U.S. Cyber Command Bolsters Allied Defenses to Impose Cost on Moscow
Julian Barnes, May 7th 2019, New York Times
American officials are pushing ahead on efforts with allied nations to counter Russia’s interference in democratic elections and other malign activities, military cybercommanders said on Tuesday, an effort intended to allow the United States to better observe and counter Moscow’s newest cyberweapons.
Russian Efforts to Exploit Racial Divisions in 2016 Found Firm Ground in U.S., Report Says
Mihir Zaveri and Jacey Fortin, May 6th 2019, New York Times
Russian disinformation operations to exploit racial tensions during the 2016 presidential election in the United States found firm ground in a country where legislators have long sought to suppress the black vote, according to a report released Monday.
Facebook Bars Alex Jones, Louis Farrakhan and Others From Its Services
Mike Isaac and Kevin Roose, May 2nd 2019, New York Times
After years of wavering about how to handle the extreme voices populating its platform, Facebook on Thursday evicted seven of its most controversial users — many of whom are conservatives — immediately inflaming the debate about the power and accountability of large technology companies.
Europe Is Reining In Tech Giants. But Some Say It’s Going Too Far.
Adam Satariano, May 6th 2019, New York Times
In Spain, activists were convicted for social media posts that violated an expanded antiterrorism law. The Twitter accounts of German citizens were blocked because of rules enacted last year that prohibit hate speech. And a Dutch court determined Google must remove search results about a doctor punished for poor performance, in compliance with a privacy law.
Singapore Opposition Echoes Public Calls to Scrap Proposed Fake News Law
Reuters in the New York Times, May 7th 2019
Singapore’s lone opposition party, which only holds six of 89 seats in parliament, will oppose a controversial fake news bill, its leader said on Tuesday, echoing public calls for its withdrawal but unable to make any difference.
Facebook Overhauls Design as It Pivots to Private Messaging
Reuters in the New York Times, May 1st 2019
Facebook Inc debuted an overhaul of its core social network on Tuesday, taking its first concrete steps to refashion itself into a private messaging and e-commerce company as it tries to move past scandals while tapping new revenue sources.
Facebook Opens a Command Post to Thwart Election Meddling in Europe
Adam Satariano, May 5th 2019, New York Times
Inside a large room in Facebook’s European headquarters in Ireland’s capital, about 40 employees sit at rows of desks, many with two computer screens and a sign representing a country in the European Union.
Facebook Deletes More Accounts Linked to Russia
Reuters in the New York Times, May 6th 2019
Facebook Inc said on Monday it had removed multiple pages, groups and accounts linked mostly to Russia that were used to spread misleading information on the social network and its Instagram service.