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Facebook removed 1.3 billion accounts in Oct-Dec

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Facebook removed more than 1.3 billion accounts between October and December 2020, Facebook’s VP of Integrity Guy Rosen wrote in a blog post on Monday.

“We take a hard line against this activity and block millions of fake accounts each day, most of them at the time of creation. Between October and December of 2020, we disabled more than 1.3 billion of them,” Rosen wrote on Monday. “We also investigate and take down covert foreign and domestic influence operations that rely on fake accounts.”

Moreover, Rosen said that Facebook has more than 35,000 people working to tackle misinformation on the platform, adding that the platform uses artificial intelligence to crack down on “deceptive behavior.”

“We’re making progress thanks to these significant investments in both people and in technology such as [artificial intelligence].”

Facebook also removed more than 12 million pieces of content about COVID-19 and vaccines that global health experts flagged as misinformation.

“But it’s not enough to just limit misinformation that people might see,” Rosen said. We also connect people to reliable information from trusted experts.”

Rosen said that they feed users information through labels that attach to certain posts and notifications that appear in people’s feeds on both Facebook and Instagram.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a Big Tech hearing on Thursday with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifying before the committee.

The hearing will be guided by the following principles: increasing meaningful transparency, enhancing oversight and accountability, pushing for consistency and objectivity and exploring competition issues so innovation is unleashed, not quashed.

“Unfortunately, Big Tech has broken any sense of trust that they can be fair stewards for speech and the truth,” Energy and Commerce ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers said in a statement. “It is time for Energy and Commerce Republicans to act. To be clear, we will not pursue government regulation of speech, but it’s a dereliction of our duty to our constituents to do nothing. As the committee of jurisdiction, we have the honor and duty to lead our conference on these issues.”

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

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The Tate Brothers and Associates Face Human Trafficking Charges in Romania

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In a recent development, the Tate brothers, Andrew and Tristan, along with two associates, find themselves at the center of a high-profile case involving human trafficking allegations.

The charges leveled against them indicate the formation of an organized criminal group in 2021 with the intent to carry out human trafficking operations not only in Romania but also in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the BBC.

The investigation, which led to their arrest in December last year, has culminated in an indictment filed with the Bucharest court. According to the indictment, the Tate brothers are accused of luring their victims with false promises of love and marriage. Seven individuals have been identified as alleged victims, who were later coerced and subjected to a harrowing ordeal.

Prosecutors contend that the victims were taken to locations in Ilfov county, Romania, where they faced constant surveillance, intimidation, and control. The defendants allegedly forced the victims into debt and coerced them into participating in pornographic activities, with the explicit material subsequently shared on social media platforms. Shockingly, one of the defendants is accused of raping a woman on two occasions in March 2022, further amplifying the gravity of the charges.

While the trial is not expected to commence immediately, as a Romanian judge is granted 60 days to inspect the case files, it is anticipated to be a protracted legal battle. The complexity of the case and the severity of the charges will undoubtedly result in a lengthy trial process, with several years potentially passing before a verdict is reached.

Representatives for the Tate brothers released a statement acknowledging the unsurprising nature of the news but maintaining their belief in their innocence.

As reported by the BBC, the Tate brothers media team stared, “While this news is undoubtedly predictable, we embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.”

They expressed their eagerness to present a comprehensive body of evidence meticulously collected over time, which they believe will substantiate their claims of innocence and restore their tarnished reputation.

However, it should be noted that additional charges, such as money laundering and trafficking of minors, are still under investigation. If evidence is uncovered to support these allegations, a separate indictment could be filed, further complicating the legal proceedings for the defendants.

Andrew Tate, who gained notoriety through his participation in the reality television show Big Brother, has a controversial past, having been removed from the show in 2016 following a video that appeared to depict him assaulting a woman.

Despite subsequent bans on social media platforms due to his contentious statements, he has managed to amass a following, particularly among young men, by promoting an ostentatious and hyper-masculine lifestyle.

As the case unfolds, public attention will undoubtedly be drawn to the trial, with many eagerly awaiting the outcome and hoping for justice to be served for the alleged victims. The complex web of charges and the high-profile nature of the defendants ensure that this trial will be closely monitored and scrutinized by the media and the public alike.

Follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC for more!

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