policy
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Google makes it easier for employees to report harassment
Google is making it easier for employees to file harassment and discrimination complaints by setting up a dedicated site for them to do so. Melonie Parker, the company's chief diversity officer, wrote in a letter to employees that Google has firmed up some of the commitments it made in November following an outcry from employees.
Facebook will expand its political ad rules to Nigeria, Ukraine and EU
Facebook will be introducing some of its political advertising policies in additional regions in the coming months, Reuters reports. In Nigeria, where a presidential election is set to take place in February, Facebook will now require those purchasing electoral ads to be located within the country. That same rule will roll out to Ukraine next month ahead of its March election.
Facebook defends its moderation policies, again
Now that the latest New York Times article about Facebook has hit -- following earlier stories on its moderation missteps from Motherboard and ProPublica -- the social network is once again defending itself. In a blog post it denied charges that moderators operate under "quotas," saying that "Reviewers' compensation is not based on the amount of content they review, and our reviewers aren't expected to rely on Google Translate as they are supplied with training and supporting resources."
Google updates sexual harassment policies following protest
Google has faced quite a bit of criticism and pushback regarding how it has handled sexual harassment accusations in the past, and thousands of employees walked out of their offices in protest last week. Now, ahead of a company town hall meeting, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has released new policies that will guide how the company handles such accusations going forward. "Over the past few weeks Google's leaders and I have heard your feedback and have been moved by the stories you've shared," Pichai wrote. "We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that. It's clear we need to make some changes."
Facebook hires tarnished UK politician to fix its reputation
These days, all Facebook seems to do is lurch from one public relations crisis to a political one, and back again. Consequently, the company has decided to hire a British former politician, Sir Nick Clegg, as VP of Global Affairs and Communications. Clegg will replace Elliot Shrage, who announced he was stepping down from that role earlier this year.
Twitter will show users when tweets are removed for policy violations
Twitter is making a couple of changes in regards to how it handles reported tweets. First, users have told Twitter that they don't necessarily want to see tweets that they've reported. So now, anytime you report a tweet, it will be hidden behind a notice that says "You reported this tweet." If you do want to take a look at that tweet for whatever reason, you can tap "View" to do so.
Facebook's political ad policy also blocked LGBT messages
Facebook's tougher political advertising policy has had more unintended side-effects. The Washington Post has discovered that the social network inadvertently blocked dozens of LGBT-themed ads after its screening system (which includes automated and human moderators) deemed them political. Most didn't contain advocacy or obvious political leanings -- the only common link was a reference to LGBT keywords. When the ad runners complained to Facebook, it responded more than once that mentioning LGBT made it about civil rights and thus a "political topic."
Twitter explains dehumanizing speech so you maggots will understand
Twitter is still taking your responses and suggestions on its incoming policy against "content that dehumanizes others based on their membership in an identifiable group, even when the material does not include a direct target." Apparently, a lot of the feedback received over the last few days has complained that the policies aren't clear enough, so the company updated its blog post with more details and a couple of examples.
Twitter's new content policy takes aim at 'dehumanizing speech'
Though Twitter has a policy against hateful conduct, which prohibits threats of violence against others based on factors like their race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, the platform has come under frequent criticism for what it still allows on its site. But the company is now considering a new policy and before it's implemented, Twitter is asking users what they think. The new policy addresses dehumanization and it says users can't "dehumanize anyone based on membership in an identifiable group, as this speech can lead to offline harm," and Twitter is asking you to weigh in on the proposed rule.
Facebook is hiring a human rights policy director
Facebook has faced criticism for its slow response to the Myanmar government's use of its social network to fuel atrocities, and it's determined to prevent that from happening again. The company is hiring a Director of Human Rights Policy who will develop approaches that foster human rights and peace while simultaneously cracking down on those who "enable harm, stifle expression, and undermine human rights." This leader would steer investigations into human rights abusers and work with both government and corporate partners.
Twitter's CEO tries to explain not suspending Alex Jones
Over the last few days, platforms like Apple Podcasts, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify decided they'd had enough of Alex Jones and InfoWars and pulled his access. Twitter was not among them, saying that InfoWars is not "currently violating our policies." Tonight its CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted a thread trying to clarify things, as he occasionally has when explaining changes in its policy or stating once again why some bad actor will be allowed to remain on the platform. The Twitter Safety account also provided information on the company's policy, explaining that while "We prohibit targeted behavior that harasses, threatens, or uses fear to silence others and take action when they violate our policies...If individuals are not targeted (e.g. @ mention, tagged in a photo, etc.), we allow a wide range of content as long as it doesn't cross the line into threatening violence." This may explain why Jones' exhortations about parents of children killed in school shootings aren't enough to get him banned, simply because he did not @ mention them.
The US is not prepared to shape global internet policy
This is a critical moment in global internet policy. The world is awake to the power of connected online systems, and the United Nations agrees that access to the internet is a human right, tied irrevocably to the tenets of free thought and expression. The European Union has just implemented strict data-protection policies under the GDPR, influencing businesses around the world in the process. Russia has been caught hacking into critical US systems, including utility companies, nuclear facilities and routers, and using social media to undermine the 2016 presidential election. Just this week, Facebook announced it had discovered another, similar influence campaign aimed at continually disrupting American democracy. As leaders around the world turn their attention to cybersecurity, the US lacks the resources and reputation to properly lead the conversation. That's the message out of Tuesday's Senate hearing, The Internet and Digital Communications: Examining the Impact of Global Internet Governance.
Senator suggests ways to combat misinformation and boost data privacy
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has put together a policy paper that both highlights some of the bigger problems facing online platforms today and includes potential ways in which to address them. Axios got ahold of the 23-page paper and it focuses on three main issues -- misinformation, data privacy and competition. "The hope is that the ideas enclosed here stir the pot and spark a wider discussion -- among policymakers, stakeholders and civil society groups -- on the appropriate trajectory of technology policy in the coming years," says the paper.
Twitter is having a hard time enforcing its age policy
Once Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect in May, Twitter began enforcing its age policy more aggressively, and unfortunately for some users, that meant having their accounts locked even if they were currently of age. GDPR doesn't allow those under the age of 13 to sign user agreements, but a problem arises when current users who are now older than 13 signed up for an account when they were younger than 13. A source at Twitter told The Guardian in May that since the company can't selectively remove a user's content that was posted when they were underage, it was instead suspending those users altogether. But while the company was reportedly working on a more long-term solution, weeks later, the problem persists.
Facebook will begin actively enforcing its age policy
Facebook is tweaking its policies towards underage users, TechCrunch reports, and it will begin requiring those suspected of being younger than 13 years old to provide proof of their age. The move comes after a report from the UK's Channel 4, in which an undercover journalist began working as a Facebook content reviewer. Though Facebook and Instagram require users to be at least 13 years of age -- in order to comply with the US Child Online Privacy Protection Act -- the report revealed that in practice, those rules were often ignored. "We have to have an admission that the person is underage," a trainer told the reporter. "If not, we just pretend that we are blind and that we don't know what underage looks like."
Valve temporarily stops adding adult games to Steam
In recent months, the question of which games should be granted access to Steam -- Valve's online marketplace -- has become an increasingly heated one. After initially warning developers whose games contained adult or violent subject matter to remove explicit themes, Valve settled on a new, watered down content policy that did allow controversial content -- so long as it wasn't illegal. But one visual novel developer claims the moderation isn't over.
Spotify drops artist conduct policy following backlash
That didn't take long. After Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said it was working with civil rights groups and folks within the music industry to retool its "bad behavior" framework this week, the streaming service has scrapped it wholesale. "While we believe our intentions were good, the language was too vague, we created confusion and concern, and didn't spend enough time getting input from our own team and key partners before sharing new guidelines," a statement from the company reads.
Spotify CEO on new content policy: 'We rolled this out wrong'
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek admitted the service handled its policy to limit promotion for artists based on their conduct poorly. "We rolled this out wrong and could have done a much better job," Ek said at the Code Conference, according to Deadline. He said that the company never intended to serve as the "morality police" with the policy, and conceded that the framework was too vague at its inception.
Microsoft vows to let partner companies keep their patents
Microsoft has launched a new policy that means its tech customers will keep hold of any patent rights that come out of its partnerships. In a blog post, Microsoft president Brad Smith explained that the Shared Innovation Initiative is designed to reassure customers that the company won't use the knowledge gleaned from joint ventures to "enter their customer's market and compete against them."
German court says cities can ban diesel cars
Germany has already made its commitment to cleaner vehicles clear by calling for a ban on combustion engine cars starting by 2030. Now, in a landmark ruling, a top court says cities have the right to ban diesel motors in an effort to improve air quality. The decision will potentially affect 12 million cars on Germany's roads.
