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TikTok approves 50% of political ads containing false information: Study

October 18, 2024
Social media platforms TikTok and Facebook are under scrutiny for failing to detect harmful disinformation advertisements ahead of the U.S. presidential election. A new investigation by Global Witness reveals that these platforms are still allowing misleading content to slip through their moderation systems.

In a report, Global Witness tested the election integrity commitments of TikTok, Facebook and YouTube by submitting eight advertisements containing false election claims.

Reuters

The ads were deliberately designed to breach the platforms’ policies and were submitted using “algospeak,” a technique that employs numbers and symbols to bypass content moderation filters.

TikTok approved 50% of the submitted ads. Facebook accepted one ad with harmful disinformation, an improvement from its previous performance during the 2022 midterm elections. YouTube initially approved 50% of the ads but later blocked all of them until formal identification was submitted, a more robust barrier against disinformation compared to the other platforms.

Although TikTok has improved from approving 90% of submitted disinformation ads in 2022, its ongoing issues are particularly notable given its strict policy against political content.

The platform, already under scrutiny due to potential foreign interference, faces further examination for its role in U.S. political discourse.

TikTok acknowledged that the ads submitted by Global Witness breached its advertising policies and stated that its machine moderation system had erroneously approved them.

The platform indicated that it would use the findings to retrain its moderation system. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not respond to requests for comment.
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Majority of Americans worried over social media censorship ahead of election

October 15, 2024
A majority of Americans are worried that social media companies are censoring content related to the 2024 election, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voter’s Voice survey found that 61% of likely voters are concerned about censorship on platforms like Facebook and Google as Election Day approaches.

The poll, which surveyed 2,290 likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.1%, revealed that men (64%) are slightly more concerned than women (57%).

The data also showed significant concern among racial groups, with 66% of Hispanic voters and 62% of white voters expressing worry. Meanwhile, 44% of Black voters shared concerns.

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Republicans are leading the charge in raising alarms, with 78% expressing concern, compared to just 43% of Democrats. However, 61% of independents — a key swing voting group — said they were also worried about censorship.

These concerns are being fueled by recent revelations. In August, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted to Congress that his company had bowed to government pressure to censor content during the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar scrutiny has been directed at Google, which faced backlash for allegedly manipulating search results related to past presidents, though the company has denied intentional censorship.

The poll highlights growing distrust of tech platforms in political spaces, with voters fearing that vital information may be hidden in the final weeks of the election cycle.

As social media plays an increasingly central role in shaping political discourse, concerns about how these platforms moderate content could become a deciding factor in the 2024 presidential race.
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Americans’ trust in media, US government reaches all-time low

October 15, 2024
Americans’ trust in the media and Congress has hit a historic low, according to a new Gallup poll, while confidence in local government remains significantly higher. The poll highlights a deep partisan divide, with Republicans expressing particularly low confidence in the media.

According to the survey, only 31% of Americans trust mass media to report news fully, accurately and fairly, making it the least trusted civic institution.

Gallup/Straight Arrow News

By comparison, 67% of respondents say they trust their local government, and 34% express trust in Congress.

The survey also shows that only 12% of Republicans trust the media, compared to 54% of Democrats and 27% of Independents.

Media trust saw a slight rebound after falling to 32% in 2016, but the latest numbers suggest any recovery has evaporated. The implications of this declining trust remain unclear, though it points to growing demand for transparency and accountability in national institutions.
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Bath & Body Works faces backlash over offensive candle design

October 15, 2024

What was intended to be a festive holiday product turned into a public relations issue for Bath & Body Works. The company’s “Snowed In” candle was pulled from shelves after online critics pointed out that its label design resembled something far more offensive than a winter wonderland.

The snowflake design, which was meant to celebrate the winter season, bore an unsettling resemblance to the white hoods worn by members of the Klu Klux Klan.

A spokesperson for Bath & Body Works stated that the resemblance was unintentional and emphasized the company’s commitment to listening to its customers and correcting mistakes.

In a statement to the Washington Post, the company apologized to anyone who was offended and confirmed that the candle was being swiftly removed from stores.

This controversy occurred at a critical time for Bath & Body Works, as the holiday season accounts for more than a third of the retailer’s annual sales.

Employees were reportedly instructed to remove the candle labels and dispose of them in opaque trash bags.

Meanwhile, some customers who purchased the candles before they were pulled have been reselling them on eBay, with prices wrangling from $125-$360.

Online, the candle has been mockingly nicknamed “Klandle” and “Klan Krismas Kandle.”

The backlash has tapped into larger concerns, as Klan imagery remains a powerful hate symbol. According to FBI reports, hate crimes against Black Americans made up 30% of reported incidents last year, with anti-Jewish crimes accounting for 11%.
FCC chair responds to Trump’s call for CBS to lose license over Harris interview

October 11, 2024
Former President Donald Trump accused CBS of altering a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to make her appear more presidential. Trump also demanded the network lose its broadcast license.

Posting on Truth Social and X, Trump called the incident “the greatest fraud in broadcast history,” sparking widespread debate and further straining his contentious relationship with the media.

The controversy began after a teaser for Harris’s Oct. 7 interview showed a sequence that differed slightly from the full broadcast. Trump accused CBS of editing Harris’s answers, claiming the network was deliberately enhancing her image.

In response, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel firmly rejected Trump’s demands, stating that broadcast licenses cannot be revoked due to political disagreements. She reiterated the FCC’s commitment to free speech and media independence, calling the First Amendment “a cornerstone of our democracy.”

The Harris campaign, meanwhile, downplayed the accusations.

“We do not control CBS’s production decisions and refer questions to CBS,” the campaign said in a statement.

This is not the first time Trump has targeted a major network. He previously called for ABC’s license to be revoked after the September 2024 presidential debate. However, the FCC maintained that media freedom remains vital, regardless of political disagreements.
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Twitch becoming a hub of political commentary this election year

October 10, 2024
An unlikely streaming platform has become a major hub for election news. Twitch is typically used by gamers to broadcast live video games and for public figures to interact with fans. Now, Gen Z and millennials, who are the majority of users on Twitch, are watching for political commentary on the platform.

Twitch first gained political recognition in 2020 when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., streamed the hit game “Among Us.”

This election year, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has been using Twitch to live stream events. Most recently, the rally for Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., in Arizona on Wednesday, Oct. 9, was broadcast live to thousands.

Last week, former Rep. George Santos was on Twitch playing Fortnite while discussing politics and cancel culture.

On Monday, Aug. 5, former President Donald Trump also participated in the live-streaming trend on Kick with well-known conservative creator Adin Ross. The interview got more than 500,000 live viewers.

Both political parties invited social media content creators to their national conventions this year to get more online exposure. More than 200 of them were in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, while nearly 100 conservative influencers attended the Republican National Convention.
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- Voter registration among young adults is increasing. So is their support for Harris.
- Majority of young men favor Trump, a demographic shift unseen in 20 years
14 state AGs file lawsuits targeting TikTok’s addictive features

October 8, 2024

Attorneys general from 14 states and Washington, D.C., filed lawsuits Tuesday, Oct. 8, against TikTok, accusing the social media platform of harming young users’ mental health and violating consumer protection laws. The lawsuits allege that TikTok’s design encourages compulsive use through addictive features, such as autoplay and push notifications, which authorities argue have negatively impacted children’s well-being.

The legal filings claim that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has misled the public about its safety for minors, exposing children to mental and physical risks.

The lawsuits also allege that TikTok violated federal laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), by collecting personal data from users under the age of 13 without parental consent.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, D, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, are leading the legal effort.

In a statement, James said, “TikTok claims their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true.”

Bonta emphasized that TikTok knowingly designed its app to foster excessive use among children.

TikTok has not publicly commented on the lawsuits but has previously stated that it prioritizes user safety, particularly for minors.

The company is also facing separate legal challenges at the federal level, including a case regarding a potential nationwide ban due to national security concerns over its Chinese ownership.

The lawsuits are part of a broader push by state officials to hold social media companies accountable for their role in the youth mental health crisis.

The legal effort mirrors previous actions taken against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in which states sought to address similar issues related to the impact of social media on children’s mental health.

In addition to mental health concerns, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s, D, lawsuit accuses TikTok of operating an unlicensed payment system that targets children, allowing them to solicit money for performing inappropriate acts.

The suit claims that TikTok’s money transmission system exploits young users by using childlike animations and games to encourage financial transactions.

The states involved in the lawsuits include California, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
Japanese government admits to editing ‘sloppy’ cabinet photo

October 7, 2024

Japan’s government confirmed Monday, Oct. 7, that it made minor edits to an official photo of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s newly announced cabinet after online criticism of the group’s appearance. The alterations, which were made to address visible shirt creases and untidy suits, sparked a wave of mockery on social media.

Eagle-eyed users were quick to point out discrepancies between the unedited images released by local media and the final version posted on the prime minister’s official website.

https://twitter.com/kantei/status/1841190560255848502

One user commented that the photo looked more like “a seniors’ club on a trip to a hot spring,” while others humorously suggested further edits to improve the cabinet’s appearance.

When asked about the edits, government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed that minor retouching had been done.

“Group photos during official events of the prime minister’s office, such as the cabinet reshuffle, will be preserved forever as memorabilia, so minor editing is customarily performed on these photos,” Hayashi said.

The controversy comes as Ishiba’s cabinet has faced additional scrutiny for its gender imbalance, with only two women in minor roles among the 19 members. Ishiba, a former defense minister, was elected prime minister last week by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The edits to the cabinet photo have drawn comparisons to similar controversies in other countries, including Britain, where a doctored portrait of the Princess of Wales caused public debate earlier this year.

Despite the backlash, some social media users were more forgiving, calling the edits minor and urging the public to move on.
Helene halts quartz mining in North Carolina, sparks misinformation online

October 4, 2024
Update:
According to an assessment by Sibleco, key sites for quartz “only sustained minor damage.” The Quartz Corp also remarks they will be able to “avoid” any supply disruptions.

Hurricane Helene has severely disrupted quartz mining operations in North Carolina, raising concerns about a potential ripple effect across the global tech industry. Meanwhile, misinformation is spreading online with unfounded conspiracy theories gaining traction on social media.

Spruce Pine, a small Appalachian town that is home to one of the world’s only sources of high-purity quartz, suffered significant flooding from Helene, halting operations at major producers Quartz Corp. and Sibelco.

The high-purity quartz mined there is essential for producing silicon wafers used in semiconductors, smartphones and solar panels.

Experts warn that prolonged shutdowns could lead to significant delays in global supply chains and shortages of critical components needed for the tech industry

Getty Images

Adding to these challenges are viral conspiracy theories on platforms like TikTok and X. They claim that the hurricane was an orchestrated form of weather manipulation.

These theories suggest the storm was part of a government plan to disrupt quartz mining and advance lithium mining interests. Some allege that the hurricane was a political maneuver to displace voters or seize land, echoing similar claims made during the Maui wildfires of 2023.

However, experts have repeatedly debunked these ideas, pointing out that hurricanes are natural phenomena, and no credible evidence supports such theories.

As cleanup efforts begin, the residents of Spruce Pine are focused on restoring basic services, with the mining industry uncertain of when full operations will resume. The long-term effects of this disruption on quartz supply, particularly for tech industries in both the U.S. and China, remain to be seen.
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New Mexico AG sues Snapchat, says it knew about ‘rampant’ sextortion

October 2, 2024
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said Tuesday, Oct. 1, that internal documents from Snapchat show the company knew sextortion was rampant on the social media platform but did nothing to stop it. The documents, which are part of an ongoing lawsuit, were unredacted Tuesday.

In the lawsuit, Torrez claimed Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, knew about a “sextortion handbook” circulating the dark web, which gave instructions on how use the Snap Maps feature to target a school.

Sextortion is when a person leads a victim to send naked or compromising photos of themselves – then threatens the victim to make the images public unless the victim pays money or performs sexual favors.

The lawsuit also says in 2022 alone, Snap employees were aware of 10,000 reports of sextortion involving the platform each month, and in an internal company email it acknowledged the reports likely only accounted for a “fraction of this abuse.”

https://twitter.com/KOB4/status/1841244198726410288

The lawsuit also claims multiple reports about sextortion and grooming made against the same users were mostly ignored. It also alleges internal data collected by Snap shows about a third of its young users had been exposed to unwanted contact.

The New Mexico AG’s lawsuit also claims Snap openly promotes child trafficking and the sale of illicit drugs and guns.

Snapchat responded to the filing in a statement on its website Tuesday, saying, “We designed Snapchat as a place to communicate with a close circle of friends, with built-in safety guardrails, and have made deliberate design choices to make it difficult for strangers to discover minors on our service.”
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