Tracking UPC Finances, TikTok Migrant Misinfo, and Zuckerberg’s Research Gamble
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** CfA's September 27, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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New Database Tracks Finances of Unregulated Pregnancy Clinics
For decades, unregulated pregnancy clinics (UPCs) have worked to prevent women from accessing abortions; some place misleading advertisements ([link removed]) in Google searches, while others disguise themselves ([link removed]) as legitimate abortion clinics. While some UPCs may offer limited, non-medical services, they usually exist primarily to discourage ([link removed](16)30191-3/fulltext) clients from seeking abortions, and may urge them to delay the procedure by exaggerating ([link removed]) their chances of miscarriage. The misleading idea that UPCs provide valuable, comprehensive services is an important piece of the anti-choice movement’s messaging strategy, with organizations openly discussing plans
([link removed]) to increasingly push this narrative to the media.
Now, Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, in partnership with Reproaction, has launched a searchable database ([link removed]) to track UPCs’ finances. Their analysis found that UPCs reported $1.7 billion in revenue in 2022 – a particularly concerning amount of money for non-medical, unregulated clinics to receive during a maternal health crisis ([link removed]) . The database will be regularly updated as UPCs file their tax documents, according to its developers.
Mark Zuckerberg Denies Links Between Social Media Use and Mental Health
This week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat for an interview ([link removed]) with Verge deputy editor Alex Heath, where the two discussed his company’s approach to government oversight and public perception. When the conversation turned to the impact of social media on children’s mental health, Zuckerberg argued that the “majority of high-quality research” suggests “no casual connection at a broad scale,” and predicted that more research would only strengthen this thesis. Zuckerberg’s comments echo testimony ([link removed]) by former Meta employee Arturo Bejar, who warned the Senate Judiciary Committee that the company’s reliance on data had allowed its executives to minimize safety issues.
Zuckerberg later alluded to future research, which, he said, might force the public to reconsider its assumptions about social media and youth mental health; he may have been referring to a new user wellbeing research partnership ([link removed]) that Meta recently launched with the Center for Open Science. Like earlier partnerships ([link removed]) with outside academics, though, these agreements are fundamentally limited by Meta’s terms. If Zuckerberg wants this research to help absolve Meta of responsibility for the youth mental health crisis, he will first have to convince lawmakers that his company didn’t have undue power over the studies themselves.
TikTok Allows Misinformation to Reach NYC Migrant Communities
Migrants making their way to New York City are falling prey to TikTok misinformation, according to a new investigation ([link removed]) by The Guardian and Documented. Often, the videos exaggerate how easy it is to find work in the United States, or spread unreliable news about border crossings and aid programs. The migrants interviewed by Documented expressed frustration with the platform, but said they still used it for news and entertainment in their own languages. A 2022 survey ([link removed]) from Campaign for Accountability’s Tech Transparency Project revealed similar trends in migrant populations, with almost 70% of respondents reporting that they regularly got news from Facebook.
Unfortunately, TikTok’s algorithm may be making the problem worse, creating incentives for “migrant influencers ([link removed]) ” to share unrealistic content that boosts engagement. Just this week, Radio Canada just exposed ([link removed]) a network of TikTok accounts advertising illegal border crossings into the United States, some of which had hundreds of thousands of followers. By blending entertainment and misinformation into customized feeds, TikTok is creating a uniquely dangerous environment for migrants – and spawning an entire industry of scammers looking to prey on them.
What We're Reading
Promises of ‘passive income’ on Amazon led to death threats for negative online review, FTC says ([link removed])
Despite Persistent Warnings, Texas Rushed to Remove Millions From Medicaid. That Move Cost Eligible Residents Care ([link removed])
Did a Georgia Hospital Break Federal Law When It Failed to Save Amber Thurman? A Senate Committee Chair Wants Answers ([link removed])
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Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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