Tomorrow, Facebook's pseudo sorry supreme court - aka the Oversight Board - decides whether Trump is given back keys to his Facebook account.
Whichever way this plays, it's a disaster for democratic accountability
Facebook is a dumpster fire right now. What *nearly* happened in Washington on Jan 6 already *has* happened in other countries. Yet, this is a company that fails to EVER take responsibility. Witness Sheryl Sandberg spreading untruths here
It is going to be a CIRCUS tomorrow.
The Oversight Board is right! The Oversight Board is wrong!
These are both BAD takes.
Because the Oversight Board is an absurd proposition. And it should be nowhere near this decision
NEWSFLASH: Facebook is not a country! It’s a private company. It exists to make money.
Trump can tell whatever white supremacist lies he wants but the idea that he has a God-given or even First Amendment right to spread them on Facebook is just pure corporate guff
And the idea that Facebook has to outsource this decision to its Very Clever & Highly Paid Committee is also purest corporate guff.
*Trump repeatedly breached its own terms of service*
How hard can this be?
The only way that this decision is of any importance is *if the press makes it so*
It was dreamed up by Facebook’s PR dept & is overseen by its king of spin, one @nick_clegg.
Who to date has a 💯 % track record in being on the wrong side of history
Anyway, for what it’s worth (NOTHING) & even tho those closest to Oversight Board have been predicting it will let him back on..really?!
Wouldn’t it be equivalent of strapping on suicide vest & blowing itself up? It’s desperate for credibility. And wd lose it instantly & forever
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Facebook wants the world to think the problem is Trump. But it’s not. The problem Facebook is desperate to avoid is Facebook. And its complicity in what happened on Jan 6. Because without Facebook, there would have been no insurrection. Fact. msnbc.com/morning-joe/wa…
Yes. Spot on from @lizzadwoskin & @Cat_Zakrzewski. The framing of Facebook’s Oversight Board making the Trump decision today is critical. And @washingtonpost describes it accurately here. Not a ‘supreme court’ or an ‘independent’ body but ‘a Facebook-funded panel of experts’.
Spot the difference. This is from @AspenDigital’s website. It’s secured exclusive access to Oversight Board members on Thursday. And..guess what? It’s also funded by Facebook. It declares this on its website, but compare this language to the Washington Post
There’s nothing wrong with Facebook having a Facebook-funded panel of experts. They’re brilliant minds & I’m sure it’s helpful. But what’s dangerous is when it’s dressed up to be something it’s not: independent. Facebook has designed this whole song & dance 3 ring circus
These are the 4 British law firms being used by 4 Russian oligarchs close to Putin in a co-ordinated legal attack against @CatherineBelton, the author of a landmark book, Putin’s People. 1/
This is @TaylorWessingUK. Apparently they’re great supporters on #mentalhealthawarenessweek. Being sued by a Russian oligarch is a noted booster for one’s mental health, of course. Hope you don’t mind me cc-ing you in @Rubywax.
And this is @CMS_law. Strong on diversity & inclusion & empowering women. But not, god forbid, women who happen to be journalists investigating Russian power
Absolutely extraordinary story in @thesundaytimes. The year is 2021 & the Foreign Secretary has discovered fake news!! Apparently Russia deliberately sows misinformation online! The Kremlin targets British news sources! WHO KNEW? thetimes.co.uk/article/raab-p…
Amazing that Dominic Raab has discovered ‘a network of trolls’ only 6 years since the Internet Research Agency was first extensively covered by mainstream press. While this same govt REFUSES point blank Intel Committee’s demand for a proper investigation & inquiry
It’s why 4 cross-party MPs & 2 Lords are seeking a judicial review. The first time sitting MPs have challenged govt over failing to protect Britain’s national security
Excellent summary by @freedland of Johnson’s scandals upon scandals. With one omission. Vote Leave’s illegal donation in crucial 48 hours before Brexit is the ur-scandal. The scandal that paved way for Johnson to become PM. And for 127k to lose their lives theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
#CashForCurtains is almost exact same scheme. The failure to hold Johnson, Gove & Cummings accountable is what emboldened them to believe that they are above the law. Because they are. They proved to be untouchable: from Electoral Commission, Met police & parliament
I believe the failure to hold them to account is fundamental to why 127k people died. They rigged an election. And got away with it. We can argue about whether they succeeded or what difference it made. But the Electoral Commission’s funding was that they broke the law.
It's extremely weird to end up as a case study in a UNESCO report. But I'm grateful to @ICFJ for doing this work. This is a huge study involving 901 journalists from 125 countries. With deeply depressing conclusions.
'These attacks have a chilling effect on women's journalism'
So many women’s experiences - esp women of colour - are so much worse than mine. Just look at @mariaressa. I am immensely privileged in comparison. And yet. @julieposetti & team analysed a massive data set of my tweets. This is my word cloud.