Obama tried to give Zuckerberg a wake-up call over fake news on Facebook

[applegrove]

By Adam Entous, Elizabeth Dwoskin and Craig Timberg at the Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-tried-to-give-zuckerberg-a-wake-up-call-over-fake-news-on-facebook/2017/09/24/15d19b12-ddac-4ad5-ac6e-ef909e1c1284_story.html?utm_term=.3ae608242f1d

"SNIP...........


Nine days after Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg dismissed as “crazy” the idea that fake news on his company’s social network played a key role in the U.S. election, President Barack Obama pulled the youthful tech billionaire aside and delivered what he hoped would be a wake-up call.

For months leading up to the vote, Obama and his top aides quietly agonized over how to respond to Russia’s brazen intervention on behalf of the Donald Trump campaign without making matters worse. Weeks after Trump’s surprise victory, some of Obama’s aides looked back with regret and wished they had done more.

Now huddled in a private room on the sidelines of a meeting of world leaders in Lima, Peru, two months before Trump’s inauguration, Obama made a personal appeal to Zuckerberg to take the threat of fake news and political disinformation seriously. Unless Facebook and the government did more to address the threat, Obama warned, it would only get worse in the next presidential race.

Zuckerberg acknowledged the problem posed by fake news. But he told Obama those messages weren’t widespread on Facebook and that there was no easy fix, according to people briefed on the exchange, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private conversation.

............SNIP"

[milestogo]

1. In other words, he didn't want to deal with it because the fake news was working for him.

What an arrogant POS.

[applegrove]

2. It becomes a different business model when your platform is so horribly used. Fool Zuckerberg

once, shame on you Russia. Fool him twice and it is Zuckerberg's issue.

[BigmanPigman]

3. Fuckerberg is complicit but most likely part of collusion.

[More_Cowbell]

4. It's not a bug. It's a feature.

It's how Facebook was meant to operate.

[Renew Deal]

5. Facebook came up with this document a few months ago

I haven’t read it, but I know it relates

https://fbnewsroomus.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/facebook-and-information-operations-v1.pdf

[ATL Ebony]

6. Well, of course, he didn't see it as an issue -- he was getting paid.

[riderinthestorm]

7. Zuckerberg's # complicit nt

[SHRED]

8. "Poor Zuckerberg...

Don't pick on him."

I've received this sentiment here when I've questioned him.

[Raster]

9. Mo Down called it:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=193659

"The idea of Mark Zuckerberg running for president was always sort of scary. But now it’s really scary, given what we’ve discovered about the power of his little invention to warp democracy."

[Qutzupalotl]

10. Heres an easy fix: dont take Russian money!

Facebook was paid in RUBLES!

[Xolodno]

11. Knew someone at work....

...In fact, I trained him. He rose up fast, too fast in my view and was a VP with not even 10 years in the industry. Was still very naive about a lot of things. Had a conversation once with him in a hall where he asked if it was necessary to include certain elements, which slowed things down, in our rating algorithm. I said yes, as an agent could find the loop hole and exploit it. He told me "That's fraud!", I said "Yes, but they will exploit it and will probably have a viable excuse". Again he exclaimed "But that's fraud!". Finally I said, "Have you ever held a job in sales?" He stated no, and had always been a data guy. My response "well there's your problem!".

I eventually moved up and out to a different department. A couple of years later, he got the boot. From a scandal that involved another VP, managers, etc. who weren't afraid of approaching the grey area...even slightly crossing the line of the law. State authorities didn't catch them, but the companies internal investigations did. He probably wasn't involved, but being as naive as he was, was probably too trusting and signed his name to things he should have took another look on.

Zukerberg has always stuck me as someone who made it big...but is still very naive about the real world in some elements. Not defending him, but, he definitely needs to start realizing being that big has big consequences.

[applegrove]

12. And it is only going to get harder to identify trolls as they find ways around

Last edited Mon Sep 25, 2017, 02:04 AM - Edit history (1)

'being foreigners'. I'm sure both parties in the US have taken note at how effective the russian targeted messages were. So facebook will be a hotbed of legal intrigue next election I'm sure. Why get volunteers to go door to door when you can influence voters day in and out on facebook with your propaganda in the case of Republicans. And republicans have unlimited funds. I think it is very hard to be Zuckerberg. Very hard to be Democrats.

[Xolodno]

13. Prior to the election...

...the amount of bullshit on Facebook was amazing, in a sense. What amazed me more were those who fell for it. Even some friends who stated they were life long Republicans, loved Ayn Rand, etc. fought against it... It made for some strange bedfellows at times. But when it was pointed out the source was bogus...silence. No retraction, or "whoops, I'll delete this", etc.

After watching "Adam Ruins Everything" and understanding the blow-back effect, I get some of this....but some of it seems rooted in a deep hatred. Don't think there is much you can do to fight that, the Allies in WW2 brought in the locals to witness first hand what was happening in the concentration camps...because they refused to believe that it did happen. For some, unless they get an Auschwitz moment, they will refuse to believe.

And yes, sure Zuckerberg has been cooperating, working to eliminate fake news, etc. But, at the same time, I have to think he, and by that his employee's, are going to be playing a lot more of "whack a mole". Someone comes in with money to sell adds for ice cream....then start putting out adds against a politician...or link to other adds "do you like mint chocolate chip? click here...by the way, this Democratic Congressman wants to outlaw mint chocolate chip"

And as for the door to door model, yeap. Company I work for is pretty much doing away with that and doubling down on Skype to communicate with sales reps. GOTV now has to go digital in addition to traditional methods.