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Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

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Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#51

Post by lumberjack »

dillondoyle wrote: post #35
maym86 wrote: post #32

Can someone please explain the argument against passing laws forcing all adverts on advertising platforms like Facebook and Google to be searchable and transparent so we can see who is purchasing them, the parameters used for targeting the advert and what they are publishing? I can't see a downside for the majority of people.

Perhaps because 1st Amendment gives right to anonymous speech: https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity Perhaps because it gives established players a big leg up in terms of compliance costs (imagine being a small news site having to create this searchable system etc)

The 1st Amendment is just US law. What would be the argument elsewhere?

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#53

Post by cortesoft »

dillondoyle wrote: post #35
maym86 wrote: post #32

Can someone please explain the argument against passing laws forcing all adverts on advertising platforms like Facebook and Google to be searchable and transparent so we can see who is purchasing them, the parameters used for targeting the advert and what they are publishing? I can't see a downside for the majority of people.

Perhaps because 1st Amendment gives right to anonymous speech: https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity Perhaps because it gives established players a big leg up in terms of compliance costs (imagine being a small news site having to create this searchable system etc)

There is no 1st Amendment in the EU.

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#54

Post by stale2002 »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #48
stale2002 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it was a non binding resolution. It is the politicians who made the REAL decision to trigger brexit. There is nothing to reverse. You can't cancel a non binding resolution. Complain to the politicians who made the decision if you don't like what they did. And the politicians were very much voted in democratically. People can vote them out if they don't like their decisions.

Seems like a wonderful idea, but unfortunately the UK now has both major political parties firmly and irrevocably commited to enforcing the referendum result (whatever that is).

Ok, so I guess that means that all of the democratically elected parties are currently in favor of brexit.

That's democracy for you. If you don't like it then people should vote for someone else.

The fact that these major parties are committed to enforcing brexit IS the democracy.

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#55

Post by dominotw »

maym86 wrote: post #32

Can someone please explain the argument against passing laws forcing all adverts on advertising platforms like Facebook and Google to be searchable and transparent so we can see who is purchasing them, the parameters used for targeting the advert and what they are publishing? I can't see a downside for the majority of people.

> explain the argument against passing laws forcing

If laws protect people. more laws = better? What is the downside of passing any law?

In this case I could face discrimination at work if they found out that I was buying ads for my anti abortion website.

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#56

Post by morsma »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #45
morsma wrote: post #34

What about the effect Obama had, when he supported UK remaining in the EU? How many percent did his endorsement move?

It is not and should not be illegal for anybody to make their views on political issues known. It’s much more questionable when we start to look at organised funding and lobbying. We have those rules specifically to prevent elections being bought with cash.

When Merkel donated 5 million Euro to the Hillary Clinton campaign, was that then a foreign entity interfering/manipulating in an election?

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#57

Post by HumanDrivenDev »

It's really interesting coming to HN and watching the indignant 'stabbed in the back' theories about why the establishment lost the Brexit referendum and 2016 US presidential election. 2 years on and it still stings that the people didn't vote the way they were supposed to. There is definitely a classist, privileged undertone to the discourse as well - ironic but not surprising coming from many self-described socialists.

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#58

Post by jsonne »

clort wrote: post #50
morsma wrote: post #34

What about the effect Obama had, when he supported UK remaining in the EU? How many percent did his endorsement move?

AFAIK Obama didn't break the law so his contribution is not under question I think your questions could be seen as whataboutism[0], but as an answer I do know somebody who was furious that Obama was "telling us what to do" and subsequently voted leave. I don't know anybody who voted remain but was obviously swayed by Obama. Sample size is small but thats what I know. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

I'm not making a point either way than to say this. Legalism is probably the weakest argument to make for or against something. Slavery was once "legal".

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#59

Post by derriz »

chubasco wrote: post #21
B1FF_PSUVM wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> misinformed voters I have this notion that EU votes are repeated the number of times necessary to have the 'informed' result win.

As an American, this is definitely what it looks like to me.

Really? I suspect you have very little knowledge of the EU or how it works or its history. Here for example is an EU treaty, which took years to prepare and agree by the governments of all the countries but was abandoned after failing narrowly to pass referenda in France and the Netherlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_establishing_a_Constitu...

Re: Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads

#60

Post by maym86 »

dominotw wrote: post #55
maym86 wrote: post #32

Can someone please explain the argument against passing laws forcing all adverts on advertising platforms like Facebook and Google to be searchable and transparent so we can see who is purchasing them, the parameters used for targeting the advert and what they are publishing? I can't see a downside for the majority of people.

> explain the argument against passing laws forcing If laws protect people. more laws = better? What is the downside of passing any law? In this case I could face discrimination at work if they found out that I was buying ads for my anti abortion website.

> If laws protect people. more laws = better? What is the downside of passing any law?

No this is a question about a specific law. Making it a general point about all laws is disingenuous. Why do anything ever?

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