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TECHNOLOGY Thursday 9 July 2020
Facebook civil rights audit: 'Serious setbacks' mar progress

By BARBARA ORTUTAY company has a long way
AP Technology Writer to go, but is making prog-
A two-year audit of Face- ress.
book's civil rights record "This audit has been a deep
found "serious setbacks" analysis of how we can
that have marred the social strengthen and advance
network's progress on mat- civil rights at every level
ters such as hate speech, of our company — but
misinformation and bias. it is the beginning of the
Facebook hired the audit's journey, not the end," she
leader, former American wrote. "What has become
Civil Liberties Union execu- increasingly clear is that
tive Laura Murphy, in May we have a long way to
2018 to assess its perfor- go. As hard as it has been
mance on vital social is- to have our shortcomings
sues. Its 100-page report re- exposed by experts, it has
leased Wednesday outlines undoubtedly been a really
a "seesaw of progress and important process for our
setbacks" at the company company."q
on everything from bias in
Facebook's algorithms to
its content moderation,
advertising practices and In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg testifies before the Senate Intel-
treatment of voter suppres- ligence Committee hearing on "Foreign Influence Operations and Their Use of Social Media Plat-
sion. forms," on Capitol Hill in Washington.
The audit recommends Associated Press
that Facebook build a "civil
rights infrastructure" into Those include Facebook's clear if Trump's previous Civil rights leaders who
every aspect of the com- decision to exempt politi- controversial posts would met virtually with Zucker-
pany, as well as a "stronger cians from fact-checking, have gotten the alert. The berg and other Facebook
interpretation" of existing even when President Don- problem, critics have long leaders Tuesday expressed
voter suppression policies ald Trump posted false said, is not so much about skepticism that recom-
and more concrete action information about voting Facebook's rules as how it mendations from the audit
on algorithmic bias. Those by mail. Facebook CEO enforces them. would ever be implement-
suggestions are not bind- Mark Zuckerberg has cit- "When you elevate free ed, noting that past sug-
ing, and there is no formal ed a commitment to free expression as your highest gestions in previous reports
system in place to hold speech as a reason for value, other values take had gone overlooked.
Facebook accountable for allowing such posts to re- a back seat," Murphy told "What we get is recom-
any of the audit's findings. main on the platform, even The Associated Press. The mendations that they end
"While the audit process has though the company has politician exemption, she up not implementing," said
been meaningful, and has rules in place against voter said, "elevates the speech Rashad Robinson, the ex-
led to some significant im- suppression it could have of people who are already ecutive director of Color
provements in the platform, used to take down — or at powerful and disadvantag- for Change, one of several
we have also watched the least add warning labels to es people who are not." civil rights nonprofits lead-
company make painful — Trump's posts. More than 900 companies ing an organized boycott
decisions over the last nine Last month, Facebook an- have joined an advertising of Facebook advertising.
months with real world con- nounced it would begin boycott of Facebook to Sheryl Sandberg, Face-
sequences that are serious labeling rule-breaking posts protest its handling of hate book's chief operating of-
setbacks for civil rights," the — even from politicians — speech and misinforma- ficer, said in a Facebook
audit report states. going forward. But it is not tion. newsroom post that the

Brooks Brothers, worn by

Lincoln and Kennedy,

goes bankrupt

nearly every U.S. president, protection with so many
filed for bankruptcy protec- stores closed and, with mil-
tion Wednesday, the latest lions working from home, a
major clothing seller to be crisp suit pushed to the very
toppled by the coronavi- bottom of shopping lists.
rus pandemic. Founded Brooks Brothers will perma-
in New York in 1818, Brooks nently close more than a
Brothers survived two world quarter of its 200 stores.
In this Aug. 4, 2011, file photo, a man passes a Brooks Brothers
store on Church Street in New York's financial district. wars, the Great Depression The retail sector was under
Associated Press and even managed to stay severe pressure even be-
afloat as dress standards fore the pandemic. Rival
By JOSEPH PISANI and MATT NEW YORK (AP) — Brooks eased in the office. But the Barneys New York filed for
OTT Brothers, the 200-year-old pandemic pushed it into bankruptcy protection late
AP Business Writers company that dressed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. q