Abortion-Related Data, Stolen Accounts, and Digital Ad Disclosures
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** CfA's December 2, 2022 Newsletter
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Thank you for your continued support of Campaign for Accountability. We're dedicated to continue working to hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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Google Collecting Potentially Incriminating Data on Abortions: This week, Google drew renewed scrutiny ([link removed]) for its failure to delete data generated by users seeking abortions. Google had already promised ([link removed]) to purge that information, and it renewed its commitment after a report ([link removed]) from CfA's Tech Transparency Project (TTP) revealed that location data at abortion clinics was being collected weeks after Google's initial announcement. Now, new reporting reveals that Google is still saving users' searches for directions to clinics - as well as the routes taken.
Meta's Scant Customer Support Fails Users: For many Americans, creating a Facebook or Instagram page for their small business can bring in a steady supply of money. When their accounts get hacked, though, Meta's customer support is nowhere to be found. A recent piece ([link removed]) in The Washington Post amplified the frustrations of affected business owners, some of whom had quit their day jobs and relied completely on social media for their income.
This isn't the only problem Meta is having with account security. Last month, a TTP report ([link removed]) that revealed that stolen, ad-enabled accounts were being sold via a large black market hosted on Facebook itself. In fact, one of the victims interviewed by The Post had his ad-enabled account stolen, which cut him off from the many pages he managed.
FEC Makes Painfully Slow Process on Digital Ads: New technology requires new regulations, but the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has struggled to keep up with developments in digital campaign advertising and paid political endorsements. In the process of developing new rules for these digital ads, Democratic-appointed commissioners argued that promoted content or influencer endorsements should carry "paid for" disclosures to reveal the identity of the group that purchased the ad. That proposal was contested by the FEC's Republican appointees, and it will now be held up by a public comment period. Meanwhile, a weaker version of the rule ([link removed]) is moving ahead. It's not all bad news, but this could have been a much bigger step towards transparency.
** What We're Reading:
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* Are Facebook job ads discriminatory? Company accused of bias against women, older workers ([link removed])
Meta's algorithms may be cutting some job-hunters off from opportunities based on gender and age, which would be a violation of civil rights law. A group of female truckers have filed a complaint and are looking for answers.
* EU warns Musk to beef up Twitter controls ahead of new rules ([link removed])
The EU's Digital Services Act will go into effect next year, and Twitter needs to make some big investments to achieve compliance. If the platform is found to be in violation, it could face hefty fines or a ban from the entire operating market.
* WATCH: Senate Agriculture Committee holds hearing on FTX collapse ([link removed])
A month ago, FTX was a trusted cryptocurrency exchange, and Sam Bankman-Fried was considered a visionary investor and philanthropist. Now, the Senate Agriculture Committee is examining FTX's collapse and exploring real "guardrails" for crypto.
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
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2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter ([link removed]) .
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
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5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
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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