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T&S Early Warning News
Get ahead of new stories that are impacting the T&S industry
Google Suspends Advertising in Russia
NewYork Times | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: Google
The move came after a Russian regulator demanded that the company stop showing ads with what the regulator claimed was false information about the invasion of Ukraine.
Google said on Thursday night that it had suspended all advertising in Russia after the country’s internet regulator demanded that the company stop showing what it considered ads displaying false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Google said it took the rare step of pausing its advertising business in the country, including search, YouTube and display marketing. The move came a few days after the company suspended advertising of content produced by Russian state media. Google said it had already blocked ads related to the conflict because it did not want people to take advantage of the crisis for financial gain.
“In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia. The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate,” the company said in a written statement.
UK asks TikTok, Facebook and Twitter to block Russia’s RT and Sputnik after EU ban over propaganda concerns
South China Morning Post | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: TikTok, Facebook and Twitter
The UK is seeking to limit the reach of Russian state media on social media after lagging behind the EU in banning such outlets
The EU ban limited Russian media’s access to televisions in the UK, but the sources have remained accessible online
The UK has asked Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc, Twitter Inc and ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok to ban Russian news channel RT while the UK regulator considers whether to sanction the broadcaster.
British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries made the request Thursday, a day after the European Union officially banned broadcasts, app downloads and sharing content on social media from RT as well as Sputnik within the bloc. EU officials said its measures were needed to counter the destabilising impact of propaganda concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine aired by both services.
Colorado, other states launch probe into TikTok’s effect on kids’ health
The Colorado Sun | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: TikTok
U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users.
WASHINGTON — State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users’ mental health, widening government scrutiny of the wildly popular video platform.
The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont. Colorado is also among the states investigating the social media site.
“I am committed to protecting our kids from harms related to social media. TikTok has an obligation to manage its platform fairly and responsibly, and this investigation is designed to do just that,” Colorado Attorney General Weiser, a Democrat, said in a written statement.
YouTube restricts viewing of People Power anthem
Philstar Global | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: YouTube, TikTok
Video sharing platform YouTube has imposed restrictions on the viewing of a video of the People Power Revolution anthem “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” barring users under 18 from watching it.
When viewing the video uploaded by the song’s composer, Jim Paredes, a prompt will appear saying that the “YouTube community” identified it as “inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.”
Twitter user @unlawyer was among the users who flagged the restriction of the video on the platform. Philstar.com verified this on Friday morning, during which the restriction was still in effect.
According to YouTube, it regularly screens videos as part of its flagging system. In the case of violent or graphic content, like those documenting war zones, YouTube may impose age restrictions instead of taking it down if the video provides enough context.
Facebook Has Rejected Craig Kelly’s Request To Remove Fact-checking Ahead Of Federal Election Campaign
Led Bible | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: Meta Facebook
Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has rejected United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly’s demand to remove fact-checking on politicians' posts on the social media platform ahead of the Federal election campaign.
At a Parliamentary committee examining social media and online safety, Kelly called for ‘no foreign interference by Meta in the Australian election’ through blocking, shadow-banning or removing political candidates or parties from the platform.
However, Meta’s Head of Public Policy in Australia, Josh Machin said that removing or restricting fact-checking would violate Facebook Community Standards.
Kelly then asked if posts would still be fact-checked or their reach would be restricted or removed, to which Malin enforced Meta’s policies wouldn’t change ahead of the election campaign.
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
Why Snapchat is safer than other traditional social media platforms
iTWire | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: Snapchat, Social Media
Snapchat gives five reasons why its app is much safer traditional social media platforms.
1. Snapchat is for real friends
Snapchat was designed for keeping up to date for close friends that users trust, so Snapchatters can only view content from those who allow it. Snapchat has emerged as an alternative to traditional social media, and stayed true to its’ values as a platform around authentic communication between real friends.
Designed for keeping up to date with close friends whom users trust, Snapchatters can only view content from users who allow it. Snapchat has emerged as an alternative to traditional social media and facilitates authentic communication between real friends.
Unlike other platforms, users know that the only people who are going to view their content are those that they have added as a friend. Snapchat doesn't have an open newsfeed, where anyone can broadcast content to the whole world.
Twitch Says It Will Bar Chronic Spreaders of Misinformation
NewYork Times | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: Twitch, Social Media
Twitch, the livestreaming site beloved by video gamers that has become a key internet communications service, said on Thursday that it had created new rules aimed at clamping down on egregious purveyors of misinformation.
The company, acknowledging the real-world harms that could come with its rapidly expanding influence, said it would prohibit “harmful misinformation superspreaders who persistently share misinformation on or off of Twitch.”
Twitch will take down only channels that meet a handful of criteria. To fall afoul of the new policy, users must be persistently sharing harmful misinformation that has been widely debunked, the company said, adding that it had “selected these criteria because taken together they create the highest risk of harm, including inciting real-world harm.”
The site is “taking this precautionary step and updating our policies to ensure that these misinformation superspreaders won’t find a home on our service,” Angela Hession, Twitch’s vice president of trust and safety, said in a statement.
Anti-trolling bill could breach US free trade deal and increase online abuse, BCA says
The Guardian | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
The Coalition’s anti-trolling bill has come under fire from the Business Council of Australia, which has claimed it may breach the US free trade agreement and joined those warning it may increase online abuse.
The BCA has urged that the bill not proceed, arguing in a submission to a Senate inquiry it would have “limited impact on safety outcomes” while resulting in “substantial changes” to defamation law.
The Morrison government released the proposed anti-trolling bill in early December, claiming it could help victims of trolling by incentivising social media companies to set up complaints-handling procedures that can reveal the identities of anonymous commenters.
The bill primarily helps operators of social media accounts by deeming they are not the publishers of comments by other users on their posts.
Senator Markey Pleased with Pressure on Companies to Protect Children Online
Broad Band Breakfast | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
Senator Edward Markey, D-Mass, on Monday praised pressure from lawsuits and whistleblower testimony against companies that violate online protections for children and praised Thursday President Joe Biden’s remarks on child protection in his State of the Union address, in the senator’s latest vocal push to pass enhanced laws for online protections for children.
Current legislation, called the Child Online Privacy Protection Act, includes online protections for children under 13. Markey has been pushing to have the age threshold increased. In May last year, senators including Markey introduced bipartisan legislation – called the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act – that would extend greater online consumer protections to minor, including making it illegal for companies to collect data from anyone 13-15 years old without their consent.
The comments came before a coalition of attorneys general from across the nation announced Wednesday that they would be investigating the impact social media platform TikTok has on children. It also came before President Biden said during his State of the Union address that companies must be held accountable for the “national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.”
Unread social media policies you need to know
Scot Scoop | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media, TikTok
How many terms and conditions have you blindly agreed to? Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok have gained much popularity in the last decades, gathering a diverse, ever-growing pool of users. However, very few have a complete understanding of the services’ policies.
Despite some concerning user policies set forth on these apps, many scroll past the fine prints of the terms and conditions to jump straight into active use of their services. It is essential to be aware of the services you use and their use of your data, and thankfully, many of these platforms have near-identical user policies.
Here are a few important points you should know about your social media.
Ownership of Content
The saying “never put anything online unless you are comfortable with it being shared” is so very true. Once uploaded, many social media platforms claim absolute, irreversible rights to all of your content. This includes images, videos, comments, and even messages. This can even be sold to third parties without notice or further permission from the user.
Once posted, the content is wholly and permanently owned by the platform.
T&S Good News
Some of the good news in the T&S industry that leaders want to know
What social media platforms are doing to stop misinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Mashable | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: Meta Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn
As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the information war is picking up online.
Fake news, photoshopped posts, manipulated media, and all sorts of propaganda and misinformation is being disseminated by both bad actors and those being duped by them. So, what are the big tech companies doing to help stop bad information from spreading?
Mashable reached out to several major social media platforms in order to get a comprehensive look at what exactly is being done to stop misinformation as Russian forces continue to advance in Ukraine.
Facebook and Instagram are certainly no strangers to disinformation campaigns stemming from Russia. So has Mark Zuckerberg learned from the attempts to sway elections? What is Meta doing this time around?
Designing for safety and integrity in social technologies
Medium | Mar 04, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
How can social media promote greater safety, dignity, and authenticity, all while striving to create a place for expression and give people a voice? Much of the conversation around these questions has rightly focused on policy, algorithms, and operational aspects of global content moderation. Here, we’ll explore the emerging discipline of integrity design — and how we can fold it into our core product-making practice as builders of social media.
Even for people who’ve spent years at the intersection of design, technology and social issues — when it comes to addressing problems like misinformation, hate speech, bullying and harassment — there is no easy answer. The weight and gravity of this space loom large, complex dilemmas often sit at the heart of our work, and we know there is so much more to figure out. At the same time, we’ve learned valuable lessons and are establishing principles, patterns and playbooks that point a way forward.
In this piece — the first in a series from integrity designers across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs — we’ll walk through concrete examples of how design can prevent misuse of our technologies, reduce integrity risk, and promote effective and fair enforcement. We hope to get constructive feedback on our work, spark new ideas to explore, and begin to build a larger community of practice around integrity design.
ADL launches Online Hate Index to detect antisemitism on social media platforms
Jhvonline | Mar 03, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
The ADL Center for Technology and Society has launched the first version of its Online Hate Index, a machine-learning system that detects hate, which targets marginalized groups on online platforms.
The Online Hate Index represents the first independent, cross-platform measurement of the prevalence of antisemitic content on social media and, critically, is centered on the lived experience of the community targeted by hate. This is the first tool using artificial intelligence that has been trained by experts in antisemitism and by Jewish volunteers.
In its inaugural use, the antisemitism classifier found that Twitter and Reddit failed to remove roughly three out of four of the antisemitic posts ADL initially had detected on their platforms, even after the posts had been up for nearly a month.
The deep learning that powers the Online Hate Index is trained to identify antisemitic language, using connections between observed social media content and language that is labeled antisemitic by human annotators.
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.
Product Manager, Trust & Safety Tools
Snap | Seattle, WA, USA
Posted: Mar 04, 2022
Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience 2 years of product management, data science or program management experience at a technology company Preferred qualifications: A passion for safety and Snapchat Trust & Safety or related meaningful experience Experience building large scale review tools and infrastructure At Snap, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to create innovative products that improve the way people live and communicate. Snap is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE, including disability/vets.
Agent, Site Policy - Trust & Safety
Twitter | United States
Posted: Mar 04, 2022
Success in this role requires someone who is curious, analytical, disciplined, proactive, has great attention to detail, and has a knack for managing multiple tasks efficiently
You are familiar with processes and tools used for increased efficiency;
You have exceptional business judgment and strategic thinking;
You are extremely detail-oriented;
You have excellent communication, and writing skills;
You work well under tight deadlines;
You have patience, determination, flexibility, and grit;
You are familiar with, and have respect for the norms of different cultures;
You have passion and enthusiasm for protecting user privacy and freedom of expression
Complete fluency in English
Product Policy Manager, Feature - Trust & Safety
TikTok | Mountain View, CA, USA
Posted: Mar 03, 2022
3-5 years of experience in policy development, specifically regarding technology/internet/social media/content
Bachelors degree in public policy, politics, law, economics, communications, behavioral sciences or related field
Excellent oral and written communications with the ability to translate complex challenges into simple and clear language and persuade between multiple levels
Strong analytical reasoning, execution, and project management skills
Experience working with international partners across different time zones and cultures
Advanced degree in a related field
Experience working in the trust and safety industry for tech companies
Experience working on live-streaming, account, comment, or search related safety issues
Trust & Safety, Senior Analyst - Moderation Strategy
Indeed | Austin, TX, USA
Posted: Mar 03, 2022
Strong skills in project management and leadership
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Able to deliver clear and succinct interpretations of data in a manner accessible to all relevant Indeed teams
Self-starter, intellectually curious and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
Ability to quickly identifying patterns and trends across seemingly unrelated content
Capability to validate and explain trends and results compared to outlined success metrics
Technical knowledge with a proficiency in manipulating data sets in SQL or equivalent and drawing insights from data
Datavisualization experience in Tableau or similar tool
Must be organized, positive, proactive, and results-oriented
Strategic thinker with strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills
Content Review Analyst (Trust & Safety)
FocusKPI, Inc. | Nebraska City, NE, USA
Posted: mar 03, 2022
Previous experience with content policy or anti-abuse operations, or other related areas
Ability to work flexibly and to exercise good judgement in a high pressure environment
Well-developed sense of urgency and follow through
Demonstrated capacity for critical thinking and analysis
Strong attention to detail
Superior time management skills and ability to meet deadlines with minimum supervision
Self-starter with the ability to work independently and on multiple initiatives at the same time
Excellent interpersonal, written and spoken communications skills
Proven ability to self-manage career performance and professional growth
Experience using Microsoft Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word)
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.