Page 24 - aruba-today-20190629

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 29 June 2019

Politicians’ tweets could get slapped with warning labels

By BARBARA ORTUTAY rules, contending that pub-
AP Technology Writer lishing controversial tweets
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — from politicians helps hold
Presidents and other world them accountable and en-
leaders and political figures courages discussion.
who use Twitter to threaten But there have been long-
or abuse others could find standing calls to remove
their tweets slapped with Trump from the service over
warning labels. what some have called
The new policy , an- abusive and threatening
nounced by the company behavior.
on Thursday, comes amid Some activists complained
complaints from activists this week after the presi-
and others that President dent threatened Iran with
Donald Trump has gotten “obliteration” in some ar-
a free pass from Twitter eas if it attacks the U.S.
to post hateful messages Trump has also tweeted
and attack his enemies in a video of himself beat-
ways they say could lead ing up a man with a CNN
to violence.From now on, logo in place of his head
a tweet that Twitter deems and retweeted seemingly
to involve matters of public faked anti-Muslim videos.
interest, but which violates “Donald Trump has
the service’s rules, will be President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed is photographed on an Apple iPad in New York, Thursday, changed political dis-
obscured by a warning ex- June 27, 2019. course on Twitter and ev-
plaining the violation. Associated Press erywhere else, given the
Users will have to tap or otherwise promote such Twitter refused to comment other conservatives. level of toxic statements
through the warning to see tweets. on whether any of Trump’s Twitter’s rules prohib- he has made about vulner-
the underlying message, “It’s a step in the right direc- past tweets violated its rules it threatening violence able communities in Ameri-
but the tweet won’t be tion,” said Keegan Hankes, and would not say what against a person or group, ca,” Hankes said.
removed, as Twitter might research analyst for the role, if any, his Twitter activ- engaging in “targeted ha- Other politicians could like-
do with a regular person’s Southern Poverty Law Cen- ity played in the creation rassment of someone,” wise become subject to
posts. ter’s Intelligence Project, of the new warning-label or inciting others to do so, warning labels.
Twitter said the policy ap- who focuses on far-right ex- policy. such as wishing a person is In 2018, French prosecutors
plies to all government tremist propaganda online. The new stance could fuel harmed. It also bans hate filed preliminary charges
officials, candidates and But, he added, Twitter is es- additional Trumpian ire speech against a group against far-right French
similar public figures with sentially arguing “that hate toward social media. The based on race, ethnicity, politician Marine Le Pen for
more than 100,000 follow- speech can be in the pub- president routinely com- gender or other categories. tweeting brutal images of
ers. In addition to applying lic interest. I am arguing plains, without evidence, Up to now, the company Islamic State violence. Twt-
the label, Twitter won’t use that hate speech is never that social media sites are has exempted prominent ter prohibits material that is
its algorithms to “elevate” in the public interest.” biased against him and leaders from many of those “excessively gory.”q

Facebook enlists plain English to clarify how it makes money

BY RACHEL LERMAN use Facebook and the other and services — people rarely
AP Technology Writer products and services we of- read them.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Face- fer, by using the Facebook Facebook will issue a blog
book is updating its terms and Products covered by these post on the changes, which go
services guidelines to clarify Terms, you agree that we can into effect July 31, but won’t
how it makes money from show you ads that businesses require users to agree again
the personal information of and organizations pay us to to the updated terms. It also
its users. The changes reflect promote on and off the Face- won’t promote the updates
its ongoing attempts to sat- book Company Products.” on people’s Facebook feeds.
isfy regulators in the U.S. and The terms and services spell The company said it decided
Europe, which have urged the out that even if users de- not to make people re-sign
company to make sure users lete material from the site, it the agreement because the
know what they are signing might still exist on Facebook’s changes merely clarify exist-
up for. servers for 90 days. It also ing policy and don’t change it.
The guideline changes, an- This April 25, 2019, file photo shows the thumbs-up “Like” logo on makes clear that violating the Facebook, along with other
nounced Thursday, are largely a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. company’s policies could get big internet companies, have
cosmetic. The updates don’t Associated Press posts removed from the site been increasingly scrutinized
change Facebook’s underly- is with users. to make the changes in April, and explains that users still in the past year about how
ing policies. The company said it made the saying the commission re- own the material they post well they protect people’s
Facebook has come under updates after working with a quested changes “to clearly online, although Facebook data and how they profit from
fire with regulators in Europe, European consumer protec- inform consumers how the may use it. it.
and increasingly in the U.S., tion group and regulators social network gets financed.” But at nearly 10 pages long The company is under investi-
for how it handles personal around the world. This is how Facebook’s new in PDF form, Facebook is still gation from the Federal Trade
information collected on its The European Commission guidelines tackle that chal- facing the most common Commission over its privacy

site — and how transparent it noted Facebook’s agreement lenge: “Instead of paying to problem with lengthy terms practices.q