👋 Join us in welcoming the newest addition to our team: Maiko Ratiani
Maiko brings extensive experience in fact checking and media literacy - having worked with @mythdetector.com, Georgia's flagship fact-checking and myth debunking platform.
She'll be helping us develop monetization resources!
Join us next Monday for what promises to be an incredible conversation at the 10th edition of #PDAF
#SocialMedia #TechAccountability #Genocide
♦️ Who is eligible?
♦️ What content can be monetised?
♦️ How are monetisation policies enforced? What are the controls? How automated are they?
♦️ Who has (or had) access to monetisation services?
♦️ How much revenue did they generate?
♦️ What % of harmful content is directly financed by platforms?
Social media platforms don't just decide what content gets to be shared or seen on their services.
They shape our information ecosystems by introducing financial incentives and by allocating - or withholding - financial resources 💸
monetization.wtf
We couldn't agree more with our friends at Fundación Maldita.es on this:
We need a LOT more transparency around social media monetization
maldita.es/policy/20260...
Check out our detailed assessment of social media platforms' #monetisation risk assessments
👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
We extracted all references to monetisation features, risks and mitigations in platforms' risk assessments, then screened public sources for any new monetisation feature or mitigation introduced over the period.
Our overall findings are summarised below.
Did you know that platforms pay out billions 💶 to content publishers every month? monetization.wtf
Monetisation services are shaping our information ecosystems via financial incentives, payments and financial restrictions.
Under the #DSA 🇪🇺 , very large online platforms must identify, assess, and mitigate the risks associated with the design, functioning, and use of their services.
Supposedly, that should include #monetisation services 🤔
🚨🚨 Social media monetisation is a risky business.
In our latest report, we take a look at platforms’ latest #DSA risk assessment report and their coverage of the risks stemming from their monetisation activities.
📚 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
At WHAT TO FIX, we've been researching social media monetization (mal)practices since 2019.
Take a look at our transparency portal: monetization.wtf 👀
More on our investigations: www.whattofix.tech/blog/investi...
As we told the French MFA, @viginum.bsky.social, and @arcom.fr...
Platforms are not only failing to address foreign interference on their services.
In many case, they are directly incentivizing - and financing - it 💸
We're glad to see #France 🇫🇷 prioritize transparency and oversight of social media monetization in its national strategy against foreign interference.
📃 www.sgdsn.gouv.fr/files/files/...
Take a look at WHAT TO FIX's monetization.wtf for more on the need to regulate the rollout of social media monetization services.
"X now pays contributors for the engagement their posts generate. This has given rise to disingenuous accounts posting inflammatory content for profit, says Jon Roozenbeek of the University of Cambridge."
Read the full story: www.economist.com/britain/2026...
More evidence from The @economist.com of the impact of the the reckless rollout of social media #monetization on the proliferation of harmful content.
It's time regulators get a hang of this and stop platforms from incentivizing -- and financing -- the abuse of their services.
Great investigation by BBC news on yet another niche of harmful content that gets incentivized and proliferates as a result of the reckless rollout of social media #monetization services.
👉 www.bbc.com/news/article...
[🚨 JOB OPPORTUNITY]
We're hiring for a Brussels-based ✨Policy Manager to steer our efforts to get the #EU to regulate social media monetization services.
Full Detail: www.whattofix.tech/publications...
📍 Brussels
Read the full investigation 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
... and take a look at the data for yourself 👉 monetization.wtf/monetization...
We found:
♦️ Dozens of political party pages actively enrolled for revenue redistribution or other monetization services.
♦️ Ads being displayed on political party content
♦️ Various loopholes that can lead political parties to receive contributions violating applicable Campaign Finance Laws.
Using our Meta #MonetizationArchive, we find that platforms' monetization systems are just as inconsistent and inadequate as content moderation systems.
Only this time, we're dealing with money flows — which can have even more far-reaching consequences… 💸
The intersection of money and politics lies at the heart of #Election integrity.
On paper, #Meta 's monetization policies couldn't be clearer: political parties are ineligible for monetization.
And yet…
🚨 NEW INVESTIGATION - How Facebook Offers Monetization Services to Political Parties
Our new research looks at how political parties are turning to social media #monetization as a new source of revenue and financial contributions - and explores implications for #BrandSafety and #Election integrity
Here is what it takes to make money 💸 from X :
♦️ A premium account (Blue check)
♦️ A lot of engagement from other premium account
Could X be *paying* accounts engaged in inauthentic activity?
Could these payouts be the reason these accounts exist in the first place?
www.monetization.wtf/p/x/
X just unveiled a new feature, letting users know which country an account is being managed from.
Unsurprisingly, many large accounts (MAGA or otherwise) don't appear to match their self-description 🤔
🚨 Brussels, today 🚨Ursula! Stand up for Europe – not for Trump’s tech bros!
As the EU unveils its “Digital Omnibus” today, we're rolling out billboards calling on @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to stop bending to US and Big Tech pressure and enforce our digital laws #StandUpUrsula✊
[🔉Open Letter] We join EDRi and 125 organizations in raising concerns over the forthcoming #EU digital omnibus proposals.
Now is NOT the time to give up hard-won protections for digital human rights.
Read the letter 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
[🔉 OPEN LETTER] We're proud to join 100s of orgs and individuals in calling for a strong, ambitious, and mandatory #COP30 decision upholding #InformationIntegrity on #climate change.
Read the ✉️: www.whattofix.tech/publications...
w/ @caadcoalition.bsky.social @counterhate.com and many more
The report leveraged our #Meta #MonetizationArchive to reveal how several candidates continued to monetize their #Facebook account during the campaign period.
www.whattofix.tech/publications...
As more and more #influencers turn political candidates, we need clearer rules around social media revenue generation.
Check out this new report by Democratic Charkha and the National Alliance of People's Movement, on the #Bihar Assembly #Elections in India.
democraticcharkha.in/investigatio...