November 1, 2021

Photo illustration: Rafael Henrique/Getty Images
Good morning! This Monday, Facebook's struggles with its role in climate denialism, enterprise software is being put to the test, and Roblox was down for three whole days.
The UN's COP26 climate change conference is getting underway this morning. (The biggest news so far is the outrageously long lines just to get into the conference.) The stakes are high for the negotiations in Glasgow, as well as for the quality of the information coming out of it. Twitter, for instance, is launching a new system for "pre-bunking" climate misinformation and a hub for #COP26 updates in several languages.
The Facebook Papers have shown us how complicated climate change misinformation can be. Facebook has has spent years resisting calls to outright forbid climate misinformation on the platform. The company has instead touted its own sort of "pre-bunking" system, the Climate Science Center, which launched last year, as one antidote to the problem. But internal documents reveal that earlier this year, users still largely didn't know the information center existed — and in the United States, were particularly dubious about the accuracy and trustworthiness of the information contained within it.
Facebook is still seeking to understand the role it plays in climate denialism, according to the documents. Even as its own employees have been sounding the alarm on Facebook's role in spreading climate misinformation for years.
Facebook is a primary source of climate information for its users, which presented an "opportunity to build knowledge through our platform," the report's author found.
Repeated instances of climate change misinformation keep popping up in prominent places, according to the documents.
Facebook recently announced a $1 million grant program to fund its fact-checkers' partnerships with climate experts. But experts say that's not good enough.
Facebook is continuing to scrutinize its options for addressing climate change denial on the platform, the documents show, despite the pressure building up both internally and externally. That includes conducting interviews with a transcontinental focus group of people who hold a range of views on the climate.
The goal in part, according to the documents, was to analyze Facebook's role in shaping climate views and attitudes and understand how users experience climate misinformation and "what they think [Facebook] should do about it."
For some Facebook employees, it seems, the answer to that question is already clear.
— Issie Lapowsky (email | twitter)
This story first appeared on Protocol.com. Read it here.
U.S. brands – big and small – are growing their global businesses by selling on Alibaba's online marketplace of over 900 million Chinese consumers. By engaging customers in immersive, virtual shopping experiences, they can directly tell their stories and connect with consumers across the world.
On Protocol | Fintech: Esusu co-founder Samir Goel says the company became a huge help during the pandemic:
GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield said demand for microchips is jumping, and it won't fade for a while:
Facebook has been talking about the metaverse since at least 2018, when Jason Rubin laid out its vision in a 50-page document:
On Protocol | Workplace: Blizzard Entertainment employee Jessica Gonzalez doesn't think Bobby Kotick's pay cut is well-intentioned:
On Protocol | Workplace: The Facebook Papers show employees can get critical. In one instance, a worker directed concerns at Fidji Simo:
Web Summit begins today. A bunch of high-profile people are speaking, including Frances Haugen, Brad Smith and Amy Poehler.
The AI Summit starts on Wednesday. The event brings together speakers in data and intelligence at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
The FTC will host a microeconomics conference starting Thursday. The 14th annual event includes experts in antitrust and consumer protection.
Lyft, Uber, Airbnb, Pinterest, Square, Qualcomm, EA, Activision Blizzard and Yelp report earnings this week.
On Protocol | Enterprise: Enterprise tech is getting a run for its money. Companies like Microsoft and Zoom have done particularly well selling remote work tools, but as the workplace gets more complicated, their long-term success will be put to the test.
Dell's spinoff of VMware should be completed today. The new Dell will be worth about $33 billion, the Financial Times reported, and VMware about $64 billion.
Kuaishou restructured its leadership. Cheng Yixiao is the new CEO, while fellow co-founder and previous CEO Su Hua will stay chairman of the board. It's just the latest tech giant to change leaders during China's tech crackdown.
Two Netflix employees filed complaints with the NLRB after protesting the Dave Chappelle special. B. Pagels-Minor and Terra Field are alleging Netflix retaliated against them for participating in protected activity.
China wants into the global digital economy. The government applied to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, which establishes rules and systems for digital trade and online life.
Roblox was down for several days. The company only identified and fixed the cause of the problem yesterday.
GameStop booted Jenna Owens. The ex-Amazon employee served as the company's COO for less than a year, and GameStop hasn't explained the reason for her departure.
Monique Meche is leaving Twitter. Meche has been the company's VP of public policy and philanthropy for over a year.
Twitter likes to change things up a lot. Sometimes it does away with features completely, like the time it dropped Fleets. Other times, the platform makes changes to existing features, and it's done so a couple times in the past week or so.
U.S. businesses use Alibaba's innovative technologies to engage Chinese consumers. On Alibaba's platforms, shoppers can virtually try on products, browse 3D replicas of brick-and-mortar stores, and enjoy gamified shopping experiences.
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