Things We Saw Today: Elizabeth Warren Proves an Important Point About Fake News on Facebook

Fake news? Liz has a plan for that.

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is stepping up the fight against fake news in a brilliant way. Last week Warren’s campaign ran a paid advertisement on Facebook which states that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has endorsed Donal Trump for president. Although Zuckerberg is terrified of Warren, it’s not true that he endorses Trump. Warren lied in her ad and that’s the whole point.

Facebook has no policy preventing candidates from lying in advertisements – and that’s very very bad. The point Warren is brilliantly making is that Facebook has become a for-profit free-for-all platform for lies and disinformation because it allows political ads that make completely untrue claims to run on the site. (Among other things).

Facebook is a massively powerful tool for spreading content and information – odds are a few of you readers got to this page via our facebook. It’s ubiquitous and an especially powerful tool for reaching older, and possibly more gullible voters that believe everything they read. Warren tweeted about the ad:

Once again, we’re seeing Facebook throw its hands up to battling misinformation in the political discourse, because when profit comes up against protecting democracy, Facebook chooses profit.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 12, 2019

This is a bold stunt, but it’s a great way of showing what candidates can do and alerting folks to the power social media has. Even so, we wouldn’t be surprised to see our crazy uncle posting clickbait “Warren lies on facebook!” links on their feed. But hopefully now that the liea are about him, Zukerberg will actually do something…but we’re not holding our breath.

Elsewhere on the interwebs this fine Saturday:

• A sweet coming out day twitter thread about AOL downlaods, Beefcakes, and blaming mom. (via Grant Ginder)
• An advent calendar…for cats! (via Mental Floss)
• Warren wasn’t the only candidate owning a Trump this week:
  

  You wouldn’t know a joke if one raised you. https://t.co/zUV3MLkmVm

  — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 12, 2019

• We’re terrified but we’re also really excited to see Parasite. (via LA Times).
• Looks like Jared Padalecki won’t be leaving the CW any time soon as they just agreed to make his Walker, Texas Ranger pilot. (via Deadline)
• Here’s a quote that will make you want to scream: “Occasionally, while on the phone with foreign heads of state, Trump has handed the receiver to his daughter, Ivanka Trump, so she can talk with the leader, according to this individual.” (Via AP)
• It’s nine + months until San Diego Comic Con but tickets for returning attendees are already sold out. (Via SDCC Unofficial Blog)
• To cleanse you palette of that, here’s a little video that kept us laughing for at least five minutes. (Warning: Monkey balls).
  

  Hi we were recording for our chem video and this happened😕 pic.twitter.com/DTAKcek67o

  — theera✨🦄 (@theera_29) October 11, 2019

• We love this Skin Care reading list from Sara Benincasa. (via Longreads)
• And I used to think I was nuts about getting prepared for winter:
  

  This couple opened the hood of their car to find more than 200 nuts stashed away by squirrels 🐿 pic.twitter.com/e3nGYKWJrq

  — NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 12, 2019

• And finaly, our favorite Webtoon, Lore Olympus is being developed into an animated series by the Jim Henson Company. (via Deadline)

What things did you see today?

(Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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