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Social media titans think this is all just a game of d&d and we are so screwed. https://t.co/MSfGtnbo4R
— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) January 7, 2020
Gotta wonder if a little red light goes off at someone's desk when @boztank cracks his knuckles and hits publishhttps://t.co/z5T21retiz pic.twitter.com/cZBPEvjTTp
— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) January 7, 2020
The only way to insure free elections is to convince Republicans in Congress to see election integrity as a bipartisan national security issue. As I have pointed out repeatedly, 2020 might also see foreign interference from very anti-GOP forces. https://t.co/fJIjRCsIdi
— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) January 7, 2020
Boz: my post wasn’t for public consumption, which is why i published it on my internal feed at a company where absolutely everything leaks.
— Ari Levy (@levynews) January 7, 2020
There is a heated debate inside FB about whether the company should exempt politicians from its rules. The group of employees who wrote to Zuckerberg last year are on one side, and Boz (who wrote the notorious "growth is good" memo in 2016) is on the other.
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 7, 2020
Why does Boz keep writing memos?
— Alexei Oreskovic (@lexnfx) January 7, 2020
thing about “Boz” is that he’s a...polarizing?....figure inside of facebook
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) January 7, 2020
long-timer, college TA of Zuckerberg’s, very opinionated, VP level of power
a lot of insiders disagree with him (and fight openly on internal message boards). But a lot of FBers also believe he’s right
Where I disagree with Boz is that I think limits on targeting for political and issue ads are neutral and fair in the long-run and conducive to healthier democracy. Same with a tightly drawn standard on false claims about opponents. Neither are an attack on Trump.
— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) January 7, 2020
New: the NYT obtained a controversial internal memo by Facebook executive Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, in which he warned the company not to tilt the scales against Trump in 2020, comparing it to a scene from Lord of the Rings. https://t.co/VG3sGCEp5U
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 7, 2020
Bosworth, who donated to Clinton in 2016, said that FB's current policies "very well may lead to" Trump's re-election, but that they should stay regardless. "As tempting as it is to use the tools available to us to change the outcome, I am confident we must never do that."
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 7, 2020
Interesting lines here from a top FB exec on the Cambridge Analytica story: "one of the more acute cases I can think of where the details are almost all wrong but I think the scrutiny is broadly right." https://t.co/M7HTCNxUZG pic.twitter.com/ECPQhjyFcZ
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) January 7, 2020
heres an internal memo from a Facebook exec warning insiders not to alter the company’s political advertising policy in the face of increased pressure
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) January 7, 2020
(w @kevinroose @sheeraf)https://t.co/LOnUJfNbVI
Facebook’s Andrew Bosworth on Facebook staff tending to dismiss reports from media. https://t.co/Ib3a1nogZl pic.twitter.com/EPKkdOMrjl
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) January 7, 2020
Citing the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, a Facebook executive warned in a memo that any attempt to use the social network against President Trump's re-election campaign would backfire. https://t.co/RnXj8n1rF0
— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) January 7, 2020
Big scoop by the NY Times. I’m still waiting for them to publish any of their own internal memos on their missteps in 2016, including widely amplifying the stories the GRU seeded via selective leaking of hacked documents. https://t.co/Z7CqzHAWQ0
— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) January 7, 2020
The newest Boz memo tracks with what Facebook insiders have been saying internally for months: That Cambridge Analytica was a "snake oil" company that was in the right place and had a loud megaphone.
— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) January 7, 2020
Also interesting to see Boz give FB outright credit for the election of Trump. pic.twitter.com/nCayRymlEN
Reading what my newsroom colleagues have highlighted here, there's a good case to be made for FB to be way more public about what it does and it would be less of a PR disaster than it is at present https://t.co/0qkhih4Gnt
— Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) January 7, 2020
Boz cites internal research showing Facebook users see content from 26% more sources than elsewhere.
— Brian Fung (@b_fung) January 7, 2020
“What happens when you see 26% more content from people you don’t agree with? Does it help you empathize with them…? Nope. It makes you dislike them even more."
Bosworth, who ran FB’s ads team in 2016, admitted (for the first time that we know of) that Facebook was responsible for Trump’s election, but not because of Russia or misinformation. Instead, he said, Trump just ran an “unbelievable” ad campaign.
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 7, 2020
NEW: The NYT has published an internal memo by longtime FB executive @Boz, in which he warns Facebook not to tip the scals towards Trump in 2020. Come for the discussion about FB's role in democracy, stay for the Lord of the Rings comparison: https://t.co/XJt9cUO6Tp
— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) January 7, 2020
IF!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!https://t.co/BbzzENqWZP pic.twitter.com/2Bpu1ipKkB
— Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew) January 7, 2020
you keep Rawls out of this https://t.co/Yw4CaNtnWW pic.twitter.com/ihtOZ96JD4
— Quinta "Pro Quo" Jurecic (@qjurecic) January 7, 2020
Big statement, I agree. We had a great team that included @GaryCoby, who is in charge of Digital in 2020. #FourMoreYearshttps://t.co/koaxMtn2gj
— Brad Parscale - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) January 7, 2020
Facebook is an alt-right propaganda service. https://t.co/LrvKxEUgnb
— Christopher Wylie ?️? (@chrisinsilico) January 7, 2020
heres an internal memo from a Facebook exec warning insiders not to alter the company’s political advertising policy in the face of increased pressure
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) January 7, 2020
(w @kevinroose @sheeraf)https://t.co/LOnUJfNbVI
The book doesn’t end when Galadriel declines the ring. Personal restraint isn’t enough. The ring must be cast into a pit of fire, so that no one else can ever abuse the terrible power it bestows. Which is quite an analogy to apply to your platform, right?https://t.co/kradqq39uo pic.twitter.com/RyQrIjP30C
— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) January 7, 2020
I appreciate that the NYT took space in the fifth graf of this story to note that the FB executive “misspell[ed] the name of the character Galadriel.” https://t.co/gZh19a3Zyx
— Kevin Robillard (@Robillard) January 7, 2020
Facebook exec @boztank admits Facebook was responsible for the election of @realDonaldTrump -- but not because of Russia's disinformation campaign, but because he was better at advertising on FB than anyone else: https://t.co/T1GloF49EA@kevinroose @sheeraf @MikeIsaac w/the memo
— Edmund Lee (@edmundlee) January 7, 2020
How about starting with not tilting it toward him?
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) January 7, 2020
Don’t Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns https://t.co/EIMwzs7oNl
This made me lol
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) January 7, 2020
(https://t.co/v1ghKpOfUS)
Sugar is actually very bad and the sugar industry lied for decades to get people hooked on it https://t.co/rqtlCFlJjZ pic.twitter.com/yg0gkHtdgf
This is just absolutely nuts. This company favors the administration in every possible way, but they’re still worried about people thinking that they’re against him? https://t.co/0cif2FCzXA
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) January 7, 2020
Facebook exec says he "desperately" wants Trump to lose, and would very much like to "pull any lever at my disposal," but tells staff it would be wrong to rig things. Also defends policy on not fact-checking political ads, even if it helps Trump win https://t.co/EJK8tgqrfO
— Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) January 7, 2020
It appears Facebook leadership has a difficult time conceptualizing what it means to act in the interest of the public. Giving people what we want isn't the same as providing the information we need for democracy to function https://t.co/fzUaTCDKPH pic.twitter.com/DQ1sTaXrr0
— april glaser (@aprilaser) January 7, 2020
ah, so it's bad for your health and disproportionately hurts poor people? https://t.co/gPrekZHTbm pic.twitter.com/Vx5B9ZMv8i
— Ali Breland (@alibreland) January 7, 2020
We live in times, when Facebook has the power to choose who gets elected a president, and the final result is up to their internal debate and reflection. Think about that.#algorithms #manipulationhttps://t.co/y4ybTW6Gbu
— Mikko Alasaarela | AI ❤ Community (@alasaarela) January 7, 2020
Lord of the Rings is so dumb and any adults that talk about it in any positive context have brain damage. https://t.co/v1ghKpOfUS pic.twitter.com/ESzlBgFwel
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) January 7, 2020
The biggest take away is that a top Facebook exec doesn’t understand that you don’t post things on the Internet that you wish to keep private. https://t.co/bhZtrMhRFM
— katie rosman (@katierosman) January 7, 2020
Nothing in this Fb exec’s essay explains why it shouldn’t limit political ad microtargeting, realistically manipulated misinfo videos, & clearly false claims about opponents https://t.co/tWXNp3IvQJ
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) January 7, 2020
Self-aggrandizing and moronic. The scales are currently tipped so far TOWARD Trump it’s ridiculous. https://t.co/k5gW6Tsvyw
— Derek Powazek ? (@fraying) January 7, 2020
I am traveling and have only intermittent access to the internet for the next week, so for more context on the recent stories about my internal post please check my Facebook profile: https://t.co/ScYqPdkXBS
— Boz (@boztank) January 7, 2020
This post by Facebook’s Andrew Bosworth is a lot to digest: https://t.co/Gjm0A9uFKC
— Brian Fung (@b_fung) January 7, 2020
Thoughtful post by @boztank — intended for Facebook employees, but leaked, so now he's posted it as well with some additional commentshttps://t.co/EO0hobN2xg
— Dean Eckles (@deaneckles) January 7, 2020
heres the memo in full, from @boztank, who is also welcome to weigh in https://t.co/iUY6paAy3e
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) January 7, 2020
The whole post is here. It touches on a lot: Cambridge Analytica, the media, Russian interference, polarization and misinformation.
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 7, 2020
Boz also compares Facebook to sugar, rather than nicotine, saying that it is "delicious" but "benefits from moderation." https://t.co/vU1SwXnUqf
In internal memo, Facebook exec says he is reminded of a Lord of the Rings moment when he thinks about how scales could be tilted to "avoid the same result" as 2016 election: "She imagines using the power righteously...but knows it will eventually corrupt" https://t.co/BbuwP2wb4A pic.twitter.com/PuJITNKrCB
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 7, 2020
Read the full 2,500-word post that Andrew Bosworth, the Facebook executive, wrote to employees on President Trump, in which he cites the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, the philosopher John Rawls and "quadruple stuffed Oreos" https://t.co/swVWWODqtV
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 7, 2020
Facebook exec @boztank :
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) January 7, 2020
"Cambridge Analytica is one of the more acute cases I can think of where the details are almost all wrong…”
"In practical terms, Cambridge Analytica is a total non-event...”
What say you @carolecadwalla @chrisinsilico? https://t.co/Ib3a1nogZl
One thing that was really interesting in reporting on this new @boztank post, was the internal reactions within Facebook to what he wrote. Some if it made it into the story, but since we published I've heard from many other Facebook employees. https://t.co/A9GOWnnBAp
— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) January 7, 2020
My colleagues @kevinroose @sheeraf & @MikeIsaac have a scoop: An internal blog post written by a top Fb executive @boztank Cambridge Analytica, 2016, and 2020. https://t.co/5qzvJkJKzE
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) January 7, 2020
"In practical terms, Cambridge Analytica is a total non-event. They were snake oil salespeople. The tools they used didn’t work, and the scale they used them at wasn’t meaningful. Every claim they have made about themselves is garbage" https://t.co/c19X3waBkU
— Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) January 7, 2020
"Was Facebook responsible for Trump getting elected? I think the answer is yes, but not for the reasons anyone thinks... The use of custom audiences, video, ecommerce, and fresh creative remains the high water mark of digital ad campaigns in my opinion" https://t.co/9HCZsJREUy pic.twitter.com/czNGVI7scq
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) January 7, 2020
"The media has limited information to work with (by our own design!)" Facebook VP @boztank writes in memo, "and they sometimes get it entirely wrong but there is almost always some critical issue that motivated them to write which we need to understand"https://t.co/fJFVCdZtzZ
— Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (@rasmus_kleis) January 7, 2020
Good work @kevinroose @MikeIsaac and @sheeraf https://t.co/NFygeshtM8
— Jason Goldman (@goldman) January 7, 2020
There's a lot to parse in this memo, but this seems particularly... short-sighted? Willfully ignorant? I can't wrap my head around how these sentences are written in succession. https://t.co/H1EpvjGnas pic.twitter.com/0lfJ7dLCla
— Nina Jankowicz (@wiczipedia) January 7, 2020
'#Facebook Vice President Andrew “Boz” Bosworth said the company was responsible for getting President Donald #Trump elected in the 2016 U.S. election because “he ran the single best digital ad campaign I’ve ever seen from any advertiser.”' https://t.co/uGVn9cqVtA
— Amber Mac at #CES2020 (@ambermac) January 7, 2020
harry potter & thomas hobbes told me that it’s v important that *my* wildly lucrative company make absolutely no changes to limit misinformation that could ever threaten its profitability or dominance but sure, rawls, if you like that sort of thing https://t.co/q1gPjwlU0j pic.twitter.com/gQIeMFKNW7
— Lindsey Barrett (@LAM_Barrett) January 7, 2020
Raise your hand if you find it troubling that any private sector entity has the power to tilt an election either way. https://t.co/9S16QawUqq
— Lydia DePillis (@lydiadepillis) January 7, 2020
I tell everyone I care about that #facebookIsUnsafe They allow disinformation and hate mongering and steal your personal info! Beware! https://t.co/UIaER9eNTn via @NYTimes
— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) January 8, 2020
Does somebody want to tell this guy what they did to the Ring instead? https://t.co/ExKF8WB70k pic.twitter.com/tDk4Bwi54e
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) January 8, 2020
They're going to call internal FB posts 'memos' forever, aren't they?
— Antonio García Martínez (@antoniogm) January 7, 2020
Also, Boz is absolutely posting these in the full knowledge they'll get eventually leaked, and the NYT is doing PR for FB.
But anyhow, let's dive in...https://t.co/sW3ZBIavyi
Don’t Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns
— Jon Cooper ?? (@joncoopertweets) January 8, 2020
In an internal memo, Andrew Bosworth said he “desperately” wanted the president to lose. But, he said, the company should avoid hurting Trump’s campaign. https://t.co/uwkdxEwPIa
ah yes, the main factor for determining our next president should be how good their Facebook ad strategy is https://t.co/YlOKjrUvbd pic.twitter.com/R5F2nCFjm3
— Eric Newcomer (@EricNewcomer) January 7, 2020
The internal message was first reported by the NYT but then @boztank posted the whole message publicly.
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 7, 2020
According to the NYT, many other Facebook employees objected to the company's current policy of allowing politicians, including Trump, to lie in adshttps://t.co/MiuCEVNyPK
good new motto here
— Will Oremus (@WillOremus) January 7, 2020
Facebook: It's less fatal than bacon! https://t.co/dze7nymVsf pic.twitter.com/v9gOvyZhY2
Here he is. Here's the full post. @boztank's previous greatest hit, you may remember, was when he said: "Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools." And then: "It is literally just what we do. We connect people. Period."https://t.co/w3rKVmm8gu pic.twitter.com/SZywgT4Pfx
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) January 7, 2020
Reading @boztank's original post, I'm struck by his admission that the tech industry carefully keeps journalists in the dark. We know this to be true, and it's refreshing to hear someone say it. https://t.co/dfDZW3tW9N pic.twitter.com/69JtLhQByp
— Emily Dreyfuss (@EmilyDreyfuss) January 7, 2020
In an internal message, the former head of Facebook's advertising team (and current executive), @boztank, says Facebook delivered Trump victory in 2016 and is poised to do so again in 2020 but the company should not change any of its advertising policieshttps://t.co/R9GQnZlpkn pic.twitter.com/P3Hhxw12AK
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 7, 2020
read this galaxy brained bullshit from @boztank and then remind yourself:
— drew olanoff (@yoda) January 8, 2020
- facebook started as a techified white pages
- facebook's most visible board member @peterthiel is Trump's pal
- facebook *expects* you to trust them https://t.co/cZHsjpYu1U pic.twitter.com/pBqS8qPC4i
"In practical terms, Cambridge Analytica is a total non-event. They were snake oil salespeople. The tools they used didn’t work, and the scale they used them at wasn’t meaningful. Every claim they have made about themselves is garbage."https://t.co/4HxuSHgrej
— roon (@tszzl) January 7, 2020
This is a super smart essay from inside the Facebook world. The SALT SUGAR FAT (by Michael Moss) reference is the truest bit — and scariest. Lord of the Rings, 2020 and Stuffed Oreos: Read the Andrew Bosworth Memo - The New York Times https://t.co/yxGFiuefEB
— Lessig (@lessig) January 8, 2020