Facebook has been battered from all sides for failing to do enough about misuse of its systems. It’s not surprising, what with many recent data breaches, misuse of user information, and abuse of its live-streaming functions leaving black marks all over the company. It’s hoping to change the way that users see it, with a new one-strike policy for Facebook Live being a major change.
Announced in a recent blog post and following on the heels of the live-streamed attack in Christchurch, Facebook Live is getting some serious changes. The social media company said that “…starting today, people who have broken certain rules on Facebook — including our Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy — will be restricted from using Facebook Live.”
Strike One, You’re Out
But for users who haven’t already committed some sort of breach, there are some new things to worry about when live-streaming to Facebook Live. A single breach of the company’s more serious policies will see users banned from Facebook Live “…starting on their first offense”. Facebook VP of Integrity Guy Rosen uses the example of a user sharing a terrorist statement without context or comment on Live finding themselves banned immediately. Those same users would also be prevented from posting ads to Facebook.
Rosen said “We recognize the tension between people who would prefer unfettered access to our services and the restrictions needed to keep people safe on Facebook. Our goal is to minimize risk of abuse on Live while enabling people to use Live in a positive way every day.” Facebook plans to expand these restrictions to other areas. It’s possible that breaking Facebook’s Live rules will see access to other Facebook-owned services locked down as well.
Facebook also announced that it’s teaming up with the University of Maryland, Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley to research methods of locating and taking down media that has been manipulated. That is, questionable footage that has already been banned which is modified or edited in such a way that the company’s automated systems can’t detect it. It’ll also be used to tackle deepfakes, when (or if) the research pays dividends. Facebook’ll be paying cash first, though. It’s just a drop in the bucket for Facebook — starting with a $7.5 million investment, according to Engadget.
