The scourge of Facebook

[buksida]

This could go in the online shopping thread as there are a lot of fakes on Lazada, but as usual, Facebook takes the prize ...


New normal in Thailand sees spike in complaints from online shoppers
The hotline is operated by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), which works alongside the police High-Tech Crime Division and other agencies to prevent cybercrimes.

“Complaints this year have risen 29 per cent compared to the same period last year. Most of the complaints [82.4 per cent] were related to Facebook transactions, followed by 4.6 per cent against general websites and 4.3 per cent against transactions on Instagram,” she said.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40007337

[buksida]

Senate Banking Committee Democrats call on Facebook to stop launch of Diem and Novi
Hours after Facebook went live this morning with its digital wallet Novi, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and four other Senators from her party sent a warning shot at the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, demanding that he "immediately discontinue" the program.

https://decrypt.co/83851/elizabeth-warr ... allet-novi

Some scathing words in that letter: https://www.schatz.senate.gov/imo/media ... n_diem.pdf

Time and again, Facebook has made conscious business decisions to continue with actions that have harmed its users and the broader society. Facebook cannot be trusted to manage a payment system or digital currency when its existing ability to manage risks and keep consumers safe has proven wholly insufficient.

[handdrummer]

Is it mandatory that users of facebook use its digital wallet? If not, it's a choice. Do people need to be protected from themselves?

[buksida]

I think you're missing the point (again). The politicians are concerned that FB would have control over a potentially huge monetary flow, and if it does with that what it has done with customers' personal data, there are likely to be very big problems down the line.

For once, I agree with the politicians. FB can't be trusted to be a global bank (but then neither can the global banks).

[handdrummer]

I think you're missing the point (again). The politicians are concerned that FB would have control over a potentially huge monetary flow, and if it does with that what it has done with customers' personal data, there are likely to be very big problems down the line.

For once, I agree with the politicians. FB can't be trusted to be a global bank (but then neither can the global banks).

In that case, Facebook would be like all the other payment platforms that have control over a huge monetary flow and would need to be regulated the same way credit card cos. are regulated.

Everyone sells personal data, otherwise, there would be no targeted ads.

I think there is animosity against Facebook, on the part of congress, that doesn't exist against other credit issuers. I'm not a Facebook user so I don't care what they do and I don't like govt. overregulation and control. Control is the main issue.

Every day I see the US govt. attempting to gain more control over people's lives. From voting laws to abortion, there's a move toward the Chinese way of doing things and that goes back to protect you from yourself.

So, no I didn't miss the point, I expanded the point and there's more than one point.

I agree with you about global banks and you can add in multinational corporations.

[buksida]

I'd agree with most of that. Facebook is far more insidious though as it is a danger to society through its promotion and dissemination of fake news, racism, scams, and abuse (no other platform does that at such scale), so it does need to be stopped or heavily controlled IMO. It would not be just like another regular payment or ad platform because it is already intertwined with billions of lives.

[handdrummer]

I'd agree with most of that. Facebook is far more insidious though as it is a danger to society through its promotion and dissemination of fake news, racism, scams, and abuse (no other platform does that at such scale), so it does need to be stopped or heavily controlled IMO. It would not be just like another regular payment or ad platform because it is already intertwined with billions of lives.

Not being a Facebook participant I don't know what they do other than forwarding messages to people. If they promote and disseminate fake news, racism, scams, abuse, etc., then yes, they do need to be preferably stopped or at least controlled.

I don't know how that could be done other than policing every post on its platform and that would be a monumental job, although, China does it quite well with severe consequences for those who disobey the rules. Probably wouldn't work in the US with it's first amendment rights and generally don't tread on me attitude toward everything.

Surveillance is increasing and I imagine something will be done to reign in Facebook.

[buksida]

Five questions in Westminster for Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen
Frances Haugen brings her searing assessment of Facebook to Westminster on Monday with an appearance at the joint committee scrutinising the draft online safety bill.

The former facebook employee has provoked an onslaught of criticism of Mark Zuckerberg’s company by releasing tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents outlining the firm’s failure to keep harmful content off its platforms (as well as its eponymous social network, Facebook owns Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp). She has already testified to US senators this month at a hearing in which she accused the company of putting “astronomical profits before people”.

...

She released tens of thousands of documents because she believed Facebook was not doing enough to tackle the harms that were being committed on its platforms, which have 2.8 billion daily users. She believes that Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, chief executive and controlling shareholder, is a barrier to change. “He has not demonstrated that he is willing to govern the company at the level that is necessary for public safety.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ces-haugen

Inside the Big Facebook Leak
In a time of mega-leaks, journalists’ sources have become power players. Frances Haugen, the former Facebook product manager who shared company documents, led a meticulous media rollout.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/busi ... augen.html

[Lost]

With all the problems concerning Facebook recently, Mark Zuckerberg has changed the company name to Meta. He is now CEO of Meta, not Facebook. He just oversees Facebook on the side. Problem solved.


https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59083601

[Lost]

And a glimpse into Mark Zuckerberg's vision for the metaverse. 'Ready Player One' level worlds will definitely be about in my lifetime.

I still find myself rocking the SNES and N64 games! I need to catch up.

[Big Boy]

The Translation button has made a welcome return to Facebook today for Thai language. Crap translations, but better than nothing.

[buksida]

Watchdogs Urge DOJ to Investigate Legality of Facebook’s Cryptocurrency Venture
Financial industry watchdogs are asking federal officials to attempt to stop the cryptocurrency pilot program launched by Facebook, noting that the U.S. government has the power to criminally prosecute executives for operating the venture.

The Open Markets Institute sent a letter on November 23 to numerous regulatory agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), saying the omnipresent tech conglomerate may be “in the illegal business of receiving deposits without a bank charter.”

...

“Facebook’s pilot is likely another attempt by the firm to further grow its dominance in digital advertising, and monetize its users’ private data,” said Alexis Goldstein, financial policy director at the Open Markets Institute.

Considering “Facebook’s track record of violating user privacy, and Facebook’s ongoing need to find new profit centers,” the Open Markets Institute warned, “there is absolutely no reason to believe its promises today that it will not find a way to monetize its digital assets pilot project.”

https://truthout.org/articles/watchdogs ... y-venture/

[buksida]

ROHINGYA SUE FACEBOOK FOR $150B, ALLEGING ROLE IN VIOLENCE
Rohingya refugees sued social network powerhouse Facebook for more than $150 billion, accusing it of failing to stop hate speech that incited violence against the Muslim ethnic group by military rulers and their supporters in Myanmar.

Years after coming under scrutiny for contributing to ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar, recently revealed internal Facebook documents show the company still has problems defining and moderating hate speech and misinformation on its platform in the country. The breaches have even been exploited by hostile actors since the Feb. 1 military takeover this year that resulted in human rights abuses across the country.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/int ... -violence/

[buksida]

Viral lies spread democratic decay from Thailand to Nepal: report
When fake photos and COVID conspiracies spiral across Facebook or TikTok, critics invariably ask how to protect people from the dregs of the internet. But a new report on disinformation in Asia suggests that focusing on technology misses the point and that a crackdown on tech may treat the symptom, not the disease.

...

Though social media giants profit by allowing manipulated content on their platforms, regulation alone isn't a solution, the report says. Lasting fixes, it says, would get to the roots of both supply and demand of disinformation.

On the demand side, this includes tackling inequality, which breeds distrust in the establishment. On the supply side, it includes strengthening institutions like an independent judiciary and press to counter actors who spread lies online to gain political influence.

...

Democratic erosion caused the scourge of disinformation, and wiping it from the internet won't address why people spread it, the researchers say.

It is not tech but "societal rifts brought about by worsening socioeconomic inequality and their political manifestations that have resulted in a democratic rollback in Asia and the Pacific and elsewhere," they write.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Viral- ... pal-report

[handdrummer]

If you want to control people, and governments do want that, control the media and spread disinformation. Worked for Goebles and Trump for a while.