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Facebook HQ in Dublin. Niall Carson/AP

Facebook banned 583 million fake accounts in the first three months of the year

Facebook said those closures came on top of blocking millions of attempts to create fake accounts every day.

FACEBOOK BANNED 583 million fake accounts in the first three months of 2018, the social media giant has said, detailing how it enforces “community standards” against sexual or violent images, terrorist propaganda or hate speech.

Responding to calls for transparency after the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, Facebook said those closures came on top of blocking millions of attempts to create fake accounts every day.

Despite this, the group said fake profiles still make up 3-4% of all active accounts.

It claimed to detect almost 100% of spam and to have removed 837 million posts assimilated to spam over the same period.

Facebook pulled or slapped warnings on nearly 30 million posts containing sexual or violent images, terrorist propaganda or hate speech during the first quarter of this year.

Improved technology using artificial intelligence had helped it act on 3.4 million posts containing graphic violence, nearly three times more than it had in the last quarter of 2017.

In 85.6% of the cases, Facebook said that it detected the images before being alerted to them by users, said the report, issued the day after the company said about 200 apps had been suspended on its platform as part of an investigation into misuse of private user data.

The figure represents between 0.22 and 0.27% of the total content viewed by Facebook’s more than two billion users from January through March.

“In other words, of every 10,000 content views, an estimate of 22 to 27 contained graphic violence,” the report said.

Referendum 

In Ireland, the social media giant has come under scrutiny and pressure to be more transparent in the run up to Ireland’s referendum on the Eighth Amendment on 25 May.

Concerns over foreign groups buying Facebook ads to target Irish voters ahead of the referendum prompted the company to implement a ban on its platform to all foreign ads in relation to the referendum.

However, there have still been calls for increased regulation from government over social media campaigns and political advertisements.

In its report Facebook said that responses to rule violations include removing content, adding warnings to content that may be disturbing to some users while not violating Facebook standards; and notifying law enforcement in case of a “specific, imminent and credible threat to human life”.

Improved IT also helped Facebook take action against 1.9 million posts containing terrorist propaganda, a 73% increase. Nearly all were dealt with before any alert was raised, the company said.

It attributed the increase to the enhanced use of photo detection technology.

Hate speech is harder to police using automated methods, however, as racist or homophobic hate speech is often quoted on posts by their targets or activists.

With reporting from Cormac Fitzgerald

© – AFP 2018

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    Mute Brian Kelly
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    Jan 26th 2022, 2:33 PM

    It’s a good thing there is still dialogue between them. I’m still on the side of Ukrainian people and their government. They should be allowed to join what ever they want be it the EU and NATO. No other country should dictate to them what they can and cannot do. This is what is called democracy!

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:18 PM

    @Brian Kelly: True, Ukraine should be allowed to join what they want. And I’m sure NATO would be only too glad to have them join. It would mean NATO/US bases set up in Ukraine right in the face of Russia.
    On the other hand could you imagine if Canada or Mexico decided to join a Russian military alliance? With Russian bases set up around Canada or Mexico peering in to the US? I wonder what the US reaction to that would be to that? Maybe they would put 100,000 troops on the border as a show of strength?

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:41 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: Something tells me Canada isn’t going to quit NATO and join Russia any time soon.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:49 PM

    @Roy Dowling: of course Canada are not going to join a Russian military alliance. Do I really have to explain to you what the point of using Canada and Mexico in my comment was for?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:04 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: russia is a bad neighbour especially with Putin harboring territorial ambitions. you cant blame any country bordering russia from looking for assisstance keeping the bear from the door.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:45 PM

    @Brian Kelly: It’s oxymoronic to keep say you are on the side of democracy and support the violent coup that overthrew democracy in Ukraine in 2014, installing a fascist regime – who incidentally are the only country (with US) who recently refused to condemn the glorification of nazism in the UN. There is a huge swath of Ukraine that does not support the current regime, pretending there is a united Ukrainian voice is garbage, who is going to protect them from more atrocities like this, carried out by Western backed forces: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/ukraine-dead-odessa-building-fire

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:48 PM

    @Roy Dowling: Hypothetical arguments are hard.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:41 PM

    @superdooper: wouldn’t disagree with you but Cuba felt the same about the US and we nearly had WWIII over Russia attempt at setting up in Cuba.

    There’s still sanctions imposed on Cuba by US today for being a communism country.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:49 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: true. i think the americans found it useful to have cuba as a bogeyman. gave them a handy enemy.

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:09 PM

    @superdooper: Israel and Saudi Arabia are bad neighbors. Don’t see the EU, NATO or the US imposing sanctions and threatening them if they keep attacking there neighbors.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 8:34 PM

    @Roy Dowling: true.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Jan 26th 2022, 9:40 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: they’re all gangsters dude – the yanks/ nato in Iraq – the russkis in Syria – the only ones that gain are the crooks at the top and regular folk suffer – until we have a brotherhood of man nothing will change

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    Mute Paul Duffy
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:10 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: didn’t we have something like that before…. oh yeah Cuba
    The yanks didn’t like that one little bit

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    Mute Niall Dunne
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    Jan 26th 2022, 11:12 PM

    @Roy Dowling: yeah he’s just showing it from Russia’s point of view. This thing is the Cuban missile crisis in reverse. Now it’s the Americans who are friendly with Russia’s neibhours and they’re worried about first strike missiles being placed in ukraine a couple of thousand miles from Moscow. America lost the rag when it was the Russians putting their missiles in Cuba. And yes America invaded Cuba too they just got some separatists to do the work much like what Russia is claiming.
    Recently both countries have been shooting down their own satellights in a message that says don’t try putting the missiles in space attached to satellights. Now we have space debris that presents a hazard. Both of these countries have no right to involve the rest of the planet but that’s the status quo.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 27th 2022, 12:01 AM

    @Brian Kelly: Funny but when the Soviet Union put missiles in Cuba the US responded just like Russia is now. Where was the democracy when the U.S. supported by the coalition ( NATO ) invaded Iraq. Hypocrisy and propaganda at it’s best

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 3:49 PM

    The Americans need to back out of this. Everything they do is influenced by their own internal division now. Biden is the only one making threats at the moment. Putin has been playing the American division for years and there’s nothing to suggest this is any different. The Americans need to concentrate on how to fix their own union before all he’ll breaks lose there.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:05 PM

    @Vonvonic: you remember russia invaded ukraine in 2014 right and seized the crimea. he got away with it then and now hes looking for more. appeasdidnt work with the nazis and it wont work here

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:16 PM

    @superdooper: do you remember when the US and its allies invaded half the middle east and got away with it?

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:17 PM

    @superdooper: “Appeasment didn’t work with the Nazis” is a cliche based on a misunderstanding of the facts; and propagated by Curchillites. In reality, it allowed Britain the time to arm up. Even after the Nazis invaded Poland; it took months before Britain were in a position to enter the war properly.
    In any case; it’s has no resemblance to current events. The absolute imperative in Ukraine is to avoid war. The French are far more likely to achieve this through diplomacy than a US which doesn’t know what to do with itself; never mind Ukraine. Biden is making a complete fool of himself with the tough talk.

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:22 PM

    @superdooper: The last thing Russia needs is more land. It’s already the largest country on the planet, by a very long margin. This is about security for Russia. They do not trust NATO. They accepted NATO as a neighbour in the smaller Baltic states, but they’ve said repeatedly and consistently that Ukraine is a line too far, because of those security concerns; which appear justified considering that NATO keeps prodding at them. If there are parallels with Nazis in the 1930′s, then the lines run in exactly the opposite direction to that which you think they do.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:30 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: so the fact that us invaded iraq means that russia gets a free invasion of ukraine is it?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:32 PM

    @Vonvonic: the war could have been avoided altogether if france and britain had refused to allow germany to rearm in the first place. they ignored the nazis rearmament and allowed hitler act with impunity on the mistaken belief that if they acceeded then he would stop. he never did

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:35 PM

    @superdooper: The nazis had rearmed well before appeasement came about. Go.away and read about.
    Again, nothing to do with the current situation in Ukraine. It’s not a zero sum game. Nothing is black and white here.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:51 PM

    @Vonvonic: the Ukrainians would say its pretty black and white.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:00 PM

    @Vonvonic: appeasement continued for almost the entirety of the 1930s. if the allies had taken a stronger unified approach at the reoccupation of the rhineland it might ( and what were both talking about is whataboutery) have deterred the nazis.

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:30 PM

    @superdooper: The British military stated over and over in the 30s that they didn’t have the capacity to defend the med and the homeland. It was the main reason for appeasement. They wanted to keep their empire.
    No, the Ukranians wouldn’t say it’s black and white. Their stated aim is a diplomatic solution. Are you saying that someone should go to war with the Russia?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:52 PM

    @Vonvonic: i dont russia should go to war with anyone. i think russia should withdraw from crimea

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:03 PM

    @superdooper: Russia have been invaded in the past by Germany and Napoleon. Russia wishes to protect its border and do not want Nato military bases on its border as was agreed in 1991. Russia is the largest country on earth full of minerals, metals, oil and gas. They have no need for small additional tracts of land in Eastern Europe. Russia needs access to the Black Sea so they can get to the Meditteranean and the Indian Ocean. The Russian Navy is based in Crimea and they have been there for centuries since Elizabeth The Great defeated the Ottoman Empire who previously defeated the Greeks. So no way they were going to give up those Navy bases.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:24 PM

    @Damian Moylan: in 1994 ukraine returned 1700 nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for territorial agreements. Russia broke those sgreements when they invaded in 2014

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 27th 2022, 12:04 AM

    @superdooper: Think the Russians have experienced the Nazi regime before. Wonder why you didn’t mention the coup that brought the present Ukraine government to power. If you can remember the Western media claimed the new government were right wing fascists..Funny how that has suddenly changed.

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:38 AM

    @Damian Moylan: this isn’t about Russia gaining land it’s about Putin rebuilding the USSR in his image and longing for his old KGB days and for that he needs Ukraine, and if he’s let get away with seizing that where will he stop? The border with Germany? Will he try to get eastern Germany back. At what point does he get told enough is enough. After he invaded Hungary or the Czech Republic.??

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:06 PM

    Russian minorities in Ukraine don’t want to be under Kiev rule and is Russian a language of the EU when their are minorities in the Baltic states and decades of Russian influence in eastern and central europe. Europe needs to make overture to Russia that shows that it respects its security issues.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:27 PM

    @andrew: so russia is allowed sponsor rebellion amongst their populations living abroad then seize territory

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:43 AM

    @andrew: This is nothing to do with security. That’s just Russian propaganda. It’s to do with Russia taking back land that it considers to be Russian. Despite the fact hat it isn’t Russia’s to take back!

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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:00 PM

    The best solution to this crisis and conflict would be best resolved by dialogue between the people of the Ukraine and the people of Russia, as they are the ones that have the most to lose if this conflict escalates.

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    Mute Splat
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:40 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: oh the democratic peoples of Russia?… I just fell off my chair.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Jan 26th 2022, 9:55 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: Russia isn’t interested in dialogue. Where was the dialogue when they annexed Crimea? Where was the dialogue when they sent in soldiers and funding to terrorists in Eastern Ukraine? Zilch.

    Putin is a tyrant.

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:11 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Ukraine broke the agreement about Crimea where was agreed annual lease for the land upon which the Russian Navy have their bases. Turns out Russia has been in Crimea for centuries (1783) and most people working there are connected to the Russian Navy complex. As a largely land locked country they need Crimea as access point to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. No way they were going to be forced to leave the Black Sea and replaced by the U.S. Navy or Nato ships in Crimea on their doorstep.

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    Mute Zmeevo Libe
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    Jan 26th 2022, 11:05 PM

    It is great that France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia are having talks without the Americans. By all that was written in the last week it looks like the US of A are doing their best to ramp up the tensions. After all, if a war starts they will be on a different continent, so why not start s small profitable war in Europe? I wonder how long will NATO last. It is so blatantly pushing for American interests over those of their allies, you wonder how would European countries keep up the appearances?

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:48 AM

    Russia is the kid in the playground who’s parents had a really bad divorce and he’s going around bullying other kids because it gives him a sense of power. Now substitute that bully for Putin.

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