Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Facebook upgrade spurs fears of political bias
The Daily Caller ^ | May 24, 2011 | Neil Munro

Posted on 05/24/2011 8:50:51 AM PDT by opentalk

Facebook’s managers are deploying a new software upgrade that will dismantle myriad groups of like-minded political activists unless they get a special software-key from the company.

But Facebook manager are providing very limited information about which groups are being favored with the new key, prompting some activists to complain about possible political favoritism among Facebook managers, and many other activists to experiment with techniques and tricks to get the needed upgrade-key.

“Who is being given the upgrade?” asked Pamela Geller, the New York organizer of a 15,000-member group opposed to Islamist political groups. Without the special key, groups lose access to their members.

...“The Coalition to Save Marriage in New York” is a group of 1,163 social-conservatives seeking to preserve traditional marriage’s role as an institution for parents and child-rearing. The group has been very active this year trying to derail a gay-marriage push in the state assembly, but the group doesn’t have the upgrade, said the group’s administrator, Jason McGuire in Rochester, N.Y. “Nobody else that I know got one,” he said. “You do have to wonder if Facebook is leaning towards liberal positions, instead of being on open format,”.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence got the upgrade for its 1,000-member group. “We changed over very smoothly,” said David Churchill, the network-manager at the D.C.-based gun-control group.

...The activists’ worries about Facebook’s possible political tilt are fortified by the political activities of its founders and employees. The company’s employees donated heavily to the Obama campaign in 2008, just as did the employees of Google and Microsoft. Facebook-founder Chris Hughes workers as head of the online-organizing campaign for the Obama campaign, while company chief Mark Zuckerberg has declared himself to be an Obama supporter.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 2012election; censorship; corruption; democrats; electionfraud; elections; facebook; goldmansachs; internet; liberalfascism; liberalmedia; liberals; newmedia; obama; obamadonors; obamasminions; obamavoters; progressive; progressives; propaganda; switchtomyspace; zuckerberg
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-57 next last
To: mnehring

>>>>The FR group has an alert on the top of the page it will be archived instead of upgraded

Easily remedied by the original creator of the group. All they need to do is do the upgrade.


21 posted on 05/24/2011 9:41:12 AM PDT by Keith in Iowa (FR Class of 1998 | TV News is an oxymoron. | MSNBC = Moonbats Spouting Nothing But Crap.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: GregB

Pinging Gregb. This could be fun, hehehe! Has the Sarah group been sent a key?


22 posted on 05/24/2011 9:42:34 AM PDT by prisoner6 (Right Wing Nuts bolt The Constitution together as the loose screws of the Left fall out!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GregB

Pinging Gregb. This could be fun, hehehe! Has the Sarah group been sent a key?


23 posted on 05/24/2011 9:42:46 AM PDT by prisoner6 (Right Wing Nuts bolt The Constitution together as the loose screws of the Left fall out!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mnehring
The FR group

There's a Freeper group on Facebook? Got the URL?

24 posted on 05/24/2011 9:46:08 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: opentalk

Looks like FB is trying to emulate the Dixie Chicks. What is it about liberals that make them think they can insult and alienate half of their clientele?


25 posted on 05/24/2011 9:57:47 AM PDT by Graneros ("Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: opentalk

The best way around this problem is multiple small local groups (20-100 members) that network with a larger state group. The larger state group is comprised of the leaders of the small groups. We are kind of like sleeper cells with a small footprint. Having a big group with a big leader is a distraction and a target.
We do something like this in WI.


26 posted on 05/24/2011 9:58:13 AM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: opentalk

We will find another place to go.


27 posted on 05/24/2011 10:02:54 AM PDT by Big Horn (Rebuild the GOP to a conservative party)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

Free Republic on Facebook (Free Republic Official)
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26012226159

**This message is at the top of the page:

This group is scheduled to be archived

Over the next few months, Facebook will be archiving all groups created using the old groups format. When this group is archived, its wall posts, photos and discussion threads will move to the new groups format, but group members will need to be re-added.
Learn More

Free Republic Website
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Republic/141344792800?ref=ts&sk=wall


28 posted on 05/24/2011 10:14:20 AM PDT by LibertyGrrrl ("First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Keith in Iowa

I am it. It doesn’t have that option.


29 posted on 05/24/2011 10:18:56 AM PDT by mnehring
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

It is the first one in #28. The one with a little over a thousand members. There are several other small ones too.


30 posted on 05/24/2011 10:20:30 AM PDT by mnehring
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: TheThirdRuffian

MySpace..............


31 posted on 05/24/2011 10:20:57 AM PDT by Red Badger (Jesus said there is no marriage in Heaven. That's why they call it Heaven............)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: mnehring

Then start a new group.


32 posted on 05/24/2011 10:24:04 AM PDT by Keith in Iowa (FR Class of 1998 | TV News is an oxymoron. | MSNBC = Moonbats Spouting Nothing But Crap.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: opentalk
also related

US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda

The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage "fake people" on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues. The contract calls for the development of "Persona Management Software" which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.

33 posted on 05/24/2011 10:25:11 AM PDT by opentalk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: opentalk

Libs control the media. :(


34 posted on 05/24/2011 10:25:11 AM PDT by Tzimisce (Never forget that the American Revolution began when the British tried to disarm the colonists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Buckeye McFrog

Or even the next Friendster! LOL.


35 posted on 05/24/2011 10:25:59 AM PDT by 2harddrive
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Keith in Iowa
>>>>The FR group has an alert on the top of the page it will be archived instead of upgraded

Easily remedied by the original creator of the group. All they need to do is do the upgrade.

You may have missed this point - Facebook is determining who gets to upgrade and who doesn't. If Facebook decides not to allow a group to upgrade, they can't.

36 posted on 05/24/2011 10:26:39 AM PDT by Bob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Bob

Then start another group.


37 posted on 05/24/2011 10:27:51 AM PDT by Keith in Iowa (FR Class of 1998 | TV News is an oxymoron. | MSNBC = Moonbats Spouting Nothing But Crap.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: LibertyGrrrl

Thanks for the links.


38 posted on 05/24/2011 10:28:25 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: texmexis best
Wealth Website Redistribution?

I am actually surprised some conservative internet geek (like the opposite of Zuckerberg) hasn't come up with a different kind of FaceBook for conservatives. Oh wait...here's one: www.freedomtorch.com
39 posted on 05/24/2011 10:34:30 AM PDT by Lucky9teen (Jobs? Nope! Economy? Nope! Disarm the U.S? Yep! Impeach the treasonous Marxist Muslim usurper bast)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: opentalk

So now we find out that the Brady Campaign has 1,000 members! Wow! 1,000?

Oh.My.God.1,000?

I have more than that on my personal page. Lots more.


40 posted on 05/24/2011 10:34:33 AM PDT by texmexis best
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-57 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson