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By Sam Schechner WSJ Kimberly Chin WSJ Mon., Jan. 28, 2019 BRUSSELS—Facebook Inc. is planning a dedicated effort to fend off interference in the European Union’s parliamentary election campaign this spring, part of a broader effort at the social media giant to defend against politically motivated interference. The effort is one of the largest and most complex tests of the company’s response to alleged Russian interference in the U.S.’s 2016 presidential election. Facebook also said early Monday it would take additional steps to guard against the spread of fake news and misinformation on its platform in coming elections, including creating a searchable database of political ads. The move comes as the company looks to counter the controversy over its role in disseminating fake news and political ads in the 2016 presidential elections. The Menlo Park, Calif. company has faced a barrage of criticism about its data privacy practices and … [Read more...] about Facebook Opens New Fronts to Combat Political Interference
Politics
Sir Nick Clegg: Facebook will track political ads across Europe to combat fake news ahead of elections
Facebook has unveiled new tools to counter online political meddling in the European elections, part of a campaign to regain trust after scandals such as its work with Cambridge Analytica. Sir Nick Clegg, the company's head lobbyist, said that Facebook will begin vetting political advertisers in Europe and displaying who paid for specific ads from March. The company will also create an operations center in Dublin and Singapore to coordinate the efforts, which will include only allowing "authorised" entities to purchase certain types of ad. Users will be able to see how well such promotions allowed on the platform performed, how much was paid for them, and the demographics of individuals who saw... Register for free to read this article, or log in to your Telegraph account Register Log in … [Read more...] about Sir Nick Clegg: Facebook will track political ads across Europe to combat fake news ahead of elections
Facebook ad blocker safeguards limit political transparency campaigns
WhoTargetsMe co-founder Sam Jeffers argued that Facebook was "deliberately obfuscating" code, claiming that it would defeat plugin changes "within hours" of their release. Facebook, however, said the break in functionality came from a "routine update" targeting malicious ad blockers and scrapers that could reveal data to "bad actors."Facebook certainly isn't averse to political ad transparency. It recently implemented its own systems to help trace the origins of political campaigns, and has even gone so far as to ban foreign advertisers during key votes in a bid to improve accountability. The plugin limitations might prevent third parties from tracking sneaky advertisers in ways Facebook can't catch, however, and it's notable that plugins like WhoTargetsMe are voluntary -- users know what they're sharing. Facebook clearly has to walk a fine line when handling data, and it doesn't always achieve a perfect balance. … [Read more...] about Facebook ad blocker safeguards limit political transparency campaigns
‘Forgotten’ Watton in the spotlight on national TV Sunday morning politics show
PUBLISHED: 11:35 27 January 2019 Daniel Bennett Sophy Ridge filmed for her Sky news show Ridge on Sunday in Watton. PHOTO: Sky News ©SKY The mid Norfolk town of Watton was the focus of a national TV Sunday morning politics show which discussed its history and local people’s views on Brexit. Presenter Sophy Ridge travelled to the market town for her Sky News show to talk to locals about Brexit to find out they think and what they want to happen next. Opening the feature, she discussed the struggles the town faces, including travel with the closure of the train station in the 1960s and the demise of the high street and said the town was referred to as “forgotten Watton”.In an interview on the show, mayor Tina Kiddell, said: “In Norfolk, you’re truly British if that makes sense and very stoic.“I think we are staunchly patriotic. The fact that we’re strong and we know we want out, out means out. Watton High … [Read more...] about ‘Forgotten’ Watton in the spotlight on national TV Sunday morning politics show
‘Sopranos’ Star Vincent Curatola on Political Correctness: Are We Going to Start Banning or Burning Books?
Actor Vincent Curatola, who starred as Johnny ‘Sack’ Sacramoni in the classic HBO series The Sopranos, lamented the growth of “politically correct” attitudes in America, offering his remarks in a Friday interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow. Marlow invited Curatola’s comment on the suffocation of creativity in the arts via “political correctness.”“One of the things that’s so striking to me … is the political correctness age we’re in now, which is bigger than ever,” said Marlow. “Comedians have to watch what they say. You can’t even have a villain saying bad things, at this point. And so your characters, you guys ripped each other about your weight, about your noses, about your wife’s as. I mean, it was brutal, but it was also real and it was wildly entertaining. Your character wielded a cigarette like it was nobody’s business, and it’s one of those … [Read more...] about ‘Sopranos’ Star Vincent Curatola on Political Correctness: Are We Going to Start Banning or Burning Books?