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T&S Early Warning News
Get ahead of new stories that are impacting the T&S industry.
Richard Branson Takes Aim at Crypto Scams That Use His Name as Lure
Bloomberg | June 13, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
British billionaire Richard Branson hit out at cryptocurrency scammers and said he’s stepping up efforts to stop his name from being used to convince unsuspecting victims to sign up to fraudulent schemes.
“It’s a terrible thing because it affects a small person who can ill afford it,” Branson said in an interview in Austin, Texas. “We are doing enormous amounts to try to stop it.”
Wickr, Amazon’s encrypted chat app, has a child sex abuse problem — and little is being done to stop it
7news | June 13, 2022
Company Listed: Amazon
Wickr Me, an encrypted messaging app owned by Amazon Web Services, is a common trading ground for the exchange of child sexual abuse images, according to court documents, online communities, law enforcement and anti-exploitation activists.
It’s not the only tech platform that needs to crack down on such illegal content, according to data gathered by the US National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC.
New York Law Targets ‘Hateful Conduct’ on Social Media in Wake of Buffalo Massacre
NY Sun | June 12, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
All social media platforms that operate in New York State will now be required to spot and report “hateful conduct” as part of a 10-bill legislative package designed to tighten gun laws that was signed into law by Governor Hochul.
The bill on social media monitoring — Senate Bill S4511A, in legislative parlance — includes the most significant changes to New York gun laws in a generation. It seeks to limit the proliferation of online hate of the kind espoused by the Buffalo gunman, who shared a racist post online before the mass shooting in May.
T&S Policies & Regulations
Regulatory news and policy decisions impacting the T&S ecosystem.
Compare and review T&S Policies for dozens of companies here
Meta slammed with eight lawsuits claiming social media hurts kids
The Register | June 12, 2022
Company Listed: Facebook, Instagram, Social Media
IN BRIEF Facebook and Instagram's parent biz, Meta, was hit with not one, not two, but eight different lawsuits accusing its social media algorithm of causing real harm to young users across the US.
The complaints filed over the last week claim Meta's social media platforms have been designed to be dangerously addictive, driving children and teenagers to view content that increases the risk of eating disorders, suicide, depression, and sleep disorders.
Experts wary of govt plan on social media panel structure
Live Mint | June 12, 2022
Company Listed: Twitter, Social Media
The government’s plan to set up a committee, which will have powers to overrule decisions by social media platforms to either take down, remove or block users’ content could lead to selective moderation on platforms and curb dissent, technology policy experts warned.
The setting up of the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) was proposed in the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics) Rules (IT Rules, 2021) on 6 June. The government released a draft of the amendments for public consultation earlier this month and is expected to finalize the rules next month.
Why it’s time for legislation to make Meta, Google and Twitter more accountable for the spread of misinformation
Smart Company | June 13, 2022
Company Listed: Meta, Google, Twitter
On May 30, Meta, Google and Twitter released their 2021 annual transparency reports, documenting their efforts to curb misinformation in Australia.
Despite their name, however, the reports offer a narrow view of the companies’ strategies to combat misinformation. They remain vague on the reasoning behind the strategies and how they are implemented. They therefore highlight the need for effective legislation to regulate Australia’s digital information ecosystem.
The transparency reports are published as part of the Digital Industry (DIGI) Group’s voluntary code of practice that Meta, Google and Twitter signed onto in 2021 (along with Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Redbubble and TikTok).
Facebook’s Greater Threat Is the Law, Not Lawsuits
Washington Post | June 13, 2022
Company Listed: Meta
Meta Platforms Inc. has become a lightening rod for legal challenges in the US, from the FTC’s antitrust case to shareholder lawsuits alleging the company misled investors. Last week, eight complaints were filed against the company across the US, including allegations that young people who frequently visited Instagram and Facebook went on to commit suicide and experience eating disorders. (Facebook has not commented on the litigation, and has denied allegations in the FTC and shareholder complaints.)
The allegations echo the concerns of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, whose leak last year of thousands of internal documents showed that Meta was aware of the psychological harms its algorithms caused users, such as, for instance, that Instagram made body issues worse for one in three teen girls.
T&S Careers & Jobs
T&S jobs posted recently, often within the last 24 hours, looking for top talent.
Check out all the recent T&S job postings here.
Director, Policy Experiences and Compliance, Trust and Safety
Google | San Bruno, CA
Posted: June 12, 2022
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or similar technical field of study, or equivalent practical experience.
15 years of experience with full stack software development.
Experience in leading and managing teams.
Experience in motivating others.
Experience in content moderation, cyber security, and privacy.
Ability to communicate clearly, with a collaborative leadership approach.
Trust & Safety Operations Analyst
Crowd Staffing | Sunnyvale, CA
Posted: June 13, 2022
Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
3+ years of experience in Trust & Safety, operations, and/or quality assurance.
3+ years of experience working with data (leveraging SQL, MySQL, or similar) to identify trends and make recommendations.
Data Analyst, Research and Insights, Trust and Safety
Google | Sunnyvale, CA
Posted: June 13, 2022
Bachelor's degree in computer science, applied mathematics, statistics, quantitative social sciences, or equivalent practical experience.
3 years of experience in data and analytics.
Experience working with databases, SQL database queries/analysis, and other scripting/programming languages (e.g., Python).
Experience working in a risk vector (e.g., fraud, abuse, security).
Experience in programming and coding including R, Python, and SQL.
Knowledge of measurement, statistics, and program evaluation.
Spotify | New York, NY
Posted: June 13, 2022
5 years experience advising product and engineering teams on product design and/or developing and launching product policies for ads, podcasts, music, video, and/or user-generated content.
A deep understanding of the online safety trends and landscape, including search, content recommendations, user generated content, and monetization.
Demonstrated ability to influence decision-makers without direct authority.
Experience building consensus among cross-functional partners with various challenging interests.
Previous experience handling sophisticated critical issues and communicating with leadership during crisis management situations.
Product Manager, Minor Safety - Trust & Safety
TikTok | Mountain View, CA
Posted: June 13, 2022
Experience in working with cross functional partners and global teams across different time zones, cultures, and languages.
Understanding of the landscape and new policy developments in new media, tech, and the entertainment industry.
Data-driven, capable of in-depth data interpretation and utilizing data for prioritization and/or decision making.
Having experience with products protecting minors within online platforms is a plus.
T&S FAQs
What is T&S?
Great question (and one the industry hasn’t fully agreed upon). Think of Trust & Safety as the organization that protects social media and Big Tech companies and users from online abuse. As long as users are able to generate content online, time has told us that a minority of these users will create content that is offensive, scandalous, fraudulent, disingenuous, misinformative, hateful, spiteful, and harmful. T&S fights this with flexible policies, resilient operations, and informed detections.
Is T&S interesting?
That depends. If you enjoy stopping bad actors and keeping good people safe, then you’ll love T&S. It requires understanding new technologies and staying on top of breaking issues across society and the world. It also pays Big Tech salaries (no coding skills required).
How do you get into T&S?
That’s the tricky part. The short answer is: not easily. Most T&S orgs are part of Big Tech and (as a result) pay extremely well, so jobs are highly competitive. If you don’t know someone in the industry who can help refer you in, then you can learn more about T&S policies, current events, issues, regulations, and jobs at trustsafetyinstitute.com to improve your hiring chances and start doing meaningful work that helps people.