INTERNATIONAL
Facebook chooses ‘profit over safety’ – whistleblower claims
A whistleblower who leaked a stash of internal Facebook documents alleging the company knew its products were fuelling hate and harming children's mental health has accused the social media giant of choosing “profit over safety”.
Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, revealed her identity in an interview that aired on Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes and claimed the social media giant prematurely turned off safeguards designed to combat misinformation after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year's elections in a moneymaking move.
She said the move contributed to the storming of the US Capital on 6 January.
Ms Haugen also claimed a change to the content flow in Facebook's news feeds in 2018 led to more divisiveness and ill will.
She said although the new algorithms were sowing discord, they helped to keep people returning to the social media platform, allowing the California-based company to sell more digital ads.
“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook,” she said.
“And Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimise for its own interests, like making more money.”
Facebook's annual revenue more than doubled from $56bn (£41.4bn) in 2018 to a projected $119bn (£88bn) this year, based on estimates of analysts surveyed by FactSet.
The company's value has leapt from $375bn (£275bn) at the end of 2018 to nearly $1trn (£750bn) now.
Even before the full interview was aired on Sunday, a top Facebook executive said Ms Haugen's allegations were “misleading”.
Nick Clegg, the company's vice president of policy and public affairs, said in a memo sent to Facebook employees on Friday: “Social media has had a big impact on society in recent years, and Facebook is often a place where much of this debate plays out.
“But what evidence there is simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media more generally, is the primary cause of polarisation.”
It comes after The Wall Street Journal published an expose in September that revealed Facebook's own internal research had concluded its new algorithms had contributed to political dissent along with mental health and emotional problems among teenagers, especially girls.
The reports were based on internal documents that showed the company knew more about the negative impact of its products than it publicly claimed.
Ms Haugen had copied thousands of pages of Facebook's internal research and leaked them to the paper in what became known as the Facebook Files.
Facebook asserted the paper had cherry-picked the most damaging information in the documents to cast the company in the worst possible light.
The company has not disputed the authenticity of the documents, however Mr Clegg has previously claimed that the Journal's articles contain “deliberate mischaracterisations of what we are trying to do, and conferred egregiously fake motives to Facebook's leadership and employees”.
During the 60 Minutes interview, Ms Haugen said: “No one at Facebook is malevolent.
“But the incentives are misaligned, right? Like, Facebook makes more money when you consume more content.
“People enjoy engaging with things that elicit an emotional reaction. And the more anger that they get exposed to, the more they interact and the more they consume.”
Ms Haugen will testify before the US Congress on Tuesday.
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INTERNATIONAL
I wrote ‘Shape Of You’ for Rihanna – Ed Sheeran Claims
Grammy-winning British singer Ed Sheeran has revealed that Barbadian superstar, Rihanna was the inspiration behind his hit song, ‘Shape Of You.'
He disclosed this in a recent interview with Hits Radio.
“Rihanna is genre-less, she can do anything. She's the grail for songwriters. When I wrote Shape Of You, the person I was writing in my mind for was Rihanna,” Sheeran said.
‘Shape Of You' was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the lead singles from Ed Sheeran's third studio album, ‘Divide.'
The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Ed Sheeran also revealed that he wrote Justin Bieber's hit song, ‘Love Yourself.' He said the song was initially rejected by numerous artists.
SOURCE: Dklassgh.Com
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INTERNATIONAL
Pete Davidson explains why he’s done with ‘Bupkis’
Despite being renewed for a second season, “Bupkis” will not be returning to Peacock.
The semi-autobiographical comedy from former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson is coming to an end, he confirmed in a statement to Variety.
“I've always seen Bupkis as a window into my life, since it is so personal and about my struggles and family,” Davidson said. “After nearly a decade of my personal life being in the media I wanted a chance to tell my story my way. Of all the work I've ever done, Bupkis is by far what I'm most proud of.”
Davidson also expressed his gratitude “to Lorne Michaels and Broadway Video, Peacock, Universal Television and the amazing cast and writers for helping me create something honest, funny and heartfelt.”
“I do also feel that this part of my life is finished,” Davidson continued. “I'm very excited for this next chapter and for you guys to see the work. Thank you to all who support me for I am forever grateful.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Davidson.
The series in which Davidson played a fictionalized version of himself premiered last May on the Peacock streaming service and costarred Edie Falco and Joe Pesci.
Davidson also played a version of himself in the Peacock film “The King of Staten Island.”
SOURCE: Dklassgh.Com
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BIOGRAPHY
Adult Film Star, Sophia Leone dies at 26
Widely known adult film star, Sophia Leone has been reported dead after being found unresponsive in her apartment a week ago.
The 26-year old Sophia Leone is famed for her erotic scenes in the adult industry, where she starred in over 80 films. Her sadden death has led to lot of speculation as this is the fourth such incident in the adult movie industry in the past few months. Only two days ago adult star Emily Willis, who was taken to the hospital on February 5, revealed that she has been struggling for her life while on a ventilator.
In the past few weeks, Kagney Lee committed suicide at just 36 years old. Earlier, in January, Jesse Jane and her boyfriend Brett Hasenmuller in Oklahoma
A person wrote, “First Kagney Linn Karter, now Sophia Leone and very soon Emily Willis.. my search history is slowly becoming a cemetery,”
Others chimed in, “First Emily Willis and now Sophia Leone. This is what happens when you speak up and expose the porn industry. They kill you when you speak the truth.”
Sophia Leone's death was confirmed by her family, Her stepfather Mike Romero informed about her death via GoFundMe, where Memorial funds will be raised.
Sophie's stepfather wrote on the funding page, “On behalf of her Mother & Family, It is with a heavy heart that I have to share the news of our beloved Sophia's Passing. The Sudden loss of Sophia has left her family and friends devastated and in shock.”
Sophia Leone Biography
Sophia Leone, born on June 10, 1997, is a Mexican-born actress and model. She entered the AV industry at 18, shooting over 230 videos in various studios. Leone completed her schooling at Miami Beach School and Young Women's Preparatory Academy.
After high school, she pursued a modeling career, which led her to join the AV industry. She has shot over 230 videos in various production studios, including Reality Kings, Mofos, and Team Skeet.
Source: DKlassgh.net
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