Looking forward to this lively discussion on Big Tech and the misinformation crisis in #Asia

We really ought to start asking more questions about #WhoMakesMoneyFromFacebook 👀

#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...

💥 Super excited to bring the world's first Social Media Monetization Archive prototype into the world! If you ever wondered #WhoMakesMoneyFromFacebook, this is your chance at a sneak peak 👉 www.monetization.wtf

#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...

In Brussels 🇧🇪 today for the European Parliament's hearing on Generative AI and Democracy. I talked about 3 key changes: ♦️ rise of social media monetization ♦️ proliferation of inauthentic automation ♦️ redefinition of platforms' advertising models 🎬 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-...

Watching a very interesting @riovictoire.bsky.social webinar about this: www.whattofix.tech/publications...

Great to hear that WHAT TO FIX's latest investigation into Meta's revenue redistribution programs is drawing some scrutiny from the European Commission. We have a LOT of questions. Unsurprisingly though, Meta isn't volunteering answers 😅 Read Euractiv's piece: lnkd.in/g5S5pNzM

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...

📺 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

🚨 Just Released 🚨 @whattofix.tech 's latest investigation into how #Facebook (Meta) engaged in revenue redistribution partnerships 💸 with RT, Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities for months after the introduction of sanctions. Full report -> www.whattofix.tech/publications...

[🚨 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... /🧵

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...

#Egypt 🇪🇬 Laila Soueif, mother of jailed prominent activist Alaa Abd ElFattah has been on hunger strike protesting her son's detention. 🗣️ Hear her powerful story in a BBC interview: buff.ly/KB5nCOv 👉 Read Alaa's full profile on IFEX: buff.ly/48ZIrnW #FreeAlaa

As Alaa’s health deteriorates, and his family’s ordeal drags on, the need for decisive intervention has never been more urgent. The time to secure Alaa’s freedom—and prevent further tragedy—is now #freealaa www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

«Go to any of the platforms’ dedicated transparency centers, and you will be hard-pressed to find a reference to monetization terms, policies, or any detail on their approach to monetization due diligence and enforcement.» — @riovictoire.bsky.social

🚨 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🪡

We see you, Google 👋

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

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...

The #Myanmar military refused to restore the internet as hundreds died in a cyclone in 2023. Will they turn the Internet back on this time? #MyanmarEarthquake #StopInternetShutdownMM

New from me: Meta decided to stop working with U.S. fact-checkers at the same time as it’s revamping a program to pay bonuses to creators with high engagement numbers, potentially pouring accelerant on the kind of false posts the company once policed: www.propublica.org/article/face...

Read the full Social Media Monetization 2025 report here: www.whattofix.tech/publications... And join us at #RightsCon2025 in Taipei! We’ll be here:

🚨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...

Will I see you at #Rightscon25? Would love to connect!

With my brilliant friends at the Knight First Amendment Institute, I filed suit against Meta today, asking a federal court to find that CDA section 230 gives users rights to control what they see on social media via third party tools. See our complaint at: knightcolumbia.org/cases/zucker... .

Meta doesn’t want to be held legally responsible for any of the harm caused by its algorithms – but it doesn’t want users to  opt out of them, either. A new lawsuit on behalf of @ethanz.bsky.social is challenging that position, @telliotter.bsky.social reports.  www.wired.com/story/meta-s...

Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/w...

♦️ NEW RELEASE : From Content to Payment - the Rise and Implications of Social Media Ad Revenue Sharing 👉 tinyurl.com/Content-to-p... Can we really trust social media companies to process millions of fund transfers worth US$ billions every month? 🤔

Big fan of @daphnek.bsky.social 's platform policy bingo :) Curious as to when social media ad revenue sharing will be so over discussed that it gets its on spot on the list 🫣

Finally getting around to publishing my latest class syllabus! It's been a while since I taught my basic Internet speech platform regulation class. Here is the 2024 version. 1/ docs.google.com/document/d/1...

The Winter 2024 issue of the Journal of Online Trust and Safety is live! tsjournal.org/index.php/jots

New paper from me and @samlai.bsky.social out today in the Journal of Online Trust and Safety, looking at the moderation capabilities of federated and decentralized social media, and what needs to happen to make these platforms resilient to online harms. doi.org/10.54501/jot...

I’m delighted to announce that today I’m launching a new nonprofit journalism studio: Proof News.  Proof is into proving things! Our goal is to question, test, and investigate the most important issues of our time. We will always tell you what we know and what we don’t know. www.proofnews.org

"Meta did not give a specific reason as to why Khamenei’s account fell under the Dangerous Orgs and Individuals Policy" [now] It's a completely different content moderation world. Meta removes heads of state, doesn't explain, and it barely breaks into the news www.cnn.com/2024/02/09/t...

Over on Twitter, Tech Policy Press (@techpolicypress.bsky.social) had accrued close to 7,000 followers in its short life. We've decided to no longer post there. Can you help us build our presence here? Please follow/share, and visit the site to sign up for the newsletter: techpolicy.press

It’s hard to watch the horrific scenes coming from Gaza and the escalating death toll. @marwasf.bsky.social joins @parismarx.bsky.social to discuss the info war on social media, internet shutdowns, and what people can do to support Palestinian rights. Listen here: techwontsave.us/episode/194_...

New reporting from @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social: The Epoch Times is now the 4th-most subscribed to newspaper in America. Its revenue grew 685% in two years over the pandemic. The paper is run by Falun Gong, a Chinese religious sect, that claims Jan. 6 and climate change are hoaxes.

Want a better sense of what data access tools digital platforms are offering to researchers? Who qualifies & what data are available? We’ve launched a tracker at GW’s Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics to keep tabs on developments. Check it out and help us expand its coverage! polisky commsky

✨Do you study online safety in non-Western countries? Apply for up to $15,000 for your research. cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/call...

A long (!) but really worthy read on what happened with Facebook in Myanmar. Highly recommended for anyone in tech who wants to build and not break things.

It’s becoming impossible to report from Gaza. 
 Journalists are trying to report the news while fleeing for their lives.