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Facebook Removed References To Russia From Fake-News Report (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the elephant-in-the-room dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Back in April, Facebook published a report called "Information Operations and Facebook" that detailed the company's efforts to combat fake news and other misinformation campaigns on the site. The report was released in the midst of an uproar over potential Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. But the report doesn't mention Russia by name, saying only that Facebook's data "does not contradict" a January report by the Obama administration detailing Russian meddling in the election. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision not to mention Russia was hotly debated inside Facebook. An earlier draft of the report discussed what Facebook knew at that time about Russian meddling, but that material was ultimately removed from the report before publication. "Some at Facebook pushed to not include a mention of Russia in the report because the company's understanding of Russian activity was too speculative, according to one of the people," according to the Journal.

54 comments

  1. If you get most of your news from Facebook by Snotnose · · Score: 5, Informative

    You are the problem. You are not part of the problem, your demographic is the problem.

    If you get most of your news from Facebook you need to shut the fuck up, because you are the uninformed idiot the rest of us laugh at.

    1. Re: If you get most of your news from Facebook by mSparks43 · · Score: 1

      high quality propaganda by any other name is still just proaganda. choose your poison and stop complaining.

    2. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With the media so biased for Trump, I can't blame people for getting their news from Facebook. Trump received over $5 billion in free advertising from the media before the election:

      https://www.thestreet.com/story/13896916/1/donald-trump-rode-5-billion-in-free-media-to-the-white-house.html

    3. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 0

      You can bump a semi-automatic rifle with a wide variety of items. Making a bump stock is probably at most a trivial 2 hour craft project.

      The basic problem is the weapon can fire as fast as an automatic weapon. There are people (you can see them on youtube) who can fire as fast as a bump stock- and more accurately.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    4. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are the problem. You are not part of the problem, your demographic is the problem.

      If you get most of your news from Facebook you need to shut the fuck up, because you are the uninformed idiot the rest of us laugh at.

      Your demographic.. is being manipulated to form the outcome? Way to accept a total outcome from your judgment of those brought up in the facebook age.. and mostly during the Obama administration. You can't complain when the sheep won't move to the greener field because they don't know its greener. They only look one foot in front of them (aka cell phone screen).. instead of raising their heads and looking further. Content providers like FB, Twitter and to a smaller extent Reddit... are sheep creators and sheep herders. ..."because you are the uninformed idiot the rest of us laugh at"

      Fantastic.. these uninformed idiots (sheep) VOTE. They follow twitter feeds that provide no useful facts but they listen and form their opinions from it. They see all of the photo-shopped pictures that facebook doesn't police and the fake news and hate from FB.. and they don't question it because Facebook doesn't police it.. They just stare peacefully at the clouds and try to figure out which one looks like a koala. What part of this mass of people.. that is the basis of the inertia I'm talking about are you missing? You can sit back and laugh at the results.. but in the end you have to live with them. Then let us know what the view is from your tarnished crystal palace.

    5. Re: If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But it's interfering with the 50 live feeds of SJW whinging!!!! We've been triggered and need Facebook to be our safe space! They have more testosterone than Billary and dared to use gender pronouns!!! Let's all hit "like" on this page so we can feel empowered!!!

    6. Re: If you get most of your news from Facebook by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      There is no real APK.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    7. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2

      I've seriously started to wonder whether the Chinese don't have the right idea--keep social media on a tight leash, or just ban it outright.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    8. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      I have many Russian colleagues who are smart, well-educated, and speak nearly perfect English. You are obviously not one of them.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    9. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      If you get most of your news from Facebook you need to shut the fuck up, because you are the uninformed idiot the rest of us laugh at.

      I get most of my news from Slashdot, you insensitive clod!

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Funny

      I have many Russian colleagues who are smart, well-educated, and speak nearly perfect English.

      But enough about your job at the spy bureau, comrade.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by rtb61 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      This latest round of crap is all about universal health care, which started gaining real traction so, mass censorship and an idiots distraction.

      It smells very much like the US government wants to ban foreign comments on it's corrupt politics, they are so threatened because their corrupt scam has been so exposed. All there actions do is make them look worse and worse as they desperately try to corruptly cling to power.

      They are making a real push to silence all opposition to the establishment prior to the next primary season and they will fail miserable, the more the try tighten their grip on comments the more comments will slip through their fingers, heh, heh.

      My God, they are just totally making themselves look really stupid now to any kind of educated audience, the crazy crap they are up to is just laughable and only profound arrogance stops them seeing what fools they are making of themselves. The world is starting to laugh at you USA because of the stupid shenanigans of your corrupt politicians.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    12. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      If I really worked as a spy, surely I'd be living in a much nicer flat.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    13. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The rest" as in "a very small and dwindling minority nobody cares about and that can be safely ignored"?

    14. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      You can bump a semi-automatic rifle with a wide variety of items. Making a bump stock is probably at most a trivial 2 hour craft project.

      The basic problem is the weapon can fire as fast as an automatic weapon. There are people (you can see them on youtube) who can fire as fast as a bump stock- and more accurately.
      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    15. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      PolygamousRanchKid said...

      ----
      If you get most of your news from Facebook

      . . . you'll be voting for Zuck for President in a few years. Zuck will pay Russia to force Kaspersky to pay Facebook to support him.

      . . . and no, Anonymous Coward, we shouldn't be talking about banning bump stocks. That will happen anyway. And you can bump a semi-automatic weapon with a rubber band anyway. And banned bump stocks will still be available anyway from your local crack dealer. The damn things are probably flying off the shelves of gun dealers now. There is nothing like the threat of a ban to increase consumer demand into a frenzy.

      ----

      Amazingly high downmods today, eh PRK?

      (you were zeroed and I was zeroed almost immediately after).

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    16. Re: If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slashdot isn't a news source. It is a news aggregator.
      You have to check who wrote TFA before you can tell if it is a credible source or not.
      Not that it really matters. Believing in credible sources is appeal to authority. Just because they are usually right doesn't mean they are right this time.
      That is why you have to read TFA and figure out that it was all vaporware on your own.

      The easiest way to spot Russian propaganda is that it is contradictory to last weeks Russian propaganda and that things doesn't add up with how reality works.

    17. Re: If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your flat's OK, I just wish you'd do up your bathrobe when you walk round it.

    18. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The world's animosity directed at the US is mainly caused by the fact that no one in the US really gives a shit about what other countries are doing.

    19. Re:If you get most of your news from Facebook by PJ6 · · Score: 1

      You are the problem. You are not part of the problem, your demographic is the problem. If you get most of your news from Facebook you need to shut the fuck up, because you are the uninformed idiot the rest of us laugh at.

      Oh for christ's sake get a grip. Facebook doesn't make news, it shows it from other sources. Back when I used it, I subscribed to a few news organizations like NPR. Seeing summaries of their stuff in my news feed, and browsing their stories on their Facebook page, didn't change the content of what I read at all. It's no different than now, only I don't see all the retarded trollolololo comments any more so I'm not provoked into yelling at people... like I'm doing right now.

  2. AC Removed References to Russia from First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Brought to you by Putin, m'ladies

  3. Fake News Book by Templer421 · · Score: 1

    NT

    1. Re:Fake News Book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck Facebook, seriously.

  4. Re:MODERATORS ARE CENSORING POSTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NOT APK. FAKE IMPOSTER ----^

  5. Ask Ash-Fox about his NDA lie rotflmao by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ask Ash-Fox about his NDA lie + dns fuckups rotflmao https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=11188265&cid=55322595/ as he's a no degree liar.

  6. sorry, couldn't help myself by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, references remove you.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Strange that FakeBook wouldn't buy the lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    And double down on the fake news. After all, why would Zuck own the company if he couln't lie and have them swear to it? The team that told him there was no real true information there probably made career limiting decisions, but I suppose somewhere down the road people who support either side of the myth will still be able to find work. Maybe just not exactly where they wanted to.

    1. Re:Strange that FakeBook wouldn't buy the lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > An earlier draft of the report discussed what Facebook knew at that time about Russian meddling, but that material was ultimately removed from the report before publication. "Some at Facebook pushed to not include a mention of Russia in the report because the company's understanding of Russian activity was too speculative, according to one of the people," according to the Journal.

      How dare they refuse to report speculation!

      As for the political dynamic, my take on that is that Zuck wants to run for president, but the insiders aren't exactly happy with him so they want to pressure him in various ways. Also, Google isn't too happy to see a rival gain political clout. Ask Bernie what happens if the "Democratic" party doesn't want you to win the primary.

    2. Re:Strange that FakeBook wouldn't buy the lie by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2

      Ask Bernie what happens if the "Democratic" party doesn't want you to win the primary.

      Bernie wasn't a Democrat until it proved politically expedient for him to identify as one.

      Not unlike how The Donald was not a Republican until... well, I think you can fill in the rest.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    3. Re:Strange that FakeBook wouldn't buy the lie by HiThere · · Score: 1

      Is he currently calling himself a Democrat? If so, that's one mark against him. But he was a candidate that was acceptable to the Democratic voters. I've never met anyone who actually supported Hillary, except because "she's a woman", which I find an extremely poor argument. So was Thatcher. So was Countess Elizabeth.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  8. Re:MODERATORS ARE CENSORING POSTS by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

    I AM APK!!

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  9. At least someone at facebook is rationnal by RedK · · Score: 3, Insightful

    because the company's understanding of Russian activity was too speculative

    Good on them to value fact based reporting! Those people should be congratulated and promoted.

    We need less narrative pushing and more fact based analysis. The whole "Russia!" scare the MSM and Democrats are pushing is really embarassing at this point and is only serving to distract officials from conducting actual government and intelligence work, while they continue on this wild goose chase, or witch hunt, or whatever you want to call it.

    --
    "Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
    Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
    1. Re:At least someone at facebook is rationnal by BlueStrat · · Score: 0, Troll

      The whole "Russia!" scare the MSM and Democrats are pushing is really embarassing at this point and is only serving to distract officials from conducting actual government and intelligence work, while they continue on this wild goose chase, or witch hunt, or whatever you want to call it.

      How about 'wild-goose-riding-witch hunt'?

      Agreed. Sadly, the US Left seems determined to jump that Russian shark at the nation's expense.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    2. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The Left"

      Burr and Warner said they have largely confirmed the conclusions the intelligence community reached under the Obama administration that the Russian government meddled in the 2016 US election.

      Twat

    3. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obama appointees said that?! Well I'm sold! Why would they lie about their party's pathetic and disgraceful behavior that lost the election?!

    4. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up !

    5. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If, given the amount of evidence that has been uncovered, you still don't think Russia tried to manipulate the election then you're a moron.

    6. Re:At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Great, now we know Facebook helped trump win the election by social engineering at the Russians request. It's OK, Americans have been doing it for since the beginning of time and will continue to influence elections of our allies and enemies in the future.

      We have learned that Facebook and all social media platforms need to follow the same laws in campaign promotion that newspaper, magazine and TV have had for decades. The people have a right to know who paid for all campaign adverts whether is is a foreign power, allied power, the ACLU, NRA or simply your neighbor Joe Blow.

    7. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, leads the Senate intelligence committee, but you knew that Ivan, didn't you.

    8. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The Left"

      Burr and Warner said they have largely confirmed the conclusions the intelligence community reached under the Obama administration that the Russian government meddled in the 2016 US election.

      Twat

      How many votes did the Russians change? How many voting machines were hacked/altered?

      Oh, you mean they bought advertising. Posted some stuff on social media sites? Possibly had a hand in exposing emails showing corruption & collusion among the Democratic Party and the HRC presidential campaign?

      Ah, I see why you're so upset. The Russians revealed the truth and exposed their lies! No wonder your grapes are so sour! After all, Obama meddled in Israeli elections against Netanyahu and failed, so it has to stick in your craw that after all the dirty tricks HRC still lost handily.

      Twat

      Interesting choice of name to sign your post with, although admittedly it is accurate.

    9. Re: At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ah truth! the brown stuff that leaks from Putin's fine ass into your face?
      there is enoug data to show a deliberate targeted attempt to sway voters in specific districts. There is investigation whether this was in collusion with the Trump campaign. The senate is currently held by the republicans in case you missed this in your facebook feeds. The senate intelligence is led by Burr who's a republican and no Hillary fan. There are enough republicans on record who have said that there was russian interference. The impact of this is still unknown. Per your idiotic logic, the guy shouting fire in a crowded theatre did nothing wrong because... did you see him with his hands on a match? the courts do not agree with you on this.
      by the way, you know all this and are a troll. I use an AC to respond because you don't deserve any more. If you are not a troll, your intellect is questionable. It's one thing to be a blind loyalist but another to use reason. In case you don't know both Comey and Mueller are registered republicans and both worked in republican administrations primarily. I believe this is true about the former NSA head too but not sure.

    10. Re:At least someone at facebook is rationnal by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

      Not to worry; the MSM and Democrats have moved on from the Russia witch hunt and are now putting all of their efforts into igniting a race war.

  10. Re:MODERATORS ARE CENSORING POSTS by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    We are all APK. #apklivesmatter

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  11. fellatio by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. I didn't realize that Zuckerfag wanted to suck Trumpydick. Seems Zuck will censor anything Trump wants now. Didn't have FB before, won't now after this horseshit. It's common knowledge at this point that Putin fucked the election over and got his man in. Zuckerberg zucks. I hope you Trumpies lose your right to vote in the next election. Meanwhile, congrats to Putin. He trolled us but fucking good. Clap. Clap.

  12. There, their (Re: If you get most of your news fro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You lost me when you messed those words up. I mean, you might have had something intelligent to say, but if you're illiterate, it's kind of hard to take you seriously.

  13. Precarious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Facebook is in a precarious position with this "problem". Their basic business model is data collection, it's a new "currency" in the world. They rely on multiple sources of active and passive cooperation: you (individuals), countries/governments, intelligencia (yes, they do) to conduct their business. Your imaginary Facebook "social playground" is just that -- a playground. They resisted pointing the finger at the Russians for a long time, but they (especially Zuck) were very well aware of what was going on with the election skew WHILE IT HAPPENED. They didn't want to be involved in a public scandal, hoped it wouldn't be noticed -- it's all mostly about financial matters. If you use Facebook, you have to realize what you're getting into (well, any social networking really, but that's another point). Where there is money, there is corruption and multiple parties benefit--Facebook is no different.