Facebook halts feature meant to minimise toxic content: Report

according to Conservatives alleged in the past that Facebook was biased against them, a charge that the social media giant denied | Photo Credit: IANSSan Francisco: Fearing a conservative backlash, Facebook has reportedly shelved a feature intended to encourage more civil discussion among users of opposing political beliefs. Joel Kaplan, Facebook's Global Head of Policy, flagged that the project -- known as "Common Ground" -- could lead to accusations that the site was biased against conservatives, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Sources told the WSJ that the Common Ground project would have changed how the News Feed was ranked and de-emphasised "hateful" comments, The Verge reported. Conservatives alleged in the past that Facebook was biased against them, a charge that the social media giant denied. While "Common Ground" might have been halted apparently to remove bias, there are concerns that Kaplan, who attened Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing, himself has been biased.

Facebook activates Safety Check feature following Sunda Strait tsunami

Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature following the Sunda Strait tsunami on Saturday night. Introduced in 2014, the feature allows users in the affected area to inform their friends and families on Facebook whether they are safe by marking themselves safe. Users can also mark friends as safe if they happen to be together. Read also: Seventeen loses band members in Sunda Strait tsunamiBesides the Safety Check feature, kompas.com reported that users can also check the latest news about the Sunda Strait tsunami on the Crisis Response tool available on the left-hand side of Facebook's homepage. The tsunami lashed beaches in Lampung and Banten at about 9:30 p.m. At least 168 people were killed, while hundreds of others were injured.

Facebook axed political discussion feature over fear of bias allegations

as declared in It would have altered News Feed rankings to boost posts that were commented, liked or shared by people across different political ideologies. According to the insiders, Kaplan raised concerns when Facebook research revealed that conservative users tended to be more polarized than their left-leaning counterparts. In trying to mitigate that polarization, Kaplan argued, Facebook would have disproportionately hurt conservative voices. A spokeswoman told the WSJ that Facebook deemed it "essential" for the company to understand a diversity of viewpoints if it wanted to create features that "serve everyone." There are also worries this walking-on-eggshells approach may have sustained some partisanship instead of bringing people together.

Facebook shelved a feature intended to promote civil political discourse

The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook had begun working on a feature that would encourage users of opposing political beliefs to interact in a more positive way. But the project — known as "Common Ground" — was reportedly halted after Facebook's global head of policy raised concerns that it could lead to accusations that the site was biased against conservatives. Sources told the WSJ that the Common Ground project would have brought together several different projects "meant to minimize toxic content and encourage more civil discussion," which included changes to how the News Feed was ranked, and to de-emphasize "hateful" comments. This profile paints a picture of Kaplan as a sort of conservative damage-control, and that his role has expanded since the 2016 Presidential Election to push off against claims of bias. Kaplan appears to be emblematic of the tension within Facebook, which has found itself the subject of criticism from conservatives, which charge that the company is biased against them.

collected by :Roy Mark