Facebook Created More Than 10,000 ‘Hateful Memes’ to Help Researchers Learn How to Spot Hate Speech

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By Business Insider. On Tuesday, Facebook announced it has created a dataset of more than 10,000 “hateful memes” that will be made available to select researchers working to tackle hate speech online. The database was announced alongside the company’s latest community enforcement report — a report detailing the volume of harmful content that the social networking giant detects and takes down from its platform, from hate speech to illegal material.

Modern content moderation is heavily reliant on advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence — but such technologies typically need to be trained by being shown numerous examples of a particular kind of content before they can learn to recognise it reliably. The “hateful memes” dataset created by Facebook is intended to provide a readily available corpus of data for researchers who can then analyse it so as to build technology that can better detect it in future. Facebook also rebuilt the memes using licensed imagery from Getty to avoid copyright issues.

The dataset includes material that is racist, sexist, and incites violence, Facebook said in a blog post: “Our examples also cover a wide variety of protected categories (such as religion, gender, and sexual orientation) and types of attacks (such as inciting violence or portraying types of people as criminals or terrorists). The distribution in the data set reflects the real-world distribution found in the original examples.”

The memes are specifically examples of what is called “multimodal content” — content that derives its full meaning from taking different elements (e.g. text, imagery) into account at the same time. A meme might have a non-offensive caption and a generic photo, but once combined in a certain way they become insulting or hateful. (Read more from “Facebook Created More Than 10,000 ‘Hateful Memes’ to Help Researchers Learn How to Spot Hate Speech” HERE)

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Facebook Removed 9.6M Posts for Hate Speech in q1, Warns of Coronavirus Impact on Content Moderation

By Yahoo Finance. (NASDAQ: FB) in its Community Standards Enforcement Report on Tuesday said it removed 9.6 million posts in the first three months of 2020 for hate speech.

Automated Systems Speed Up The Process

This is a 68.4% increase over the previous quarter where it removed 5.7 million posts, and 134% increase year-on-year from the first quarter of 2019 where it removed 4.1 million posts.

“We expanded our proactive detection technology for hate speech to new languages, in addition to making improvements to our English detection technology,” Facebook said in the report. “Our proactive rate also increased as a result.”

The social media company said there were 1.3 million appeals against its decision on removing the posts, and it restored about 63,600 of them as a result. (Read more from “Facebook Removed 9.6M Posts for Hate Speech in q1, Warns of Coronavirus Impact on Content Moderation” HERE)

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Woman Mauled to Death by Her Rescue French Bulldog

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An Illinois woman was likely viciously mauled to death inside her home by her own rescue French bulldog, according to authorities.

Lisa Urso, 52, was found dead at her home in Ingleside, located in the northern part of the state about 60 miles from both Chicago and Milwaukee in opposite directions.

Officers who responded to the scene after 4:43 p.m. Saturday found her mutilated body on the back porch, Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee said.

An autopsy confirmed she died from injuries sustained when her dog attacked her. The coroner’s office said the attack began inside the home but Urso managed to make it out to the porch, where she died, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The coroner said the rescue dog had previously been used to fight, according to WGN. (Read more from “Woman Mauled to Death by Her Rescue French Bulldog” HERE)

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Sweden Cared More About Islamophobia Than Saving Elderly in Nursing Homes From Coronavirus

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. . .Sweden has a higher rate of deaths in care homes than Norway or Finland, and lockdown enthusiasts have struggled to explain why keeping bars open would be killing people in housing for the elderly.

But there is a crucial difference between Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish care homes.

A decade ago, in Sweden, 13% of the workers in care homes were immigrants, while only 5% in Norway and 1% in Finland were. Currently, 28% of care home workers in Sweden are foreigners, but in Stockholm, where the real dying has occurred, 55% of the care home workers are foreign immigrants. . .

In an interview, Johan Giesecke, Sweden’s former Chief Epidemologist and Chief Scientist of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), let slip the formerly unspeakable.

Giesecke admitted that Sweden had failed to protect the elderly, and noted that, “many of the people working in nursing homes are from other countries, they’re refugees or asylum seekers.” (Read more from “Sweden Cared More About Islamophobia Than Saving Elderly in Nursing Homes From Coronavirus” HERE)

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WATCH: Inmates Are Infecting Themselves With Coronavirus to Get Early Release

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Since realizing COVID-19 was underway, headed into our lives, facilities, jails, and daily operations, Sheriff Alex Villanueva directed Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employees to take precautionary measures for everyone’s protection.

Custody is a particularly unique environment in which to take these kinds of measures. Nevertheless, with a lot of consideration, new protocols, and collaboration with medical staff, we got it done. On Monday, May 11, 2020, during one of his virtual weekly press conferences conducted at the Sherman Block Building in Monterey Park, Sheriff Alex Villanueva outlined measures used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our jail system.

Unfortunately, through video surveillance, it was determined a group of inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center-North County Correctional Facility deliberately attempted to infect themselves with COVID-19. Multiple men were seen sipping from a single bottle of hot water for two reasons: To falsely elevate their oral temperature moments before having their temperature taken by a nurse, and to spread the potential of infection. The bottle and a secondary cup of hot water were passed among the men inside of a day room, which is a common area next to a housing area with beds, akin to the living room of a house or apartment. There was plenty of space in which to observe physical distancing, however, the men chose to interact close to each other, making their intentions obvious.

(Read more from “WATCH: Inmates Are Infecting Themselves With Coronavirus to Get Early Release” HERE)

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Trump ‘Totally’ Disagrees With Dr. Fauci on Lockdown; Trump Criticizes Fauci’s Senate Testimony

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By The Blaze. President Donald Trump voiced his disagreement with his own coronavirus task force director over his recommendations on further lockdown policies to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The president was speaking to the media about lifting the lockdown restrictions when he addressed Dr. Fauci’s concerns about opening up too quickly.

“I was surprised by his answer actually because, it’s just to me it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools,” Trump said. . .

“We have to get the schools open, we have to get our country open, we have to open our country. Now we want to do it safely, but we also want to do it as quickly as possible, we can’t keep going on like this,” he explained.

“You’re having bedlam already in the streets, you can’t do this,” he added. “We have to get it open. I totally disagree with him on schools.” (Read more from “Trump ‘Totally’ Disagrees With Dr. Fauci on Lockdown” HERE)

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Trump Criticizes Fauci’s Senate Testimony: ‘Not an Acceptable Answer’

By NBC News. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized comments Dr. Anthony Fauci made during a congressional hearing about the risks of reopening the country too soon as “not an acceptable answer.” . .

Trump has repeatedly contradicted Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, painting an overly rosy picture of a country that he says is ready to begin to return to normal.

Testifying by videoconference Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Fauci warned of serious consequences if governors reopen state economies too soon.

“My concern — that if some areas, city, states or what have you jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently — my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” Fauci said in response to a question from Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the committee. . .

In a taped interview with Fox Business Network, a clip of which was released Wednesday, Trump said: “Anthony is a good person, a very good person. I’ve disagreed with him. I totally disagree with him on schools.” (Read more from “Trump Criticizes Fauci’s Senate Testimony: ‘Not an Acceptable Answer'” HERE)

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Mother Dies During Childbirth From Treatable Condition That Went Undiagnosed Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

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A New York woman died during childbirth last month, and her husband said she tried to get treatment for the condition that killed her, but couldn’t because of coronavirus restrictions in hospitals, according to People magazine.

Amber Rose Isaac, 26, died on April 21 when her heart stopped shortly after giving birth to her son, Elias. The child’s father, Bruce McIntyre, called the death “100% preventable” if she had been able to get an in-person appointment in the months leading up to her death.

Isaac began noticing her platelet levels decreasing beginning in February, McIntyre said, but she couldn’t get an in-person appointment despite being seven months pregnant. Her regular check-ups were handled virtually, with her filling out a questionnaire and checking her blood pressure. . .

She was finally admitted to Montefiore Hospital in The Bronx in mid-April after her condition got worse. That same day, April 17, Isaac posted her final tweet — a criticism of how she was treated by the hospital.

Doctors induced labor three days later, more than a month ahead of her expected due date, because she had been diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome. HELLP is described by WebMD as a condition that “causes problems with your blood, liver, and blood pressure. If left untreated, these issues can hurt you and your baby.” (Read more from “Mother Dies During Childbirth From Treatable Condition That Went Undiagnosed Due to COVID-19 Restrictions” HERE)

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Trump on Unmasking: ‘This Was All Obama, This Was All Biden’

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By Breitbart. In a preview of an interview set to air during Thursday’s broadcast of Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” President Donald Trump sounded off on the recently unveiled circumstances of the prosecution of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. . .

“They weren’t after General Flynn — they wanted him to lie about me, make up a story,” he said. “And with few exceptions, nobody did that. There were many people, I watched K.T. McFarland the other day, I watched where she was, ‘knock-knock FBI,’ you know, the FBI, this was all Obama, this was all Biden. These people were corrupt, the whole thing was corrupt, and we caught them, we caught them. And what you saw just now, I watched Biden yesterday he could barely speak. He was on ‘Good Morning America’ right? He said he didn’t know anything about it, and now it just gets released right after he said that. It gets released that he was one of the unmaskers. Meaning he knew everything about it, so he lied to your friend George Stephanopoulos.” (Read more from “Trump on Unmasking: ‘This Was All Obama, This Was All Biden’” HERE)

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Ex-Trump Advisor Michael Flynn Objects to Judge Letting Outsiders Oppose Criminal Case Dismissal

By CNBC. The judge who has been asked by the Justice Department to dismiss its prosecution of ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn said Tuesday that he will first accept recommendations on whether he should do so from people and groups not involved in the case.

But Flynn’s lawyers promptly opposed Judge Emmet Sullivan’s unusual decision to consider third-party legal arguments, saying in a filing that court rules do not allow it.

Defense lawyers also argued that the judge had previously “summarily refused to permit any third party to inject themselves or their views into this case” 24 times and should do the same now.

The move by Sullivan to allow third-party comments offers a rare chance for critics of Flynn, who briefly served as one of President Donald Trump’s top advisors, to possibly thwart the Justice Department’s controversial effort to dismiss the case. (Read more from “Ex-Trump Advisor Michael Flynn Objects to Judge Letting Outsiders Oppose Criminal Case Dismissal” HERE)

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Facebook-Backed Advocacy Group Will Spread Message that Big Tech Is ‘Essential’ to Free Speech

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Facebook is helping set up a new political advocacy group in D.C., called “American Edge,” hoping to dissuade lawmakers against regulating big tech companies, according to a report in the Washington Post.

According to the report, the Facebook-backed lobbying group will attempt to convince federal lawmakers that big tech companies are “essential to the U.S. economy and the future of free speech.”

Via the Washington Post:

The organization is called American Edge, and it aims through a barrage of advertising and other political spending to convince policymakers that Silicon Valley is essential to the U.S. economy and the future of free speech, according to three people familiar with the matter as well as documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the group because it hasn’t officially been announced.

(Read more from “Facebook-Backed Advocacy Group Will Spread Message that Big Tech Is ‘Essential’ to Free Speech” HERE)

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Democrats Push ‘Devil’ Coronavirus Bill H.R. 6666

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By American Priority. House Democrats are proposing H.R. 6666, a multi-billion dollar bill authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “award grants to eligible entities to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID–19, and related activities such as contact tracing, through mobile health units and, as necessary, at individuals’ residences.”

The COVID-19 Testing, Reaching, And Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act — what some appropriately note is filed as H.R. 6666 — provides $100 billion in grants distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “eligible entities” so they can “trace and monitor the contacts of infected individuals, and to support the quarantine of such contacts, through mobile health units and, as necessary, testing individuals and providing individuals with services related to testing and quarantine at their residences.”

According to the legislation, recipients of the grant can use the funds to “hire, train, compensate, and pay the expenses” of individuals to carry out the tasks related to testing and contact tracing.

Eligible entities include federally qualified health centers, school-based health clinics, academic medical centers, non-profits, institutions of higher education, and any other entity that the secretary deems eligible.

Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) formally introduced the bill this month, asserting that it will be “impossible” to reopen the economy and return to normal “if we do not step up our testing efforts and implement robust and widespread contact tracing.” (Read more from “Democrats Push ‘Devil’ Coronavirus Bill H.R. 6666” HERE)

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H.R. 6666 a Devil of a COVID-19 Government Surveillance Plot

By Washington Examiner. A House resolution from Illinois Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush that would put Big Government in charge of tracking citizens’ movements as they relate to COVID-19 mitigation efforts — even sending health bureaucrats to “individuals’ residences,” “as necessary,” as the legislation states — has a most apt number: 6666.

Mark of the beast. Mark of the beast for a beastly, monstrously unconstitutional bill.

After all, what’s more devilishly un-American than launching one of the most massive government surveillance programs of private citizens in U.S. history, all under the guise of protecting people from the coronavirus? . . .

That means government comes to your home, taps on your door and demands you take a COVID-19 test. And if you test positive, that means the government makes sure you stay at home. How? Good question. Good unanswered question. Good chillingly unclear question.

The top dogs at the Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are in control of disbursing the $100 billion to local governments to carry out the COVID-19 testing — more specifically, to “hire, train, compensate and pay the expenses of individuals” to staff mobile health units and to knock on citizens’ doors and to enforce compliance with quarantining. (Read more from “H.R. 6666 a Devil of a COVID-19 Government Surveillance Plot” HERE)

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WATCH: Senator Questions Dr. Fauci, Drops a Bomb in Senate Hearing

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By PJ Media. . .The doctor in Rand Paul took over for the questioning. He began by challenging Dr. Fauci on the media narrative that there is no evidence that patients who survive coronavirus have immunity.

. . .Paul then stated that his view is that the truth is the exact opposite of the media narrative. There is very good evidence that recovered patients will have some durable immunity. And recovered workers, in industries like meatpacking, should be reassured there is a strong likelihood they will not get reinfected. He then referenced that Dr. Fauci had said publicly that he would bet it all that survivors of COVID-19 have some form of immunity and asked him to set the record straight.

Dr. Fauci responded that it is indeed likely. Then he added the standard disclaimers that we won’t know for sure and for how long for years. He did concede you could make a reasonable assumption that recovered patients have some immunity. Paul concluded saying maybe a better way to frame the issue of immunity was to say in all likelihood recovery indicates immunity for some period of time. The public needs to hear Paul’s presentation, but you can confidently bet on the fact that the media narrative won’t change. . .

He then took on the narrative that we must listen to the health experts head-on. Explicitly, he challenged the reliance on the opinion of one man, Dr. Fauci.

Really the history of this when we look back will be wrong prediction after wrong prediction after wrong prediction starting with Ferguson in England. I think we ought to have a little humility in the belief we know what’s best for the economy. As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don’t think you are the end-all. I don’t think you are the one person that gets to make a decision. We can listen to your advice, but there are people on the other side saying there is not going to be a surge and we can safely open the economy. The facts will bear this out. But if we keep kids out of school for another year, what’s going to happen is that the poor and underprivileged kids who don’t have a parent that can teach them at home are not going to learn for a year. I think we ought to look at the Swedish model. It’s a huge mistake if we don’t open schools in the fall.

(Read more from “WATCH: Senator Questions Dr. Fauci, Drops a Bomb in Senate Hearing” HERE)

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Rand Paul Dings Fauci During Testimony, Tells Him ‘You Are Not the End All’

By Fox News. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., clashed with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday during a Senate Health Committee hearing, telling the public health official he is not the “end all” when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic while pressing him for information about immunity for those who have beaten the disease and the possibility of schools reopening.

In one of the more tense moments of Tuesday’s hearing, Paul – the only U.S. senator to have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 – said the public health response to the pandemic has been riddled with “wrong prediction after wrong prediction” and that Fauci should not be the one making decisions on issues outside his purview. . .

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of the federal government’s most visible faces during the public health crisis, balked at Paul calling him the “end all” and said his recommendations do not extend beyond the realm of science and public health.

“I have never made myself out to be the end all,” Fauci said via videoconference from his office at the NIAID. “I’m a scientist, a physician and a public health official, I give advice, according to the best scientific evidence.” (Read more from “Rand Paul Dings Fauci During Testimony, Tells Him ‘You Are Not the End All'” HERE)

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