Weekly Roundup 10.30.2020
Posted in Newsletters
Happy Halloween weekend! Highlights this week include the election, a content moderation hearing with tech leaders, and Alex Jones:
GNOVIS
Yes, polls matter- here’s why: Curious about polling? Have you ever looked at a poll and just wondered what you were looking at? In our newest blog post Eish Sumra, Director of Web & Blog Services for GNOVIS, gives a crash course in election polling. Polls aren’t perfect, but they matter.
2020 Election
Twitter to Highlight Accurate Voting Information: On Monday, Twitter announced its plans to preemptively debunk misleading information about the election. The company will pin voter information to the top of users’ timelines. “We believe it’s critical that we make it easy for people to find that information,” said Nick Pacilio, a Twitter spokesman.
Trump’s misleading tweet about changing your vote, briefly explained: President Trump falsely claimed on Twitter and Facebook that many people were interested in changing their vote to support him. It’s technically possible, but not easy.
Biden campaign slams Facebook after thousands of ads blocked by platform’s pre-election blackout: Facebook’s ban on new political ads in advance of the election accidentally blocked thousands of Biden ads that should have been visible to voters.
How a fake personal laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge: The author of the Hunter Biden dossier, Martin Aspen, cited by Right-Wing media was revealed to be a fake persona, whose profile picture was created by AI. Researchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute spotted signs of an AI generated picture including strangely shaped irises and asymmetrical ears.
Can You Tell a ‘Trump’ Fridge From a ‘Biden’ Fridge?: Take this quiz to see if you can tell the difference between a ‘Trump’ fridge and a ‘Biden’ fridge!
Big Tech Hearing
Facebook, Google and Twitter C.E.O.s return to Washington to defend their content moderation: A Wednesday Senate committee hearing questioned social media’s content moderation policies. Lawmakers are concerned about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the rule that has largely permitted web platforms to operate without being held liable for content posted by users. Leadership from Twitter, Facebook, and Google sat before Senate leadership to answer questions about their companies’ content moderation policies. The hearing got heated when Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), accused Twitter of forcing users to “genuflect and obey your dictates if they wish to communicate with the American people.”
Silicon Valley
Alex Jones Appearance on Joe Rogan Tests Spotify’s Content Policies: Jones, banned from the streaming platform in 2018, sat in as a guest on Rogan’s popular podcast.