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Feb 23 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
Important report that gets at some of the downstream harms from Google’s unique market power, and lack of competition, over adtech and how it impacts design, monetization and discovery. The co-chair of Senate Intel, Mark Warner, is spot on here and his voice is appreciated. /1 Image
This is actually unclear, I’ll find the thread. A top Google executive testified to Sen Feinstein that Google didn’t pull RT but instead their algorithms removed it which I called out at the time as highly questionable testimony (likely G trying to avoid conflict with Russia). /2 Image
Lowcock has been a big supporter of news and advertisers being better supporters of it. 🙏🏽 I disagree here, though. Advertisers absolutely should know where their ads/$ is going. They can’t have 1-1 microtargeting across web and not also carry burden for what they subsidize. /3 Image
Newsguard is referenced in this report, advertisers could start by just placing any news sites “rated green” into an inclusion list and any site “in the red” into an adtech exclusion list as a general practice. Use the brand as a proxy before relying on content filtering. /4
Here is link to full report. Ongoing, important dynamic as it’s troubling when advertisers simply block keywords “russia” “Ukraine” in order to deal with their ads being on Sputnik causing legit news orgs to lose ad $ while their journalists risk their lives covering it. /5
Regarding how YouTube made RT into one of the top global news channels and then got away with saying their algorithms removed it from their premium ad program as the press reported on it, I forgot I cited it to @emilychangtv. /6
Google was super sensitive in its role in recommending and boosting the channel. In fact, they even went hard at the press report after it was published to get a quote by me removed from a news report. Good on @PatrickCoffee being all over current situation. /7

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More from @jason_kint

Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 25
Incoming. Fun thread. You may remember my live tweeting a Feb 10th hearing where Facebook and its lawyers received arguably its greatest court beatdown ever for discovery on its Cambridge Analytica cover-up. Transcript just posted in parallel DC suit as evidence. It holds up. /1 ImageImage
Recall Facebook's lawyers (Gibson Dunn) were ordered to bring a "decision maker" from Facebook -> Solanki. "I'll chat with you in a minute." Court then invited plaintiffs to file for sanctions of FB and the partners at Gibson Dunn. Read every word (yellow is mine). It's good. /2 ImageImage
First, the Court goes through a couple examples (app developer investigation and turning over plaintiffs' data) that he describes as "egregious." You can read the invitation for sanctions and see if I was exaggerating the beatdown or not. Again, it's a gem - entertaining. /3 ImageImage
Read 10 tweets
Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 20
Well said. In a tweet, Facebook deceived and covered up the real harms exposed by its core surveillance business model. When Congress, FTC and SEC allowed them to settle for $5B+, Apple stepped in and rightly treated Facebook’s tracking us as a real security risk. Here we are.
ps there is no empirical research I’ve seen to suggest limiting tracking is good for Google like it is for Apple. Apple’s revenue comes mostly from end consumers. Google, just like Facebook, gets most of its revenue from advertising and a majority of its data from 3rd parties.
The trick for Google is to leverage its market power, browser dominance, search dominance, operating system dominance and adtech buying/selling dominance to invent a new way to track users and then label it “privacy” in the interests of web. Much better position than Facebook.
Read 4 tweets
Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 20
Wow. Late Friday, Gibson Dunn, the law firm shielding Facebook in Cambridge Analytica cover-up suits, appeared to tell DC Court "discovery is over" despite NdCal Court just last week inviting plaintiffs file for sanctions of Facebook and the firm for obstructing discovery. /1
It seems Gibson Dunn even took the words of the new Judge on the case from the last hearing and attempted to reframe them as if he also said discovery is over although anyone following the hearing would realize the different context of his wanting to push it along. /2
Facebook even argues it only claims privilege on communications of "only a small portion" of its employees *which is entirely false.* About 4,200 Facebook employees were in its privilege log which was filed publicly before they asked to also have it covered up, too. /3
Read 5 tweets
Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 18
Lol. Let me explain privacy laws headed toward enforcement (CPRA, GDPR) and gatekeeper laws (Digital Markets Act) plus those that do both (eg German federal cartel office decision and antitrust lawsuits based on data abuse). In other words, RIP Facebook surveillance biz model. /1 Image
This message from a company that has actual fraud allegations against it for knowingly inflating its potential reach metrics causing advertising buyers to shift their overall spending mix after settling other elevations of knowingly reported false metrics. Evidence unsealed. /2 Image
When these companies say their Facebook rates went way up, pls make sure to ask if 1) they’ve found other ways to reach their audience and 2) how their biz is doing overall. Welfare and revenue shifts. Facebook’s problems are opportunities for others more focused on consumers. /3 Image
Read 4 tweets
Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 17
“Throwback Thursday” (whatever happened to that?). Facebook stock crossed key milestone yesterday - dropping below its July 2018 high - #tbt /1 cnbc.com/2018/11/20/fac…
That was FBs 2018 peak after rebounding from Cambridge Analytica. The reason FB recovered was public treated it as a data leak rather than cover-up. @sal19’s report came a week after only time Sheryl Sandberg testified to Congress - no questions were able to be asked about it. /2
Fast forward four years, multiple whistleblowers, significant harms, Apple kneecapping FB’s surveillance. 14yrs of discovery on Sandberg and Zuckerberg’s messages was just ordered by courts, deposition of Zuckerberg and shareholder derivative lawsuits underway, SEC looming. /3
Read 4 tweets
Jason Kint Profile picture
Feb 15
A few thoughts on this massive settlement for Facebook allegedly tracking users across the web even after they logged out, yes we flagged these issues in a WSJ op-ed back in 2014 when Facebook did a "bait and switch" to monetize this data after promising publishers otherwise. /1
It's worth noting for those who follow me closely, this isn't even a case I have mentioned recently. I say that to you as an indicator of how many lawsuits and how much Facebook has likely violated consumer expectations, civil society, markets and democracy globally. /2
I think this single line in the summary arguments may end up being most interesting as it moves the line in data abuse by a major platform beyond individual privacy harm to economic harm even if the value of the data isn't transferred but instead copied/replicated. /3
Read 6 tweets

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