront between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licence fees https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-media-idUSKBN2AO099 for content, sparking a temporary Facebook blackout in February.

The Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI), which represents the Australian units of Facebook Inc, Alphabet’s Google and Twitter Inc, said its new misinformation oversight subcommittee showed the industry was willing to self-regulate against damaging posts.

The tech giants had already agreed a code of conduct against misinformation, “and we wanted to further strengthen it with independent oversight from experts, and public accountability,” DIGI Managing Director Sunita Bose said in a statement.

A three-person “independent complaints sub-committee” would seek to resolve complaints about possible breaches of the code conduct via a public website, DIGI said, but would not take complaints about individual posts.

The industry’s code of conduct includes items such as taking action against misinformation affecting public health, which would include the novel coronavirus.

DIGI, which also represents Apple Inc and TikTok, said it could issue a public statement if a company was found to have violated the code of conduct or revoke its signatory status with the group.

Reset Australia, an advocate group focused on the influence of technology on democracy, said the oversight panel was “laughable” as it involved no penalties and the code of conduct was optional.

“DIGI’s code is not much more than a PR stunt given the negative PR surrounding Facebook in recent weeks,” said Reset Australia Director of tech policy Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran in a statement, urging regulation for the industry.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘Betrayal of Democracy, profits over public safety’; Facebook whistleblower lambasts company

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Frances Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook’s civic misinformation team, who was roped in to prevent election interference, revealed her identity as the whistleblower behind Facebook’s internal research documents. Over the last few weeks, The Wall Street Journal managed to unearth and publish a trove of internal Facebook research documents that highlighted the negative effects of the app.

The published documents led to a new wave of criticism against the social media giant and even launched a US Senate hearing against the company on the matter. On October 3, the whistleblower behind the leak of the documents revealed herself in a CBS interview, ahead of testifying before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection on October 5.

What she revealed

Haugen, who previously worked at Pinterest, Yelp and Google as a product manager and was a technical co-founder behind the dating app Hinge, said she “became increasingly alarmed by the choices the company makes prioritising their own profits over public safety and putting people’s lives at risk,” on her website.

Haugen decided to reveal the company’s internal research document public to highlight the real dangers that the platform poses, leaking over 10,000 documents in the process.

“I’ve seen a bunch of social networks and it was substantially worse at Facebook than anything I’d seen before,” Haugen told CBS in an interview.

Haugen highlighted that Facebook’s algorithm promotes misinformation to users. Due to the way that the social media platform is set up, users often tend to get fed misinformation that they would likely believe in and share further. Haugen said the company had recognised that threat. In anticipation of the swarm of misinformation that was expected to be released ahead of the highly divisive 2020 election and the election cycle, the company hired Haugen to be a part of the Civic Integrity Team, to deal with such information.

But the turning point came as soon as the election was over, and the Civic Integrity Team was dissolved and its work partitioned to other teams. The safety measures to stop the spread of misinformation were also disabled so that the company could focus on growth instead.

“When they got rid of Civic Integrity, it was the moment where I was like, ‘I don’t trust that they’re willing to actually invest what needs to be invested to keep Facebook from being dangerous’.” Haugen told 60 Minutes.

Soon afterwards, Facebook played a role in spreading misinformation and rabble-rousing the people who would go on to storm the US Capitol in the January 6 attacks in support of defeated President Donald J Trump.

“As soon as the election was over, they turned them back off or they changed the settings back to what they were before, to prioritise growth over safety,” Haugen said. “And that really feels like a betrayal of democracy to me.”

Haugen, in another interview with The Wall Street Journal, added that Facebook also did very little to stop the problem of human exploitation on its platform. Facebook’s teams to deal with such issues on the platform are often understaffed or underfunded.

“Facebook acted like it was powerless to staff these teams,” she told the Journal.

Facebook’s pile of troubles

Haugen revealed internal research documents which highlighted that Facebook and Instagram, a photo-sharing social media platform that it owns, knew the effects it had on the mental health of teenage girls. But despite knowing that using the platform led to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among its users, the platform did very little to combat such effects or even highlight the risks that it posed to vulnerable children.

The company was also planning to entice pre-teen users in order to capitalise on a hitherto untapped market of consumers that would be turning to the wider Facebook and Instagram ecosystem as they grew older.

The leaked documents have prompted an official US Senate hearing over Facebook’s effect on children.

At the same time, the company has only paused the release of its Instagram for kids app, highlighting that a tailored experience for children on the platform is the perfect solution to many of the troubling questions that arise.

Facebook has been facing increased regulatory pressure around the globe, as governments tighten the reins on large social media platforms as well as the practices of tech giants like Facebook. The company in recent years has been facing increasing criticism for being a cesspool of misinformation and hate speech that often leads to violence. One of the glaring examples of such an effect was the outburst of violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the often continuing hate speech against Rohingya refugees.

Haugen, for her part, believes that more regulations can help keep the company in check.

“Facebook has demonstrated they cannot act independently… Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety,” Haugen told 60 Minutes. “It is subsidising, it is paying for its profits with our safety. I’m hoping that this will have had a big enough impact on the world that they get the fortitude and the motivation to actually go put those regulations into place. That’s my hope.”

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow