<div dir="ltr"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">

<div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">I know it’s easy to tune out tales of horrible things on the internet. Please pay attention to this one.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">NBC News wrote an <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/ZBcYFGdyYJbiJbxqRwMteg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP4QMAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5iY25ld3MuY29tL3RlY2gvdGVjaC1uZXdzL3Fhbm9uLWdyb3Vwcy1oYXZlLW1pbGxpb25zLW1lbWJlcnMtZmFjZWJvb2stZG9jdW1lbnRzLXNob3ctbjEyMzYzMTc_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU4JmVtYz1lZGl0X290XzIwMjAwODExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIxMTcxJm5sPW9uLXRlY2gtd2l0aC1zaGlyYS1vdmlkZSZyZWdpX2lkPTkyMTA1MjAmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0zNTc3MSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MTczNWI2MzVmNmNkM2JkNWFlMjlhM2JiNDAwYTZlYThXA255dEIKACuHxzJf2KKbylITeWNvbXBhbnlzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~" class="gmail-m_-7516076782887390873css-1sybz1k" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration:none;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit" target="_blank">illuminating article</a> about Facebook’s internal research that showed millions of people following Facebook groups and pages that support QAnon, <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/-oWO4f_xLvbt7rWpw5XTqA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wMi8wOS91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9xYW5vbi10cnVtcC1jb25zcGlyYWN5LXRoZW9yeS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~" class="gmail-m_-7516076782887390873css-1sybz1k" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration:none;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit" target="_blank">a sprawling and false conspiracy</a> claiming a traitorous cabal dominates government and other institutions.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The
 scale of QAnon supporters on Facebook stunned me, and the article 
raised two questions for me about how Facebook feeds this and other 
dangerous ideas:</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px"><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:inherit">Why do online recommendations still exist? </span>NBC
 News found that Facebook’s computerized suggestions have pointed people
 toward online groups revolving around the QAnon conspiracy. Journalists
 and misinformation researchers have raised the alarm for <span style="font-style:italic;font-size:inherit">years</span> about computer recommendations on YouTube, Facebook and other spots that harden people’s belief in dangerous ideas.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">What if, as my colleague Kevin Roose <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/Ngly_xa9Wyjv-T2mUxHZsQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wNC8yMC90ZWNobm9sb2d5L3lvdXR1YmUtY29uc3BpcmFjeS10aGVvcmllcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~" class="gmail-m_-7516076782887390873css-1sybz1k" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration:none;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit" target="_blank">suggested about YouTube</a>,
 we just turn off these internet recommendations? NBC News said that 
Facebook may, in fact, do that for QAnon-related groups, as it 
previously did to stop recommending online groups that oppose vaccines. 
That doesn’t stop people from wallowing in conspiracies online, but it 
makes it more difficult for newcomers to stumble onto dangerous ideas.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px"><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:inherit">Why is Facebook researching this only now?</span>
 NBC News wrote that Facebook had been “studying the QAnon movement 
since at least June.” (A Facebook spokesperson told NBC News that the 
company consistently punishes or removes QAnon-related groups that 
violate the social network’s rules.)</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">It has been clear for years that internet sites are where <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/B7SmXEwoTt_7Cfwv3KhpMA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0T8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm9sbGluZ3N0b25lLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy9wb2xpdGljcy1uZXdzL2FuYXRvbXktb2YtYS1mYWtlLW5ld3Mtc2NhbmRhbC0xMjU4NzcvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~" class="gmail-m_-7516076782887390873css-1sybz1k" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration:none;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit" target="_blank">conspiracy theorists organize</a> and, for some, become radicalized. We’ve seen examples <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/AG4IG9UNeriTJCGhV0Ghlg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6emZlZWRuZXdzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3NrYmFlci9xYW5vbi1iZWxpZXZlci1hcnJlc3RlZC1ob292ZXItZGFtP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~" class="gmail-m_-7516076782887390873css-1sybz1k" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration:none;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit" target="_blank">for more than two years</a> of people who believe in the QAnon conspiracy committing violence in the real world.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Did Facebook really start systematically researching its role in the conspiracy only a few months ago?</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>



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