"Ms Murphy Madia’s intervention pushed the debate into the transparency of monetised content." Nice write-up of WTF Policy Lead @sarahmurphymadia.bsky.social's intervention at the European Parliament's @euds.europarl.europa.eu. Monetization CAN be a boon to info integrity. But not w/o big fixes.

Open letter: we’ve joined more than 40 other organizations and individuals calling for Ireland to reconsider its appointment of a former Meta lobbyist as its new Data Protection Commissioner and to conduct a new, transparent process to appoint an official with a strong human rights protection record

👀 important update from @kendrabarnett.bsky.social at @adweek.bsky.social: #Meta will no longer subject itself to annual #BrandSafety audits from the Media Rating Council ( #MRC ). Read more 👉 www.adweek.com/media/meta-w...

OPEN LETTER: #EU must safeguard the independence of data protection authorities Read more: edri.org/our-work/ope... w @aiforensics.org @alliance4europe.bsky.social @article19europe.bsky.social @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social @hateaid.org @openmarkets.bsky.social @lobbycontrol.bsky.social and many more

We're back at the @europarl.europa.eu 🇪🇺 this afternoon. Our Policy Lead @sarahmurphymadia.bsky.social will be engaging in an exchange of view with the #EU @euds.europarl.europa.eu 🎬 Watch the live-stream: multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream... #Monetization #FIMI #MediaViability

We were so glad for the opportunity to speak about our work on #monetization and its impact on #mediaviability at the Brussels #MFRR summit. Social monetization is a hugely influential yet under-regulated aspect of our info landscape, w huge implications for media viability and info integrity.

Happy to be back at the European Parliament’s @euds.europarl.europa.eu next Mon where we’ll talk about, among other things, how social media monetization systems currently UNDERMINE public-interest media, but also abt how such systems could reinforce media viability, even under current regulation.

It's official - Today, #Meta says it will officially stop serving Political, Electoral and Social Issue Ads on its platforms in the #EU.

Meta ends (at least for now) political ads in the EU today. Per their ad library data, they've run nearly 11,000,000 different political, social and issue ads in the EU since 2018 and made around €800m from them.

🚨 Dutch court rules on a case brought by @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social that #Meta must give Facebook and Instagram users the option to select a feed that is not based on profiling. www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/10/02/j...

Money + politics = messy. Perhaps that’s why #Meta’s policies prohibit politicians and political candidates from its #monetization services. Yet our research reveals NUMEROUS politicians and political candidates that successfully enrolled for Facebook's various monetization services.

Just as the #EU Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising is set to enter into force...

That's next *TUESDAY* Sept 30, 2025 12pm EST | 9am PDT | 9:30pm IST 📅 Sign up below for the calendar invite to find its way to the right date and time in your timezone www.csohate.org/event/big-te...

📅 Mark your calendars We'll be joining @sanjanah.bsky.social, @ramshajahangir.bsky.social, Raqib Nahik and Rohit Chopra next Monday for a timely conversation on Big Tech and Mis/Dinformation in #Asia. 🔗 Learn more & register: lnkd.in/eA7xC3Jm

3 months ago, we published a groundbreaking investigation pointing out how #Facebook's parent entity, #Meta, had be offering monetization services to #RT, #Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities well past the introduction of sanctions. 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...

A big step forward in getting transparency in platform monetization. I hope for many more such. #transparency #platform #monetization #socialMedia

#WhoMakesMoneyFromFacebook? SANCTIONED ENTITIES. We’re kicking off this series with a closer look at how #Facebook appears to provide monetization services to entities on both EU and US sanctions lists. www.whattofix.tech/publications...

🚨Big deal announcement🚨 We’ve been hard at work prototyping the world’s first ✨social media #MonetizationArchive ✨ And we’re ready to share it with you. Read on.

#Facebook monetization is booming - with nearly 8 million accounts registered for payment (up from 2.5 million at the start of the year 📈). Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing more on #WhoMakesMoneyFromFacebook.

Could #Facebook have been channeling money to a Mexican drug cartel? The El Makabelico Facebook page (825k+) was registered to get royalties from FB until the introduction of #OFAC #sanctions on the rapper on 6Aug for sending royalties to Cartel del Noreste 👉 home.treasury.gov/news/press-r...

⏰ TODAY AT 10am CET: WTF Executive Director @riovictoire.bsky.social will participate in a public hearing at the European Parliament’s Special Committee on European Democracy Shield (#EUDS). Tune in here: multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...

🎬 Curious how RT and Sputnik made money from Facebook? And may have continued to do so, post sanctions? Watch @riovictoire.bsky.social discuss our findings with Alexandre of @disinfo.eu www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7D-...

Coming up in 45 min: @riovictoire.bsky.social joins @aa.disinfo.eu to discuss our @whattofix.tech report on how Meta seemingly monetized multiple EU-sanctioned entities through its revenue redistribution programs.

Our latest investigation revealed how EU-sanctioned entities took part in Facebook's revenue redistribution programs. Meta: "being listed on our partner-publisher list is not itself evidence that an account has received payout" True, but... Read our response 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...

Who profited – and how – when Meta kept revenue-sharing deals with sanctioned entities like RT & Sputnik? Our webinar on 3 July with @riovictoire.bsky.social, @whattofix.tech, will unpack the findings and what they mean for platform accountability. Join us! 👇 🔗 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

“Facebook pages affiliated with RT, Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities were among Meta’s active partner-publishers for months after being subject to EU sanctions. Some of these partnerships remain active as of June 2025.” Has Meta violated sanctions? www.whattofix.tech/publications...

📺 Watch John Oliver @lastweektonight.com describe how social media revenue redistribution is fueling the explosion of #AI slop and automation. We don't share his fatalism. There ** are ** BIG fixes. We can't stop the tech, but we sure can fix the incentives! 👉youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc

Sanctioned pro-Russian media are still part of Facebook's advertising revenue program, according to new research from @whattofix.tech. #bizhumanrights #russia #bigtech www.politico.eu/article/sanc...

Our investigation into #Facebook' s revenue redistribution programs reveals how #Meta continued to engage in — and in some cases initiated new — revenue redistribution partnerships with #RT, #Sputnik and other #EU sanctioned entities /🧵 Full report 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...

BREAKING. Meta a enfreint les sanctions de l’UE et distribué des fonds aux médias d’État russes RT et Sputnik ainsi qu’à une organisation panafricaniste dissoute par la France, via les programmes de redistribution des revenus de Facebook #AlloDSA 1/12

Propaganda und Desinformation, dafür sind die russischen Staatssender bekannt, deshalb hat die EU sie mit Sanktionen belegt. Hat Meta RT und Sputnik dennoch an Werbeeinnahmen beteiligt? www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/art...

Des pages de RT et de Sputnik sont restées « partenaires » de Facebook malgré les sanctions européennes

"Meta « aurait dû savoir que ces pages étaient liées à des entités sous sanction », estime What to Fix, qui note que les pages de RT et Sputnik concernées étaient presque toutes vérifiées, avec une coche bleue indiquant un compte officiel". Par @okami.bsky.social Ping @maudinet.bsky.social

[🚨 Exclusive] Our latest investigation finds that Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. may have violated EU sanctions and channeled money to RT, Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities. You read that right: Facebook *pays* some content publishers. Read full report → www.whattofix.tech/publications... /🧵

When it comes to #tech, ‘’we tend to regulate for yesterday’’, says @sarahmurphymadia.bsky.social from @whattofix.tech. 💬 To keep or democracies safe, the European Democracy Shield should tackle: 💰 Social media monetisation 👤 Inauthentic automation 🌐 Massive diversification of software

Who makes money from #Facebook? Turns out a lot more people than ever, w/ over 1 million new accounts since Feb. Decisions over who gets paid, how much, and for what, play a key role in shaping our information environment. As do enforcement mistake... 👉 www.techpolicy.press/beyond-conte...

If you care about the future of our information space, media + creator viability, or brand safety, @riovictoire.bsky.social's op-ed in @techpolicypress.bsky.social a must-read. Social media monetization is a gaping hole in tech policy convos. Let’s talk about it. www.techpolicy.press/beyond-conte...

🚨 BREAKING: #Facebook finally acknowledges it has a financially-driven “spammy behavior” problem: about.fb.com/news/2025/04... We’ve been telling them this, documenting evidence, and pointing to where the system needs fixing, since 2019. A quick🪡

Did you know that #Google walked back its commitment to demonetize disinformation in the #EU? ♦️ measure 1.1: disclose monetization rules + quantitatively report demonetization actions ♦️ measure 1.2: tighten monetization eligibility requirements + content reviews #Disinformation #Demonetization

Every time a crisis hit, it's the same pattern ♦️ People turn to #SocialMedia for information ♦️ Profiteers capitalize on their engagement to cash in ♦️ Feeds get filled with out-of-context and AI photo and video ♦️ Misinformation undermines emergency responses The kicker? The 💸 comes from #platforms

"Creators are incentivized to produce viral posts, even if they are false or AI-generated, because the more views and shares they attract, the more money they make."

Social media companies redistributed over $20bn to 6 million+ accounts last year. You may be asking: SO WHAT ?? Monetization isn't the problem. The systems that power it are. Read more: www.whattofix.tech/publications...

Missed the launch of the #MonetizationPrinciples version 0 at our #RightsCon event? Fear not, for we still have a ways to go, and we need wide stakeholder involvement. A quick recap of the lively convo at our Taipei event, plus a look at where we go from here: www.whattofix.tech/publications...

For our last panel at #RightsCon, we'll explore digital #advertising transparency in different contexts and examine the #DSA's global reverberations.

Day 2 at #RightsCon and we’re almost out of our WTF stickers! 😱

Social platforms always disclose when they get government requests for content moderation and access to user data, right? Nope. @r3d.mx's Vladimir Chorny, Dan Hoang, @accessnow.org's Agneris Sampieri and our own @riovictoire.bsky.social explore the scale of under-reporting at #RightsCon tomorrow

Thanks to all who came to this AM's #RightsCon #MonetizationPrinciples workshop! We're thrilled to see we’re not the only ones enthusiastic about ensuring transparency & accountability when it comes to the billions of $ channeling through social media platforms via revenue redistribution programs.

Did you know over 6 million social media accounts earn revenue directly from platforms? Social media co's process millions of fund transfers worth billions of $ every month, with almost no oversight or accountability. What could possibly go wrong?! Find out tomorrow at 9am, South Lobby #RightsCon

🚨New Report🚨 tracking latest trends in social media monetization is out. We’re talking over $20b redistributed to millions of account annually thru revenue share programs, with minimal public disclosure or regulation. Here's what you need to know 🧵 www.whattofix.tech/publications...

We look forward to seeing you at #RightsCon, at an event we're hosting, panel we're on, or at our workshop to develop #Principles on #Transparency and #Accountability in #SocialMedia #Monetization. Join us if you can! Register here for the #MonetizationPrinciples workshop tally.so/r/mRvNVP