Ahead of Nigeria's elections tomorrow, it seems Facebook has been allowing outsiders to buy political ads targeting the country—which it expressly said would be forbidden. Al Jazeera checked, and discovered it was very easy to slip ads past Facebook's automated systems: one claiming the terrorist group Boko Haram was fielding a candidate; and one claiming Donald Trump was backing the opposition. Al Jazeera
The Federal Trade Commission and Facebook are negotiating over a multi-billion dollar fine that would settle the agency’s investigation into the social media giant’s privacy practices, according to two people familiar with the probe. The fine would be the largest the agency has ever imposed on a technology company. (Washington Post)
Facebook says it is "open to meaningful regulation" after a report by U.K. lawmakers said the company acted like "digital gangsters" when it came to fake news, privacy and antitrust. That's the kind of (entirely characteristic) response that plays really badly in Europe—new regulation would be imposed on Facebook, whether or not the company welcomes it. Fortune
A complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Facebook of failing to protect sensitive health data in its groups. The complaint, filed with the agency last month and released publicly Monday, argues that the company improperly disclosed information on members of closed groups. (The Verge)
Facebook's moderators have a job that is frequently traumatic and, in some cases, even radicalizing. That's according to a bombshell report from The Verge, which notes that the moderators—generally contractors with a low-perk deal—"have begun to embrace the fringe viewpoints of the videos and memes that they are supposed to moderate." The Verge
Facebook's VP of product design, Margaret Gould Stewart, said at Fortune's Brainstorm Design conference that design considerations were essential when implementing changes that would affect the platform's enormous user base, but caution is key. "The data that we have can inform our design decisions, but it's kind of dangerous to be led around by the nose by the numbers," she said. Fortune
