Craig Silverman
Contact this reporter at craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com
Google Has Banned Almost 600 Apps For Pushing “Disruptive” Ads
“This is an invasive maneuver resulting in poor user experiences.”
Trolls Flooded A Bar's Facebook Page With Bad Reviews Over An Event For LGBTQ Kids. The Community's Response Was Heartwarming.
The event was meant for kids at a local LGBTQ center, but trolls found out about it and started leaving bad reviews.
These Fake Local News Sites Have Confused People For Years. We Found Out Who Created Them.
As they stole stories from real newspapers, these sites baffled scientists, activists, and journalists. Until now.
Ad Fraudsters Exploited Grindr In A Scheme Targeting Roku Apps
The scheme, dubbed “DiCaprio,” shows how common ad fraud has become in the connected TV industry.
People Are Spreading False And Unverified Information About Iran's Missile Attack On US Bases In Iraq. Don't Be Fooled.
Information on social media includes outdated images and unverified casualty counts.
Disinformation For Hire: How A New Breed Of PR Firms Is Selling Lies Online
One firm promised to “use every tool and take every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client's wishes.”
Hackers Are Breaking Into Websites And Adding Links To Game Google
Google made the link a valuable commodity, so hackers are compromising sites and then getting paid to inject links.
Facebook The Plaintiff: Why The Company Is Suddenly Suing So Many Bad Actors
The social media giant is trying to prove it can be trusted to police itself.
Exclusive: Facebook Fired A Contractor Who Was Paid Thousands In Bribes To Reactivate Banned Ad Accounts
"This behavior is absolutely prohibited under our policies and the individual is no longer working with Facebook."
Facebook Said A Chinese Company Compromised Users With Malware And Then Ran Ads Using Their Accounts
The defendants allegedly used the accounts to run ads that often misused the images of celebrities to sell “counterfeit goods and diet pills.”
Facebook Says Anonymous Pages Posting Coordinated Pro-Trump Content Do Not Break Its Rules
“I like positivity and like to follow all Trump media”
These Hugely Popular Local News Sites In The US And Canada Are Fake
A network of fake local news sites generated millions of pageviews as part of an ad fraud scheme, researchers say.
The Buffalo Chronicle Ran Facebook Ads Promoting Dubious Trudeau Stories
The Buffalo Chronicle paid to promote two of its highly dubious stories about Justin Trudeau.
The Canadian Election’s Surprise Influencer Is A Buffalo Man Targeting Canadians With Viral Disinformation
Matthew Ricchiazzi has written debunked stories about Canadian politics and once told a US candidate he'd publish "negative articles about [their] opponents" for $400 apiece.
A US Ad Agency Was Behind Those Fake Ads Featuring Marilyn Denis, Mike Holmes, And Ron McLean
Ads Inc., which is shutting down in the wake of a BuzzFeed News Investigation, used the images of some of Canada's biggest TV stars as part of a massive Facebook scam.
How A Massive Facebook Scam Siphoned Millions Of Dollars From Unsuspecting Boomers
From San Diego to the Philippines, a Republican digital marketing entrepreneur created one of the biggest Facebook scams of all time.
The International Business Times India Has Been Caught Using Deceptive Ad Practices Yet Again
IBT India says it fired the employee responsible, but denies it committed ad fraud.
How Oil Industry Videos Have Skirted Canadian Campaign Disclosure Rules
A group backed by the Alberta oil industry spent half a million dollars on videos denouncing pipeline protesters — but stopped promoting them right before it would have been required to register with Elections Canada.
Google Removed Dozens Of Android Apps From A Major Chinese Developer Due To "Deceptive Or Disruptive Ads"
This is the third time in recent months that Google has mass-removed apps from a big Chinese developer due to ad violations.