Yeah, Sugar, I just got a notice that it is.qbawl wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:30 amRealist in a time warp‽sugar magnolia wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:29 amAccording to comments and news reports, it's worldwide.
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x4Yep! Down here too.sugar magnolia wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:29 amAccording to comments and news reports, it's worldwide.
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Meta’s Oversight Board Adopts International “Norms” Instead of US Free Speech Principles
Didi Rankovic
May 14, 2024
In a world where international law (a set of ratified documents) is being rapidly replaced with narratives about a “rules-based system,” it is no wonder that US tech giants like Meta choose to set their free speech “baseline” not on their country’s Constitution, but on “international human rights norms.”
The less clarity there is, the more space for abuse and biased interpretation, critics might say. But Meta Oversight Board member Kenji Yoshino is satisfied that this is the right approach, and even spelled it out.
“Our baseline here is not the US Constitution and free speech, but rather international human rights norms,” Yoshino recently told the National Constitution Center, a private nonprofit.
Such bold statements require bold justification, and so this Oversight Board member noted that in terms of free speech “values” the US is “an outlier,” while Meta’s global reach means it must adjust its policies accordingly.
There are plenty of openly authoritarian regimes out there, with their own “free speech values,” but when Yoshino – from the William J. Brennan Center for Justice – spoke about “striking a balance” between US law and international “norms” – he chose to mention the palatable to his audience example of Europe.
What’s striking in this context, however, is that in many, if not all European countries, “hate speech” is criminalized, unlike in the US. It isn’t clear from Yoshino’s statements how a balance between such different approaches to speech can even be achieved in a social platform’s guidelines, particularly around elections.
But, that is the explanation for why the giant chooses not to make the First Amendment its “baseline.”
https://reclaimthenet.org/metas-oversig ... principles
Meta Agrees To Pay Texas $1.4 Billion Settlement In Biometric Data Lawsuit
Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - 11:00 PM
by Tyler Durden Authored by Jana J. Pruet via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Meta Platforms has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of Texas over its unauthorized capture and use of the personal biometric data of Facebook users, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced Tuesday.
In a 2022 lawsuit, Mr. Paxton accused Facebook’s parent company of using facial recognition technology to collect biometric data of more than 20 million Texans without their permission. The information was captured in photos and videos uploaded to the social media platform, according to the 29-page lawsuit.
The settlement is the largest obtained in a lawsuit brought by a single state, according to Mr. Paxton’s office.
“After vigorously pursuing justice for our citizens whose privacy rights were violated by Meta’s use of facial recognition software, I’m proud to announce that we have reached the largest settlement ever obtained from an action brought by a single State,” Mr. Paxton said. “Any abuse of Texans’ sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law.”
A Meta spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the company was glad to resolve the issue with the state of Texas.
“We are pleased to resolve this matter and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investment in Texas, including potentially developing data centers,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The spokesperson noted that the agreement was not an admission of any wrongdoing.
The Texas lawsuit was the first major case brought and settled under the state’s 2009 Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, making it unlawful to use facial recognition software to capture and store data without lawful consent. The law provides damages of up to $25,000 for each violation.
According to the court documents, Facebook captured the biometric data through a feature known as “tag suggestions,” which was first rolled out in 2011.
For nearly a decade, the company claimed the tag suggestions tool was implemented to make tagging photos easier for Facebook users. The feature was discontinued in September 2019.
“Facebook was disclosing users’ personal information to other entities who further exploited it,” the lawsuit states. “Moreover, Facebook often failed to destroy biometric identifiers within a reasonable time, exposing Texans to ever-increasing risks to their well-being, safety, and security.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/met ... ta-lawsuit
Teenager sues Meta over ‘addictive’ Instagram features
The lawsuit seeking class-action status and $5 billion in damages alleges Meta intentionally got teens hooked on Instagram and knowingly exposed them to harmful content.
By Naomi Nix
August 5, 2024 at 10:57 a.m. EDT
A minor from New York on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status against Meta, alleging the social media giant sought to keep teens hooked on Instagram while knowingly exposing them to harmful content.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, argues that Meta implemented features its leaders knew would make Instagram addicting for teens, such as displaying counts of how many “likes” posts receive, even as internal evidence grew that the service could harm their mental health. The 13-year-old girl is seeking $5 billion in damages, to be shared among eligible Instagram users if the suit is certified as a class action.
Court filings claim the teen suffered from anxiety, depression and lower grades as a result of her Instagram usage.
Meta should “stop manipulating children in ways that are harmful to them,” said lawyer David Boies, who is representing the minor for the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, along with firms Labaton Keller Sucharow and Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman. “We have to be sure that there are rules of the road.”
gifted https://wapo.st/3WQLCxF
