Facebook’s Stranglehold on Today’s Public Square

Victoria Sinclair: We should all consider the power social media giants like Facebook have over our lives and the very content that we as a society discuss.

A Silver Lining With the Facebook Oversight Board Ruling?

Shane Vander Hart: Facebook could make some meaningful changes, increase transparency, clarify its standards, and apply those standards consistently. But will they?

Why Did Facebook ‘Unpublish’ This Church’s Page?

Facebook unpublished Grace Baptist Church’s page for violating community standards, but did not tell them what standard or how they violated it.

Watch: Ernst Questions CEOs of Facebook and Twitter

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst asked Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg about how they monitor disinformation and prevent dissemination of child sexual abuse material.

APP Files FEC Complaint Against Facebook Alleging Illegal Contribution to Democrats

Terry Schilling of American Principles Project: “We urge the FEC to consider APP PAC’s complaint and launch an investigation as soon as possible.”

Parler and MeWe Surge As Conservatives Look for Facebook, Twitter Alternatives

Parler is in the top spot on the free app chart for iPhone and Android phone users, MeWe lands in the 3rd spot for iPhone users and 4th for Android users.

Facebook Disables Account Saying 9-11-01 Picture Violates Community Standards

Facebook’s algorithm identifies an iconic 9-11-01 photo of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City as violating their community standards.

Pro-Life Group Calls Out Facebook for Censorship of Ads Before Midterms

Susan B. Anthony List called on Facebook to stop its censorship of pro-life paid advertisements leading up the midterm elections.

A Consequence of Facebook’s Anti-Fake News Crusade

Facebook’s crusade to clean up “fake news” from their platform brings consequences that erodes trust. Shane Vander Hart shares two things they can do.

Episode 57: Michele Rigby Assad – A Christian Spy

On the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, Michele Rigby Assad discusses with Shane Vander Hart her new book, time in the CIA as an undercover operative in the Middle East, and her work with persecuted Christians.

Facebook Data Breach: Portent for Your Medical Privacy, Too?

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet: Three events portend serious danger to medical privacy, but it may be hard for patients to connect the dots because they seem unrelated, involve different sectors of the economy, and occurred several years apart.

Family Research Council Hosts Discussion About Online Censorship of Conservatives

Family Research Council hosted a panel discussion entitled “Losing Our Voices: Who Owns Free Speech on the Internet?” featuring Craig Parshall with the American Center for Law and Justice, Brent Skorup from the Mercatus Center, and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Cruz and Sasse Ask Mark Zuckerberg About Facebook’s Alleged Bias

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) asked Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in his appearance in a joint Senate committee about the social network’s alleged political bias. U.S. Senator Ben Sassed asked Zuckerberg about his view of what hate speech includes.

Religious Freedom Restoration Act Advances in Iowa Senate

Iowa’s version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) survived the first funnel week of the 2018 legislative session. SSB 3171, sponsored by State Senator Julian Garrett (R-Indianola) was passed out of the Iowa Senate Local Government Committee by a 7 to 4 vote.

Feinstein Threatens Action If Social Media Giants Don’t Act on Russian Influence

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to social media platform executives: “you have to be the ones to do something about (Russian influence) or we will.”

Facebook Chooses Iowa for Next Data Center Location

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad announced that Facebook chose Altoona as the location for their next data center location that will create hundreds of jobs.