For the tech giants, security is increasingly a paid feature
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Tuesday, February 21, 2023
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For the tech giants, security is increasingly a paid featureIdentity verification on social platforms used to be a matter of trust and safety. Now for Twitter and Facebook, it’s a new line of revenue. By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re Reading
The Guardian / Charles Kaiser
"I have never seen a defamation case with such overwhelming proof…” →
“…that the defendant admitted in writing that it was making up fake information in order to increase its viewership and its revenues,” said Harvard’s Lawrence Tribe of Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News. “Fox and its producers and performers were lying as part of their business model.”
Forbidden Stories / Phineas Rueckert
How a Spanish reputation management firm works to remove factual reporting from the internet →
“Eliminalia claims its services remove ‘unwanted and erroneous information’ for clients with a ‘right to be forgotten,’ but nearly 50,000 internal company documents leaked to Forbidden Stories contradict this narrative. The files show how Eliminalia worked for scammers, spyware companies, torturers, convicted criminals, corrupt politicians and others in the global underworld to hide public-interest information.”
The Washington Post / Editorial Board
More and more, trolls and haters attack female journalists →
“Exposing these smear campaigns to public view is just a first step. Next, Twitter and other platforms should redouble their efforts to filter out and block the flood of abuse aimed at these fine journalists. To recover at least some of the high-road aspirations of the early internet age, the roving crowd of trolls and haters should be identified and banished.”
The Verge / Adi Robertson
The Supreme Court battle for Section 230 has begun →
“The future of recommendation algorithms could be at stake.”
Deadline / Jake Kanter
A fake blue-check Twitter account led the BBC to publish a fake story →
“In a BBC News Online article, we incorrectly stated QPR fan and actor Will Ferrell apologised for mocking Sunderland fans. A quote was taken from a verified Twitter account, but it was not made by the actor. We have removed the article in its entirety since it was based wholly on the apology.”
Semafor / Max Tani
WNYC cancels The Takeaway, its competitor to NPR’s Morning Edition →
“Unfortunately, the program's decline in audience as well as the financial challenge of producing a daily show — a situation made more challenging this year by the headwinds facing many across media — has led us to this decision.”
The Washington Post / Paul Farhi
“These Allan Block people” flooded C-SPAN’s call-in lines last week to protest owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette →
“The calls were part of a coordinated campaign by a labor union, the NewsGuild, to call attention to Block, a C-SPAN board member for more than three decades, and his role in resisting a strike against the Post-Gazette, which his family-owned company publishes.”
Deadline / Jake Kanter
BBC News wants some of its presenters to look a little more “sweaty and dirty” →
“Naja Nielsen, BBC News' Director of Digital…told a wide group of journalists: ‘It's a bit like, be as sweaty and dirty as when we're in the field is actually more trustworthy than if we look like we've just stepped out of an awards ceremony or a fine dinner party.’ Some presenters took this as a signal to ditch suits and dresses.”
The Nation / Jack Mirkinson
The New York Times is repeating one of its most notorious mistakes with its trans coverage →
“If this was about a high school teacher who was being persecuted for believing in dinosaurs, the Times would think that that was ridiculous. But…LGBT people and trans people — it seems like we haven't quite made the grade yet. We have to keep swimming upstream.”
Variety / Todd Spangler
Meta is following Twitter in launching paid verified accounts, on Instagram and Facebook →
“Meta Verified is ‘a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you and get direct access to customer support,’ Zuckerberg wrote in posts on Facebook and Instagram. ‘This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.'”
Intelligencer / Andrew Rice
Project Veritas has split with founder James O’Keefe over “financial malfeasance” →
The right-wing operation known for deceptive hidden-camera practices has targeted journalists.
Axios / Mike Allen
Kevin McCarthy gave Tucker Carlson exclusive access to 41,000 hours of footage from the Jan. 6 riot →
“TV producers were on Capitol Hill last week to begin digging through the trove, which includes multiple camera angles from all over Capitol grounds. Excerpts will begin airing in the coming weeks [on Fox News].”
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