Facebook knew about the extent of Russian interference long before the 2016 election, tried to portray critics as anti-Semitic and even forced employees to ditch their iPhones, a new investigation has claimed.
The social media giant misled the public about its knowledge of Russian hackers' use of the powerful platform to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election, a New York Times investigation reported today.
Boss Mark Zuckerberg was said to have forced his management team to give up iPhones and switch to Android after Apple CEO, Tim Cook, made some comments that 'infuriated' him.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in an MSNBC interview: 'We're not going to traffic in your personal life. Privacy to us is a human right. It's a civil liberty.'
These criticisms were said to have angered Zuckerberg, who later ordered his management team to only use Android phones, since the operating system has far more users than Apple's, it was claimed.
It also said the social media giant has at times attempted to smear critics as anti-Semitic or tried to link activists to billionaire investor George Soros, and tried to shift public anger away toward rival tech companies.
Mark Zuckerberg was said to have forced his management team to give up iPhones and switch to Android after Apple CEO, Tim Cook, made some comments that 'infuriated' him
Chief operating officer, Cheryl Sandberg launched a PR lobbying team against the social media Facebook's critics, calling for public disclosures about Russian influence to be made 'less specific'
Facebook's executive team reacted to the company's series of scandals, including the fallout from the spread of Russian misinformation on the social platform, to the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's appearances in Congress.
Chief operating officer, Cheryl Sandberg launched a PR lobbying team against the social media company's critics.
She campaigned against singling out Russia in 2017 and called for public disclosures about Russian influence on Facebook to be made 'less specific', it was alleged.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and chief operating officer Cheryl Sandberg, were both so focused growing the company that they 'ignored warning signs and then sought to conceal them from public view', the report said.
On Russia, Zuckerberg declared in the fall of 2016 that it was 'crazy' to think Facebook had been used to help Donald Trump win the US presidency, but the report said in-house experts knew this not to be the case.
In fact, the Times said, for over a year Facebook had amassed evidence of Russian activity through an investigation led by its former security chief, Alex Stamos.
'Delay, deny and deflect': The New York Times alleges Facebook tried to push criticism towards rival tech companies
Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference is said to have 'dozens of sealed indictments' associated with President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign
This involved Russians looking at the Facebook accounts of people involved in US presidential election campaigns and, later, Russian-controlled accounts offering reporters information from hacked emails from senior Democratic Party officials.
But it was only belatedly that the company's board was informed of the full extent of the meddling, the Times said.
In 2017, Sandberg reportedly shouted at the security executive Stamos, that 'you threw us under the bus', after he told Facebook's board of directors the company had not yet stamped out Russian interference on the platform.
When criticism of its belated Russia admission grew, Facebook mounted a lobbying campaign led by Sandberg.
The company used a PR firm to push negative stories about its political critics and make rival companies like Google and Apple look bad, the Times said.
The world's most popular social media platform has been on the back foot for months, including over the allegation that data from millions of Facebook users was abused by the consultancy Cambridge Analytica to help drive Trump to the White House.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg was so concerned with growing the firm he 'ignored warning signs', the Times claims in an investigation
In July this year, as a Facebook executive testified before a congressional committee, anti-Facebook demonstrators barged into the room and held up a sign depicting Zuckerberg and Sandberg - who are both Jewish - as the twin heads of an octopus with its tentacles around the world.
Facebook responded by lobbying a Jewish civil rights group - the Anti-Defamation League - to publicly label that criticism as anti-Semitic, the Times said.
That evening the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish civil rights organization, tweeted that the image was a 'classic anti-Semitic trope'.
A spokesman wrote: 'Depicting Jews as an octopus encircling the globe is a classic anti-Semitic trope. Protest Facebook - or anyone - all you want, but pick a different image.'
In a lengthy investigative is likely to trigger political repercussions in Washington, the Times argued that Facebook's way of dealing with crisis was to 'delay, deny and deflect'.
Facebook was also said to have employed a Republican firm specializing in opposition research to discredit activists, partly by linking them to the liberal investor Soros, who has become a favored target of Trump supporters and far-right conspiracy groups.
Before and since this month's midterm elections, Facebook has shut down dozens of accounts on its own platform and on Instagram which it said were aimed at influencing the vote, and that it was exploring a possible link to Russia.
In the elections, the Democrats retook control of the House of Representatives, and the Times report is likely to add to political pressure on the company.
The Times said its article was based on interviews with more than 50 people, including current and ex-Facebook executives and other employees, lawmakers and government officials, lobbyists and congressional staff members.
Linkhienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/15/facebook-vied-to-conceal-russia-meddling-nyt/
Main photo article Facebook knew about the extent of Russian interference long before the 2016 election, tried to portray critics as anti-Semitic and even forced employees to ditch their iPhones, a new investigation has claimed.
The social media giant misled the public about its knowledge of Russian hackers’...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/15/13/6224922-6393151-image-m-11_1542288467148.jpg
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