Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign

Perhaps you’ve probably heard: Facebook and Google are at war, and Facebook’s not afraid to play dirty. Thursday’s revelation that the social networking site hired PR firm Burston-Marsteller to plant a negative story about Google’s privacy settings raises a number of questions. Like, “Who at Facebook thought this was a good idea?” The company isn't responding to the question right now. Until they do, it helps to look at the players involved. There’s Burston-Marsteller, the global PR firm run by CEO Mark Penn. There’s Jim Goldman, the former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC (and frequent target of high school-style ridicule). He’s become the fall guy for Burston-Marsteller. There’s Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s universally praised COO. And then there’s Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy. Penn, of course, is a Washington heavy hitter: he worked as a pollster to President Clinton during both of his terms and the Washington Post noted how “thoroughly integrated into the policymaking operation” he’d become. Penn’s also no stranger to criticism from Washington observers: he gained notoriety for missteps as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential bid. He eventually stepped down after feuding with other aides, and for reportedly offering Clinton some of her worst advice (like, emphasize Barack Obama’s foreignness). Penn’s also no stranger to the tech world—he’s credited with making Microsoft into one of the country’s most... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #googles head #silicon valley #focus attention

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign'

Facebook’s global outage was caused by ‘a server configuration change’

Facebook Inc.’s global outage — which hit users of its namesake social network as well as sister services Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp — is winding down, the company announced Thursday. The issue was caused by “a server configuration change” and is now resolved, “and our systems are... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-14 16:55:00 UTC ]
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Video Briefing: Rising costs on Facebook force publishers to rethink branded video distribution

Costs for paid video distribution on Facebook has more than doubled year-over-year. The post Video Briefing: Rising costs on Facebook force publishers to rethink branded video distribution appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is paying 12 publishers for Watch shows starring video creators

Publishers in the new Facebook-funded program include BuzzFeed, Conde Nast and Viacom. The post Facebook is paying 12 publishers for Watch shows starring video creators appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Big Facebook Critic Fears Tech’s Business Model

Roger McNamee was a mentor Mark Zuckerberg and an early investor in Facebook. Now he has written a book about the "Facebook catastrophe." Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2019-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ambitious breakup of Amazon, Facebook and Google is proposed by Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged Friday to take aim at Amazon, Facebook and Google if she is elected president in 2020, breaking apart each of the big tech companies and introducing sweeping new regulation of Silicon Valley. The proposal marks the most ambitious and aggressive effort... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-08 20:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ambitious breakup #elizabeth warren #pledged friday #elected president #introducing sweeping #silicon valley #proposal marks

Ambitious breakup of Amazon, Facebook and Google is proposed by Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged Friday to take aim at Amazon, Facebook and Google if she is elected president in 2020, breaking apart each of the big tech companies and introducing sweeping new regulation of Silicon Valley. The proposal marks the most ambitious and aggressive effort... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-08 20:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ambitious breakup #elizabeth warren #pledged friday #elected president #introducing sweeping #silicon valley #proposal marks

Elizabeth Warren pledges to break up Facebook, Google and Amazon

Today, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren published a post on Medium in which she detailed why she wants to break up large Internet companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google. In her post, she accuses these companies of using their v... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why this digital publisher refuses to blame Facebook for media's woes

Subscribe to us on iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher, Google Play and iHeartRadio too. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend!Ben Lerer has a message for digital publishers: Stop blaming the big, bad duopoly for eating your homework. Continue reading at AdAge.com Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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5 things we learned about Facebook content moderation from a Reddit AMA

Facebook content moderators are suffering breakdowns, paranoia and mental health issues according to a person who claims to be a moderator for the company, and who hosted an anonymous Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Monday night. The interview and questions took place a day after The Verge published an... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Medium are digital media’s never-ending merry-go-rounds

Time is a flat circle. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Facebook, about two years ago, launched Facebook Live and encouraged publishers to join in on the fun. And, of course, publishers did because Facebook offered a vast potential for distribution and controlled a not-insignificant amount... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Green Book’s Best Picture Win Sparked Facebook and Twitter During the 91st Academy Awards

Green Book winning the Best Picture award was the most-talked-about moment on both Twitter and Facebook during the 91st Academy Awards Sunday night. The most-tweeted-about moments during the event were: Green Book wins Best Picture Shallow wins Best Original Song Rami Malek wins Best Actor Lady... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Several apps funnel users’ sensitive data to Facebook without consent, report says

Several phone apps are sending sensitive user data, including health information, to Facebook Inc. without users’ consent, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. An analytics tool called App Events enables app developers to record user activity and report it back to Facebook even... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-02-22 22:40:00 UTC ]
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Several apps funnel users’ sensitive data to Facebook without consent, report says

Several phone apps are sending sensitive user data, including health information, to Facebook Inc. without users’ consent, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. An analytics tool called App Events enables app developers to record user activity and report it back to Facebook even... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-02-22 22:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sensitive data #phone apps

Facebook decided which users are interested in Nazis — and let advertisers target them directly

Facebook makes money by charging advertisers to reach just the right audience for their message — even when that audience is made up of people interested in the perpetrators of the Holocaust or explicitly neo-Nazi music. Despite promises of greater oversight following past advertising... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-02-21 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #people interested #facebook decided #advertisers target #charging advertisers #greater oversight

Facebook decided which users are interested in Nazis — and let advertisers target them directly

Facebook makes money by charging advertisers to reach just the right audience for their message — even when that audience is made up of people interested in the perpetrators of the Holocaust or explicitly neo-Nazi music. Despite promises of greater oversight following past advertising... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-02-21 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #people interested #facebook decided #advertisers target #charging advertisers #greater oversight

Video Briefing: Beware, Facebook Watch publishers, the subsidies will not last

Facebook is still paying for Facebook Watch shows. But the company is increasingly talking about Watch content that can be supported entirely by sharing ad revenue. The post Video Briefing: Beware, Facebook Watch publishers, the subsidies will not last appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook needs regulation as Zuckerberg 'fails' - UK MPs

The House of Commons publishes its report into fake news with some strong criticism of Facebook. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2019-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Roger McNamee: ‘It’s bigger than Facebook. This is a problem with the entire industry’

Mark Zuckerberg’s mentor and an early investor in Facebook on why his book Zucked urges people to turn away from big tech’s toxic business modelRoger McNamee is an American fund manager and venture capitalist who has made investments in, among others, Electronic Arts, Sybase, Palm Inc and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook tests empowering publishers to deliver ads to Watch

Facebook wants to be friendlier to TV networks and digital media publishers who have shows on Watch by giving these partners the ability to sell ads through their own ad technology, according to advertising and technology executives with knowledge of the initiative.The social media giant is... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Watch has a new program to fund publisher shows starring influencers

Facebook wants to connect publishers and other studio production partners with influencers to make new shows for Facebook Watch. The post Facebook Watch has a new program to fund publisher shows starring influencers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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