<Thread>:
1/ Did you know that Facebook is *even* more evil than we suspected?@Agenthades1 @PortlusGlam @ThomasS4217 @visionsurreal (more...)
1/ Did you know that Facebook is *even* more evil than we suspected?@Agenthades1 @PortlusGlam @ThomasS4217 @visionsurreal (more...)
2/ Katie Harbath (GOP digital strategist for 2008 Guiliani4Prez) leads group which actively works w/political parties/leaders including those who use the platform to stifle opposition... (con't)
Dec 21, 2017 (before FB/CambAnalytica erupted in Mar 2018):
bloomberg.com/news/features/…
Dec 21, 2017 (before FB/CambAnalytica erupted in Mar 2018):
bloomberg.com/news/features/…
3/ "—sometimes w/the aid of 👉'troll armies'👈 that spread misinformation & extremist ideologies."
Hired by FB in 2011, Harbath's employees "have become de facto campaign workers" "[i]n some of the world’s biggest democracies—from India and Brazil to Germany and the U.K." (more)
Hired by FB in 2011, Harbath's employees "have become de facto campaign workers" "[i]n some of the world’s biggest democracies—from India and Brazil to Germany and the U.K." (more)
4/ "And once a candidate is elected, the company in some instances goes on to train govt employees or provide technical assistance for live streams at official state events."
"In the US, the unit embedded employees in Trump’s campaign. (HRC's camp declined a similar offer.) con't
"In the US, the unit embedded employees in Trump’s campaign. (HRC's camp declined a similar offer.) con't
5/ ....In India🇮🇳, the company helped develop the online presence of PM Narendra Modi, who now has more Facebook followers than any other world leader. In the Philippines🇵🇭, it trained the campaign of Rodrigo Duterte, known for encouraging extrajudicial killings... (con't)
6/ ...in how to most effectively use the platform. And in Germany🇩🇪 it helped the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party (AfD) win its first Bundestag seats, according to campaign staff." (more...)
7/ "Power and social media converge by design at Facebook. The company has long worked to crush its smaller rival, Twitter, in a race to be the platform of choice for the world’s so-called influencers, whether politicians, cricket stars or Kardashians. (con't)
8/ ...Their posts will, in theory, draw followers to Facebook more frequently, resulting in higher traffic for advertisers & better data about what attracts users."
"While Facebook declined to give the size of its politics unit, one exec said it can expand to include hundreds...
"While Facebook declined to give the size of its politics unit, one exec said it can expand to include hundreds...
9/ ... during the peak of an election, drawing in people from the company’s legal, information security and policy teams."
FB's "effort effectively helping the Scottish National Party to victory in 2015 is recounted as a 'success story' on Facebook’s corporate website (con't)
FB's "effort effectively helping the Scottish National Party to victory in 2015 is recounted as a 'success story' on Facebook’s corporate website (con't)
10/ ...that lists business case studies, even though those who favor staying in the U.K. might see it otherwise. In April [2017], Vietnamese🇻🇳 officials bragged that FB would build a dedicated channel to prioritize takedown requests for content that offended authorities. (more)
11/ FB hired Harbath in 2011, and since then, "it has asked the US Federal Election Commission for 👉blanket exemptions from political advertising disclosure rules that could have helped it avoid the current crisis over Russian🇷🇺 ad spending ahead of the 2016 election👈." (more)
12/ #FBisEvil h/t @julianborger
"[O]nly a small fraction (less than 10%) of Facebook’s 2.45 billion users live in this democracy, and many live in countries that are not democratic at all." /end
Nov 1, 2019:
"[O]nly a small fraction (less than 10%) of Facebook’s 2.45 billion users live in this democracy, and many live in countries that are not democratic at all." /end
Nov 1, 2019:
