5 Ways Scammers Exploit Facebook To Feed You False Information

Fake profiles, fake likes, fake content.

Facebook&;s security team yesterday released a white paper that outlines some of the techniques that malicious people and entities use to manipulate information on the platform.

In some cases, governments and non-state actors try to influence public opinion. In other cases, scammers and spammers are abusing the platform to get their content to spread — so they can generate traffic they can monetize.

Here&039;s a look at some of the key ways bad actors are gaming Facebook to make false or misleading information reach you.

They use fake profiles to spread their content.

They use fake profiles to spread their content.

In early November, BuzzFeed News reported that teens and young men in Macedonia were running pro-Trump websites that often traffic in fake news stories. One tactic used by some of the larger players in that country, as well as by other spammers, is to create a large number of fake Facebook accounts and use them to spread their articles on the platform.

BuzzFeed News also documented how fake profiles are used by Macedonians to push out political and other types of content. A recent story from VRT, a Belgian public broadcaster, made this practice even more clear. Journalist Tim Verheyden went to Macedonia and interviewed a 19 year-old who went by the pseudonym Boris.

VRT

Watch Boris talk about how he controls roughly 700 fake Facebook profiles.

VRT

They spam Facebook groups with links.

They spam Facebook groups with links.

Boris explained he uses special software to have his fake profiles automatically post his latest content in to a wide range of pro-Trump Facebook groups. Facebook groups are an increasingly important part of the spam and misinformation ecosystem on Facebook.

In some cases, spammers start new Facebook groups and try to get real people to join. Other times, they purchase an existing group. Or they simply join groups with real or fake profiles and start spamming them with content.

It&039;s not just for political content — there are also hoaxes articles about terrorist attacks, or clickbait about Native Americans, for example. People are constantly targeting groups as a way to get content to spread.

VRT


View Entire List ›

Quelle: <a href="5 Ways Scammers Exploit Facebook To Feed You False Information“>BuzzFeed

Alex Jones Suffers Defeat In Custody Hearing

/ Reuters

AUSTIN — After a grueling 10-day trial, a jury has ruled in favor of Alex Jones&; wife, Kelly, in the custody of their three children.

The jury, which deliberated for roughly nine and a half hours, ruled Thursday night to give Kelly Jones joint custody with the ability to dictate the residence of the children. Previously, Ms. Jones had joint custody with limited, supervised visitation rights with residence dictated by Alex Jones.

It was a defeat for Alex Jones, who watched the verdict with a stoic face and left promptly after the verdict without talking to reporters. Upon hearing the verdict, Kelly Jones dabbed her eyes with a tissue and hugged her lawyer, Robert Hoffman.

Moments later, Kelly Jones spoke briefly to the press, thanking God for the verdict.

“I&039;m so blessed to have such a wonderful support system and I just pray that what&039;s happened to my family that people can understand what parental alienation syndrome is and get an awareness of it so we can stop this from happening to others,” she said.

The verdict came on the same day as the lawyers delivered their closing arguments. On Alex Jones&039; side, his lawyers portrayed his ex-wife Kelly Jones as emotionally unstable and quick to wrongly accuse the Texas family court system of deep corruption against her. Conversely, Kelly Jones&039; lawyers made the case that Alex Jones was a “master manipulator” who&039;d alienated the children against her.

“Mr. Jones is like a cult leader,” attorney Robert Hoffman told the jury. “And we&039;ve seen the horrific damage cult leaders do to their followers.”

Hoffman argued that the trial focused unjustly on the faults of Kelly Jones, allowing Alex to fly under the radar. “Is it Mr. Jones&039; celebrity or his vast wealth that&039;s allowed him to escape detection? Nobody can stop this man,” he said to the jury allowing the words to hang in the air for dramatic effect. “Except for you.”

The custody case — a somewhat ordinary family law matter — quickly captured national media attention after news broke that Jones’ attorneys planned to defend his custody on the grounds that his two-plus decades of conspiracy theorizing has been “performance art.”

For onlookers, the trial then offered the allure of answering the burning question: Where does Alex Jones the character end and Alex Jones the man begin?

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

But the thorny prospect of untangling Jones&039; professional life from his personal life was largely rejected by the court. Judge Orlinda Naranjo would not allow attorneys for Jones&039; ex-wife to submit clips from Infowars, Jones&039; radio and online news outlet that broadcasts his conspiratorial views.

During a hearing last week without the jury present, Naranjo did not allow into evidence multiple clips of Jones angry, shirtless, and ranting on his show. The judge also disallowed a clip of Jones and his 14-year-old son at a party where there was a dartboard plastered with images of Hillary Clinton on the grounds that the evidence was overtly political. “I don&039;t want this case tried in the press. It should be tried in here,” the judge told the attorneys.

At another moment this week, one of Alex Jones&039; lawyers told the court, “I know we were told that we’re not going to allow this court to try Infowars.”

The court got its wish. Infowars and Jones&039; status as America&039;s best known conspiracy theorist was rarely mentioned around the jury, save for a few brief moments where Kelly Jones&039; attorney&039;s noted that Jones “spewed violent hate in his professional life.” Only one very short clip of Jones allegedly intoxicated on air was played for the jury. (The clip was edited at the request of the judge to remove the phrase “1776 will commence again” on the grounds that it was political speech.)

Questions of Jones&039; character were discussed. On the witness stand, Kelly Jones accused him of being a “violent, cruel, and abusive man who engages in hate speech at home and in public.”

She accused him of racist and homophobic comments, as well as frequent comments demeaning to women. “He’s enraged and out of control all the time,” she said, calling Infowars (which Mrs. Jones was involved with many years ago) “a portal of hate.”

Jones and his lawyers meanwhile painted a picture of a kind and gentle family man who never brings his work home with him. “I just want to be with the kids, swim in the pool, and eat hamburgers,” Alex Jones told the court last week.

Far from an indictment of Jones&039; conspiratorial nature, the trial was largely a role-reversal for Jones. For the better part of two weeks, his high-priced attorneys argued that Jones provided a stable and secure life for his family, while simultaneously leveling every mainstream critique that&039;s been hurled at Alex&039;s show and personality for the last two decades onto Kelly Jones, railing against her supposed conspiratorial accusations.

At the end of his closing arguments Jones&039; attorney, David Minton, told the court that Kelly Jones “uses inverted logic and an inverted sense of reality,” a line of criticism that might sound familiar to Jones.

Though the trial hardly hinged on Jones&039; professional career or the defense that Jones&039; Infowars personality was “performance art,” Jones&039; own testimony provided no shortage of surreal moments.

Testimony from Jones&039; March 4 deposition revealed that he was unable to recall the names of his children&039;s teachers after eating a big bowl of chili. He admitted to occasionally smoking marijuana — nearly yearly — “to monitor its strength, which is how law enforcement does it.” And in typical Jonesian fashion, he told the court he tested the drug because he believes it is now too strong, thanks to billionaire and political donor George Soros, whom he claimed in court has “brain damaged a lot of people.”

For Jones the end of the trial not only means a resolution in a heated, years-long legal battle, but also the end of an uncharacteristic bit of restraint.

Jones, used to owning the spotlight and speaking his mind, was largely unable to communicate, both personally and professionally, during the trial. Throughout the case — both on the witness stand and behind his attorneys&039; desk — Jones appeared restless, constantly shifting in his seat, pacing, and running his hands across his face in exasperation. On the stand, he was aggressive and animated. He was admonished by the judge roughly a dozen times for finger pointing, aggressively nodding his head, and refusing to answer witness questions with a simple “yes or no” response.

But though the verdict has been read, it&039;s unlikely Jones will remain silent.

On numerous occasions throughout the two weeks Jones appeared to flaunt the court&039;s gag order not to speak about the trial. He released a number of videos via Infowars. “I am completely real and everybody knows it,” he said in one video posted Tuesday morning as he was driving to the courthouse.

Just on Thursday morning before the court came into session for the final time, Jones wandered into the gallery and took a seat next directly next to the members of press who&039;ve been covering the trial.

“I&039;m surprised the media missed the biggest story here,” he said.

When one reporter asked what exactly that story was, Jones shot back a wry glance.

“You&039;ll find out.”

Alex Jones And The Dark New Media Are On Trial In Texas

Here’s A Rundown Of Alex Jones’ Surreal Testimony In Court Today

The Judge In The Alex Jones Custody Dispute Doesn&039;t Want The Trial To Become About Infowars

Quelle: <a href="Alex Jones Suffers Defeat In Custody Hearing“>BuzzFeed

Here's What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme

Here's What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme

Meet Kyle Chapman, aka “Based Stickman.”

You might know him from this picture — taken at the recent violent political protests in Berkeley, California — which went pretty viral:

Or from the video of him breaking a wooden sign on the head of an anti-Trump counter-protester at a March 4 rally in Berkeley, California, which now has more than half a million views, and spawned dozens of YouTube remixes.

youtube.com

At the chaotic skirmishes that have overtaken Berkeley over the last few months, Chapman has been a fixture, clad in a shield, bike helmet, gas mask — and, of course, the big ol’ wooden stick that inspired his nickname, which is a combination of the slang term “based” (meaning “true to oneself and uncaring about others’ opinions“) and his weapon of choice.

Chapman did not respond to multiple requests for comment from BuzzFeed News, but according to local media outlet Berkeleyside, the 41-year-old is a diver by day; his Based Stickman Facebook page lists his location as Daly City, California. He describes himself on his personal Facebook page as a “Proud American Nationalist” and an “ardent Trump supporter.” And now, he&;s a human meme of the alt-right, with the webstore, rabid fanbase, and emergent movement to to go along with it.

Chapman has created Based Stickman accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to interact with his fans and solicit donations. His Reddit AMA in r/thedonald drew thousands of comments. He’s expressed interest in going to San Diego Comic Con to pitch a graphic novel about his persona, and used the right-wing crowdfunding site Wesearchr to bankroll the bail for his next inevitable arrest. (As of now, the page has raised $86,500.) On April 29, he and a number of other alt-right figures will host a gathering on California’s Mt. Baldy celebrating President Trump’s first 100 days. He’s partnered with right-wing apparel store Gruntworks to create an entire line of Based Stickman merch: hoodies ($39.99), T-shirts ($23.99), and stickers ($3-$5) in his likeness. Based Stickman is a brand.

View Video ›

Facebook: basedstickman

He&039;s also the celebrity leader of a nascent para-military wing of the alt-right. In a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything on the forum r/thedonald, he urged his fans to usher in “a resurgence of a warrior spirit to Western Society.” In the same AMA, one poster wrote, “Thank you for your service&;”, mimicking the way people address military veterans. Chapman responded, “You&039;re welcome&033; It&039;s an honor to be of service to the people who love this country as much as I do.” On April 22, Chapman formed the “Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights,” a militant group within the alt-right fraternity The Proud Boys, which was started by Vice co-founder and right-wing media figure Gavin McInnes (he and Vice split ways 10 years ago). According to a Facebook post by Chapman, the group will focus on “street activism, preparation, defense, and confrontation.”

View Video ›

Facebook: video.php

According to a Proud Boys news site, the Alt-Knights will step in when police are told to stand down. At an April 15 clash in Berkeley, the Proud Boys were already doing essentially that, acting as bodyguards for Lauren Southern, one of the far-right-wing rally’s invited speakers, as she filmed the chaos. The Proud Boys are recognizable by their black and yellow polo shirts.

youtube.com

Though Chapman is an avowed member of the so-called alt-right — the loose confederation of white nationalists, libertarians, and other far right-wingers supporting Donald Trump that largely formed online — he seems to think the racially motivated parts of his movement aren’t the best thing for it. In April 25 Facebook post, he tried to disown people photographed in Seig Heil postures at the April 15th event in Berkeley. Some of his fans were not happy, saying that his negative views of white nationalism were a sign that liberals or “anti-fascists” had gotten to him.

Anti-fascists, Antifa for short, are Based Stickman’s sworn enemies, the Joker to his Batman. They’re the black-clad Left-wing protesters who have appeared in Berkeley in recent months, disrupting Milo Yiannopoulos’ plans for a speech and fighting right-wingers in Berkeley’s parks and streets.

As a result of his activities as Based Stickman, Chapman has been arrested on suspicion of committing a number of felonies, though the charges from the March 4 riot have been dropped. He may still face charges for participating in a riot, though, according to an April 18 Facebook post.

Chapman is a living meme, and he knows it.

He wrote in an April 22 Facebook post, “The value of our meme warriors cannot be understated. Hail the meme warriors, Hail 4chan&033;” (The post linked to a Wired article titled “Don’t Look Now, But Extremists’ Memes Are Turning Into Militias.”) He’s also said that before his internet fame, he didn’t spend much time online.

youtube.com

And yet: Stickman&039;s sphere of influence appears to be widening. A Based Stickman Facebook group has appeared in an attempt to establish a local chapter in Phoenix. Right-wingers have recently put out calls online to arm themselves and fight against protesters on Thursday, the evening Ann Coulter was set to speak at UC Berkeley (Coulter isn&039;t speaking, but the protests went on nonetheless.) In one forum, the first response to the summons is “Will Based Stickman be there?”

The UC Berkeley administration, when justifying its initial cancellation of Coulter’s speech, cited the exchange on the bodybuilding forum as evidence that violence would erupt on campus if the event were allowed to continue. Chapman himself has issued calls to fans to be there that day, and attended in full riot gear.

Here’s someone copying Chapman’s methods in downtown Berkeley:

Here's someone copying Chapman's methods in downtown Berkeley:

Based Stickman is gearing up for war much in the way a Wrestlemania personality would. In a video posted yesterday on his Facebook page in advance of Thursday&039;s protest, he shouts out his fans: “my troops, patriots, freedom fighters, and warriors.” And much like a Wrestlemania hero, Chapman sees success as a foregone conclusion. “Guys, I’ll tell you right now. We will be victorious tomorrow. Our victory is all but guaranteed.”

Quelle: <a href="Here&039;s What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme“>BuzzFeed

Here's What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme

Here's What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme

Meet Kyle Chapman, aka “Based Stickman.”

You might know him from this picture — taken at the recent violent political protests in Berkeley, California — which went pretty viral:

Or from the video of him breaking a wooden sign on the head of an anti-Trump counter-protester at a March 4 rally in Berkeley, California, which now has more than half a million views, and spawned dozens of YouTube remixes.

youtube.com

At the chaotic skirmishes that have overtaken Berkeley over the last few months, Chapman has been a fixture, clad in a shield, bike helmet, gas mask — and, of course, the big ol’ wooden stick that inspired his nickname, which is a combination of the slang term “based” (meaning “true to oneself and uncaring about others’ opinions“) and his weapon of choice.

Chapman did not respond to multiple requests for comment from BuzzFeed News, but according to local media outlet Berkeleyside, the 41-year-old is a diver by day; his Based Stickman Facebook page lists his location as Daly City, California. He describes himself on his personal Facebook page as a “Proud American Nationalist” and an “ardent Trump supporter.” And now, he&;s a human meme of the alt-right, with the webstore, rabid fanbase, and emergent movement to to go along with it.

Chapman has created Based Stickman accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to interact with his fans and solicit donations. His Reddit AMA in r/thedonald drew thousands of comments. He’s expressed interest in going to San Diego Comic Con to pitch a graphic novel about his persona, and used the right-wing crowdfunding site Wesearchr to bankroll the bail for his next inevitable arrest. (As of now, the page has raised $86,500.) On April 29, he and a number of other alt-right figures will host a gathering on California’s Mt. Baldy celebrating President Trump’s first 100 days. He’s partnered with right-wing apparel store Gruntworks to create an entire line of Based Stickman merch: hoodies ($39.99), T-shirts ($23.99), and stickers ($3-$5) in his likeness. Based Stickman is a brand.

View Video ›

Facebook: basedstickman

He&039;s also the celebrity leader of a nascent para-military wing of the alt-right. In a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything on the forum r/thedonald, he urged his fans to usher in “a resurgence of a warrior spirit to Western Society.” In the same AMA, one poster wrote, “Thank you for your service&;”, mimicking the way people address military veterans. Chapman responded, “You&039;re welcome&033; It&039;s an honor to be of service to the people who love this country as much as I do.” On April 22, Chapman formed the “Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights,” a militant group within the alt-right fraternity The Proud Boys, which was started by Vice co-founder and right-wing media figure Gavin McInnes (he and Vice split ways 10 years ago). According to a Facebook post by Chapman, the group will focus on “street activism, preparation, defense, and confrontation.”

View Video ›

Facebook: video.php

According to a Proud Boys news site, the Alt-Knights will step in when police are told to stand down. At an April 15 clash in Berkeley, the Proud Boys were already doing essentially that, acting as bodyguards for Lauren Southern, one of the far-right-wing rally’s invited speakers, as she filmed the chaos. The Proud Boys are recognizable by their black and yellow polo shirts.

youtube.com

Though Chapman is an avowed member of the so-called alt-right — the loose confederation of white nationalists, libertarians, and other far right-wingers supporting Donald Trump that largely formed online — he seems to think the racially motivated parts of his movement aren’t the best thing for it. In April 25 Facebook post, he tried to disown people photographed in Seig Heil postures at the April 15th event in Berkeley. Some of his fans were not happy, saying that his negative views of white nationalism were a sign that liberals or “anti-fascists” had gotten to him.

Anti-fascists, Antifa for short, are Based Stickman’s sworn enemies, the Joker to his Batman. They’re the black-clad Left-wing protesters who have appeared in Berkeley in recent months, disrupting Milo Yiannopoulos’ plans for a speech and fighting right-wingers in Berkeley’s parks and streets.

As a result of his activities as Based Stickman, Chapman has been arrested on suspicion of committing a number of felonies, though the charges from the March 4 riot have been dropped. He may still face charges for participating in a riot, though, according to an April 18 Facebook post.

Chapman is a living meme, and he knows it.

He wrote in an April 22 Facebook post, “The value of our meme warriors cannot be understated. Hail the meme warriors, Hail 4chan&033;” (The post linked to a Wired article titled “Don’t Look Now, But Extremists’ Memes Are Turning Into Militias.”) He’s also said that before his internet fame, he didn’t spend much time online.

youtube.com

And yet: Stickman&039;s sphere of influence appears to be widening. A Based Stickman Facebook group has appeared in an attempt to establish a local chapter in Phoenix. Right-wingers have recently put out calls online to arm themselves and fight against protesters on Thursday, the evening Ann Coulter was set to speak at UC Berkeley (Coulter isn&039;t speaking, but the protests went on nonetheless.) In one forum, the first response to the summons is “Will Based Stickman be there?”

The UC Berkeley administration, when justifying its initial cancellation of Coulter’s speech, cited the exchange on the bodybuilding forum as evidence that violence would erupt on campus if the event were allowed to continue. Chapman himself has issued calls to fans to be there that day, and attended in full riot gear.

Here’s someone copying Chapman’s methods in downtown Berkeley:

Here's someone copying Chapman's methods in downtown Berkeley:

Based Stickman is gearing up for war much in the way a Wrestlemania personality would. In a video posted yesterday on his Facebook page in advance of Thursday&039;s protest, he shouts out his fans: “my troops, patriots, freedom fighters, and warriors.” And much like a Wrestlemania hero, Chapman sees success as a foregone conclusion. “Guys, I’ll tell you right now. We will be victorious tomorrow. Our victory is all but guaranteed.”

Quelle: <a href="Here&039;s What Happens When Your Life Becomes An Alt-Right Meme“>BuzzFeed

Airbnb Will Cooperate With Regulators Looking To Root Out Racists

An image from Airbnb&;s campaign, which launched during the Super Bowl.

Ten months ago, when Airbnb was only at the beginning of its racial discrimination crisis, a California agency filed a complaint against the company, citing concerns that hosts on the platform were repeatedly accused of rejecting guests on the basis of race.

Today, Airbnb agreed to allow that agency — the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) — to investigate certain hosts who have been reported for discrimination through what’s known as “fair-housing testing.”

DFEH director Kevin Kish told BuzzFeed News he initially filed a complaint about Airbnb after reading reports that hosts sometimes reject guests because of their race, as well as a Harvard study which found that racial discrimination exists on Airbnb’s platform. He spent ten months working with Airbnb, he said, out of a “concern about technology’s ability to perpetuate inequalities rather than dismantle them.”

So far, he said the startup has been a cooperative partner. “Airbnb does appear to be walking the walk, not just talking the talk,” Kish said.

Kish said that, traditionally, fair-housing testing involves sending people of different races to try and rent the same apartment, and recording the different responses they get. In the case of Airbnb, Kish said, the process will more likely entail creating user profiles that reflect different races and measuring responses to booking requests.

Per the agreement, the DFEH will be able to subpoena Airbnb for information about who have three or more listings in California and have been the subject of a discrimination complaint.

The DFEH is focusing its efforts on hosts who have the greatest impact on their communities, Kish said; it’s worth noting that, per Airbnb’s “One Host, One Home” policy, multiple listings are generally not permitted in San Francisco.

Airbnb said in a blog post published Thursday that the agreement with DFEH is largely a continuation of the company’s ongoing efforts to deal with racial discrimination.

“Our work with the State of California builds on our ongoing efforts to fight bias and we look forward to continuing to work with state leaders to ensure the Airbnb community is fair for everyone,” general counsel Rob Chesnut says in the post.

After public awareness of discrimination on Airbnb came to a head last summer — helped along significantly by the widespread hashtag — the company launched an internal investigation. It hired former ACLU Laura Murphy as well as Eric Holder to explore the extent of the problem, and come up with possible solutions. In September, Murphy published a report in which the company strengthened its discrimination policy, announced it would hire a technical team to monitor the issue, and promised to offer unconscious bias training for hosts and employees, among other things. Those efforts, Airbnb says, are ongoing.

Observers have lauded Airbnb for its acknowledgement of discrimination and commitment to fixing it — but that doesn’t mean it’s gone away entirely. Earlier this month, an Asian woman’s story of a host who told her, because of her race, he “wouldn’t rent…to you if you were the last person on earth” garnered a lot of attention. Airbnb said it banned that host for life for so flagrantly violating its discrimination policy. But clearly, the issue is a difficult one to police.

Starting today, Airbnb has 180 days to comply with any requests made by the DFEH about problem hosts. In addition, Airbnb agreed, “to the extent reasonably possible” to “gather and maintain data regarding the average acceptance rates for Caucasian, African-American, HIspanic and Asian American guests.” The company is supposed to report this data — known as the “Relative Acceptance Rate” – to the DFEH every six months. Airbnb will also remind California guests who report discrimination to the company that they can also report the issue to the DFEH.

Quelle: <a href="Airbnb Will Cooperate With Regulators Looking To Root Out Racists“>BuzzFeed

Uber’s Self-Driving Head Steps Aside Amid Allegations He Stole Technology From Waymo

Anthony Levandowski

Afp / AFP / Getty Images

Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber&;s self-driving car program, is stepping away from his role following allegations that he stole key technology from his former employer, the Alphabet-owned autonomous car company Waymo. He will remain at Uber, but in a lesser role.

According to an internal company announcement first reported by Business Insider, Levandowski has stepped down as head of Uber&039;s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and recused himself from all work and discussion of the company&039;s work on LiDAR, the self-driving technology at issue in the suit in which he figures prominently. Eric Meyhofer, who joined Uber’s self-driving program from Carnegie Mellon University when it launched in 2015, will assume Levandowski&039;s ATG duties. Uber confirmed Levandowski&039;s move to BuzzFeed News.

“Going forward, please make sure not to include me in meetings or email threads related to LiDAR, or ask me for advice on the topic.”

“… making this organizational change means I will have absolutely no oversight over or input into our LiDAR work,” Levandowski wrote in the announcement. “Going forward, please make sure not to include me in meetings or email threads related to LiDAR, or ask me for advice on the topic.”

Waymo declined comment on Levandowski’s move. Earlier this year, the company asked a federal judge to forbid Uber from using technology and information it alleges Levandowski stole pending trial, and to stop Levandowski from working on Uber’s self-driving cars. Uber disputed that request, arguing its own work is “fundamentally different” from Waymo’s designs. US District Judge William Alsup will hold a hearing next week over whether to grant the injunction.

Uber is due to submit an official response to Waymo’s complaint by Friday. Uber has maintained that while Levandowski is the leader of its self-driving program, he was not a LiDAR engineer and simply “contributed some high-level ideas to the concept,” according to one court filing. Uber described him as a manager who “did a lot of cheerleading on the sidelines” at Otto, the self-driving truck startup Levandowski started after leaving Waymo and subsequently sold to Uber. Levandowski was “much more focused on management duties. Mr. Levandowski does not provide input on detailed technical LiDAR design choices at Uber,” Uber said in a court filing.

It’s worth noting that Judge Alsup recently asked Uber to further detail Levandowski’s role in the company&039;s LiDAR development efforts. “You always talk about the professor, but you never say what he was working on,” Alsup said, according to transcripts of court proceedings. “Well, why did you hire that guy for $680 million if he wasn’t doing anything? So I wonder, what was he working on?”

As of today, Levandowski officially has no responsibilities related to Uber’s LiDAR efforts.

Quelle: <a href="Uber’s Self-Driving Head Steps Aside Amid Allegations He Stole Technology From Waymo“>BuzzFeed

The Real Reason Twitter Doesn’t Allow GIF Avatars

I get one kind of DM-slide over and over. It’s never anyone trying to hit on me, and rarely even harass or troll me. It’s teens who do not follow me asking me how I got an animated GIF for an avatar.

Teens hounding me for info about my GIF avatar.

Sadly, I always have to explain to the teens that they must give up on their dreams, that their best try is not good enough, that they cannot hope to make an impact on the world. There’s no “trick” to having a GIF avatar other than doing something that’s anathema to most teens: not changing your avatar for 5 years.

Let me take you back to a simpler time: June 2012. GIFs were very cool, but still kind of a niche thing — there wasn’t an easy way to make your own without Photoshop, so most plebes couldn’t do it. Before Giphy, there also wasn’t an easy way to search for GIFs; savvy people saved ones they found into a “reaction folder” to use at the right moment. BuzzFeed had only enabled animated GIFs to play on the site a few months before, in April 2012.

And it was possible to upload an animated GIF as your Twitter avatar. Well, not officially, but there was a workaround. Basically, Twitter said animated GIFs weren’t allowed, but if you resized it to a certain ratio and tested it a bit, you could get it to work. A June 2012 article on BuzzFeed explained in detail how to do it, step by step.

This article prompted this exchange between BuzzFeed’s CEO, Jonah Peretti and Twitter’s CEO at the time, Dick Costolo:

After this exchange, the author of the BuzzFeed article, John Herrman, went ahead and made an suggested GIF avatar for Costolo:

Carolyn Penner, a senior manager for communications at Twitter at the time, even endorsed the GIF:

Shortly after this, Twitter closed the loophole to get GIFs. Now look, I can’t say for sure what exactly happened next (both Twitter and Costolo did not reply to requests for comment), but I think it’s completely reasonable to interpret from his tweets that Dick Costolo was not at all amused by GIF avatars. Perhaps he was enraged. Perhaps he ran through the halls of Twitter HQ, shouting, “goddammit, fix the GIF loophole, you chuckleheads&;&033;” before busting into the server room shirtless and roundhouse kicking the racks while tearing out fistfuls of wires. Look, I don’t know if that’s what happened, but it’s possible, right?

People who had previously uploaded a GIF avatar, such as myself, were allowed to keep them, but no new GIFs could be added. This means if I ever wanted to change my avatar, I could never get a GIF back. Basically, I have the grandma’s rent controlled apartment of Twitter avatars, and I feel sentimentally attached to it, even though to be honest, I sometimes wish I could change it to something more professional.

And as much as it deeply pains me to admit, it makes me feel cool and special to have a blinky thing no one else can have. I know, I know. Trust me, I feel just as disgusted with myself as you do for admitting to getting any sort of internal validation from Twitter.

There aren’t too many of us GIFtars left. People like switching up their avatars, and undoubtedly some former GIF-havers were sad to discover when they switched to a static image they couldn&;t go back to their GIF later on.

Leia Jospe, a photographer from Brooklyn, has an animated GIF of a phone battery charging.

Like me, Jospe can’t bear to change her avatar. As far as cool points, “if anything it means I&039;ve been on Twitter for a long time,” she said. “I guess in a way that is special cred, can be cool or sad depending on how you look at it.”

Leon Chang, who uses Twitter for fun and pranks, also feels trapped. “I don&039;t need to change it to anything else, but I have had nightmares of accidentally changing it and never being able to get it back.” On the other hand, he’s pleased. “I have the best GIF avatar on Twitter.”

I asked my old coworker John Herrman (keep in mind, he may be wholly responsible for the demise of the GIF avatar, so please tell him what you think of him: @jwherrman), who still has his blinky shark GIFtar what he thought about it. A sick and truly twisted look crossed his face, not unlike Jared Leto as The Joker. “Well,” he said, grinning ghoulishly, “looks like my GIF avatar outlasted Dick Costolo.”

Quelle: <a href="The Real Reason Twitter Doesn’t Allow GIF Avatars“>BuzzFeed

Drivers In NYC Feel Cheated By Juno, Which Promised To Save Them From Uber

Juno&;s first birthday cake.

Juno

Juno, a ride-hailing upstart in New York City, promised to be a savior for drivers. While Uber and Lyft employ drivers as independent contractors, Juno said it would give drivers the option of being full-time employees, and it doled out promises of equity. “Can this ride-sharing start-up kill Uber with kindness?” Vanity Fair asked. “You get to take more money home and put food on the table with Juno,” Talmon Marco, Juno’s chief executive, told BuzzFeed News in July.

On Wednesday, Juno was acquired by Gett, another ride-hailing company based in New York, for $200 million. And now, it’s terminating the stock program that the company had said “gives you, the driver, an opportunity to become a Juno shareholder and benefit from the company’s future potential success if it goes public or is sold.”

“We helped them build the startup and they cashed the money and ran away,” said Ahmed Hashem, who drives for Juno, Uber, and Lyft in New York. “They’re all the same – Uber, Lyft, Juno, Gett. We are slaves.”

Spokespeople for Juno and Gett did not return a request to make Talmon available for an interview, and they didn&039;t comment in response to drivers&039; complaints.

Drivers who sign up to drive for the new service – Juno by Gett – will instead be offered cash bonuses based on how much they’ve driven. In July, Talmon told BuzzFeed, “The plan is definitely to take the company public when it makes sense so our drivers can actually get something out of these [shares].”

Juno launched in NYC in beta mode last year and said it reached 1 million rides in August. To gain riders in a market saturated with taxis, Uber and Lyft, it appealed to the hearts of drivers by pledging to be “socially responsible” – a move that capitalized on Uber’s poor reputation among drivers. Drivers who referred new riders to the app – for example, by telling their Uber riders about Juno – received bonuses. Now, those same drivers told BuzzFeed they feel used by the company.

Hashem received an email from Juno on Wednesday about the sale to Gett. The company told him his 14,173 RSUs would instead amount to a cash bonus of $251.

“I’m going to still continue working for them, but I’m not going to give them all my time. I have Uber, I have Juno, I have Lyft,” Hashem said. “They cheated us.”

“Given the actions of driving apps to date, it comes as little surprise that Juno is cashing out, leaving the drivers who helped build the company with next to nothing. This latest bait-and-switch underscores the need for industry-wide protections to ensure a living wage for drivers in the face of deceptive tactics, empty promises, and manipulation from ride-hail apps,” said Ryan Price, executive director of the Independent Drivers Guild, which represents and advocates for 50,000 ride-hail drivers in NYC.

Regardless of the sale to Gett, Juno said in the email to drivers that its stock program had faced scrutiny from a securities regulator. Juno had already been considering whether the previously granted shares to drivers were “void.” Asked to comment further on the regulatory issues raised by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a spokesperson for Juno did not return a request for comment. The SEC did not immediately return a request for comment.

Quelle: <a href="Drivers In NYC Feel Cheated By Juno, Which Promised To Save Them From Uber“>BuzzFeed

Blue Apron Has “Concerns” Over Proposed Food Safety Regulation

Portland Press Herald / Getty Images

Blue Apron hired lobbyists to push back against a California State Assembly bill aimed at expanding state-mandated food safety training to include employees in the emerging meal-kit delivery space.

The goal of the bill is to require employees of these businesses to obtain food-handler cards, a type of food safety certification already required in restaurants and other food-prep jobs. The bill is sponsored by the UFCW, a major food and grocery union, and authored by Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, who represents the district where one of Blue Apron’s facilities is located.

“We&;re acknowledging that there&039;s a growth of a new way of handling food, and raising the question: Why not utilize the same best practice that we used in traditional food handling to ensure that these new companies are handling food in good ways, and keep the public safe?” Thurmond told BuzzFeed News.

Assemblyman Tony Thurmond presents his food safety bill at a Health Committee hearing last week.

Via calchannel.granicus.com

But Blue Apron has “concerns” about the bill. The company hired a lobbyist, Mercury Public Affairs&039; Duncan McFetridge, to represent it at a Health Committee hearing on Thurmond’s bill last week. “We see this as being redundant, superfluous, and unnecessary to the business, and moreover, we frankly don’t see how this language as crafted even touches us,” he said at the hearing.

Blue Apron told BuzzFeed News via email that it doesn’t formally oppose the proposed legislation. In fact, the company argues, as written, the bill doesn’t even apply to it, because Blue Apron is a food-processing facility, not a food retailer. It says food-processing facilities have higher safety standards than food retailers and that it hired McFetridge to “advocate for the continued statutory distinction” between the two. (Representatives from Mercury Public Affairs did not return multiple requests for comment for BuzzFeed News.)

Furthermore, Blue Apron said food safety is “paramount” and it provides “targeted instruction on areas such as temperature control, personal hygiene, and cleaning and sanitation,” and that it “also provide detailed training in allergen controls, equipment handling, inventory management, and other food safety practice.”

The language of the bill and which companies it pertains to will continue to be debated as it makes its way through the California State Assembly; it will be heard by the Appropriations Committee sometime in May.

But the union that sponsored the bill said in a press release that it is aimed at companies “like Blue Apron, Plated and Gobble,” which it says need additional oversight.

“This bill is necessary to help clarify that companies like Blue Apron need to be regulated by the state. They can&039;t hide behind federal regulation, or that they are only a food-processing entity. They&039;re not — they advertise directly to consumers,” a spokesperson for the union told BuzzFeed News.

Mercury Public Affairs lobbyist Duncan McFetridge comments on behalf of Blue Apron at a California State Assembly Health Committee hearing last week.

Via calchannel.granicus.com

So far, Blue Apron is the only meal-kit company that’s weighed in on the proposed food-safety training regulation — but it’s not the only one that could be affected. At least 10 similar companies operate distribution centers in California, including HelloFresh, Home Chef, Plated, and Purple Carrot.

At least two of Blue Apron’s competitors with facilities in California — El Segundo’s Chef’d and Stockton’s Gobble Inc. — told BuzzFeed News that they already require their employees to get food-handler cards. A third, Sunbasket, said if the bill passed in California, it would readily comply.

“We’re not opposing it,” said Gobble CEO Ooshma Garg of the legislation. “And prior to this bill being proposed, we’ve been abiding by these standards. When you walk in the door, you can see a book of everyone’s food-handler cards.” Purple Carrot declined to comment on this story; Plated, HelloFresh, Amazon, Good Eggs, Marley Spoon, and Home Chef did not respond to a request from BuzzFeed News. The food-handler training program entails a small fee and a short online training course.

Prior to authoring this bill, Assemblyman Thurmond toured Blue Apron’s facility in Richmond. With regard to the food-handler card program, Thurmond told BuzzFeed News, “I think it is really good training.”

“I think it&039;s a skill they could use at Blue Apron, or anywhere in the industry. Being able to have a food-handler card is a real tangible skill. To me, that&039;s a way you can earn more money. You can say, ‘I have experience handling food in a way that is safe.&039; I think it would be a good thing for anybody that&039;s handling raw food, or anyone that&039;s working in the food-handling sector,” he said.

Thurmond also told BuzzFeed News that he asked to review Blue Apron’s training materials but had not yet received a copy.

Though Blue Apron has struggled at times to meet standards set by workplace health and safety regulators — it is currently contesting a total of 14 violations and more than $18,000 in proposed penalties from the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety — the company has passed every food safety inspection it has undergone. Blue Apron first registered with and was inspected and approved by the California Department of Public Health in October, following a BuzzFeed News investigation published the same month. The company is reportedly planning to go public this year.

“We&039;re not opposed to innovation,” Thurmond said during last week’s hearing. “This is a new area for how raw food is handled and packaged, and we&039;re saying this is an opportunity to err on the side of caution and provide additional training to those who are working in this new area.”

You can view a recording of the California State Assembly Health Committee hearing for Thurmond&039;s food-safety regulation bill below.

You can view a recording of the California State Assembly Health Committee hearing for Thurmond’s food-safety regulation bill here:

View Video ›

video-cdn.buzzfeed.com

Quelle: <a href="Blue Apron Has “Concerns” Over Proposed Food Safety Regulation“>BuzzFeed