Credit: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com

With over 1 billion users logging on across the world, moderating content on Facebook is no small task. What stays and what goes has been the center of a number of recent controversies, the most recent being outrage over the growing number of pages, images, and posts degrading women and trivializing domestic violence.

In response to these images, the “Take Actions to End Gender-Based Hate Speech on Facebook” campaign, led by Women, Action, & the Media (WAM!), is calling on Facebook to address the representation of rape and domestic violence on the social network and remove gender-based hate speech.

There are two provisions in Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that apply to gender-based hate speech and could warrant the removal of such content:

1. You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user
2. You will not post content that: is hate speech, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.

Part of the “Take Action To End Gender-Based Hate Speech on Facebook” campaign

At the core of the complaint, articulated by Soraya Chemaly, Jaclyn Friedman and Lauren Bates in an open letter to the company, is the double-standard Facebook employs by allowing misogynistic pages and images, but removing non-sexualized images of women:

“It appears that Facebook considers violence against women to be less offensive than non-violent images of women’s bodies, and that the only acceptable representation of women’s nudity are those in which women appear as sex objects or the victims of abuse.”

As a private company, however, Facebook has a right to “crack down” on some forms of speech and not others. Facebook can choose whether or not they enforce the provisions in their Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, and in what instances. They reserve the right to remove content that fits within their definition of hate speech, but are in no way legally required to.

Domestic violence is a global epidemic, with 70 percent of women and girls reporting to have experienced physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime, according to United Nations Say No UNITE. Allowing for the continued posting and sharing of content trivializing, mocking, and endorsing domestic violence on Facebook has real-world implications.

The campaign calls on Facebook users to contact advertisers who advertise on such pages, demanding they stop until Facebook responds to complaints of gender-based hate speech. Providing users with a list of companies advertising on Facebook and their contact information, the campaign has already generated 16,000 tweets and 1,300 emails. A number of advertisers have already pulled their ads.

Public criticism is nothing new for the Silicon Valley-based company, however, and can span well beyond the borders of the United States. In a recent transcontinental complaint, for example, India charged 11 U.S. websites — Facebook included — of “promoting class enmity” and “undermining national integrity” by posting and selling pornographic content.

In an open letter, the U.S. Department of Justice denied the request and reaffirmed the websites’ right to post content that is constitutionally protected by the First Amendment.

“(A)s previously discussed, the first amendment to the US Constitution provides for broad freedom of expression and as a result prohibits criminal prosecution of speech except in narrowly defined circumstances,” the DOJ wrote. “Upon review of the information available to us, the request implicates free speech principles that are protected by our Constitution and that are considered essential interests.”

Like it or not, Facebook can and will continue to do whatever they want. While users can’t make the website adopt a constitutional approach to regulating free speech, people can always exercise their own and let Facebook know how they feel.

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

In a move only made possibly by a recent SEC announcement giving companies the OK to communicate with investors via social media, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer tweeted that Yahoo will be acquiring the micro-blogging site Tumblr.

Photo: I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr!  We promise not to screw… tmblr.co/Z4v08slQ0n8V

— marissamayer (@marissamayer) May 20, 2013

Searching for relevancy among increasingly younger Internet users, Mayer acquired the site for $1.1 billion with the promise not to “screw it up.”

“Certainly Yahoo has a track record of taking cool and making it uncool,” said Altimeter Group analyst Brian Solis. “Marissa Mayer is trying to bring Yahoo’s brand appeal to a different type of audience. Yahoo sees this as a path to future relevance,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

While the deal has been reported on extensively, with news outlets praising Mayer for her use of an animated gif, it is important to note that the official announcement on the acquisition was on social media.

Recognizing that “most social media are perfectly suitable methods for communicating with investors,” the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced last month that it was acceptable for companies to use social networks like Facebook or Twitter to disclose information to investors.

Since the announcement, a false tweet sent by a hacker on the AP Twitter account caused the stock market to drastically drop, proving that the newly significant impact of social media on the stock market can have real world consequences.

After news of this morning’s deal, Yahoo shares rose 0.6% to $26.67, further signaling the significance of social media in the business world.

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

“Fostering Entrepreneurship” is the motto of this year’s TiEcon annual conference, which takes place this weekend in the heart of the Silicon Valley. In what’s referred to as the World’s Largest Conference for Entrepreneurs, TiEcon 2013 connects high powered tech experts with the world’s youngest entrepreneurs.

Focusing on Big Data, mobility, and software-defined infrastructure, TiEcon’s goal is to “jumpstart and inspire the next generation of budding entrepreneurs,” Program Coordinator Terry Koh explained in an interview.

“Programs and conferences like such are great windows of opportunity to help frame young entrepreneurial studies into the context of the real world,” he continues.

This year’s conference is attracting some of the Valley’s biggest names: LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, Facebook CIO Tim Campos, LinkedIn Principal Engineer Sam Shah, and founder & CEO Sanjay Delal.

Canada’s minister for citizenship and immigration, Jason Kenney, will also be in attendance, pushing a new Startup Visa program aimed to bring young entrepreneurs to the country.  “Our idea is to go down there, and say to many of these young people: If you would like to start your company in North America and stay on on a permanent basis, Canada is open for you,” he said.

Day 2 will focus on how to get funding, global innovation, trends and challenges, with a special focus on women entrepreneurs.

“As New York City is the mecca of fashion, and Los Angeles world renowned for their movie productions, we hope Silicon Valley will act as the beacon or lighthouse, so to speak, to the hundreds of cities and countries thriving for a tech centered culture/economy,” Koh concluded.

Not in the Silicon Valley? Follow the conference on Twitter:

Tweets about “#tiecon”

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Today, the nonpartisan organization No Labels is launching No Labels Radio, kicking it off with the first of a monthly series of Twitter town halls. With Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin hosting today’s event, No Labels is asking Twitter users to submit their questions using the hashtag #AskCongress.

“The partnership between SiriusXM radio and No Labels is yet another important step in the process of broadening the national conversation around common sense solutions and problem solving,”  Huntsman stated in a SiriusXM press release. “I am proud to be a part of this new venture.”

Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat, said “SiriusXM’s No Labels Radio will give Americans the opportunity to hear just the facts from our elected officials.”

Tune in at 11am PT, 2pm ET on the satellite radio network’s “P.O.T.U.S.” or follow the conversation below:

Tweets about “#askcongress”

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Credit: nbcbayarea.com

Mark Zuckerberg’s 501(c)(4) organization, FWD.us, took another political blow last week when two key donors publicly left the super PAC. Focused on the expansion of the H1-B visas, FWD.us recently launched a series of advertisements featuring lawmakers pushing for immigration reform.

The group is sending out two sets of ads from two separate subsidiaries: “Americans for a Conservative Direction,” targeted towards conservatives, and the “Council for American Job Growth,” targeted towards independent voters. Amidst the calls for action to conservative voters, however, are blatant references to other key issues — notably the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

While variations in messaging is not an uncommon advertisement strategy, using one issue to get support for another will not go unnoticed in the political world.

The super PAC’s ploy to use the controversial issue of the Keystone XL pipeline to garner conservative support was, indeed, noticed by not one, but two of the group’s donors: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and David Sacks, founder of the social network Yammer.

Once a supporter of the group’s seemingly noble cause, Musk condemns FWD.us for the political tactics used to win over support. Explaining his departure from FWD.us, Musk suggested that contrary to popular belief, politicians do listen to their moral compass.

“I have spent a lot of time fighting far larger lobbying organizations in D.C. and believe that the right way to win on a cause is to argue the merits of that cause. This statement may surprise some people, but my experience is that most (not all) politicians and their staffs want to do the right thing and eventually do,” he said in an interview with AllThingsD.

Instead of focusing on the need for comprehensive immigration reform, the Super PAC’s defaults on keywords and issues sure to spark a reaction among its audience.

Musk is also chairman of the board at SolarCity, a solar energy company, and has showcased a longstanding commitment to environmental issues. While the two are not mutually exclusive, pushing immigration reform should not be done “at the expense of other important causes,” he further explained.

Sacks, who joined Musk in leaving Zuckerberg’s PAC, also has a complex understanding of lobbying. He produced and funded the movie, Thank You For Smoking, which focuses heavily on the internal struggles of a Washington lobbyist.

Despite losing two donors, however, FWD.us is not going to take a hit in terms of funds. The group is backed by some of the biggest — and richest — names in Silicon Valley: Google’s Eric Schmidt, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, to name a few.

The group may not suffer financially, but the loss of two supporters with experience in lobbying — in reality and on the big screen — comes at a considerable cost to the group’s credibility. Already critiqued for his involvement in the political sphere, Zuckerberg is learning the hard way that there is a right way and a wrong way to win a cause in Washington.

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Last year, Twitter hit a benchmark in its quest to the top of the social ladder, boasting over 200 million active users on the social network. What remains less clear, however, is where these users are located and to what extent, if any, does Twitter dictate the discourse of the mainstream media.

While some correlations between geography and usage may seem obvious, like access to electricity, the Internet, or wireless connection, some unlikely indicators of Twitter activity are explored in a recent study led by GDELT Data co-creator Kalev Leetaru. Published on the peer-reviewed online journal First Monday, Leetaru and his team of researchers seek out to map the human connections made possible by Twitter, using information gathered over the course of a month, October 23-November 30, 2012.

In an attempt to compare activity on Twitter to a location’s coverage in the mainstream media, Leetaru monitored 3,369,388 news articles through Google News RSS, mentioning 164,594 locations, which are mapped in Figure 1:

Figure 1: “All locations mentioned in articles found in the English–language Google News RSS stream 23 October 2012 to 30 November 2012. To see a higher resolution version of this figure, click here.”

This was then compared to all georeferenced tweets, with the results mapped in Figure 2:

Figure 2: “Comparison of georeferenced Twitter Decahose (blue) and English Google News (red) geographic coverage 23 October 2012 to 30 November 2012. To see a higher resolution version of this figure, click here.”

Georeferenced tweets are shown in blue, news mentions are shown in red, meaning that areas that are predominately blue have higher Twitter representation and areas predominantly red have more news coverage in the mainstream media.

Some key findings:

• While Twitter activity in Latin America is high, the mainstream media appears to include significantly less coverage of this area.
• In contrast, the mainstream media’s coverage of African countries is much higher in relation to the number of tweets being sent in the country.
• Iran and China were represented more strongly in the media than on Twitter, which can be attributed to their bans on Twitter.

Conclusion: “Overall, mainstream media appears to have more even coverage, with less clustering around major cities.”

Keep in mind that tracking activity on Twitter is a complex process and information gathered from results paint an incomplete picture of the geography of Twitter.

“Given that two–thirds of the native geography of Twitter is driven by just one percent of all users, this suggests that studies relying purely on these tweets will have a skewed view of the Twitterverse, especially over short periods of time,” the summary warns.

Despite the impossibility of defining the geography of Twitter, this research sheds some lucidity onto relationship between human connections and social media around the globe.

The paper provides an in-depth analysis on the different types of ways to map a tweet, using either GPS location based data or contextual references within the language of the Tweet, which can be found in the original paper. 

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Credit: CNN

Introduced by State Senator Cannella, California’s SB 255 would make it illegal to distribute information and images of any person with the intent to cause humiliation and emotional distress without consent.

Made possible by technological advances, “cyber revenge” is the sharing of unethical photos and information with the intent of causing cyber stalking, harassment, humiliation, and emotional distress on the party involved.

The language of the bill specifically targets communication associated with the digital world, speaking to the shortcomings of current law in addressing modern needs. Included in the definition of “electronic communication devices” are telephones and cell phones, which could have serious implications on the future of text messaging.

“It is unfortunate that we have to create legislation to protect individuals from the misuse of technology,” said Christine Ward, executive director of Crime Victims Action Alliance. “I applaud Senator Cannella for his efforts to prevent future victimization in California.”

What makes regulations on electronic communications difficult, however, is our lack of understanding of digital messages. While technology provides us the means to respond instantly, what’s lacking in tone, context, and body language often leads to misinterpretation. Misinterpretation makes it hard to decipher intent, making the enforcement of this bill questionable.

If passed, violators could face up to one year in a county jail and/or a fine up to one thousand dollars.

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Credit: NPR.org

If you’re a journalist interested in the relationship between the newsroom and social media, Twitter may have a job for you. In a clear push towards attracting journalists to Twitter, the company has posted a job listing on their official blog, calling for a highly experienced expert in the editorial or journalism field to fill the vacancy.

Titled “Head of News and Journalism Partnerships,” the job would entail the development and execution of strategies “that make Twitter indispensable to newsrooms and journalists,” with explicit goals to increase the number of journalists and newsworthy content on Twitter.

“We believe Twitter is a valuable complement to the great work already being done and want to find ways for Twitter to help ensure the industry’s success,” the ad reads.

In a world dominated by parodies, memes, and GIFs, many overlook the unparalleled importance of Twitter in the dissemination of news around the world. The ability to react to and share news as it happens, in a format compatible with the demands of everyday life makes Twitter an integral tool for journalists to spread valuable content.

In a matter of years, Twitter has transformed how we get the news and “the 24/7 news cycle has transformed into the 140 character news cycle,” Adam Sharp of the Government and Politics Twitter team states.

Not convinced that there’s more to Twitter than meets the eye? Here are 10 reasons why it mattered in the 2012 election.

Also check out Live Workshop: Twitter Best Practices for Journalists for more on Twitter’s influence on the newsroom.

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

In order to delve into the implications of drone policy on Washington, technology, civil rights, manufacturing, and journalism, Future Tense Now, a project of Slate, New America Foundation, and Arizona State, hosted “The Drone Next Door Conference” today. Here’s what you missed:

“Call them drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, or remote-control planes; these high-tech devices have appealed to Border Patrol and local law enforcement, but also to conservationists, journalists, hobbyists, and more. How do we decide who gets to have their own set of eyes in the skies? What does it mean for your privacy and safety if your neighbors get their own drone?” – New America Foundation

“everybody calls these things drones except for the people who make and operate them.” forbes.com/sites/gregorym…

— Joseph Lorenzo Hall (@JoeBeOne) May 7, 2013

“How do we decide who gets to have their own set of eyes in the skies?” #FTdrones @newamerica newamerica.net/events/2013/th…

— IVN News (@IVNetwork) May 7, 2013

How the rhetoric involved in the “Drone debate” simplifies policy discussion, from @futuretensenow #FTdrones a.ivn.us/13sC3lS

— Jane Susskind (@JaneSusskind) May 7, 2013

“The View from Capitol Hill” with Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar and Rosa Brookes of New America Foundation.

“There are lots of applications and it’s starting to happen right now.” – Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.). #ftdrones

— AUVSI Headquarters (@AUVSI) May 7, 2013

“A New Technology Takes Flight” with Missy Cummings of MIT, Michael Toscano, President and CEO, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, moderated by Shane Harris of the Washingtonian.

.@missy_cummings: Japan does virtually all it’s crop dusting with UAS. U.S. lags. #FTDrones

— Unmanned News (@unmannedupdate) May 7, 2013

Once UAS can get into the airspace, the applications will be “eye opening” thanks to entrepreneurs – Michael Toscano. #FTDrones

— AUVSI Headquarters (@AUVSI) May 7, 2013

AUVSI’s Michael Toscano: once national airspace is opened, industry could help crrate 70K jobs in three years #FTDrones

— Unmanned News (@unmannedupdate) May 7, 2013

“Bringing the War (Technology) Home” with Konstantin Kakaes of the New America Foundation.

Konstantin Kakaes: “Cheap drones are not that capable, and the capable drones are not that cheap” #ftdrones

— Natasha Mozgovaya (@mozgovaya) May 7, 2013

“A Drone of Your Own” with Joseph Lorenzo Hall from the Center for Democracy & Technology, Matthew Waite, Founder of Drone Journalism Lab, and Don Roby, Captain of the Baltimore County Police Department moderated by Shane Harris of the Washingtonian.

.@joebeone compares drones today to too-early wide deployment of voting machines. Needs to be done responsibly #ftdrones

— Future Tense (@FutureTenseNow) May 7, 2013

Don Roby of Baltimore Co. PD: #uas good for pics of car crashes, assisting in firefighting, tactical ops, finding missing child #ftdrones

— Unmanned News (@unmannedupdate) May 7, 2013

“Journalists are horrible pilots.” – Matthew Waite #ftdrones

— AUVSI Headquarters (@AUVSI) May 7, 2013

Waite: Using a drone to deliver beer is a waste. It should be whiskey. #ftdrones

— Future Tense (@FutureTenseNow) May 7, 2013

“Nature’s New Watchdogs” with Carter Roberts, President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, Robbie Hood, Director of Unmanned Aerial Systems (NOAA), moderated by The Guardian’s Suzanne Goldenberg.

“We do not want to document the demise of nature. We want to engage decision makers” – @carter_roberts at #ftdrones event

— WWF News (@WWFnews) May 7, 2013

Carter Roberts, CEO of world wildlife foundation, eager to unleash drones on rhino poachers.#FTdrones

— andres martinez (@andresDCmtz) May 7, 2013

Robbie Hood from @noaa: UAVs can bring science data and science discovery to a much broader audience around the world #FTdrones

— WWF News (@WWFnews) May 7, 2013

“Flying Mission Creep: What We Can Learn from the Pentagon’s History with Drones” with Rosa Brooks of the New America Foundation.

Rosa Brooks: “Drones r better than alternatives re: unintended civilian casualties but targeting only as good as our intelligence” #ftdrones

— Natasha Mozgovaya (@mozgovaya) May 7, 2013

Even if we r right about every single target, does this make sense strategically given residual anger/collat damage? @brooks_rosa #ftdrones

— Sarah M. (@saracita) May 7, 2013

Drones themselves are probably a civilian casualty-reducing tech, but reduce the threshold for force. — @brooks_rosa #ftdrones #drones

— Josh Calder (@Geofutures) May 7, 2013

Look Up and Smile for Big Brother” with Daniel Rothenberg from the ASU School of Politics and Global Studies, Catherine Crump at the ACLU, and Matt Wald of the New York Times.

Hero of #FTdrones is @catherinencrump for being the 1st person to actually state the holding of US v. Jones and not incorrectly simplify it.

— Gautam Hans (@dispositive) May 7, 2013

The difference is that privacy advocates mostly recognize positive uses of the tech. Industry ignores civil rights problems #ftdrones

— Amie Stepanovich (@astepanovich) May 7, 2013

Could drone use cause 3rd Party Doctrine to swallow up 4th Ammendment protections? #ftdrones

— Christopher Kent (@Cekent) May 7, 2013

Want to continue the conversation? Join us this Thursday, May 9 at 5pm PT, 8pm ET for a Tweet Chat on “Drone Policy & Privacy, hashtag #IVNchat. 

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.

Original photo courtesy of Shutterstock:
“3D UAV”/ Shutterstock.com

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drone policy have recently taken center stage among privacy advocates, with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) involvement in domestic drone use causing a stir among those both for and against the commercial use of drones within our borders.

While the FAA test sites have the potential to create thousands of jobs in a market that could quickly reach $90 billion, the potential for abuse remains high, leading civil liberties groups to advocate for the additional monitoring of surveillance capabilities to better prepare for privacy concerns in the future.

Lawmakers have also taken action. California State Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) and Assemblyman Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) introduced a bill to put restrictions on how law enforcement agencies’ use drones.

“Our legislation clarifies how law enforcement and other public agencies will be allowed to use UAVs, and protects the public from unwarranted intrusions,” Gordell explained in a February press release.

In light of the recent attention on domestic drone policy, proposed legislation, and the outpour of privacy concerns, IVN is hosting a tweet chat on Thursday, May 9, at 5pm PT on “Drone Policy & Privacy,” with the intention of fostering a constructive conversation on the potential benefits and dangers of using drones for commercial use and how these concerns should shape policy.

What: Drone Policy & Privacy Tweet Chat

When: Thursday, 5-6pm PT, 8-9pm ET

Where: Tweetchat.com 

Hashtag: #IVNchat

To join the conversation, just sign in to TweetChat.com with your Twitter account at 5pm PST on Thursday, enter in the hashtag #IVNchat, and speak for yourself!

If you’re on Google+, you can RSVP here.

Any questions? Either tweet at us using the hashtag #IVNchat or ask below in the comments section.

Check out the latest IVN coverage on drones: 

Civil Rights Groups Urge FAA to Test Drone Surveillance Capacities

6 Arguments in Favor of the Commercial Use of Drones

Bill Would Ban Armed Drones and Protect Privacy

Drone Manufacturers Set Their Sights on Non-Military Surveillance 

Americans Believe Drone Strikes on Citizens Unconstitutional, Poll Finds 

Jane SusskindThe Social Ballot - Navigating the political world, elections, and innovation through the lens of social media.