Facebook etc. controversy

[clairecloutier]

Here’s an article outlining the allegations against Facebook/Insta/WhatsApp from whistleblower Frances Haugen:

Whistleblower's SEC complaint: Facebook knew platform was used to "promote human trafficking and domestic servitude"

For the first time, read the whistleblower's complaints to the SEC that led to 60 Minutes' report on Facebook.

www.cbsnews.com

I’ll post more articles as I come across them.

There was a big piece in WSJ recently (referenced in this article) that talked about the negative impact of Instagram on teenage girls.

 

[Cachoo]

Loved the "60 Minutes" interview---also we were laughing when Instagram went down because we imagined "influencers" breaking out in a cold sweat. I wouldn't mind if it stayed down for a spell.

 

[Winnipeg]

I listened to her testimony at the senate committee this morning. She came across as quite credible.

Everyone seems shocked that Facebook, aka MZ, are out to make profit first above all else. I always thought that of him and Facebook so what's the point unless the committee actually does something about it. Likely, MZ already has Washington lobbyists working against any change so they can continue to profit as much as possible regardless of any impact to society or children.

There will be a lot of shocked folks, gnashing of teethe and then everything will continue as before. Hope I am wrong but..........

 

[Judy]

I am not shocked about Facebook at all. Good for her.

 

[once_upon]

I listened to her testimony at the senate committee this morning. She came across as quite credible.

Everyone seems shocked that Facebook, aka MZ, are out to make profit first above all else. I always thought that of him and Facebook so what's the point unless the committee actually does something about it. Likely, MZ already has Washington lobbyists working against any change so they can continue to profit as much as possible regardless of any impact to society or children.

There will be a lot of shocked folks, gnashing of teethe and then everything will continue as before. Hope I am wrong but..........

Quite honestly, I think teens have moved on to other social media like tiktok and you tube. (Kids you tube is filled with advertising crap).

They seem to tolerate Facebook if only because of parents.

 

[Susan1]

Quite honestly, I think teens have moved on to other social media like tiktok and you tube. (Kids you tube is filled with advertising crap).

They seem to tolerate Facebook if only because of parents.

Yeah. I thought "kids" made fun of old people using FB. The relatives I am "friends" with's children in their 20s and 30s are "friends" with them. But they don't post anything except sharing their own family's photos.

This is turning into another one of those "kids that listen to heavy metal kill themselves". Maybe the parents should keep them off of social media. Or monitor it or something. I will be dating myself, but I used to read 17 and then Glamour and then Mademoiselle and then Cosmopolitan. I never had the urge to kill myself because I did not look like the models. Granted, I wanted to gain weight, and the best tip I ever got was from Glamour magazine in "jeans for every body" that Calvin Kleins gave you needed hips. They did! I bought them for 30 years till they started making all jeans too low cut.

FB now, why would someone take advice about how to kill themselves and not take advantage of the positive pages. And I guess I am not technologically savvy or something. What advertisements? I have a bunch on the side of the page on the Yahoo home page. I just barley glance at them. After I was looking at stores with curtain rods, now I get ads for curtains rods. My suggested pages on FB are for cat pages, recipe pages and famous people I've never heard of, attractions in other states, etc. I can guarantee you I never liked or clicked on any cat pages. Are those "ads"? I don't get it.

I wouldn't have known about the water main break yesterday that happened at 11:00 Sunday night without the chat page (way before FB went down) and the map of where the boil advisory was (my house was two blocks away). They put door hangers on the affected houses, but who would have seen those before you brush your teeth and make your coffee with water you were supposed to boil Monday morning. Just rambling.

 

[clairecloutier]

WaPo article about Haugen's testimony today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/05/facebook-senate-hearing-frances-haugen/

 

[PeterG]

Likely, MZ already has Washington lobbyists working against any change so they can continue to profit as much as possible regardless of any impact to society or children.

I think you might be right. I heard that the wages he is earning working at facebook are sufficient enough to enable him to do just that.

 

[Vagabond]

Facebook Renames Itself Meta (Published 2021)

The social network, under fire for spreading misinformation and other issues, said the change was part of its bet on a next digital frontier called the metaverse.

www.nytimes.com

How appropriate for a faceless, bookless monstrosity.

 

[MacMadame]

I have been saving some articles about what I think of as The Facebook Problem

https://wapo.st/2ZEeApN

https://wapo.st/2ZEeApN

https://wapo.st/2ZCXjxe

(I 'gifted' these so hopefully at least some of you can get past the paywall)

The Atlantic has been covering this too:

The Facebook Papers

The Atlantic’s coverage of the internal documents provided by the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

www.theatlantic.com

This is turning into another one of those "kids that listen to heavy metal kill themselves".

Except it's not, not remotely. You should read at least one article about how Facebook uses its algorithm in ways that manipulate people with no regard for the harm this does. It's really quite chilling.

 

[Tesla]

I think social media has its uses. I like it for the crafting community. I've taken up quilting, gotten back to crocheting, and have a few Silhouette machines. I think it's great for interacting with those interests. I don't like Facebook's algorithm. I wish they would just go back to straight up "most recent" posts.

ETA I think the new name is stupid.

 

[Lemonade20]

It's a weird name but it's only the company name changing. Facebook (or Crackbook), Instagram, Whatsapp will keep their names.

 

[Tesla]

It's a weird name but it's only the company name changing. Facebook (or Crackbook), Instagram, Whatsapp will keep their names.

Oh, that’s good. Thank you!

 

[MacMadame]

I don't like Facebook's algorithm. I wish they would just go back to straight up "most recent" posts.

IMO it's the algorithm that is the issue. If they didn't promote some content over others, then they couldn't be accused of causing societal harm or of censoring people.

 

[Tesla]

IMO it's the algorithm that is the issue. If they didn't promote some content over others, then they couldn't be accused of causing societal harm or of censoring people.

I agree. They need to get rid of the algorithm. Very few people like it.

 

[MacMadame]

I agree. They need to get rid of the algorithm. Very few people like it.

There are other ways to drive engagement and increase revenue besides messing with our newsfeeds.

ETA doesn't Twitter also have an algorithm? What it shows me varies greatly depending on what link I used to get there and it definitely doesn't show me all the tweets from all the people I follow in order by how they were posted. So I wonder if Twitter is also an issue and just has managed to fly under the radar so far. Will we also see a Twitter whistleblower in days to come?

 

[Baby Yoda On Skates]

There are other ways to drive engagement and increase revenue besides messing with our newsfeeds.

ETA doesn't Twitter also have an algorithm? What it shows me varies greatly depending on what link I used to get there and it definitely doesn't show me all the tweets from all the people I follow in order by how they were posted. So I wonder if Twitter is also an issue and just has managed to fly under the radar so far. Will we also see a Twitter whistleblower in days to come?your settings. I have my Twitter feed set to show latest tweets in chronological order. I only use the app on my phone though

There are other ways to drive engagement and increase revenue besides messing with our newsfeeds.

ETA doesn't Twitter also have an algorithm? What it shows me varies greatly depending on what link I used to get there and it definitely doesn't show me all the tweets from all the people I follow in order by how they were posted. So I wonder if Twitter is also an issue and just has managed to fly under the radar so far. Will we also see a Twitter whistleblower in days to come?

Check your settings. I set my feed to show tweets in chronological order thanks to helpful people who also hate algorithms.

 

[Lemonade20]

Facebook also has an option for you to sort by most Recent, which surprises me how much gets hidden.

 

[MacMadame]

Facebook also has an option for you to sort by most Recent, which surprises me how much gets hidden.

I do sort by Most recent but, as you say, they don't show me everything from everyone I follow like Instagram does.

 

[skatingguy]

Mark Zuckerberg considered deleting everyone's Facebook friends in 2022, admits platform's focus has shifted​

"The 'friend' part has gone down quite a bit"​

The Facebook feed, once filled with posts and images from people you know, is now an algorithmic sea of sponsored content, group posts, and other recommendations from various pages and accounts. In Zuckerberg's words, the feed "has turned into more of a broad discovery and entertainment space."

The hearing also revealed that Zuckerberg had a "crazy idea" in 2022 that sounds like it would have been universally hated: wiping everyone's friend connections.

Mark Zuckerberg considered deleting everyone's Facebook friends in 2022, admits platform's focus has shifted

Zuckerberg was on the witness stand on Monday to defend Meta against a case brought by the FTC in 2022. The agency alleges the company created a...

www.techspot.com

 

[Vagabond]

Mark Zuckerberg is not your friend.

 

[MacMadame]

Mark Zuckerberg is not your friend.

He isn't even his own friend.

What a moron.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

And not a fan of Bette Midler, apparently...

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[Prancer]

I'm reading Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism right now. It's very author-centric, as a memoir usually is, but it's interesting to see how Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have evolved over time. The evolution of Zuckerberg's personal politics (which are also Facebook politics) make sense--and I'm only halfway through the book.

 

[On My Own]

... from wiki:

developing a censorship system for China in 2015 that would allow a "chief editor" to decide what content to remove, and the ability to shut down the entire site during "social unrest"; assembling a "China team" in 2014 for a project to develop China-compliant versions of Meta's services; considering the weakening of privacy protections for Hong Kong users; building a specialised censorship system for China with automatic detection of restricted terms; and restricting the account of Guo Wengui, a Chinese government critic, after a Chinese internet regulator suggested it would improve cooperation.

The military junta in Myanmar was facilitated by Facebook to post hate speech that sought to foment sexual violence and promote genocide against the Rohingya. "Myanmar would have been a better place if Facebook had not arrived" Wynn-Williams writes.[9][10]

 

[Miezekatze]

Mark Zuckerberg considered deleting everyone's Facebook friends in 2022, admits platform's focus has shifted​

"The 'friend' part has gone down quite a bit"​

Mark Zuckerberg considered deleting everyone's Facebook friends in 2022, admits platform's focus has shifted

Zuckerberg was on the witness stand on Monday to defend Meta against a case brought by the FTC in 2022. The agency alleges the company created a...

www.techspot.com

I read he’s bringing the Friends feed back now , so maybe people do stop looking at the really shitty AI propaganda feed:

Bringing the Magic of Friends Back to Facebook | Meta

We’re introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that makes it easier to connect with your friends.

about.fb.com

• The Friends tab on Facebook will now show content just from your Facebook friends, no recommended content.
• This is the first of several experiences coming this year that will bring back the joy of what we first created on Facebook.

I guess that’s sort of good news, because hopefully it shows the usage and therefor revenue is actually going down.

I’m not really using Facebook anymore (and don’t have the app), but probably I count as an active user, cause i post links to my book post (automatically) there. But obviously that doesn’t make me see any ads.

Whatsapp is going on my nerves as f*** by now even as product too, because it’s now 75% features that I don’t need and don’t want, but that can’t be removed from view („channels“, „communities“, the AI bot). But it’s hard to get other people to move somewhere else.

 

[Simone411]

I do use FB to keep in touch with my family, relatives and friends. One reason is because I'm unable to travel, and most of my relatives live in other states. Now, what I don't use is X, TikTok or Instagram.

I'm not sure about the other three, and you don't miss something you've never used or had. I had twitter now X for a couple of days back whenever it came out, and decided it wasn't worth it after I discovered a crazy person was 'following' me around. I haven't missed Twitter now X at all.

I have noticed that right before my FB page shows up that I see the blue 'Meta' at the very bottom in the middle. I don't have a problem with FB, and several of the FSU members from here are my friends on FB. Also, I'm friends with some of the figure skaters on FB, and I see a lot of figure skating articles shared from FB.

Therefore, unless I ever have any kind of trouble from using FB, that's the place I'll continue to use because that's how I keep in touch with my relatives, family and friends.

 

[Tesla]

I do use FB to keep in touch with my family, relatives and friends. One reason is because I'm unable to travel, and most of my relatives live in other states. Now, what I don't use is X, TikTok or Instagram.

I'm not sure about the other three, and you don't miss something you've never used or had. I had twitter now X for a couple of days back whenever it came out, and decided it wasn't worth it after I discovered a crazy person was 'following' me around. I haven't missed Twitter now X at all.

I have noticed that right before my FB page shows up that I see the blue 'Meta' at the very bottom in the middle. I don't have a problem with FB, and several of the FSU members from here are my friends on FB. Also, I'm friends with some of the figure skaters on FB, and I see a lot of figure skating articles shared from FB.

Therefore, unless I ever have any kind of trouble from using FB, that's the place I'll continue to use because that's how I keep in touch with my relatives, family and friends.

I like Instagram for sharing my craft projects.

 

[once_upon]

I use WhatsApp exclusively with family chats. X I don't use. Chat, Instagram, Tik-Toc, Reels, Pinterest annoying. Any Google search gives me AI crap first. I have fallen into the trap that AI is best because it's first. Every single one has the Meta symbol and offers you to share to Meta.

I've tried to do everything to remove Meta - which works for a hot 3 seconds.

I discovered last week when looking my advanced Google settings - it had a preset thing to allow AI to use data from my Google mail conversations to enhance AI information. I don't know where I found it so I can't tell you how to disable.

Meta got its claws everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Messenger, every single app and place on the Web

It all reminds me of HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey.

 

[MacMadame]

Meta got its claws everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Messenger, every single app and place on the Web

FYI: TikTok is not owned by Meta.

But WhatsApp is owned by Meta. Also, Threads.