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

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Gov. Gavin Newsom's Facebook ads in swing states stir 2020 speculation

Political ads featuring California Gov. Gavin Newsom are popping up on Facebook in Ohio, Florida and other swing states in the 2020 presidential election, stirring speculation about whether the Democrat is testing the waters for a potential White House run. Newsom, who was sworn into office less... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook ads #swing states


Raven launches its 'biggest ever campaign' for Clark-Platts' The Flower Girls

The marketing campaign for The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts will be Raven Books’ largest to date. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #raven books


‘Publishers were always a second priority’: Confessions of a former Facebook exec on the platform’s struggles with video

"We generated revenue from brands. If content was so important, you’d think we would be trying harder to please publishers." The post ‘Publishers were always a second priority’: Confessions of a former Facebook exec on the platform’s struggles with video appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post publishers #video appeared #facebook exec


Facebook just purged hundreds of fake accounts linked to a Russian news network

This is just the last announcement in its crackdown on “inauthentic” behavior. Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher published a blog post this morning saying the company has discovered and removed hundreds of pages and accounts it deemed to be “inauthentic.” The pages came... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is funding more programs catering to local news publishers

Facebook announced over $30 million in grants to organizations trying to help local news publishers. The post Facebook is funding more programs catering to local news publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook announced #post facebook #$30 million


‘Efficient’: Publishers are recycling their Instagram efforts for Facebook Stories

Once a ghost town, Facebook Stories has gotten increasingly more attractive to publishers. The post ‘Efficient’: Publishers are recycling their Instagram efforts for Facebook Stories appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook rolls out fact-checking operation in UK

Social network brings in independent charity in attempt to tackle misinformationFacebook’s fact-checking operation is launching in the UK, with the independent charity Full Fact selected to be the first British publisher to review and rate the accuracy of content on the social network.Posts,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook rolls #british publisher


Older people more likely to share fake news on Facebook, study finds

Researchers suggest over-65s may lack skills to determine veracity of online newsOlder people are almost four times more likely to have shared fake news on Facebook than the younger generation, according to research published in the journal Science.On average, American Facebook users over 65... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #younger generation #research published


The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton

Despite employing a small army of contractors to monitor posts, it’s clear the company is no longer fit for purposeWay back in the 1950s, a pioneering British cybernetician, W Ross Ashby, proposed a fundamental law of dynamic systems. In his book An Introduction to Cybernetics, he formulated his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries 'central' to nation’s culture strategy, campaigners make case to ACE

The Library Campaign (TLC) is appealing to Arts Council England (ACE) for funding and support in recognition that public libraries are “the bedrock of the nation’s entire culture strategy”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public libraries


'Resign from Facebook': experts offer Mark Zuckerberg advice for 2019

The CEO sets himself a personal challenge every new year. But after a bruising 12 months, what should he do next? When Mark Zuckerberg began his annual “personal challenges” in 2009, he set the bar pretty low: he dressed like an adult every day for a year. Subsequent challenges were squarely in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #road trip #fake news #hate speech


Facebook may finally face a reckoning as more grave misdeeds are revealed | Jill Abramson

Moves to oust the company’s leadership team of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg suddenly look a lot more serious as its legal position becomes more perilous So far, the public and political reaction in the US to Facebook’s grave misdeeds has been surprisingly muted. That’s about to change.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mark zuckerberg #cambridge analytica #news stories


Would you delete Facebook for $1,000? This economist put that theory to the test

Tufts University economist Sean Cash doesn’t normally dabble in the valuations of giant tech companies. As the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy professor puts it, “My bread and butter is bread and butter.” But a few years ago, Cash got interested in answering the question of how... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #delete facebook


What It Means to Delete Facebook

Facebook is closing out a bruising 2018 filled with high-profile scandals. It started with additional fallout from Russian election meddling and soon included misinformation, Cambridge Analytica, security breaches, and a shady opposition research firm. A new report published just this week found... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #delete facebook #cambridge analytica #report published


Didn’t think Facebook could get any worse? Think again.

Just about 24 hours ago, we published a story recapping Facebook's terrible 2018. But the year isn't over, and it looks like the drama is going to continue until the bitter end. According to an investigation by The New York Times that cites interview... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook users cannot avoid location-based ads, investigation finds

No combination of settings can stop location data being used by advertisers, says reportFacebook targets users with location-based adverts even if they block the company from accessing GPS on their phones, turn off location history in the app, hide their work location on their profile and never... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Audience Network Joined Google’s Open Bidding Program

Publishers using mobile ad network Facebook Audience Network now have another bidding option: the Open Bidding program from Google. The social network wrote in a blog post announcing the move, "Publishers are increasingly using unified auctions to maximize their advertising revenue. Bidding, as... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising revenue


Facebook's privacy problems: a roundup

The social media giant’s troubles have led to lawsuits, House of Commons hearings and several apologiesFacebook disclosed on Friday that a bug may have affected up to 6.8 million users, allowing app developers to see photos that users had uploaded but never posted – but this was hardly the first... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #smartphone apps #text history


Sean Parker built Napster and helped lead Facebook. Now he’ll guide you to the beach

When Sean Parker crossed California's beach access police over his wedding in Big Sur, the tech billionaire agreed to create a coastal access app for the people. The app launches Thursday after an unusual collaboration between two very different, but very California, worlds. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to connect your Kindle to a Wi-Fi Network

You need to connect your Amazon Kindle to Wi-Fi to buy and download new books (unless you paid for a Kindle with built-in cellular connectivity). Fortunately, doing so is easy and should only take you moments.To connect your Kindle to a Wi-Fi network, navigate to its Home screen. Next, locate... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle #home screen