Zuckerberg Defends Facebook’s Policies in Speech at Georgetown University
By invoking the United State’s unique commitment to protecting free expression, Zuckerberg sought to draw attention towards the positive aspects of social media.
Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren Takes On Facebook’s Political Ads Policy
After Facebook refused to take down a misleading ad by the Trump campaign about former Vice President Joseph Biden, Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s campaign ran an ad on Facebook falsely claiming that Mark Zuckerberg endorsed President Trump's reelection bid.
Facebook Refuses to Remove Misleading Trump Campaign Ad From Its Platform
The Trump campaign released a new political advertisement that accused presidential candidate Joseph Biden of bribing the Ukranian government while he served as the Vice President under Barack Obama. When the Biden campaign asked Facebook to remove the ad, arguing that it spread demonstrably false information to voters, the social media company refused, citing free speech principles.
California Becomes the Second State to Restrict Political “Deepfakes”
California passed a bill that would prohibit the use of “deepfake” technology to spread false information about a candidate within 60 days of an election. While some have touted the bill as a necessary step towards addressing the spread of disinformation, others, including many free speech advocates, argue that the law conflicts with First Amendment law.
What is fake news? Facebook and Google offer mea culpas for spreading it and hire legions of staff to counter it. Congress investigated how the Russians promoted it during the 2017 Presidential election. President Trump calls out "fake news"organizations in tweets several times a week. Has the term itself lost its meaning? A recent survey by the Freedom Forum Institute reveals many Americans believe fake news is a major threat, even over hate speech. What more can be done to separate fake news from facts?
Every year the First Amendment Center of the Freedom Forum Institute conducts the State of the First Amendment survey, which examines Americans’ views on freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, and samples their opinions on contemporary First Amendment issues. The survey, conducted in partnership with Fors Marsh Group, an applied research company, has been published annually since 1997, reflecting Americans’ changing attitudes toward their core freedoms.
From fake Russian ads to anti-Semitic ad targeting, Facebook's ad algorithms have failed the company and its users. This week Facebook's C-suite promised to make changes from working with Congress to prevent future tampering to adding employees to check language. Can Facebook reign in the Wild West of free expression on its platform?