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Senator calls for investigation into Facebook’s latest breach
Facebook revealed today that it was hit with a data breach that affected 50 million users, and now Senator Mark Warner has called the incident "deeply concerning." In a statement released shortly after the reports surfaced, Warner said, "A full investigation should be swiftly conducted and made public so that we can understand more about what happened."
Are Facebook and Twitter scared enough to work together?
The last time a bunch of social media execs testified before congress the hearings ended with US House Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) calling it a "dumb" and "stupid" sideshow. He said there were more important matters for Congress to be discussing the "content-filtering practices" of internet companies, and that Facebook, Twitter and Google can't have user posts be regulated because of the First Amendment anyway. Still, members of the Senate and House are keen on finding ways for Silicon Valley giants to keep their services safe, particularly from foreign interference and other bad actors trying to create discord among Americans. But rather than get into a battle with Congress over potential federal regulation, which would likely cause some controversy, Facebook and Twitter seem willing to work together on solutions for these issues in order to avoid that path.
Mark Zuckerberg op-ed describes the election interference 'arms race'
Ahead of Senate hearings that will see Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifying about foreign election interference, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has chimed in via an op-ed in the Washington Post. While we wait to watch the hearings in the morning, you can have a look at his essay, which is mostly a rehash of things we've been hearing about for months in terms of fighting fake accounts, fact checking hoaxes, tracking influence networks and the efforts it has made around elections in France, Germany, Mexico and Italy. Zuckerberg said that Facebook has strengthened its defenses, but it remains to be seen how that will go over with members of Congress and the public. In closing, the CEO said "It's an arms race, and it will take the combined forces of the U.S. private and public sectors to protect America's democracy from outside interference." Whether or not Facebook has done enough, if there are other weak points allowing for misinformation and propaganda -- as researchers found when they were easily able to buy Google ads for Russian troll-inspired material using rubles and known IRA identities -- it may not matter.
Google shares ‘testimony’ for Senate hearing it won’t attend
Tomorrow, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss election meddling and security. Google was invited to send a representative as well and it offered Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker, but the committee rejected Walker as a witness, insisting that higher-level leaders like Alphabet CEO Larry Page or Google CEO Sundar Pichai would be more appropriate. Now, however, Walker has released the company's "testimony" online even though it appears that no one from Google will be at the hearing to deliver it.
Senate sets election hearing with Twitter, Facebook and Google execs
Today, Mark Warner (D-VA) announced that the Senate Intelligence Committee will hear testimony from Facebook, Google and Twitter executives on September 5th. The committee wants to hear about what these companies are doing to prevent foreign influence over and meddling in the 2018 US midterm elections.
Facebook plans to brief Congress on the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Facebook is obviously in some very hot water in regards to Cambridge Analytica's use of its users' data. US Congress, the UK Parliament and even the FTC are looking for answers and Facebook is now agreeing to answer them. A company spokesperson has told us that Facebook representatives will be in Washington DC today and tomorrow meeting with staffers for the House and Senate Intel Committees, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Senate Commerce Committee and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Bloomberg reports that details on committee briefings are being worked out.
Facebook, Twitter and social media’s road to federal regulation
The extent of Russia's meddling in the 2016 US presidential election remains unclear, but it's no secret that social media played a major role. This year brought with it a great deal of scrutiny for tech giants, particularly Facebook, Twitter and Google. These three companies came under the US government's microscope after news that Kremlin bots and trolls, spearheaded by a group known as the Internet Research Agency, used their sites to tamper with the 2016 presidential election. They spread misinformation (fake news!) and dubious ads across Facebook, Twitter and Google to hundreds of millions of users in the US, with the aim of fomenting hostility among Americans. And it's safe to say they succeeded.
Senators propose reforms to wide-reaching surveillance law
Eleven senators -- both Republican and Democrat -- introduced new legislation today that calls for substantial reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Reuters reports. Section 702 allows intelligence agencies to monitor the communications of foreign targets living outside of the US, but it also enables those agencies to collect information on US citizens if they happen to be in communication with the non citizens being monitored.
Black lawmakers call on Facebook and Twitter to purge racist ads
Facebook and Twitter are facing renewed calls from US lawmakers to ensure ads on their respective platforms aren't used to spread hate. The two firms are currently cooperating with Congressional investigators looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. And now, black Congress members are urging them to probe new ads, and make leadership changes. In a letter obtained by Recode, Reps. Robin Kelly, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Emanuel Cleaver further press the companies to clamp down on ads "aimed at inciting racial discontent" or "voter suppression." They also suggest the companies appoint people of color to their boards of directors, and conduct new audits of targeted advertisements.
Senate committee focuses on Facebook in Russia probe
During a press conference today, the Senate Intelligence Committee gave an update on its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It also warned that those preparing for 2018 elections should work under the expectation that similar initiatives from Russian operatives will occur. "I recommend every campaign and every elected official take this very seriously," said committee Chairman Richard Burr.
Russian Facebook ads reportedly targeted crucial swing states
More details are emerging about the Russia-linked ads Facebook handed over to Congressional investigators just days ago. According to multiple sources who spoke to CNN, a number of the paid posts specifically targeted two states that were crucial to Trump's victory in November: Michigan and Wisconsin. Facebook has already revealed that the 3,000 ads (viewed by roughly 10 million people) focused on "divisive social political messages," including issues about race, LGBT topics, immigration, and gun rights. But, the latest info sheds light on the geographic and demographical targeting of the promotional messages -- two aspects Facebook has not discussed in detail.
James Comey will testify before a Senate committee on June 8th
James Comey continues to be a lightning rod for controversy at the national level. After a long year of Clinton email server investigations and the FBI's conclusion that the Russians allegedly hacked the 2016 election, James Comey is finally getting to tell his own story. According to Bloomberg, the recently fired FBI Director will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8th in both an open and a subsequent closed session. The investigation will cover both the possible election tampering as well as Comey's own dismissal by President Trump.
