The weaponisation of social media
Facebook says it has acted against China-based attackers who used the platform to deploy malicious software on the devices of activists, journalists and dissidents connected to the Uighur community. The attacks appear to be a continuation of a campaign first uncovered in 2019. Its aim is to attract users to booby-trapped websites designed to infect their devices. "This activity had the hallmarks of a well-resourced and persistent operation, while obfuscating who's behind it," Facebook said. The Chinese government denies any involvement. Just as it denies an ongoing campaign of persecution against the Uighur minority.
1.3 billion. That's the number of fake accounts Facebook says it disabled in just the last three months of 2020. Timed to coincide with a US congressional hearing into misinformation, Facebook's blog post seems to be designed to provide reassurance that it is serious about tackling the issue. Those assurances might be more convincing if it weren't for the ongoing torrent of false and misleading information about COVID-19 and pretty much everything connected to it. A new report says just 12 "anti-vaxxers" are behind much of that disinformation - and 9 of them remain on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, despite repeatedly violating their terms of service.
The New York Times' Facebook cookery group appears to be the latest casualty of the poisoned waters of social media discourse. Many of its nearly 76,000 members are speculating about what exactly prompted the Times to step away from the group, described as a "happy corner of the internet" when it launched two years ago. “I blame people who fight over brands of mayonnaise,” said one member. More likely is that the Times ran out of patience and resources as it tried to keep the group focussed on food rather than on politics. The Times is trying to hand over the group to its members who will take over the moderation. Good luck with that.