Tag Archives: Facebook

Israel eyes law to remove online content inciting terrorism

Israeli Police search for suspects

By Tova Cohen

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israel’s Justice Ministry is drafting legislation that would enable it to order Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media to remove online postings it deems to be inciting terrorism. “We are working on draft legislation, similar to what is being done in other countries; one law that would allow for a judicial injunction to order the removal of certain content, such as websites that incite to terrorism,” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said.

“There should be some measure of accountability for Internet companies regarding the illegal activities and content that is published through their services,” Shaked told a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv this week.

Israel blames a wave of Palestinian attacks which erupted in October last year on incitement to violence by the Palestinian leadership and on social media. Palestinian leaders say many attackers have acted out of desperation in the absence of movement towards creating an independent Palestinian state.

A spokeswoman for Shaked said it was too early to say what measures or sanctions might be included in the law, which would need parliamentary approval, but that it was likely to be similar to those introduced in France.

France has made far-reaching changes to surveillance laws since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo last year. It has taken steps to blacklist jihadi sites that “apologize for terrorism”, but stopped short of using such laws to censor major Internet services. “The legislation … will focus on removing prohibited content, with an emphasis on terrorist content, or blocking access to prohibited content,” Shaked’s spokeswoman said.

Governments around the world have been grappling with how to block online incitement to criminal activity, while major Internet services have stepped up campaigns to identify and remove Web postings that incite violence. Facebook, Google and Twitter are working more aggressively to combat online propaganda and recruiting by Islamic militants while trying to avoid the perception they are helping the authorities police the Web. Turkey has regularly censored YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in domestic political disputes. In 2015, more than 90 percent of all court orders for Twitter to remove illegal content worldwide came from Turkey, the company has reported.

Russia has used anti-terrorist laws to censor independent web sites, media organizations and global Internet sites, while China’s tightly controlled Internet blocks what it considers terrorist propaganda under general laws against incitement to criminal activity.

Shaked said governments and Internet services need to find ways to cooperate so that companies can quickly take down content deemed criminal that has been published on their platform. “We are promoting cooperation with content providers, sensitizing them as to content that violates Israeli law or the provider’s terms of service,” Shaked said. A spokesman for Facebook in Israel declined to comment. Google’s YouTube subsidiary has clear policies that prohibit content like gratuitous violence, hate speech and incitement to commit violent acts, a company spokesman said. “We remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users. We also terminate any account registered by a member of a designated ‘foreign terrorist organization’,” he said.

(Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Senate committee questions Facebook over news selection

Facebook Entrance Sign

By Amy Tennery

(Reuters) – A U.S. Senate committee launched an inquiry on Tuesday into how social media website Facebook selects its news stories after a report that company employees blocked news about conservative issues from its “trending” list.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation asked Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a letter to answer questions about the company’s news curation practices and its trending topics section.

The investigation comes after Gizmodo reported on Monday that a former Facebook employee claimed workers “routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers,” while “artificially” adding other stories to the trending list.

U.S. Senator John Thune, the chairman of the committee, told reporters Tuesday his primary concern was that Facebook may be engaging in deceptive behavior if employees meddled with what trending news was displayed.

“If you have a stated policy, which your followers or your audience knows to be the case, that you use an objective algorithm for trending topics — you better follow that policy,” Thune said. “It’s a matter of transparency and honesty and there shouldn’t be any attempt to mislead the American public.”

The letter to Facebook includes requests for information on the organizational structure for the “Trending Topics feature.”

Adam Jentleson, deputy chief of staff to Democratic Senator Harry Reid, balked at the request in a statement provided to Reuters.

“The Republican Senate refuses to hold hearings on [Supreme Court nominee] Judge [Merrick] Garland, refuses to fund the President’s request for Zika aid and takes the most days off of any Senate since 1956, but thinks Facebook hearings are a matter of urgent national interest,” Jentleson said.

A Facebook <FB.O> spokesman said the company has received the Senate letter and is reviewing it. They also denied the Gizmodo report Tuesday in a statement provided to Reuters.

“After an initial review, no evidence was found that the anonymous allegations are true,” a spokesman said.

Tom Stocky, the vice president of search at Facebook, responded to the allegations Monday night in a lengthy post published to the social media site saying there are “strict guidelines” for trending topic reviewers who “are required to accept topics that reflect real world events.”

He added that those guidelines are under “constant review” and that his team would “continue to look for improvements.”

Katie Drummond, the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, called her publication’s story “accurate” in a statement released to Reuters Tuesday.

Gizmodo’s report alarmed several social media users, with some conservatives in particular criticizing Facebook for alleged bias.

“‘If a Conservative Speaks – and Facebook Censors Him – Does He Make a Sound?'” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) wrote on Twitter <TWTR.N> Tuesday, with a link to a National Review story that detailed the allegations against Facebook.

(Reporting By Amy Tennery; additional reporting by Dustin Volz in Washington; Editing by Alan Crosby)

Facebook Privacy Concern for EU Citizen Continues

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The European Union’s (EU) highest court gave their opinion on a security matter concerning Facebook handing over user data of EU citizens to United States officials. The opinion of the European Court of Justice ruled that the data sharing rules between Europe and the U.S. were “invalid.”

An agreement was reached in 2000 between Europe and the U.S. allowing tech firms to transfer user data in huge quantities to U.S. servers. However, the court believes the deal is no longer valid due to recent allegations of mass spying by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The case was brought forward by activist and Austrian law student Max Schrems. Schrems was concerned with how his personal data could be transferred to the U.S. through Facebook. To illustrate the problem, he used documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

“This finding, if confirmed by the court, would be a major step in limiting the legal options for U.S. authorities to conduct mass surveillance on data held by EU companies, including EU subsidiaries of U.S. companies,” Schrems said in a statement.

A final ruling is expected later this year. If ruled in favor of Schrems, Facebook’s European branch in Ireland “would be barred from processing its data in the U.S., but would have to process its data in a place where those data are not subject to NSA mass-surveillance,” Herwig Hofmann, a lawyer representing Schrems, told reporters.

Facebook continues to state that have broken no laws and are in complete compliance with the EU Data Protection Law.

“We have repeatedly said that we do not provide ‘backdoor’ access to Facebook servers and data to intelligence agencies or governments,” said Facebook spokeswoman Sally Aldous.

The case is: C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner.

Woman’s Change Of Heart on Abortion Goes Viral

The story of a single mother’s change of heart on abortion has blown up on Facebook and other social media.

Kimberly Henderson, 26, posted her story on Facebook and found over half a million likes and shares in just two days.

“Two years ago today I was sitting in an abortion clinic thinking not having Vaida was best for me,” Henderson wrote with reference to her two-year-old daughter. “Well this date is forever burned in my brain. … I think that is God’s way of showing me that HIS plan is and will always be greater and bigger than anything and everything I’ve ever known.”

Henderson, who gained national TV exposure during the qualifying rounds of American Idol, shared how an overwhelming sense of regret came on her as she prepared to abort her child.

“The lady called me to the desk. Last step before you go back. I fumbled through my wallet to find my drivers license and out fell a card a couple left on the table Saturday night when I was working,” She wrote. “It had their church name on it.. On the back was a common verse…’Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10.’ I knew God was speaking to me.”

“Pouring tears I walked out and felt a huge weight off my shoulders. No matter what your circumstances are God doesn’t make mistakes and he is here for you,” she said.

Christians Attack Duggar Child For Post On Hell

A bold post on Facebook about Christ, Heaven and Hell is putting one of the Duggar daughters in the cross hairs of some Christian critics.

Jessa Duggar, known for the TV show “19 Kids & Counting”, posted on her Facebook site that someone couldn’t truly believe in God if they do not believe in hell.

“I will speak to you a hard truth,” she posted on her Facebook account. “I do not write this because I think that it will bring me popularity. It won’t. But it is Truth from the Word of God: the Bible. To not tell people this is to hide the truth from them. To keep silent is to not care for their eternal destiny! I care about you, and this is why I am speaking out!”

Duggar was immediately assaulted in the comments by those who say an all-loving God would never send someone to hell and that hell is not real.

“The person speaking this is right—their god is not angry with them. He can’t be, because he doesn’t exist. They are not talking about the God of the Bible. They have created a god in their own mind to suit themselves,” Duggar explained. “They have removed any notion of the Justice of God, and have created a god of their imagination that they can be comfortable with. The Bible teaches that God is a Just Judge, and He must punish sin. Every one of us have broken God’s law, and hell is our deserved punishment. (Unless you’re reading some very distorted ‘translation’ of the Bible, you cannot get around the fact that there is a hell).”

She concluded her posting with a call to salvation and an urging for people to accept Jesus as Lord.

Pizza Parlor Targeted By Anti-Christianists Receives Bomb Threat

An Arkansas pizza parlor owned by a strong Christian who offered a discount on Sundays to anyone who brought in a church bulletin has been dealing with harassment and threats for his refusal to cave to anti-Christianist demands.

Bailey’s Pizza even received a bomb threat delivered through their Facebook page.

“Better get the bomb squad out,” one of the comments read.  “Stand fast and get blown up quicker,” it also read.  Police are investigating the comment as a legitimate threat.

Shop owner Steven Rose said that despite the threats from the anti-Christian organization Freedom From Religion Foundation saying he was violating the Civil Rights Act by offering the discount, there’s no discrimination.

The church bulletin discount is just one of many offered to the community.  The discount does not require anyone to be a part of the church whose bulletin is brought in.

Advocates for Faith and Freedom, who is representing the pizza parlor in any legal actions, says the attack of the anti-Christianists is backfiring.

“The majority of the responses to the promotion have been positive,” it stated. “Bailey’s Pizza has received enthusiastic support from the local community and around the country. Some people have come from other states to dine at Bailey’s Pizza and show their support. One Pennsylvania gentleman purchased 150 dollars’ worth of pizza each day for a week, for delivery to different organizations, such as the police and fire departments.”

Egyptian Christian Sentenced For Facebook “Like”

New details are emerging in the case of an Egyptian Coptic Christian who has been sentenced to six years in prison for an online posting deemed offensive to Islam.

Initial reports said that Kerolos Attallah, 29, had posted a photo on Facebook that several people considered insulting to Islam.  Those who were offended reported the posting to authorities who arrested Attallah near his home in a village near Luxor.

Now, information has come out that Attallah did not post the picture, he only clicked the “like” button for a page where someone else had posted the picture.  Attallah did not post the picture himself, did not “like” the actual picture and even removed his “like” of the page when he discovered some Islamic friends were offended.

Safwat Samaan, chairman of Egyptian human rights group Nation Without Borders, said that Attallah had not even posted a single comment on the disputed page.

“The sentence today was a shock not just to Kerolos but to everyone who uses Facebook in Egypt,” Samaan said. “Any person who uses Facebook in Egypt and presses ‘Like’ on any page … can be put into prison for six years.”

The page was called “Knights of the Cross” and is written in Arabic for Christians who convert from Islam.  The page provides encouragement, prayer and Bible Scriptures.

Facebook Page “Virgin Mary Should’ve Aborted” Removed

A Facebook page dedicated to attacking and slandering Christians featuring a picture of an aborted baby Jesus was been taken down after protests from pro-life groups.

The web page featured a photo of the Virgin Mary holding an aborted Jesus who was wearing a crown of thorns.  The Virgin Mary was smoking a marijuana cigar looking as if she was very satisfied with aborting God’s son.

A spokesman for the group Catholics & Protestants Against Facebook Religious Discrimination said that this wasn’t a case of shutting down someone’s First Amendment rights but rather a case of hate speech.

“It’s one thing to say we’re atheists and we’re proud of it,” Cary Bogue said in a statement, “It’s another to say that [Jesus’s] mother should have aborted him.”

Facebook’s policies say they encourage discussion and permit parody on their site but do have a line when it comes to hate speech.

“While we encourage you to challenge ideas, institutions, events, and practices, we do not permit individuals or groups to attack others based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition,” Facebook’s Community Standards page states.

NSA Targets System Administrators to Obtain Access

The latest NSA revelation revealed they obtained access to multiple systems by targeting the system administrator for hacking and surveillance.

The document from fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA would target the personal Facebook and emails of system administrators to hack their personal computers to gain information on corporate systems.

One of the documents released was actually titled “I hunt sys admins.”

The NSA targeted more than passwords once they obtained system access.  They would obtain customer lists, network maps, business correspondence and even information described as “pictures of cats in funny poses with amusing captions.”

The document also showed the NSA targeting users of the TOR web browsing system that has higher levels of security than the normal systems.

NSA Used False Facebook Page To Plant Malware

The latest release from fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden shows that the National Security Agency used a website that looked almost identical to Facebook as a way to plant malware on computers.

The deception was part of a program codenamed TURBINE that would plant malware on computers allowing the NSA access to the computer’s microphone and camera without the user’s knowledge.

The report said that as many as 100,000 computers worldwide have been infected with the NSA’s spying software using the false Facebook page.

In addition to allowing video and audio surveillance of the computer user, the NSA would be able to track internet browsing history, login details and passwords for websites, keystrokes by the users and could corrupt files on the user’s system.

The report says the system is so sophisticated that many people will never be able to spot the fake website.