Економіка

A final ruling on whether to overturn Facebook’s ban on former U.S. president Donald Trump will take a bit longer than anticipated, an independent oversight board said Friday.Critics of the social media company and even strong advocates of unfettered political discourse called on Facebook’s oversight board to endorse the decision to boot Trump from the platform in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.”The board’s commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline,” a spokesperson told AFP.”The board will announce its decision on the case concerning former U.S. President Trump’s indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks.”The Facebook oversight board had originally expected to have its decision by this month.Calling Trump a “clear and present danger,” scholars and civil rights advocates have urged Facebook to permanently ban the former president from the platform.Conservatives on Capitol Hill and beyond have contended that moves by Facebook and Twitter to “deplatform” Trump demonstrate political bias and inhibit free speech.An extended public comment period ended in February with more than 9,000 submissions regarding the case, according to the board.The social network itself asked the independent body to review Trump’s eviction from the online community.The oversight board has the final say on what is removed or allowed to remain on the world’s biggest social network.Trump’s access to social media platforms that he used as a megaphone during his presidency has been largely cut off since a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington.
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Advocates for children from around the world urged Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday to ditch plans for a version of Instagram geared toward preteens.Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Electronic Privacy Information Center were among nearly 100 groups and individuals from North America, Europe, Africa and Australia to make the plea in a letter to Zuckerberg.Instagram “exploits young people’s fear of missing out and desire for peer approval,” the letter contended.”The platform’s relentless focus on appearance, self-presentation and branding presents challenges to adolescents’ privacy and well-being,” it said, building on concerns about predators, bullies and inappropriate content.On Oct. 6, 2020, Images of instagram corporate logos are displayed online on a laptop computer.Instagram is exploring the launch of a version of the image-centric social network for children under 13, with parental controls.Facebook-owned Instagram, like its parent company, allows only those older than 13 to join, but verifying age on the internet makes it challenging to catch all rule breakers.”The reality is that kids are online,” Instagram spokeswoman Stephanie Otway said in response to an AFP inquiry.”They want to connect with their family and friends, have fun and learn, and we want to help them do that in a way that is safe and age-appropriate.”Facebook is working with child development and mental health experts to prioritize safety and privacy, according to Otway.Instagram, which has more than a billion users, recently unveiled technology aimed at preventing underage children from creating accounts and at blocking adults from contacting young users they don’t know.The platform is also looking at ways to make it more difficult for adults who have been exhibiting “potentially suspicious behavior” to interact with teens.The children’s advocates were dubious about the proposed youth version.”Facebook’s long track record of exploiting young people and putting them at risk makes the company particularly unsuitable as the custodian of a photo sharing and social messaging site for children,” their letter said.”In short, an Instagram site for kids will subject young children to a number of serious risks and will offer few benefits for families.” 
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