Facebook Is Making Some Awesome Changes to Their Emoji

The government of New Zealand, along with the country’s major broadband providers are working to silence the hate speech created by the Australian terrorist accused in Friday’s Christchurch mosque attacks. Videos of the attacks, along with a 74-page, anti-Muslim, white supremacist manifesto have been repeatedly published, and removed, from various online platforms. And, in her latest show of leadership, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed to deny the shooter the notoriety he clearly wanted by refusing to mention his name.

“He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist,” Ardern said in an address to Parliament on Tuesday, March 19. “But he will, when I speak, be nameless.”

“And to others, I implore you,” she added, “speak the names of those who were lost, rather than the name of the man who took them. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.”

New Zealand’s three largest internet providers, Vodaphone NZ, Spark, and 2degrees, voiced a similar perspective in an open letter to Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Sundar Pichai (Google, which owns YouTube), dated March 19.

“You may be aware that on the afternoon of Friday 15 March, three of New Zealand’s largest broadband providers, Vodafone NZ, Spark and 2degrees, took the unprecedented step to jointly identify and suspend access to web sites that were hosting video footage taken by the gunman related to the horrific terrorism incident in Christchurch,” the letter reads.

The letter goes on to acknowledge how, in the global marketplace, this decisive effort at content restriction marks an “extraordinary step” in limiting access to harmful material. Yet, the leaders behind these three New Zealand broadband companies remain steadfast in the belief that taking this step was “the right thing to do.” Their letter implores the three powerful tech CEOs to consider doing the same on their respective social media platforms, as a general practice.

“Although we recognize the speed with which social network companies sought to remove Friday’s video once they were made aware of it, this was still a response to material that was rapidly spreading globally and should never have been made available online,” the letter continues. “We believe society has the right to expect companies such as yours to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms.”

The Association of New Zealand Advertisers agreed, releasing a statement explaining that local businesses would consider pulling their advertising dollars from Facebook if the company didn’t take immediate action to silence hate speech.

“The events in Christchurch raise the question — if the site owners can target consumers with advertising in microseconds, why can’t the same technology be applied to prevent this kind of content being streamed live?” the group said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

In response, Facebook VP and Deputy General Counsel, Chris Sonderby penned a blog post on the company’s site, explaining how Facebook is working to remove videos like the one the shooter uploaded while the Christchurch attack was happening.

“We removed the attacker’s video within minutes of their outreach to us, and in the aftermath, we have been providing an on-the-ground resource for law enforcement authorities,” the post says. “We will continue to support them in every way we can. In light of the active investigation, police have asked us not to share certain details.”

The Facebook blog post also outlined how Friday’s video became viral (and out of Facebook’s hands) so quickly: a user of the website 8chan posted a link to a copy of the video to a file sharing site before Facebook was even notified of the video’s existence. Sonderby also writes that the company helped other social networks identify the video to get it removed, and have been working in conjunction with the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) to be proactive about curbing terror and extremism online.

(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty)

The Trump administration has been quietly working behind the scenes to create a proposal that would use social media to target people receiving federal disability payments,according to theNew York Times. Under the proposal, the federal government would use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to look out for posts that would call into question people’s ability to work.

“There is a little bitty chance that Social Security may be snooping on your Facebook or your Twitter account,” Robert A. Crowe, a lawyer from St. Louis who has worked with Social Security claimants, told the Times. “You don’t want anything on there that shows you out playing Frisbee.”

In a 2018 budget request, Social Security asked for additional funding to look into expanding its already-existing social media monitoring. Its goal is to find fraudsters among the nation’s more than 10 million benefits recipients, who could ostensibly be bilking the system of millions of dollars. Currently, Social Security only investigates social media in rare cases where a file has been flagged and they want to further investigate whether a claim is fraudulent.

Other government agencies have already endeavored to use social media to track non-residents, visitors, and immigrants. Back in 2017, the Department of Homeland Security announced its intent to use social media monitoring to screen immigration and visa applicants for content it may deem ineligible for US entry. And in 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom Of Information request to find out how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the DHS were collecting, and interpreting, content from social media sites.

Although there have been verifiable instances of people utilizing Social Security benefits fraudulently (such as the 57-year-old Louisiana man who was recently ordered to pay back $134,000 in bilked benefits), fewer people altogether have been relying on SSDI in recent years. Applications for new users were down 29 percent last year, per the Times.

The Times also reports that, in November, Social Security requested a rule change that would deny benefit recipients charged with fraud a guaranteed in-person court case, and instead offer a video conference hearing in its place. Critics of this proposal worry that the change would be inefficient and undermine individuals’ right to due process.

Proposed changes are all the more puzzling given that the Social Security system is, in fact, one of the most efficiently-run government bodies working today. According toSlate, although in-power Republicans have been open about their desire to chip away at Social Security, the program’s administrative costs barely factor into the federal budget at all due to a huge funding surplus in the trillions of dollars.

Congress doesn’t even manage funds for the administration of the program. Instead, it limits how much of the surplus and dedicated revenue the Social Security Administration can use for running the program (hence the spending request on social media monitoring). But since Republicans began their eight-year control of the House in 2010, the party has incrementally restricted how much money the program is allowed to spend, while canceling or significantly decreasing programming allowances.

Whether or not SSDI claimants will be permanently placed under scrutiny remains to be seen. But if the administration deems this use of tracking a success, it could mean the beginning of social media monitoring for the rest of us, too. It could also pave the way for private companies to begin tracking staff in ways that could lead to greater power imbalances and diminished transparency in the workforce.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that social media doesn’t always give us a picture of reality that’s, well, real. “Social media sites are not exactly clear and reliable evidence,” Michael J. Astrue, the last Senate-confirmed Social Security commissioner, told a hearing in 2012. He stepped down in 2013.

Astrue argued for more (and better trained) fraud investigators instead, reminding the hearing how false news easily spreads online. He quipped: “Facebook puts up phony websites under my name all the time.”

(Photo by BSIP/UIG via Getty Images)

How many times can we talk about our love for Yellowstone and 1923 before you think we've move beyond obsession? If you ask us, we're sure you'll be convinced once you scroll through the western books we've added to our must-read piles. Like historical fiction, reading about cowboys, outlaws, and frontier life feels endearing. Now that we think about it, we think it's because these tales are embedded in America's fabric.

Try as we might, we can't resist tales that remind us of the Clint Eastwood movies our grandparents loved watching or summarizing. But now we're in charge of the conversation and know which westerns are worth reading.

The best western books that are full of adventure, crime, revenge, and more!

Amazon

Outlawed by Anna North

Ada never meant to become an "outlaw," but life's funny that way. Prior to earning her new title, she was a new bride who actually loved her husband and journey to become a midwife. However, fear entered her heart as she realized being considered childless would look terrible in the eyes of other townspeople.

After weighing her slim options, Ada leaves her life behind and runs into the Hole in the Wall Gang. With the Kid as their leader, they seek to provide refuge for wrongly ostracized women in a time where fear-mongering led the laws of the land. But one colossal plan may derail the gang's efforts and cost them their lives. It's the very thing that inspires and frightens Ada.

Though Outlawed is set during the late 1800s, it's relevant because women are still treated inferior based on their fertility status. Plus, the conversation around reproductive health continues to be looked at through a limited "childbearing" lens instead of encompassing conditions such as PCOS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine cancer, and more.

In our eyes, Outlawed reads like a beacon of hope.

Amazon

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Adelaide is physically carrying a "secret" that could upend the new future she's seeking because it's deadly. For reasons readers will discover, this "secret" is responsible for the death of Adelaide's parents and it caused her to leave everything she's known behind.

In search of a new life, Adelaide and her "secret" make the way to Montana in hopes to get free land that's up for grabs. The catch is that people who do so aren't supposed to have anyone with them so Adelaide surely can't let anyone discover what's locked in her truck. But Montana isn't easy to navigate and the one thing Adelaide's been afraid of may be the very thing that helps save her life.

Lone Women is as much of a mystery as it is a western which is perfect for those who love both genres!

Amazon

The Bullet Swallowerby Elizabeth Gonzalez James

Antonio Sonoro's never been a good guy, but that's never mattered to him because he's aware of his heritage. Like those who came before him, he's a skilled gunman who's known for getting into sticky situations others would stay away from. But things have been been tough in Dorado, Mexico and Antonio's grown desperate for a solution that'll help sustain his family.

After learning about a lucrative opportunity, he drags his brother Hugo along for the risky adventure that costs the latter his life. Consumed by rage, Antonio sets off on a path that has dire consequences for his bloodline. It's precisely why his ancestor Jaime Sonoro's life is altered when he discovers the true history of his family. If that weren't bad enough, someone from Antonio's past comes to collect the debt the Sonoros have evaded throughout the years and they're ready to hunt Jaime down unless he can learn about who his grandfather, The Bullet Swallower, really was.

The Bullet Swallower invites readers to learn how "the sins of the father" can affect those born after them and how it's up to us to break generational curses.

Amazon

Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison

The late 1800s is a tough time to be a young girl, but Jessilyn Harney finds a way to thrive despite challenges that arise. She goes from being alone to discovering that she'll have to hide her girlish figures if she wants people to think twice about trying anything illicit. Not only does this work, but it gives her a spot among the Governor's militia. But they're hunting the only person Jessilyn has left in life — her brother Noah.

Whiskey When We're Dry is a tale that shows two things can be true at the same time and how we often have to make decisions that contradict what we initially thought we wanted.

Amazon

Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope

There's love to be found in the west if you're willing to be open to it and that's what Cecilia "CeCe" Ashby learns in Holding the Reins.

Nursing a broken heart, she travels back home to Laurel Creek, Kentucky to bide her time on the equestrian ranch she grew up on. It's there she comes across the former annoying Nash Carter. Having grown up together, she remembers the many times he and her brothers sought to make her life a living hell. But those days are long gone.

Now CeCe and Nash are all grown up with an unmistakable yearning brewing between them.

Amazon

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens

Bridget's new in Dodge City and has no idea what to expect until she gains employment at a brothel called the Buffalo Queen. It's not what she had in mind, but she goes from barely surviving to having food, money, and shelter. On top of that, she develops genuine friendships with the women there. But their peace is disrupted when outlaws threaten Dodge City with their presence.

Once again, Bridget has to decide if she's going to run away or defend Buffalo Queen with everything she's got.

Amazon

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Esther's on the run for two reasons: she wants revenge for the brutal murder of her best friend and she wants nothing to do with marrying the man her best friend was formerly promised to. In her mind, there's no better way to right wrongs than by hiding out in the back of a Librarian's book wagon so she help dismantle those who seek to accept one written form of truth.

If we didn't know any better, we'd say that Upright Women Wanted sounds oddly similar to the fight against banned books.

Amazon

Inland by Téa Obreht

Inland converges the path of two unsuspecting individuals — Nora and Lurie — as they grapple with life in the West. Though it initially seems like their lives are different, something magical happens when they align.

Beginning with Nora, readers will watch her story unfold as she faces the uncertainty of the men she loves dearly — her husband and their sons. Between facing a drought and the idea that something invisible could be hunting them, Nora tries her hardest to get through each day.

Then there's Lurie and his spiritual gift of seeing spirits. They keep holding their hands out, expecting him to give them something and it all but drives him mad. The only thing that seems to distract Lurie is the promise of something beautiful with someone he's grown fond of.

Somehow, Lurie's new love draws him close to Nora and they find themselves on a journey that'll leave them forever changed.

Amazon

The Sisters Brothersby Patrick DeWitt

Eli and Charlie Sisters are the skilled hired hands for the strong-willed Commodore, but one of them is wondering why they continue to kill. Ironically, going after Hermann Kermit Warm is what inspired Eli Sisters to question their jobs because he knows this isn't going to be a simple task. But will he continue to follow Charlie into fire or will he decide he's finally had enough of the bloodbath that surrounds them each time the Commodore commands it?

Amazon

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

Ming Tsu grew up preparing for a life in a criminal group, but falling in love with Ada tears him away from that. As the daughter of a railroad magnate, it's clear these two are from different worlds but they refuse to let that get in their way. However, their actions have dire consequences as orchestrated by Ada's father. Not only is Ada kidnapped, but Ming is thrust into servitude for the Central Pacific Railroad. At the end of his ropes, Ming decides to strike up an alliance with someone called the prophet in order to save Ada.

It's a western book that blends magic, revenge, and the supernatural for a fascinating twist that leaves readers wanting more.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more spring and summer reading inspo!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.