"Every tweak to the technology that powers the News Feed has consequences for the people and businesses that attempt to harness it to win people’s attention. Along with this power comes a growing tension over how decisions get made about what information belongs in that feed. News organizations, many of which have seen their businesses decimated — or bolstered — as their readers turn to Facebook for headlines, express concern that Facebook acts as a giant managing editor of the web."
Send kictanet mailing list submissions to kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.keTo subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanetor, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to kictanet-request@lists.kictanet.or.keYou can reach the person managing the list at kictanet-owner@lists.kictanet.or.keWhen replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specificthan "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..."Today's Topics: 1. Re: The Tricky Power in Facebook's Hands... (Tony White)----------------------------------------------------------------------Message: 1Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2016 09:47:54 +0300From: Tony White <tony.mzungu@gmail.com>To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>Cc: Ebele Okobi <ebeleokobi@fb.com>, Nanjira Sambuli <email@nanjira.com>Subject: Re: [kictanet] The Tricky Power in Facebook's Hands...Message-ID: <CANpB6uCQ4O4j-hHmNQ8rtWN9RTETzgL2Dw4P_G2ux8438jd4Vw@mail.gmail.com>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8This is a thorny issue! Everything written is offensive to somebody.If I express a religious view, or a political view, there are bound tobe others having an opposing view. This is normal. But if my view isgrossly offensive to the majority, should it be 'removed'? How canany algorithm make these choices? ...And if the majority viewsuppresses all minority views, are we not advocating totalitarianism?More questions than answers, I'm afraid.Have an inoffensive weekend, people ;)TonyOn 10/09/2016, Ebele Okobi via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37318040
Facebook says it will allow an iconic photograph of a girl fleeing a Napalm
attack taken during the Vietnam war in 1972 to be used on its platform.
It had previously removed the image, posted by a Norwegian author, on the
grounds that it contained nudity.
The move sparked a debate about Facebook's role as an editor.
The editor of Norway's largest newspaper had written an open letter to
Facebook's chief Mark Zuckerberg calling the ban "an abuse of power".
The tech giant said it had "listened to the community" and acknowledged the
"global importance" of the photo.
"Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the
value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community
by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we
are aware it has been removed," it said in a statement.
"It will take some time to adjust these systems but the photo should be
available for sharing in the coming days.
"We are always looking to improve our policies to make sure they both
promote free expression and keep our community safe."
[Aftenposten editor and Napalm girl photo]Image copyrightAFTENPOSTEN/NICK
UTImage captionEspen Egil Hansen is editor of Aftenposten, Norway's largest
newspaper.
Facebook says it will allow an iconic photograph of a girl fleeing a Napalm
attack taken during the Vietnam war in 1972 to be used on its platform.
It had previously removed the image, posted by a Norwegian author, on the
grounds that it contained nudity.
The move sparked a debate about Facebook's role as an editor.
The editor of Norway's largest newspaper had written an open letter to
Facebook's chief Mark Zuckerberg calling the ban "an abuse of power".
The tech giant said it had "listened to the community" and acknowledged the
"global importance" of the photo.
"Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the
value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community
by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we
are aware it has been removed," it said in a statement.
"It will take some time to adjust these systems but the photo should be
available for sharing in the coming days.
"We are always looking to improve our policies to make sure they both
promote free expression and keep our community safe."
[Erna Solberg]Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionNorwegian Prime
Minister Erna Solberg said it demonstrated the power of social media.
The Norwegian prime minister - who had earlier posted a copy of the photo on
Facebook herself only to see it removed - welcomed the U-turn.
"That's very good, I'm a happy prime minister," Erna Solberg told BBC Radio
4's The World Tonight programme.
"It shows that using social media can make [a] political change even in
social media."
Tom Egeland, the author whose Facebook account had been suspended over the
affair, also expressed his pleasure.
"Now I'm happy!" he
tweeted<https://twitter.com/tomegeland/status/774312424031879168>.
"This does not alter at all the difficult issues that involve Facebook and
the Norwegian media. But tonight I'm just happy."
Tech or media?
But Espen Egil Hansen - the editor of Aftenposten, who had brought the issue
to prominence - said he still had concerns.
"When it comes to this photo specifically I would say that it was a sensible
decision by Facebook. That's what we editors have to do sometimes - realise
that we made a mistake and change our minds," he wrote in Norwegian on the
newspaper's
site<http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Facebook-snur-om-Vietnam-bildet-604244b.html>.
"But the main point of my article, and the point that I have asked Mark
Zuckerberg to engage in, is the debate about Facebook's power that results
from so much information going through its channels. And that still stands.
"He should begin to take part in this discussion, for there are no simple
solutions. Facebook must recognise that it has become an information filter
- and that raises problematic issues."
Last month, Mr Zuckerberg told an Italian audience that he did not want his
firm to become a news editor.
"No, we are a tech company, not a media company," he
said<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-zuckerberg-idUSKCN1141WN?utm_source=Daily+Lab+email+list&utm_campaign=107c14838f-dailylabemail3&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d68264fd5e-107c14838f-395963781>.
"The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we
do, and we take our role in this very seriously."
Ebele Okobi | Public Policy Director, Africa
m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315<tel:+44%20(0)%20771%20156%201315>
10 Brock Street | London<x-apple-data-detectors://0/1> | NW1 3FG
ebeleokobi@fb.com<mailto:ebeleokobi@fb.com>
[6F376569-CC77-422B-BAD3-794055B1E02B]
On Sep 10, 2016, at 6:20 AM, Nanjira Sambuli via kictanet
<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
wrote:
1.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/08/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-napalm-girl-photo-vietnam-war<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_technology_2016_sep_08_facebook-2Dmark-2Dzuckerberg-2Dnapalm-2Dgirl-2Dphoto-2Dvietnam-2Dwar&d=DQMCaQ&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=IUfDbFCh8dUEJ0iyXugtDi6l2ovxKMldUJnxljATFxA&s=uxPwBMQSkBv9kWc7MFDUquQmK9N8ii_aaY9r4IXi_l0&e=>
2.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-deletes-norway-pms-post-napalm-girl-post-row?CMP=fb_gu<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_technology_2016_sep_09_facebook-2Ddeletes-2Dnorway-2Dpms-2Dpost-2Dnapalm-2Dgirl-2Dpost-2Drow-3FCMP-3Dfb-5Fgu&d=DQMCaQ&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=IUfDbFCh8dUEJ0iyXugtDi6l2ovxKMldUJnxljATFxA&s=8gd_B_sW3vArlPR-lhnpXG_d36KeP9yB49gjTu0ZzyE&e=>
Regards,
Nanjira.
Sent on the move.
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