Somewhere in the heart of Facebook HQ , a shadowy team toils behind the closed doors of what would seem to be an intermediate conference room . This is Facebook ’s War Room , and it ’s the thin line standing between us and topsy-turvydom .
Gizmodo did not see the War Room , but other Thursday forenoon , almost simultaneously , bleary - eyed journalists strike publish on multiple pieces describing this crisis center . What they view was astonishing :
Wired :
DEEP IN THE gut ofFacebook ’s snaky campus in Menlo Park , California is a way about 25 - animal foot - square that may have a lot to do with how the world thinks about the caller in the come months . It seem like a Wall Street trading base , with screen on every wall and every desk . And 20 hours a day — soon to be 24 60 minutes a twenty-four hour period — it ’s packed with about two dozen geeks , ghost , cyberpunk , and lawyers try on to spy and quash the next spoilt thing to happen on the company ’s networks .
Fortune :
Inside a bland conference room — fit with video screens , a whiteboard , and an American flag — a small squad ofFacebookemployees is trying to prevent disinformation campaigns from tilt the coming midterm exam elections .
ABC News :
In an otherwise innocuous part ofFacebook ’s expansive Silicon Valley campus , a locked doorway bears a taped - on preindication that read “ War Room . ” Behind the door lie a nerve center the societal connection has set up to combat fake accounts and bogus news program history ahead of upcomingelections .
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1052869695794307072
The Verge :
On one hand , the war room is just one of many conference way in MPK 20 , the ship’s company ’s Menlo Park , CA HQ . But it ’s large than average , and has been stuffed with people and electronics equipment . There are desks for 24 people , and the room is ringed with 17 screens , each of which highlight a different stream of information Facebook is supervise .
CNET
From the exterior , Facebook ’s “ warfare way ” looks like a distinctive conference way on the tech business firm ’s Menlo Park , California , campus . But on the inside , the open space , flags , clocks , TV screens , posters and blue and white label next to computer screen point that it is n’t your middling meeting elbow room .
TechCrunch :
Beneath an American flagstone , 20 citizenry compact closely into a beige league elbow room are Facebook ’s , and so too the Internet ’s , first pipeline of defence for commonwealth . This is Facebook election security war room .
Inside Facebook ’s ' state of war room ' is a battle for public trusthttps://t.co/OpLHydOaRDvia@ric9871ric#retweet#pleaseretweetpic.twitter.com/17MxTUb3yR
— Ric Olsen ( @Ric9871Ric)October 18 , 2018
There are flags , there are posters , there are maps and screens . But what ’s happening in this way ?
Associated Press :
Inside the way are gobs of employees staring intently at their admonisher while data streams across elephantine splasher .
The Guardian :
Engineers , data scientist , menace investigators and other Facebook experts from 20 teams recentlybegan collaboratinginside the so - called “ state of war room ” , a terminal figure that political campaigns typically use to describe operation center .
All told , representatives from 20 squad have people in the war elbow room , represent 20,000 global employees play on condom and security . The teams admit threat news , datum science , technology , enquiry , functioning , effectual , insurance policy , communication , and representatives from Facebook - owned WhatsApp and Instagram .
Business Insider :
The facility resembled a conventional office way , with immature employees working side - by - side , some locate in front of bear desks adorned with multiple screen . One would be mistaken that the employees were coding away on distinctive software package projects if it were n’t for the print - out labels seize to some of the monitors with description like “ Elections Software Engineer , ” “ Integrity Software Engineer , ” and “ Research Brazil . ”
Facebook has make an election war room.@emilychangtvgoes inside ▶ ️https://t.co / PTHDBtBXpJpic.twitter.com / kXjQivuZjY
— Bloomberg ( @business)October 18 , 2018
Why are all these people star at screens ? What ’s happening here ? What ’s this War Room for ?
CNN :
The company has been under intense scrutiny from Congress , federal investigators , and the medium , after it emerged thatRussian government - unite operativesmanipulated its platform to direct Americans in 2016 .
CNET :
There ’s a lot at stake not only for democracy , but for Facebook , which has seenRussians , Iraniansand even Americans exploit the social connection to spread hoaxes and sow in discord .
During the U.S. presidential election , Russian government trolls and profit - ride fake word outlets contaminate the social mesh with polarizing propaganda . Now Facebook hopes to avoid a repeat in the upcoming US midterms as well as election across the ball . And to win the hearts , thinker , and trust of the world , it ’s being more transparent about its scheme .
CNBC :
.@Facebook ’s unveiling a fresh so - called state of war room to help deal with urgent threats in the forthcoming midterms & prevent election interference . Facebook disable more than a billion fake invoice between October ' 17 & March ' 18 .
Facebook ’s header of cybersecurity,@ngleicherjoins us : pic.twitter.com / BZx5uHWuLY
— CBS Mornings ( @CBSMornings)October 18 , 2018
Ah , I see . So , Facebook ’s stock monetary value is devolve , it ’s smothered by malicious gossip , it really make out up that last election , it wants to void more bad newspaper headline , and it ’s doing all this to be more transparent . Did this gaggle of reporters learn anything specific about War Room operations ?
The press briefing provided minimal new information about Facebook ’s specific strategies and shock when it make out to battle extraneous interference and fake news show .
When pressed by newsman , Facebook execs did n’t have a satisfying solution on how it would endeavor to battle the menstruum of fake newsworthiness and misinformation , instead pointing to minor decorative change like the addition of a “ Forwarded ” index next to messages that have been forwarded , to show when a message did n’t uprise with the sender .
The War Room may or may not be doing its business , but the Facebook PR team is killing it .
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