TheNewsGuru

Tag: Facebook

  • Facebook bans Holocaust denial

    Facebook bans Holocaust denial

    Facebook is banning Holocaust denial on its platform, with the social media giant saying it is concerned by rising anti-Semitism, in the latest move restricting controversial content.

    “If people search for the Holocaust on Facebook, we’ll start directing you to authoritative sources to get accurate information,’’ Facebook Chief, Mark Zuckerberg, said on Monday.

    Zuckerburg said he has “struggled with the tension’’ between protecting free speech and limiting hateful content.

    “Drawing the right lines between what is and isn’t acceptable speech isn’t straightforward, but with the current state of the world, I believe this is the right balance,’’ Zuckerburg said.

    Last week, Facebook said it was removing any group or page that openly identified with QAnon, a conspiracy theory group that holds some far-right views but largely believes that a cabal of paedophiliac Satanists run the world.

    The move also applies to Instagram.

    The social media giant also announced restrictions on intentional disinformation on the coronavirus and posts designed to suppress voting.

    The platform has been under pressure to moderate more content amid signs that groups like QAnon were able to gain traction through social media.

  • Facebook, Twitter, Google CEOs avoid subpoena, agree to testify before U.S. Senate committee

    Facebook, Twitter, Google CEOs avoid subpoena, agree to testify before U.S. Senate committee

    The chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet-owned Google have agreed to voluntarily testify at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on October 28 about a key law protecting internet companies.

    Facebook and Twitter confirmed on Friday that their CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, respectively, will appear, while a source said that Google’s Sundar Pichai will appear.

    That came a day after the committee unanimously voted to approve a plan to subpoena the three CEOs to appear before the panel.

    Twitter’s Dorsey tweeted on Friday that the hearing “must be constructive & focused on what matters most to the American people: how we work together to protect elections.”

    The CEOs are to appear virtually.

    In addition to discussions on reforming the law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability over content posted by users, the hearing will bring up issues about consumer privacy and media consolidation.

    Republican President Donald Trump has made holding tech companies accountable for allegedly stifling conservative voices a theme of his administration.

    As a result, calls for a reform of Section 230 have been intensifying ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, but there is little chance of approval by Congress this year.

    Last week Trump met with nine Republican state attorneys general to discuss the fate of Section 230 after the Justice Department unveiled a legislative proposal aimed at reforming the law.

    The chief executives of Google, Facebook, Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc recently testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel.

    The panel, which is investigating how the companies’ practices hurt rivals, is expected to release its report as early as next Monday.

  • NCC alerts public on fraudulent, fake Facebook account

    NCC alerts public on fraudulent, fake Facebook account

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Saturday alerted the general public on the existence of a fraudulent and cloned Facebook profile account, warning all not to have any dealings with it.

    The NCC in a statement released on its behalf by its Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde said the account was opened over a year ago and had amassed several unsuspecting followers.

    Read full statement below:

    DISCLAIMER – NCC Alerts the Public on Cloned Facebook Account

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) wishes to draw the attention of the general Public, especially telecoms consumers to a fraudulent and cloned Facebook profile account opened with a name similar to the Commission’s official name on the social media site.

    The Commission, upon detecting the fake Facebook account with the name “NIGERIA COMMUNICATION COMMISSION OFFICIAL WEBSITE”, deems it fit to inform members of the public that this account is fake and fraudulent.

    From our findings, the fake Facebook group account was created a year ago and has since amassed followership who, the Commission believes, must have inadvertently signed on to the site.

    The NCC states that this is a typical case of profile cloning, which represents a severe security issue in social media networks. It is often used to create a fake profile identical to an original one, for the purpose of misleading the unsuspecting general public.

    For the avoidance of doubt, the official and authentic Facebook account of the Commission is: “NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION” with over 181,580 followers.

    The Commission strongly advises Nigerian citizens and all telecom consumers to beware of this fraudulent Facebook account as the NCC has no affiliation with it.

    It is what it is: A CLONED FACEBOOK ACCOUNT, meant to deceive and defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

    Signed:

    Dr. Ikechukuwu Adinde,

    Director, Public Affairs,

    Abuja

    October 3,2020

  • Facebook opens second African office in Lagos

    Facebook opens second African office in Lagos

    Facebook on Friday said it would be opening an office in Lagos, Nigeria, as part of its continued commitment and ongoing investment in Africa.

    Facebook, in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, said this would be its second office on the African continent.

    It said the opening of the new office was aimed at supporting the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region.

    The office, it said, was expected to become operational in 2021.

    According to Facebook, it will be the first on the continent to house a team of expert engineers building for the future of Africa and beyond.

    It said the office would be home to various teams servicing the continent from across the business, including Sales, Partnerships, Policy, Communications as well as Engineers.

    Commenting, Ime Archibong, Facebook’s Head of New Product Experimentation, said: “The opening of our new office in Lagos, Nigeria presents new and exciting opportunities in digital innovations to be developed from the continent and taken to the rest of the world.

    “All across Africa, we are seeing immense talent in the tech ecosystem and I am proud that with the upcoming opening of our new office, we will build products for the future of Africa, and the rest of the world, with Africans at the helm.

    “We look forward to contributing further to the African tech ecosystem.

    “The investment of the new Facebook office follows the 2018 opening of NG_Hub, its first flagship community hub space in Africa.

    “The hub was opened in partnership with CcHub, and the 2019 opening of a Small Business Group (SBG) Operations Centre in Lagos, in partnership with Teleperformance, “Archibong said.

    Kojo Boakye, Facebook’s Director of Public Policy, Africa said that the new office in Nigeria presents an important milestone which further reinforces the company’s ongoing commitment to the region.

    “Our mission in Africa is no different from other parts of the world, which is to build community and bring the world closer together.

    “I am excited about the possibilities that this will create, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa,” Boakye said.

    The policy director said since the opening of its first office in 2015, Facebook had made a number of investments across the continent, aimed at supporting and growing the tech ecosystem.

    Boakye noted that the support includes the recent rollout of its SMB Grants programme in Nigeria and South Africa.

    He said thia was aimed at supporting over 900 businesses by providing a combination of cash and ad credits to help small businesses as they rebuild from COVID.

    Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director, Facebook Africa, said: “We are delighted to be announcing our new office in Nigeria.

    ” Five years on from opening our first office on the continent in Johannesburg, South Africa, we will continue to invest in and support local talent, as well as the various communities that use our platforms.

    “The office in Lagos will also be key in helping to expand how we service our clients across the continent,” Ntshingila said.

  • Osinbajo, Facebook to hold informal chat on Friday

    Osinbajo, Facebook to hold informal chat on Friday

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Facebook’s Vice President, Policy and Communication, Nick Clegg, are set to hold a virtual informal chat on Facebook on Friday.

    Facebook, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the chat would be held as part of its activities during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    The 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly commenced on Tuesday with a moment of silence against the unprecedented backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic. It will close on Sept. 22.

    Facebook said that the event, which would be moderated by Omowale David-Ashiru, Vice President, Global Operations at Andela, would explore the growth of digital economy in Nigeria.

    According to the statement, the session will also highlight Facebook’s role in the economic development across Sub-Saharan Africa.

    “As the Chairperson of Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Committee, Vice President Osinbajo will highlight the importance of digital technologies, innovation hubs and private equity funding in ensuring economic growth and development in the country,” it said.

    The session would also provide Osinbajo a platform to share further insight into Nigeria’s Post-COVID Economic Recovery Plan (ERP), Facebook said.

    The company stated that the 45-minute virtual event will be streamed on Facebook Live.

  • Facebook to ban new political ads in week before U.S. elections

    Facebook to ban new political ads in week before U.S. elections

    Facebook Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg said his company would not allow new political advertisements to run on the platform in the week before the U.S. presidential election.

    The company will, however, allow ads that began running before the final week to remain.

    And Zuckerberg did not say that Facebook would stop allowing politicians to run misleading ads in the meantime, allowing political candidates to show ads with lies until Election Day on Nov. 3.

    In justifying the decision, the tech executive noted that the ads published before the final week of election season will be published transparently in Facebook’s Ads Library so that anyone can scrutinize them, including journalists and fact-checkers.

    “It’s important that campaigns can run get-out-the-vote campaigns, and I generally believe the best antidote to bad speech is more speech, but in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims,” Zuckerberg said in a statement on Thursday.

    Facebook has come under scrutiny for allowing misinformation to proliferate on its platform in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

    Around 7 out of 10 adults in the U.S. use Facebook, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre in 2019, giving the company enormous ability to distribute political information.

  • Facebook bans India’s ruling party leader over hate speech violations

    Facebook bans India’s ruling party leader over hate speech violations

    Facebook has banned a politician from India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre of allegations that the social media giant did not apply hate speech rules to members of the ruling party.

    “We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform.

    “The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account,” a Facebook spokesperson said on Thursday.

    The move came a day after a parliamentary panel questioned Facebook India representatives following a report in the Wall Street Journal that alleged the company overlooked hate speech posts by leaders and right-wing Hindu groups affiliated with the BJP.

    The paper had reported that a top executive, Ankhi Das, opposed applying hate-speech rules to profiles in Singh’s name, which posted content calling Muslims traitors.

    The posts by Singh, a lawmaker in the southern state Telangana, were also flagged by the opposition during the hearing.

    Facebook denied any bias and said it is a non-partisan platform.

    Singh claimed he did not have any official Facebook page as he stopped using the platform in April 2019, therefore banning him “made no sense.”

    He said earlier his official Facebook account was “hacked” in 2018, adding that “many (Facebook) pages are using my name … I’m not responsible for any of their posts.”

    The BJP has also accused Facebook of bias against it, accusing the company’s employees of abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

  • SMEs commend Polaris Bank, Facebook on capacity building initiative

    SMEs commend Polaris Bank, Facebook on capacity building initiative

    A cross-section of business owners who participated in the just-concluded capacity building programme organised for SMEs have commended Polaris Bank and social media giant Facebook for giving them the free opportunity to acquire new skills on how to grow their businesses, leveraging technology.

    The virtual digital marketing seminar, which had over 5000 SMEs as participants in its phase 1 and 2 ran for days in each session. The programme is in fulfilment of the bank’s commitment to empower Nigerian SMEs. The workshop was designed to help them explore and learn new ways to grow their businesses, especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic, which has further emphasized the need for digitization of business processes.

    The sessions dwelt on how to build an online presence with Facebook, the discovery of tools to drive business, systemic ways on how to find customers on Instagram, and subsequently information on how to Create Facebook Adverts.

    Commenting on the benefits of the empowerment programme, the Group Head, Products and Markets Development of Polaris Bank, Adebimpe Ihekuna, disclosed that the bank’s move was to equip SMEs on how to leverage social media tools to generate marketing leads and sales.
    Ms Adebimpe said, “The free empowerment training and partnership is part of Polaris Bank’s effort to contribute to driving SMEs businesses in the digital space.”

    She further noted, “For SMEs to remain relevant in their line of business, Entrepreneurs must position to level up with the challenges of the digital world to scale to the next level”.

    On his part, the founder/CEO at DIGIVATE 360, Segun Oyetunji, partner to the bank on the “Boost With Facebook Programme” spoke of his delight about the on-going success of the partnership with Polaris Bank on boosting the digital capacity of SMEs in Nigeria over the years.
    “We are immensely grateful to Polaris Bank for the opportunity to collaborate!”

    Speaking after the session, Adedeji Adewale, a detergent manufacturer from Akure, Ondo State, was full of commendation for the bank. He revealed that the wealth of knowledge provided during the training is comprehensive enough to understand the dynamics of digital business.”
    He also stated the need for more digital marketing training.

    Another participant, Kadiri Mohammed, a shop owner at Balogun market in Lagos praised Polaris Bank and Facebook for making it possible for her to acquire knowledge on “social media marketing.”

    “This programme which attracted the participation of the SME community in Nigeria drew attendance from the 6 geopolitical regions of the country.

    Polaris Bank is a future-determining bank committed to the delivery of industry-defining products for individuals and businesses.

  • Facebook introduces Avatars across Sub-Saharan Africa

    Facebook introduces Avatars across Sub-Saharan Africa

    Facebook has launched avatars in Africa to enable people to engage themselves in a more personal and dynamic way.

    The company in a statement on Monday said people could personalise the avatar to share a range of emotions and expressions via a digital persona that is unique to them.

    According to Facebook, there are many ways one could use the avatar even in comments, stories, messenger and soon, text posts with backgrounds too.

    “With so many emotions and expressions to choose from, Avatars let you share your authentic reactions and feelings with family and friends across the app.

    “You can customise your Avatar with hairstyles, complexions, outfits, COVID-19 support stickers and more,” it said.

    Facebook said to create ones Avatar, the person should go to Facebook or Messenger comment composer, click on the “smiley” button, and then the sticker tab and also click “Create Your Avatar”.

    Commenting, Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director, Facebook Africa said: “Facebook is home to some of your most personal content and we want to allow people to share and react to that content in the most personalised way possible.

    “We are excited to give people more options to convey their identity on Facebook, allowing them to share in a more personal, light-hearted way, ” Ntshingila said.

    The regional director said the avatars include hundreds of global sticker packs and integrations that could also be shared across Facebook and Messenger by setting as profile picture, sharing to news feed and using on gaming profile.