Facebook allows users to see all ads on Pages, flag suspicious ones
San Francisco, June 29 : After coming under the scanner for alleged Russian meddling in 2016 US Presidential election through Facebook, the social networking giant has now decided to allow users to see the active ads a Page is running and flag suspicious ones.
"The hope of the announcement today is that it will hold us accountable, it will hold advertisers accountable -- but it will also give people a lot more ability to find things that maybe shouldn't be up. Or find things that might be misleading so that we can take actions," Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said on Thursday.
"Our ultimate goal is very simple: we want to reduce bad ads, we want to make sure that people understand what they're seeing, who paid for it, and the fullness of what other people might see," Sandberg said while addressing the media at Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters in California.
As part of the new transparency initiatives, Facebook said users will be able to see the ads a Page is running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and its partner network, even if those ads are not targeted at them.
The Pages will now have an "Info and Ads" section which will have information about the ads and allow users to flag anything suspicious by clicking on "Report Ad."
"You can also learn more about Pages, even if they don't advertise. For example, you can see any recent name changes and the date the Page was created. We'll be adding more Page information in the coming weeks," Rob Leathern, Facebook's Director of Product Management and the company's Product Marketing Director Emma Rodgers said in a statement.
Facebook said it will also soon launch its political ads labeling and archive in Brazil, ahead of October's general election. Facebook launched this initiative in the US in May.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
