A letter to Facebook and regulation concerns in India
This week we have updates about Facebook's new efforts to curb misinformation, as well as criticism from civil society groups over the platform's handling of speech relating to conflict between Israel and Palestine. In India, Twitter is raising concerns about government efforts to regulate online content.
Meedan team members have also put together a roundup of WhatsApp tipline content from India and Brazil.
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Twitter fears for freedom of expression in India (BBC)
In the tussle between Twitter and the government of India, the social media platform has expressed concerns over freedom of expression in India and safety of its employees in the country. The platform has raised concerns over the government's 'intimidation' tactics by the government and the new guidelines to regulate digital content on social media and streaming platforms.
"Twitter said it was 'particularly concerned about the requirement to make an individual (the compliance officer) criminally liable for content on the platform, the requirements for proactive monitoring, and the blanket authority to seek information about our customers.' This, the company said, represented 'dangerous overreach that is inconsistent with open, democratic principles.'"
Letter to Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook, we need to talk)
Over 40 civil society organizations across Latin America, the United States, and North Africa/Western Asia signed a letter addressing Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg decrying what they call systemic censorship of Palestinians and its complicity with the Israeli government.
“Facebook may need to consult governments on various content and policy issues in its work; however, to coordinate with the Israeli government — which the United Nations and multiple human rights organizations have called an apartheid state — publicly in the middle of a military assault on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, attacks on Palestinian citizens in Israel, and forcible displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem is dangerous overreach at best."
Repeat misinformation offenders get their wings clipped on Facebook (Poynter)
Facebook announced Wednesday it would begin limiting the reach of individual users who repeatedly share posts flagged by members of its Third-Party Fact-Checking Program. (Fact-checkers are required to be signatories to the IFCN’s Code of Principles to participate in the program).
"This announcement marks a change in the company’s approach to handling misinformation, which previously only reduced the distribution of individual posts flagged by members of the 3PFC. Now, users who repeatedly share misinformation will have the reach of all their posts reduced regardless of whether those posts contain misinformation — i.e a user who repeatedly shares U.S. election and COVID-19 falsehoods would also see reduced distribution of their vacation pics or posts about a family apple pie recipe."
Meedan Updates
What Spreads on WhatsApp?: A Snapshot of Tipline Content from India and Brazil
Information and misinformation spread like wildfire on social media networks. While there are ways of tracking viral information on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, encrypted networks like WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram are often beyond the reach of investigation. Fact-checkers have started using tiplines to understand and address misinformation spreading in these networks. Tiplines are accounts on these platforms to which users are encouraged to send any potential misleading information they see.