January, 04 2022, 12:34pm EDT
24,000+ Call on Congress to Stop Facebook From Fueling Far-Right Extremism by Passing a Federal Data Privacy Law
Facebook’s algorithmic manipulation is fueling the extremism that led to the January 6 attack. Data privacy is fundamental to disarming Facebook’s data weapon.
WASHINGTON
Today, Fight for the Future, Senator Ron Wyden, and a coalition of civil and human rights groups delivered a petition signed by over 24,000 people calling on Congress to pass a federal data privacy law. Coalition members urged lawmakers to protect against attacks like that on the Capitol last year by addressing Facebook's data-fueled algorithmic manipulation.
When Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before Congress in October, she named algorithmic manipulation as the platform's source of power. Algorithmic manipulation is only possible with invasive and copious personal data on individual people, harvested via mass surveillance.
The anniversary of January 6 falls at the beginning of the midterm election cycle, further highlighting how Facebook's algorithmic manipulation is a threat to our democracy and election integrity because it intensifies the far-right extremism that led to the attack on the Capitol. In order to #StopFacebook, lawmakers must focus on cutting off the fuel supply for Facebook's data weapon by passing a federal data privacy law.
Speakers at the petition delivery included Senator Wyden and representatives from Fight for the Future, Access Now, Public Citizen, and Open Media.
Senator Ron Wyden stated, "If we had a strong privacy law on the books, Mark Zuckerberg would already be in jail for his serial lying about Facebook's abuse of Americans' data. Congress has the opportunity to act now by passing a comprehensive privacy law that can cut off the flow of data to Facebook's outrage machine by setting strong new rules for how companies can collect, share and use Americans' personal information. That will go right to Facebook's business model and hit its bottom line, which seems to be the only thing that company cares about."
Erica Darragh, campaigner at Fight for the Future, added, "Facebook's business model has evolved into social engineering via psychological warfare. The platform weaponizes user data to fuel algorithmic manipulation in order to maximize ad sales - not just for products, but for ideas like the disinformation that led to the conspiracy theories associated with the January 6 Capitol attack. If Congress is serious about addressing the harms of social media, holding Big Tech accountable, and protecting our democracy, they must prioritize data privacy legislation in time to protect the integrity of the midterm elections."
Willmary Escoto, U.S. Policy Analyst at Access Now stated, "How many whistleblowers will it take for the U.S. Congress to rein in Silicon Valley? We need a federal data privacy law in the United States, and we need it now. Our data is harvested and weaponized against us, fueling algorithmic discrimination against the most marginalized communities and violating our right to privacy. People are fed up, and the tens of thousands of petition signatures urging Congress to pass a data protection law are a rallying cry for action."
Matt Hatfield, Campaigns Director at Open Media, said "The secretive collection, sale and algorithmic manipulation of our personal data by platforms like Facebook must end. It is a primary driver of the virality of the misinformation, hate speech, and online radicalization that people across the political spectrum are worried about. Congress passing a strong data protection law in 2022 that limits these practices will be one of the most important steps they can take to safeguard democracy and protect freedom of speech, both in America and around the world."
Public Citizen Executive Vice President Lisa Gilbert added, "As we approach the one year 'anniversary' of January 6th, we demand that Facebook be held accountable for the harm it has caused. Public Citizen stands with our allies to call on Congress to show the world its commitment to a transparent social media ecosystem that protects our digital civil rights and enhances, not hinders, democracy both at home and abroad."
Other coalition members and Congressional allies shared their perspectives as well:
Senator Richard Blumenthal stated, "We must put a stop to Big Tech's extreme exploitation of Americans' sensitive personal information. Unfettered access to troves of data that reveal private details of people's lives, identities, and preferences only fuels dangerous algorithms designed to divide us all. Comprehensive consumer privacy legislation is an essential component of reigning in Big Tech's power over American life."
Maaike van Dorssen, Managing Board Member of UK-based The London Story, noted, "Despite the progress of European data privacy laws, Big Tech remains able to use surveillance technologies to manipulate social and economic behaviours. In order to safeguard democracy and public debate in European Nations, the United States, and around the world, we urge governments to address algorithmic manipulation."
Jose Alonso Munoz, Deputy Communications Director of United We Dream, said, "Facebook has prioritized profit over the safety of its users, especially Black, brown and immigrant communities. Facebook's algorithm continues to amplify disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. This harmful disinformation played an outsized role in the attack on our democracy on January 6, and has continued to embolden Republican-led legislatures across the country to attack the voting rights of Black, brown, and immigrant communities. The 1 million members of United We Dream know all too well the importance of finding community online, including on UWD's pages on platforms like Facebook, which is why it is imperative for Congress to take action to impede Facebook's continued misuse of our data. It's time Congress ensures Facebook puts our safety over their profits."
Fight for the Future is the organization behind the coalition site HowToStopFacebook.org, which more than 70 organizations have signed onto calling for strong federal data privacy protections.
Fight for the Future is a group of artists, engineers, activists, and technologists who have been behind the largest online protests in human history, channeling Internet outrage into political power to win public interest victories previously thought to be impossible. We fight for a future where technology liberates -- not oppresses -- us.
(508) 368-3026LATEST NEWS
Listen Live: US Supreme Court Hears Outrageous Argument That Trump Is Above the Law
"The American people deserve a Supreme Court that does not hesitate to declare that no one is above the law, including a former president," said one campaigner.
Apr 25, 2024
After months of delay, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will hear oral arguments in a closely watched case on whether former President Donald Trump should be immune from criminal charges stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss—an argument that legal experts say is both absurd and dangerous.
Listen live to the oral arguments, which are set to begin at 10:00 am ET:
Thursday's proceedings mark the high court's final argument of its current term, and pro-democracy campaigners are calling on the justices to quickly reject the former president's sweeping immunity claim so he can face trial on federal election subversion charges before his November rematch with President Joe Biden.
As Bloomberg's Greg Stohr noted earlier this week, Thursday's oral arguments give "Special Counsel Jack Smith only a narrow window to put the former president in front of a Washington jury before voters go to the polls on November 5."
"With the trial on hold until the high court rules," Stohr added, "Smith needs a clear-cut victory, and he needs it quickly."
Sean Eldridge, founder and president of the progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, said in a statement Thursday that "the Supreme Court's right-wing majority has already handed Trump a temporary victory by stalling this case for months, allowing him to delay accountability for his criminal attempts to cling to power."
"With so much at stake for our democracy, the Supreme Court should rule swiftly and decisively in this case," said Eldridge. "Accountability delayed could mean accountability denied."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Grand Jury Indicts Top Trump Aides, 11 Arizona Republicans Over 'Fake Electors' Scheme
Had it succeeded, said the state's attorney general, the scheme would have "deprived Arizona's voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president."
Apr 25, 2024
A grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday charged seven aides to Donald Trump and nearly a dozen Republican officials over a "fake electors" scheme in the state that aimed to keep the former president in power after his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
Trump, who is currently facing nearly 90 charges across four criminal cases as he runs for another White House term, was described as "unindicted co-conspirator 1" in the 58-page indictment, which was announced by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
"The people of Arizona elected President Biden," Mayes, a Democrat, said Wednesday. "Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendants charged by the state grand jury allegedly schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency. Whatever their reasoning was, the plot to violate the law must be answered for."
The indictment names former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, sitting state Republican Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon, and seven others as the "fake electors" who sought to declare Trump the rightful winner of the state's presidential contest.
The names of other individuals indicted by the state grand jury are redacted, but the document's descriptions make clear that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and top Trump legal strategist Boris Epshteyn are among those facing felony charges—including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.
"In Arizona, defendants, unindicted coconspirators, and others pressured the three groups of election officials responsible for certifying election results to encourage them to change the election results," the document reads. "Discussions about using the Republican electors to change the outcome of the election began as early as November 4, 2020. Those plans evolved during November based on memos drafted by [an attorney for the Trump campaign, Kenneth Chesebro]."
Mayes said Wednesday that had the fake elector scheme succeeded, it would have "deprived Arizona's voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president."
"It effectively would have made their right to vote meaningless," said Mayes.
A state grand jury, made up of everyday, regular Arizonans, has handed down felony indictments in the ongoing investigation into the fake elector scheme in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/Nu8GcD4ZqJ
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 24, 2024
Alex Gulotta, state director of All Voting Is Local Action Arizona, said Wednesday that "the indictment of the eleven fake electors is one of the first steps required in holding these election deniers accountable for their alleged attempts to take power away from voters by disrupting our free and fair elections."
"Arizonans deserve to trust the election officials responsible for administering our elections and preserving our democracy," said Gulotta, "and this is a positive step forward as we continue to strengthen the foundations of our democracy and restore faith in our elections."
The Arizona Republicreported Wednesday that "several of the Arizona electors have previously claimed they were merely offering Congress a backup plan, though nothing in the documents they sent to Congress and the National Archives backs up that assertion."
"The indictment includes several statements the false electors made on social media that contradict those claims," the newspaper observed.
Jenny Guzman, director of Common Cause's Arizona program, said the indictment "marks the start of a new chapter for the fake elector scheme that has plagued Arizona."
"Arizonans are still dealing with the fallout from the false electors and the Big Lie about the 2020 elections," said Guzman. "We are relieved that the investigation by Attorney General Mayes has concluded and Arizonans can now know that what comes next is accountability. These efforts by these fake electors to undermine the will of Arizona’s voters have had implications far beyond their failed attempt to overthrow the 2020 election."
"This indictment can reassure all Arizonans that if anyone, regardless of their political affiliation, attempts to undermine their vote, consequences will follow," Guzman added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Watchdog Urges FEC to Investigate Trump Campaign Over Scheme for Legal Fees
"By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much."
Apr 24, 2024
A campaign finance watchdog on Wednesday filed a Federal Election Commission complaint accusing former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, affiliated political groups, and an accounting firm of violating U.S. law in a scheme "seemingly designed to obscure the true recipients of a noteworthy portion of Trump's legal bills."
The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center (CLC) said that "evidence appears to show an illegal arrangement between several Trump-affiliated committees and a compliance firm named Red Curve Solutions that is designed to obscure the identities of those providing legal services and how much they are being paid."
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money."
CLC alleges that the Trump campaign, Trump's political action committee (PAC) Save America, and three affiliated organizations "violated federal reporting requirements based on a scheme in which the committees reportedly paid over $7.2 million—described as 'reimbursement for legal' costs or expenses"—to Red Curve.
The watchdog also said that Red Curve appears to be "making or facilitating illegal contributions that violate either federal contribution limits or the prohibition on corporate contributions."
According to CLC:
Red Curve is a domestic limited liability company that offers compliance and FEC reporting services but does not appear to offer any legal services. It is managed by Bradley Crate, who also serves as the treasurer for each of the five Trump-affiliated committees concerned in this complaint, as well as over 200 other federal committees.
According to filings with the FEC, Red Curve appears to have been fronting legal costs for Trump since at least December 2022, with Trump-affiliated committees repaying the company later. This arrangement appears to violate FEC rules that require campaigns to disclose not only the entity being reimbursed (here, Red Curve) but also the underlying vendor. By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much they are being paid—through this arrangement.
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money," CLC senior director of campaign finance Erin Chlopak said in a statement. "When campaigns and committees obscure that information from the public, not only do they make it difficult to determine if the law has been violated, but they deny voters the ability to make an informed choice when casting a ballot."
"The steps taken by the Trump campaign, its affiliated committees, and Red Curve Solutions concealed information about how campaign funds were used to pay former President Trump's legal expenditures, including the amounts and ultimate recipients of these expenditures—and the FEC must investigate immediately," Chlopak added.
Trump—who is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee—faces 91 federal and state felony charges related to his role in the January 6 insurrection and his organization's business practices. He is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to cover up sex scandals during the 2016 election cycle. The twice-impeached former president has been open about his use of campaign donations to pay his legal costs.
The new CLC filing comes a day after the watchdog filed separate FEC complaints urging investigations into a pair of Trump-affiliated "scam PACs," which "pretend to fundraise for major candidates or issues while secretly diverting almost all of their donors' money back into fundraising or the fraudsters' own pockets."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular