Facebook Says Government Internet Shutdowns Are on the Rise (axios.com) 40
Facebook says that its services were interrupted 84 times in 19 countries in the second half of last year, compared to 52 disruptions in eight countries that took place during the first half of the year. From a report: That's a symptom of a growing trend among countries to restrict access to social media and the open internet. [...] During the last six months of 2020, Facebook also said government requests for user data increased 10% from 173,592 to 191,013. The company says it continues to scrutinize all government requests for any user data.
Of the total volume, the U.S. continues to submit the largest number of requests, followed by India, Germany, France, Brazil and the U.K. Similarly, from the first half of 2020 to the second, the number of times Facebook had to restrict access to content based on local law increased 93% globally, from 22,120 to 42,606. Those increases, Facebook says, were driven mainly by increases in requests from the U.K., Turkey and Brazil.
Of the total volume, the U.S. continues to submit the largest number of requests, followed by India, Germany, France, Brazil and the U.K. Similarly, from the first half of 2020 to the second, the number of times Facebook had to restrict access to content based on local law increased 93% globally, from 22,120 to 42,606. Those increases, Facebook says, were driven mainly by increases in requests from the U.K., Turkey and Brazil.
Facebook says... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, but as soon as I see that phrase I mentally discount / dismiss whatever follows. It could be true, it could be a lie - it's Facebook and they're completely untrustworthy.
There are many other, more reputable sources of information. Use one of those instead.
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Well, this isn't a lie. Government internet shutdowns are a big problem that needs to be solved as quickly as possible.We shouldn't allow tyrants to decide what people can see, hear, and say
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In the US, the mainstream media has consolidated into less than a dozen owners since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine under Reagan. Therefore less than a dozen corporations get to decide what you see, hear, and read in the US. None of these are government entities. Are they any less tyrants?
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But unlike people in these countries, we can seek news reporting from anywhere in the world.
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Well, that doesn't do me a lot of good.
I don't really care that much about the rest of the world, I need to know, objectively, what is going one here in my country and my locality.
That is what most directly affects my life.
But as an earlier poster mentioned, that now is controlled firmly by one side in pretty much all common sources of "news" here in the US at least.
From putting their thumb on the scales of what
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If there's any country's goings on that is reported by news outlets all over the world, it is the US. You can look at The Guardian, BBC News, Der Spiegel, even Al Jazeera.
Then stop watching TV (Score:2)
You complain on one hand your locality is the important source, and then proceed to be ignorant about where you source it from i.e. TV!
YOU are actually the problem with YOU.
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Well, as far as I know TV is the most common place to start looking for news.
What do you propose is the best alternative ?
Please don't say Social Media.
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Well, as far as I know TV is the most common place to start looking for news.
What do you propose is the best alternative ?
Please don't say Social Media.
How about a newspaper? How about asking people who live there? Look at your POLICE BULLETINS.
You asking where they get the news to tell you "on tv" but you complain you don't want their distilled version, and then ignorantly ask where to get the same information.
Brilliant.
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How about a newspaper? How about asking people who live there? Look at your POLICE BULLETINS.
I hang out at the post office and read "wanted" posters
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Newspapers are also owned by the same corporates as the TV stations. This was illegal under the Fairness Doctrine. So, the newspapers are just as slanted if not more so than the TV.
As far as media in the US being "liberal" the only people pushing that line are partisan hacks who think George bush was a liberal.
The entire US is so far to the right that I'm surprised we aren't all wearing brown shirts and singing heil hitler.
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Newspapers are also owned by the same corporates as the TV stations.
Good cherry picking there. Keep refuting sources -- even better, keep sitting there doing zero of your own investigation and tell everyone else they are wrong.
Must be the American winning strategy.
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No, the "tyrant" is us. We elected the government that allows them to consolidate, and we give the conglomerates our undivided attention and ad dollars when they tell "comfortable lies", the truth is often very unpleasant.
Re:Facebook says... (Score:4)
However, if they were to shut down FB and other social media...well, I might make an exception.
That actually might do the world a bit of good.
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But we need tools to make sure our sources are truthful, reliable, and with legit citation.
The problem is a lie, or just an ignorant post, often by someone with a strong personality. Will get just as much consideration as a factual well researched post.
Old school media, had natural editorial and moderation aspects built in, that the internet age, has made free speech, a tool to do more harm than good.
It isn't about people saying something I don't like or disagree with. But making it so I cannot properly ge
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But we need tools to make sure our sources are truthful, reliable, and with legit citation.
You can make dot gov do exactly that. Make them tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Everybody else should be left alone, they are entertainment. Don't hold them responsible for what the audience chooses to believe.
I sincerely hope you are not against free speech just because you don't like what somebody says. Censorship is evil, a tool of the devil
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What "claim" are you talking about. Are you claiming that government shutdowns are not a big problem?
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It's a fact, not a claim. Government shutdowns are a big problem that needs to be solved. If you believe otherwise, just say so.
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Re: Facebook says... (Score:2)
Wish it said: (Score:4, Funny)
They're envious (Score:4, Insightful)
They want to be the only ones with power over conversation, and the fact that countries can shut them out disturbs them.
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Conflation station (Score:2)
Being an advanced Slashdot reader who doesn't read the whole summary, I skipped to second paragraph and wondered for a moment why the U.S. was making the most requests for "internet shutdown".
Calling the kettle black are we? (Score:3)
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So true. Facebook's market share and influence makes them the equivalent of an internet government.
Hello Kettle? This is Facebook. (Score:2)
Yeah, uh huh, um... you're black. Seriously, this is rich coming from a company that regularly suppresses content it decide shouldn't be allowed to exist.
It's bad everywhere (Score:2)
I hope Facebook included the US government in that, given Facebook censors harrassment and silences people because politicians are threatening them with section 230 changes and the resultant catastrophic stock price loss, if not outright breakup.
These are outages of a sort, too, and are driven by a government, and not by the kind-hearted free will of the company. Indeed, because they are often political, they are just as bad as elsewhere, attacking the most important speech -- speech about politicians and
Starlink satellite internet (Score:2)
Note: If you live in a country that bans satellite internet, move or revolt FFS.
Canada wants to regulate internet porn (Score:1)
As ridiculous as it sounds, under C-10:
The regulations would bring the full power of CRTC regulation over these sites and services. This includes requiring CRTC registration, disclosure of financial and viewership data, Canadian content discoverability requirements (yes, that could mean Canadian discoverability for pornography services), and mandated payments to support Canadian film, television, and music production.
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/20... [michaelgeist.ca]
Corporate sponsored media (Score:2)
Social Media - Facebook (Score:1)