We can’t move on - we can’t be gaslit, we can’t let Facebook trade access to the future to change the narrative. Time dropped a new bombshell report overnight on Facebook and India that is a must-read. It’s by Billy Perrigo who has been doing incredible accountability work. /1
Some of the reporting connects back to the whistleblower documents that should still be very much front and center leading to more reporting. Yes, they knew it broke their own policies, more on that at the end. /2
The incidents and videos cited in the Time report have massive numbers of views and absolutely horrific examples of hate and inciting violence many of which have been promoted and provided viral velocity and reach by Facebook’s platform. /3
At India’s scale, WSJ’s prior reporting of conflicts of internet with their government and Facebook’s dependency on the region for growth, the numbers are absolutely frightening scale combined with Facebook’s algorithmic amplification putting profits first. /4
It’s almost as if Facebook doesn’t connect its amplification and reach velocity to the heightened risk on the platform. Any responsible actor would insert speed bumps and friction bringing in human review. Instead Facebook inserted white lists as we already learned. /5
Instead we see very familiar statements like this in the reporting, “Facebook only removed the video of Saraswati calling for Hindus to eradicate Muslims after TIME asked about it in late October.” /6
Here is another one inside the same report. Very familiar to journalists: “Facebook said it was carrying out a review of the pages after TIME asked the company about Manuvie’s complaint.” /7
Side note: it’s remarkable Perrigo knows Facebook is a “tier one” nation yet Facebook’s Global Safety Director who works for a guy who works for Joel Kaplan didn’t know same classification for the UK last week when testifying to - wait for it - the UK Online Safety Committee. /8
The kicker is at the very end of this Time report which builds on prior reporting at WSJ. “The Journal reported in 2020 that Facebook had chosen not to ban the Bajrang Dal, citing risk to Facebook’s business prospects in India.” /9
I highly recommend taking the time to read the entire report from @billyperrigo. Every word matters. He and his team are doing outstanding work. time.com/6112549/facebo… /10
I’ll add a connection to end of this thread earlier. Facebook is in a PR and policy war right now. If you’re treating not building off what we already know, you’re working vs accountability, civil society. If you’re doing footsie interviews with them, you’re trading access. /11
I’m going to add this thread here from last august and the report from @JeffHorwitz @newley as it’s directly relevant and fairly recent on Facebook India. /12

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More from @jason_kint

2 Nov
New report on Facebook’s role in enabling, amplifying and providing velocity and reach to climate-denial misinformation. /1
Deep in this morning’s report you learn how the funding of this misinformation flows through Google to the tune of possibly $5 million in six months. /2
This of course reminds me of DCN’s letter (businessinsider.com/dcn-letter-to-…) to Google and Facebook now nearly six years ago. /3
Read 4 tweets
2 Nov
Sorry to throw cold water on this but Nick Clegg is an absolutely worthless speaker unless it’s in a deposition under oath. They’re literally giving the stage to a PR exec covering for his bosses representing a company with zero remaining trust and credibility.
On a related note, same applies to Andrew Bosworth… asking him some questions about the whistleblower docs as an obligatory setup to discussing metaverse is not really appropriate in today’s context. /2
A simple question for Bosworth would be pinning him down on what Joseph Chancellor did while assigned to his division of the company, what they knew when and why Facebook covered-up his entire involvement. /3
Read 10 tweets
28 Oct
Stop. Please. Retweeting and dunking still serves to distract. Here is the reality - their market power and abuse were already evident before we saw evidence they knew about the harms. That includes January 6th insurrection and this highly questionable testimony this morning. 1/2
Global press is shining sunlight on how they serve to promote and accelerated the spread of harms. It’s critically important to focus on market power otherwise as in the past they’ll not be able to speak to the harms months later. /2
According to this evidence, Facebook put 4% of its profits towards safety and security. That’s $13B in five years compared to $275 Billion in profits. And that’s advertisers knowingly funding a platform that causes these harms. /3
Read 4 tweets
28 Oct
Threading thoughts from UK Parliament hearing with social media platforms. First up is Facebook including Antigone Davis who testified a few weeks ago to US Senate. @DamianCollins is already drilling down on FB's research very much exposing Facebook's negligence and spinning. /1
MP Collins did a breathtaking job in unpacking the issues, the lack of answers to accountability. Here is how he closed revealing only 4% of Facebook's $275B in profits went toward safety and security. Watch for the drink of the water glass. It’s a facebook tell. /2
This was after @DamianCollins probed on where decision making actually happens. In 2018, all answers were “the buck stops with Mark.” Now with the SEC complaints and plethora of lawsuits about governance, control, insider trading, it seems Facebook’s talking point went vague. /3
Read 18 tweets
28 Oct
As we await 10am ET hearing with Facebook execs, three highlights from @mariaressa yesterday before the same committee. “…Move fast break things doesn’t work in the real world when your product insidiously manipulates people’s minds…” important questions on Facebook’s role. 1/3
Critically important point why Facebook would prefer lawmakers, journalists, public, debate content moderation, taking down, leaving up, when real concern should be market power, data, algorithmic amplification and how Facebook microtargets and filters content to audiences. 2/3
And why Nobel Peace Prize winner @mariaressa is a critical voice and a treasure who has acted as a beacon of light for those who seek to grow trust, protect democracy, and hold the line on press freedom so that we can we return more justice into the world. 3/3
Read 4 tweets
28 Oct
OK, US media, attention y’all. History lesson. In 2018-19, a parliamentary committee and chair was deceived by Facebook policy team kicking off FB’s most difficult period. Their vital work often didn’t get US coverage.
This same chair has must-watch hearing at 10a ET today. /1
Over 2yrs, that chair would become one of savviest lawmakers on planet regarding the issues while US Congress also began to get educated on them. @DamianCollins was smart enough on the issues that Zuckerberg and Sandberg refused summons on both sides of Atlantic to avoid him. /2
Their committee work was methodical yet broad enough to uncover facts, deeply probing and collaborative across parties leading to recommended changes in legislation now on the table and being examined by a joint select committee chaired by - you guessed it - MP Collins. /3
Read 8 tweets

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