Internet Safety & Privacy

Mental Health Charities Share Sensitive Data With Facebook

Mental Health Charities Share Sensitive Data With Facebook

Last week, a bombshell report revealed that Britain’s most prominent health care system shared private patient data with Facebook through its Meta Pixel tracking tool. And this week, it has been revealed that some of the country’s biggest mental health charities have been sharing sensitive information with the social media giant in the same way.…

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“Facebook Receipts” Project Reveals The Company’s Shadowy Influence

“Facebook Receipts” Project Reveals The Company’s Shadowy Influence

There’s no doubt that Facebook has a massive amount of control over our online lives. However, the social media giant also has tremendous influence in the real world, including among our lawmakers. That’s why a new project called Facebook Receipts aims to shed light on how Facebook spends its money to shape the laws that…

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Pharma Companies Fight Back Against Counterfeit Drug Sellers On Facebook

Pharma Companies Fight Back Against Counterfeit Drug Sellers On Facebook

Fake ads and counterfeit products are an unfortunately common occurrence on Facebook. However, these problems can become deadly when they involve prescription drugs. That’s why a pharmaceutical trade association called the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) enlisted the help of an Israeli security company called BrandShields to fight back against these bogus drug ads. According to…

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British Healthcare System Accused Of Sharing Intimate Patient Details With Facebook Without Consent

British Healthcare System Accused Of Sharing Intimate Patient Details With Facebook Without Consent

According to a bombshell report this week, the British national healthcare system has been sharing sensitive patient information with Facebook for years in what The Guardian is calling a “major breach of privacy.” Of course, many health care providers are already facing lawsuits in the US over this same practice, so it isn’t a surprise…

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Facebook Under Pressure For Allowing Racist Content To Spread In Australia

Facebook Under Pressure For Allowing Racist Content To Spread In Australia

Facebook is often dinged here in the US for its content moderation practices, allowing hate speech and other offensive content to spread. However, that problem becomes even worse overseas where the social media giant isn’t as familiar with cultural norms. This week, an Aboriginal group in Australia slammed Facebook for not controlling hate speech, urging…

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Man Accuses Facebook Of Censoring Harmless Religious Post

Man Accuses Facebook Of Censoring Harmless Religious Post

Facebook is often blamed by people of all political and religious beliefs for censoring content and violating their free speech. The latest such accusation arrived this week when conservative columnist Billy Hallowell said that Facebook took down a post that simply said “Jesus died so you could live.” According to Hallowell, the social media giant said…

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Report: Facebook Layoffs Could Hurt Effort To Stop Misinformation

Report: Facebook Layoffs Could Hurt Effort To Stop Misinformation

Over the past half a year, Facebook has dramatically cut its spending and laid off thousands of workers. The social media giant has said that these layoffs won’t affect its ability to protect users or police content, but according to a report this week in The Washington Post, many employees within the company disagree. With…

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Update: Facebook Hit With Record $1.3 Billion Fine For Data Transfers

Update: Facebook Hit With Record $1.3 Billion Fine For Data Transfers

Late last week, news broke that Facebook would face a record-breaking fine in Europe for its data and privacy practices. And now, the parameters of the punishment have come into focus. Facebook has officially been hit with a $1.3 billion fine by EU regulators, and the company has also been ordered to stop transferring the…

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Facebook To Face Record Privacy Fine Over Transferring User Data

Facebook To Face Record Privacy Fine Over Transferring User Data

According to multiple reports, Facebook is expected to face a record privacy fine next week when European privacy regulators rule that the social media giant mishandled user data when transferring it to the US. The fine is expected to be even larger than the previous record $821 million levied against Amazon for a similar charge.…

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More School Districts Join Lawsuit Against Facebook Over Harm To Young Users

More School Districts Join Lawsuit Against Facebook Over Harm To Young Users

This week, dozens of school districts in Utah joined a federal lawsuit against Facebook and other social media companies for allegedly prioritizing profits over the safety of young users. According to the original suit that these schools have joined, “Meta… and other social media companies have engaged in reckless and negligent misconduct that has caused…

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