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Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

nytimes.com

161–170 of 270 posts

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#161
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Fox News presents any particular difficulty to running the Color Revolution playbook in the US. They're so obviously biased that decent people can (and do) ignore them. What matters is boots on the ground (aka protests) and whatever the legitimate media promotes to the public. That gives politicians (in both parties) the necessary cover to remove Trump from office by force.

About half the country believes that Fox is legitimate media. Given that legitimacy is exclusively a product of belief, they qualify as a 'legitimate media' source.

It also seems to be a given that you have a convenient definition of legitimacy. But I do so like contributors who are boldly confident in their pronouncements.

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#162
We have a serious misinformation problem. It started with Fox News decades ago, and now it’s amplified by Facebook. It’s too easy for bad info and conspiracy theories to proliferate, and good info to be downplayed, before the truth rises to the top. Most voters aren’t getting the full picture and the media sources they consume aren’t integrating evidence well.

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#163
post #139

Honestly, I've been quite shocked over the last 5 years or so at Zuck's take on political and politically adjacent politics. I get that they're of the "money at any cost" ethic, but a lot of decisions (or lack thereof) have been downright imprudent. These last minute decisions are likely reactive to something, whether or not it's actually reactive to the debate comment that this writer thinks triggered it. My (uneduc…

> These last minute decisions are likely reactive to something

Yes, reacting to Trump having a 16 point lag just a month before election day, so now Facebook is strategically aligning itself more on the side of the likely winner, which is increasingly talking about regulating FB.

If the polls were tied, I am certain this would not happen.

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#164

Simple solutions: * Block all political ads all the time. * Require all political parties, and their PACS, to register as a known Advertiser account within the system. Any time an ad runs, and regardless of the source, the associated party will be heavily penalized with a removal of their non-paid content. There needs to be ramifications for their abuse of the platform. Being that Facebook can't charge them a fine, p…

You describe the system pretty much in place for decades in western european countries. The problem is, media companies have grown dependant on the easy 9figures in ad revenue they are all but guaranteed each election cycle. Take that election rev away and the 4th estate collapses.

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#165

Simple solutions: * Block all political ads all the time. * Require all political parties, and their PACS, to register as a known Advertiser account within the system. Any time an ad runs, and regardless of the source, the associated party will be heavily penalized with a removal of their non-paid content. There needs to be ramifications for their abuse of the platform. Being that Facebook can't charge them a fine, p…

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding but does this not potentially incentivise political organisations running their opposition's ads (it's probably feasible to do so in such a way that they don't really reach anyone) and then reporting the infractions and thereby getting their opposition punished?

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the real question :) Of course it will be by some far left leaning person. Zuckerberg said they have content moderation and consult with many many groups and the interviewer asked for ONE example of a conservative group they consult with, he had no answer.

Not intended to derail this, but could someone point to/recommend conservative groups who a) have denounced white supremacy, and b) are reasonably data- or analytically-driven?

The Wall Street Journal editorial page?

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#167
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only democratic way to have a vetting system for political messages would be to have an transparent government institute that are responsible to the public, and it seems to me then that we have just reinvented the censor bureau of the past.

Ugh we have a constitution to protect against stuff like this... Otherwise we’d have the ministry of truth which would be arresting people for inappropriate thoughts being expressed.

It's the classic problem of: But who will clean up after the janitors? When the highest authority is corrupted, there's no one left to (fairly) referee

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#168
The rot is already set and hardened. Just as MySpace user freedomed their way to a tacky, spastic shitshow, FB has dwindled down to rabid, death cult, Fox Zombie boomers screaming at clouds.

WTF are they doing w/ Insta and WA monetization? Anyone know the rev breakdowns (thx, too lazy to look through the quarterlies)

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#169
post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not intended to derail this, but could someone point to/recommend conservative groups who a) have denounced white supremacy, and b) are reasonably data- or analytically-driven?

Do you automatically presume any conservative group is white supremacists by default?

Given the way Trump has captured the following of the conservative community, despite being a radical populist and having few policy accomplishments besides inflaming racial tensions, yes. It's reasonable starting assumption about any group that continues to express support for Trump.

I'm not a fan of identity politics, I generally try to ignore race, and I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. But at this point it's awfully hard to not conclude that Trump is a race baiting bigot. My final straw was the FUD about Kamala Harris's birth certificate. Apparently "birth certificate" really is just a simplistic dog whistle for pointing out that someone is Black.

I'm a libertarian and think that both parties screw the People similarly, but after four years of this destructive ignorant bullshit enough is enough. It's time to take our country back.

Re: Facebook widens ban on political ads as alarm rises over election

#170
post #3
post #2

> Political ads will be banned indefinitely after polls close on Nov. 3... Of course.

What's the reason not to ban them immediately?

Rhymes with "revenue". 2016 I made a large (for me) investment into FB certain that the revenue would appear, and it worked out quite handsomely. I can't stomach it this time.
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