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Messenger Kids Advocates Were Facebook-Funded (fastcompany.com)
Fast Company: Facebook unveiled this kid-friendly version of its signature messaging service in December, while the YouTube Kids scandal was in full swing. Messenger Kids, Facebook said, had been designed to serve as a "fun, safer solution" for family communications. It would be available for children as young as 6, the company said. To forestall criticism, Facebook asserted that the app had been developed alongside thousands of parents and a dozen expert advisors. But it looks like many of those outside experts were funded with Facebook dollars. According to Wired, "At least seven members of Facebook 13-person advisory board have some kind of financial tie to the company." Those advisors include the National PTA, Blue Star Families, Connect Safely, and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.
throughout lobbying, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. There are no depths to which those versed in averace will not sink in order to satiate their perverse desires. If it means having to prop up puppet groups, just like the far right has done numerous times, in order to find such "family friendly" advocates then let them. Let them do it so we can mock them and point out their lack of clothes.
It's that second part which is more important. There is no pity to spend here. Mocking laughter is the only cure for this ailment.
I am not in the least surprise by this.
More surprised that only 7 of the 13 are in their pockets and not 11 or 12.
The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
Get 'em while they are young right Zuck? Fucking child-manipulating piece of shit.
Not sure I see that.
Halfway through the article the author says they were unable to find any bias caused by the funding.
Funding from Facebook may not have affected the feedback or research around Messenger Kids. The Facebook advisers who spoke to WIRED offered thoughtful perspectives, based on personal experience or supported by research.
The title of the article could have just as easily been "Facebook Sought Expert Review for Messenger Kids"
Maybe you should educate the morons of tomorrow so they'll stop believing the leaders of tomorrow. - Dogbert
..and soda companies, and sugar companies, and so on, and so on: Fund the narrative you want to present, cherrypick your data to fit it, supress anything that doesn't. Congratulations, Facebook/Zuckerberg, you're at least a full order of magnitude more evil than even I thought you were.
Please don't use logic, it upsets a lot of people.
I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find astroturfing going on in this establishment.
{Your biased expert findings, sir.}
Thank you.
I laughed at that. I shouldn't have. Hopefully I'll stop chuckling any minute now.
Any minute.
Would people prefer that Facebook only solicit advice from uncompensated non-professionals?
Clearly only uncompensated amateurs with no interest in Facebook should provide advice to Facebook.
If you're not getting funding from Facebook, how much time and money are you going to spend studying their upcoming products?
This is the universal problem with "independent" testing. Same problem for food, drugs, cars, etc. We require manufacturers to test their products, then doubt the results because they paid for it.
Nope, no sig
Exactly what I came to say. Experts get paid for their expertice. What I find fishy is why they wouldn't *all* be paid. I am no Schmuckerberg fan, and the list of valid criticisms are long indeed, but citing this as one just makes one look phenomenally foolish.
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Bribing is ok as long as you don't bribe absolutely everyone? Maybe the first 7 were bribed, and the remaining 6 were just idiots.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
No, I help my kids for free, and make choices that are hopefully the best for them. I would never recommend anyone get on Facebook, let alone a child. Facebook really needs to die off or something better replace it because it's been so manipulated with fake information and controlled by what they want you to see (fake news) instead of what you really want to see (baby pictures) that Facebook isn't worth using anymore
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Even if over 50% had financial ties, if the rest didn't (6 out of 13), then I don't see an issue here as they participated willingly with no financial skin in the outcome.
Having said that, I still think Messenger Kids is a bad idea for kids in general.
Does that mean if over half a jury is bribed by the defendant that's ok?
my karma will be here long after I'm gone