With today's news that Meta is getting rid of fact checkers and changing its policies to allow more hate speech directed at trans and queer people, seems like a good time to resurface these detailed instructions on how to block Threads.
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Yes of course I know that -- and you know that I know that.
Maybe you missed it but yesterday's Meta announcement specifically changed their policies to allow more hate speech directed at trans and queer people. Here's how the NYTimes headline describes it: "Meta Drops Rules Protecting L.G.B.T.Q. Community as Part of Content Moderation Overhaul."
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
Also, the changes Meta is making to Facebook's feed algorithm "will make it more likely to recommend extreme and polarizing content".
Here's an excellent Bluesky thread on that from Laura Edelson (Chief Technologist at the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice):
Laura Edelson (@whiskeyocelot.bsky.social)
Meta's announcement on Tuesday has gotten a lot of attention, but IMHO the most important part was the one that no one seems to be talking about: changes to Facebook's feed algorithm that will make it more likely to recommend extreme and polarizing content. Quick 🧵 to explain:
Bluesky Social (bsky.app)
An excerpt:
"The return to an algorithm that drives more politics and more extreme rabbit holes is a return the Facebook of 2016-2020. This has some business upsides, by both cutting costs and juicing user engagement (aka, ad revenues). But it has very, very serious downsides for users and for communities.
Because the hate speech policies and the algorithmic changes that were rolled back this week were developed in response to very real offline violence, including genocide in Myanmar, that were fomented on Facebook. This is a plan to go back to that algorithm and those policies."
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
And from @juliaangwin.com's newsletter:
"This week, Mark Zuckerberg revealed his true colors in what can only be described as a pledge of allegiance to incoming president Donald Trump. In a video message, he declared that Meta was abandoning fact-checking and dialing back on content moderation — a clear capitulation to right wing demands for less “censorship” of their speech that was often found to be in violation of Meta’s prohibitions against hate speech and incitement to violence.
As I wrote in my latest New York Times Opinion piece (gift link), the billionaire Facebook founders’ actions show us what it looks like when a mature company stops innovating on its products and instead seeks to maintain its market power through political influence."
Heavy Lies Mark Zuckerberg’s Crown
Hi friends — The new year is upon us, and it has already been quite revealing. As Robert Caro wrote in his magnificent biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, “power...
(buttondown.com)
And here's her gift link to the NYTimes article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-trump-meta-lobbying.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nk4.bvEF.EXfKAyCs6FzR&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&utm_source=JuliaAngwin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=heavy-lies-mark-zuckerbergs-crown
(Julia Angwin's also at @Julia, but is more active on Bluesky)
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by [email protected]
And here's an excellent roudup of the changes by Ina Fried on @AxiosNews, including a good quote from @JenniOlsonSF
"Between the lines: Even the language of the new policy itself suggests animus against gay and trans people.
The policy uses the words "homosexuality" and "transgenderism" — the former is an outdated term, and the latter is used nearly exclusively by opponents of transgender rights.
"For a legitimate company to employ intentionally anti-LGBT dog whistle language in such a dehumanizing and overly bigoted way in its own hate speech policy is beyond comprehension," said Jenni Olson, senior director for social safety at GLAAD."
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
On @404mediaco , @jasonkoebler reports that "‘It’s Total Chaos Internally at Meta Right Now", with employees very upset about the changes -- and highlights that these didn't go through the usual processes of broud employee feedback.
‘It’s Total Chaos Internally at Meta Right Now’: Employees Protest Zuckerberg’s Anti LGBTQ Changes
Meta's decision to specifically allow users to call LGBTQ+ people "mentally ill" has sparked widespread backlash at the company.
404 Media (www.404media.co)
The paywalled article also has a lot of quotes from internal discussions. Meta's clearly leaking like a seive right about now ....
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
And speaking of leaks @caseynewton on Platformer and Sam Biddle in the Intercept have details on the new Meta guidelines and the guidance they're giving moderators
CW: some really sickening examples of anti-trans hate speech now explicitly allowed by Meta
https://www.platformer.news/meta-new-trans-guidelines-hate-speech/ (partially paywalled, but the examples are visibile even without logging in)
https://theintercept.com/2025/01/09/facebook-instagram-meta-hate-speech-content-moderation/
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AGTMADCAT 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸replied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
@thenexusofprivacy @404mediaco @jasonkoebler Hopefully some absolute hero can do something to mortally damage the site from the inside.
Or at least, you know, unionize.
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to AGTMADCAT 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸 last edited by
Yeah. Kudos to the employees who are talking to the media and leaking!
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by [email protected]
@caseynewton reports that Meta' is killing their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs
Meta just killed its diversity, equity and inclusion program
What employees are saying about the company's embrace of MAGA ideology —and what Meta is telling them not to say
Platformer (www.platformer.news)
"As a result, the company said it would:
Eliminate its DEI team. Maxine Williams, the company's chief diversity officer, will take on a new role "focused on accessibility and engagement."
Ending use of the diverse slate approach to hiring, which required managers to source candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
Ending efforts to hire underrepresented minorities as vendors and suppliers.
Instead of equity and inclusion programs, we will build programs that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background." (?????)"
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
And @jasonkoebler reports that Meta is deleting trans and nonbinary Messenger themes
Meta Deletes Trans and Nonbinary Messenger Themes
Amid a series of changes that allows users to target LGBTQ+ people, Meta has deleted product features it initially championed.
404 Media (www.404media.co)
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The Nexus of Privacyreplied to The Nexus of Privacy last edited by
Members of Meta's Civil Rights Advisory Group have "grave concerns" with their recent content policy changes. No, ya think?
Letter from Meta Civil Rights Advisory Group Members on Grave Concerns with Content Policy Changes
[ PDF version] Dear Mr. Zuckerberg, As a group of external experts whom Meta has convened for years to advise on how its policies impact marginalized communities, we write to express our grave concern surrounding Meta’s recently announced content moderation policy changes. Meta’s changes will permit more dangerous and abusive content on its services and […]
Center for Democracy and Technology (cdt.org)
"Meta’s failure to engage even its own advisory group of external civil rights experts shows a cynical disregard for its diverse user base and calls into question Meta’s commitment to the free speech principles to which it claims to want to “return.”
A bad process makes bad policy. In your announcement, you touted Meta’s commitment to free expression, but the changes will significantly harm free speech."