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Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

theintercept.com

31–40 of 83 posts

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#31

https://www.google.com/ads/elections/ https://www.google.com/ads/elections/campaign-playbook/mobil... ze/ https://business.twitter.com/en/help/ads-policies/restricted... (lest the implication be misunderstood, it is that "hiding web pages" is a non-story, unless i have missed the authors point. online ads for candidates are still not regulated in the same way as similar ads on "traditional" broadcast media such as TV…

Um, yeah. Political campaigns can buy ads from Google. I'm not sure why that would be surprising or objectionable unless you believe all political advertising is bad.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#32
I am no fan of Facebook. Even though I have an account I barely use it.

But, Facebook sells ads. So, it is not surprising that they want to show off their "influence". I am sure similar language can be found even on cosmetic, electronic etc product "wins".

The only issue here is Facebook trying to hide the page. And, that is the worst thing they can do in the given climate.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#33
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a New York, D.C., and London bubble, then, at the very least. (With strong support in Seattle, Dallas and Raleigh, too.)

I’ll throw Melbourne, AU into the bubble mix, and I have friends and family in Britain who recently got off Facebook. Big bubble.

And PDX

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#34
Okay, let’s all settle down here with the pitchforks. It is totally reasonable for Facebook to a) sell politics are and b) want to tout their effectiveness. It is even reasonable for them to c) pull the pages down in the midst of this PR nightmare.

Facebook deserves most of what they're getting right now, but this is sensationalist media.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#35
post #3
post #2

Asked about the delisting, a Facebook spokesperson said that “a number of the studies have been archived, but they’re still available at the individual links.” Asked why the “Government and Politics” section had been removed entirely, the spokesperson did not reply. I’ll just bet they didn’t. “We’re covering our ass like it’s on fire” is probably a bad PR, move, but it’s painfully obvious that’s what’s happening. The…

Nah. People outside our bubble don't care.

40bn in lost shares says otherwise

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet half the people inside the bubble don't care. I don't care, for example.

You don't care, doesn't mean you SHOULD not care. Public apathy from smart people was probably behind what happened in 1930s Germany.

What? There were so many different reasons, and apathy definitely wasn't one of them. You know what was the main driving force though? Anger, anger and resentment. Germans felt treated badly after WWI, the war contributions were extremely high, people were starving, inflation was higher than in Venezuela today. These were the circumstances that shaped NSDAP. Apathy? No, many German smart people were in favor of changes at the beginning.

I simply can't understand all these Nazi analogies all around, as if people had no idea what the Weimar Republic was and all their knowledge of the interwar period is based on some Hollywood movies.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#37
post #2

Asked about the delisting, a Facebook spokesperson said that “a number of the studies have been archived, but they’re still available at the individual links.” Asked why the “Government and Politics” section had been removed entirely, the spokesperson did not reply. I’ll just bet they didn’t. “We’re covering our ass like it’s on fire” is probably a bad PR, move, but it’s painfully obvious that’s what’s happening. The…

That spokesperson should be ashamed of themselves. Absolutely disgusting.

They're just doing their job. It's company leadership that should be ashamed.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#38
post #31

https://www.google.com/ads/elections/ https://www.google.com/ads/elections/campaign-playbook/mobil... ze/ https://business.twitter.com/en/help/ads-policies/restricted... (lest the implication be misunderstood, it is that "hiding web pages" is a non-story, unless i have missed the authors point. online ads for candidates are still not regulated in the same way as similar ads on "traditional" broadcast media such as TV…

Um, yeah. Political campaigns can buy ads from Google. I'm not sure why that would be surprising or objectionable unless you believe all political advertising is bad.

As a European I'm surprised. In my country, every form of political advertising, TV or online, is strictly regulated.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#39
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um, yeah. Political campaigns can buy ads from Google. I'm not sure why that would be surprising or objectionable unless you believe all political advertising is bad.

As a European I'm surprised. In my country, every form of political advertising, TV or online, is strictly regulated.

That doesn't say much. It's regulated in the US too, including digital.

What matters (and what is different) is what the specific regulations are.

Re: Facebook hid webpages bragging of ability to influence elections

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet half the people inside the bubble don't care. I don't care, for example.

You don't care, doesn't mean you SHOULD not care. Public apathy from smart people was probably behind what happened in 1930s Germany.

Almost by definition, for something of that level to happen, someone needs to be very not apathetic...
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