Facebook Reportedly Hired a PR Firm That Wrote Negative Articles About Rivals, Pushed George Soros Conspiracy Theory (cnbc.com)

According to a recently-published report in the New York Times, Facebook hired a public relations firm last year that wrote dozens of articles critical of rivals Google and Apple and pushed the idea that liberal financier George Soros was behind a growing anti-Facebook movement. "Facebook expanded its relationship with Definers Public Affairs in October 2017 after enduring a year's worth of external criticism over its handling of Russian interference on its social network," CNBC summarizes. From the report: The firm reportedly wrote articles that blasted Google and Apple while downplaying the impact of Russian interference on Facebook. Those articles were published on NTK Network, an affiliate of the firm whose content is often followed by politically conservative outlets, including Breitbart, the report says. Definers Public Affairs also reportedly pressed reporters to explore Soros' financial connections with groups that protested Facebook at Congressional hearings in July.

Facebook's relationship with Definers Public Affairs were outlined as part of a broader report that looked at the company's handling of numerous scandals over the past three years, including Russian interference and the Cambridge Analytica scandal in March. Other revelations in the report include Sheryl Sandberg's apparent fury when former security chief told the board of directors in fall 2017 about the full extent of Russian interference on the platform, and Mark Zuckerberg ordering managers to use Android phones after Apple CEO Tim Cook criticized the company's approach to privacy earlier this year.

Comments

Is it time to go yet?

[guygo]

Delete. Your. Accounts.

Re:Silver lining

[Powercntrl]

Racism, anti-semitism, and anti-immigrant hysteria just aren't getting the job done like they did in 2016.

I'm not sure if this is sarcasm or not, because here in Florida the don't monkey this up candidate got more votes (and likely will be the winner if they ever finish counting ballots). Of course, I'm sure the line of thinking with most voters was "I don't mind voting for the guy the racists think is racist, so long as it keeps taxes low."

It's also Florida being Florida, as usual.

George Soros collaborated with nazis

[Anonymous Coward]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsnuhbT0ooM

- My understanding is that you went out with this protector of yours who swore that you were his adopted godson
- Yes, yes
- Went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from Jews.
- Yes. That's right. Yes.
- That sounds like an experience that would send lots of people to the psychiatric couch for many many years. Was it difficult?
- Not at all. Not at all. (smiles). Maybe as a child you don't see the connection, but it created no problem at all.
- No feeling of guilt?
- No
- For example that 'I'm Jewish and here I am watching these people go, I could just as easily be be there, I should be there,' None of that?
- Well, of course I could be on the other side (smiles), or I could be the one from whom the thing is being taken away, but there was no sense that I shouldn't be there, because that was .......... well, actually in a funny way, it's just like in markets, that if I weren't there, of course I wasn't doing it, but somebody else would be taking it away anyhow, whether I was there or not I was only a spectator. The property was being taken away. So I had no role in taking away that property, so I had no sense of guilt.
- Are you religious?
- No
- Do you believe in God?
- No