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TECHNOLOGY A23
Monday 1 February 2016
Facebook announces stricter policy on firearms sales
BRANDON BAILEY woman said the new pol- n this May 16, 2012 file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on praise Friday from Every-
AP Technology Reporter icy arose from the com- an iPad in Philadelphia. town for Gun Safety, a
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — pany’s review of its rules group formed by the merg-
Facebook says it’s crack- following its recent efforts Associated Press er of Watts’s organization
ing down on online gun to encourage new forms with another group started
sales, announcing Friday a of commerce on the site. by former New York Mayor
new policy barring private Facebook expanded its Michael Bloomberg, and
individuals from advertis- digital payments service from a leader of the Brady
ing or selling firearms on last summer, allowing users Campaign and Center to
the world’s largest social of its Messenger service to Prevent Gun Violence.
network. The new policy send electronic payments “It is simply too easy for
applies also to Facebook’s to other individual users. virtually anyone to buy
photo-sharing service Ins- “Over the last two years, any gun they want online
tagram. It comes after gun more and more people without a Brady back-
control groups have long have been using Face- ground check,” said the
complained that Face- book to discover products Brady group’s president,
book and other online sites and to buy and sell things Dan Gross. “Facebook just
are frequently used by un- to one another,” Moni- took an important step in
licensed sellers and buyers ka Bickert, who oversees addressing that challenge
not legally eligible to buy Facebook product poli- and we call on others to
firearms. Facebook “was cies, said in a statement. follow suit.”q
unfortunately and unwit- “We are continuing to de-
tingly serving as an online velop, test, and launch Obama wants $4B to help students learn computer science
platform for dangerous new products to make this
people to get guns,” said experience even better for DARLENE SUPERVILLE President Barack Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive
Shannon Watts of Moms people and are updating Associated Press Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Fri-
Demand Action for Gun our regulated goods poli- WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- day, Jan. 29, 2016, during a ceremony marking the 7th anniver-
Sense in America, a group cies to reflect this evolu- dent Barack Obama said sary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
that launched a public tion.” Saturday he will ask Con-
campaign to convince the Watts, however, said her gress for billions of dol- Associated Press
social network to change group had urged Face- lars to help students learn
its policies two years ago. book to take stiffer mea- computer science skills The federal budget pro- this year will start spending
Watts said her group has sures, during a series of and prepare for jobs in a posal for 2017 that Obama $135 million to train teach-
found numerous cases low-key contacts. changing economy. plans to send Congress on ers over five years.
of felons and minors who “They were very, very open “In the new economy, Feb. 9 will seek $4 billion Obama also wants gover-
were able to buy guns to our thoughts on policy computer science isn’t an for grants to states and nors, mayors,
on the site, including two and to the research we optional skill. $100 million for competitive business leaders and tech
cases in which the buyers have been compiling,” It’s a basic skill,” Obama grants for school districts entrepreneurs to become
used the guns to slay oth- Watts said. “I think they said in his weekly radio and over the next three years to advocates for more wide-
ers. Representatives of two definitely saw this was an is- Internet address. teach computer science spread computer science
gun-owner rights groups, sue, but an incredibly com- Obama said only about in elementary, middle and education.
including the National Rifle plicated issue. I think that’s one-quarter of K-12 schools high schools, administra- Brad Smith, president of Mi-
Association, did not imme- why it’s taken two years.” offer computer science tion officials said. crosoft, said computer sci-
diately respond to requests Facebook, which is based instruction, but that most Separately, the National ence education is an “eco-
for comment. in Menlo Park, California, parents want their children Science Foundation and nomic and social impera-
Facebook had an- cited the need to balance to develop analytical and the Corporation for Nation- tive for the next generation
nounced some restrictions free expression with public coding skills. al and Community Service of American students.”q
on gun sales and advertis- safety when it announced “Today’s auto mechan-
ing in 2014, saying it would the 2014 policy change in ics aren’t just sliding under
block minors from seeing a blog post. At the time, cars to change the oil.
posts that advertised guns. some gun-control advo- They’re working on ma-
But the social network did cates complained Face- chines that run on as many
not ban private sales at book didn’t go further, as 100 million lines of code,”
that time. while news reports quoted Obama said. “That’s 100
Licensed firearms retailers a spokesman for the Na- times more than the Space
can still promote their busi- tional Rifle Association who Shuttle. Nurses are analyz-
nesses on Facebook, but declared victory over what ing data and managing
they aren’t allowed to ac- he called a campaign to electronic health records.
cept orders or make sales stifle constitutionally pro- Machinists are writing com-
on the site. tected speech. puter programs.”
A Facebook Inc. spokes- The latest policy drew
