Once again, Facebook has declared that they will be allowing lies in political ads. (emphasis mine because WTF)
Facebook said in a blog post Thursday that it considered limiting microtargeting for political ads. But it said it learned about the importance of such practices for reaching “key audiences” after talking with political campaigns from both major parties in the U.S., political groups and nonprofits.
The company said it was guided by the principle that “people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that what they say should be scrutinized and debated in public.”
Facebook does plan to let users choose to see fewer political and social-issue ads, although it won’t let people exclude them entirely. It’s also going to let people choose whether or not to see ads, political or otherwise, from advertisers that target them using their contact details, such as email address or phone number.
As the article says, this is after Google and Twitter have taken far more drastic actions.
And all this, right after explosive leaks showing us that Cambridge Analytica is way worse than we knew.
It’s time to stop pretending Facebook isn’t openly and purposefully white supremacist and authoritarian.
Black Facebook staff describe workplace racism in anonymous letter
Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s private meetings with conservative pundits
Racist Border Patrol groups show Facebook still has work to do on hate speech
Facebook’s Secret Censorship Rules Protect White Men From Hate Speech But Not Black Children
“The company said it was guided by the principle that “people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that what they say should be scrutinized and debated in public.”
That’s not how any of this works. The whole purpose of an ad is to give your viewer and impression, “This product is great! I am happy using this product!” and, if you get their attention over time, embedding that message in their subconscious, “I heard they were a great brand, I will buy this item.”
Add up all of the ads that are lies people will believe them as truths if they’re only being targeted by the party that Facebook calculated they’re voting for. With the format of social media, ads look like posts from people you follow so there’s an added layer of “One of my friends said, I trust my friend.” Further still, there’s no way to engage with ads or the political groups sponsoring them. How do you engage with a blatant lie? There’s no way the user base is going to figure out how to block those ads if they’re still copy and pasting statements claiming their posts are “copyrighted.”
These tech companies are going to keep on this track until the government cares to regulate them, though the current batch of tech-ignorant lawmakers won’t be instilling any confidence in this being done correctly. In this age when there’s more information, for free, than ever this is what we’ve come to.
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I feel like our only hope with regulation is that Europe does it and at least defends themselves; at least in the near future. If Facebook keeps being successful at their manipulation, the people elected here will not regulate them.
I suppose the same goes for hoping California can get something done re: regulated industries and social programs. Private companies would have to run the cost/benefit of having to accommodate a large market who is resisting their stranglehold. That’s how we all got lower care emissions, because California restricted them.
Even still…California is not about to regulate the tech giants and mega-media corporations because money.
Yeah I know. You think that Cali is going to be the Last Stand but you know they still choose money.
If people wee capable of discerning the truth from ‘false information’, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Here’s another, one I was going to do but never got around to, google and medical data:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/14/im-the-google-whistleblower-the-medical-data-of-millions-of-americans-is-at-risk
Like, I want to rip my hair out because SPREADING A LIE THAT LOOKS LIKE A FACT IS, IN FACT, YOU LYING!
Shit I didn’t know about the Google medical data thing. So much to keep up with. 🙁
This needs to be repeatedly pointed out to everyone who still uses FB.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/06/google-ibm-tech-racism
I still use it and I’m trying to figure out a way I can keep my business connected to it without them making money off me (it really only serves as a place people look for me and send me messages; I don’t advertise on it). Unfortunately I am totally dependent on Instagram. It’s not so evil but it’s the same evil people running it.
I used what’sapp before it went darkside and I’m like ‘now what?’*.
(*idea for a new app, like what’sapp pre-darkside)
I know. That’s the problem. And you literally can’t live in society without using the resources of these big scary tech companies anymore, even in a hidden way.
Who would ever want to be so powerful that not a single person is brave enough to say to them, “Your hair makes you look like a 5th grade boy on a leash in a grown up body?”
Hahahaha I know. You get too rich and you really let yourself go.