One Woman Got Facebook to Police Opioid Sales On Instagram (archive)
Eileen Carey says she has regularly reported Instagram accounts selling opioids to the company for three years, with few results. Last week, Carey confronted two executives of Facebook, which owns Instagram, about the issue on Twitter. Since then, Instagram removed some accounts, banned one opioid-related hashtag and restricted the results for others.
Searches for the hashtag #oxycontin on Instagram now show no results. Other opioid-related hashtags, such as #opiates, #fentanyl, and #narcos, surface a limited number of results along with a message stating, "Recent posts from [the hashtag] are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram's community guidelines." Some accounts that appeared to be selling opioids on Instagram also were removed.
The moves come amid increased government concern about the role of tech platforms in opioid abuse, and follow years of media reports about the illegal sale of opioids on Instagram and Facebook, from the BBC, Venturebeat, CNBC, Sky News and others. Following the BBC probe in 2013, Instagram blocked searches of terms associated with the sale of illegal drugs.
[...] Carey is now the CEO of Glassbreakers, a startup maker of software to support workforce diversity. But she worked on illegal drug sales in her previous job at MarkMonitor, a company that protects brands like pharmaceutical companies from online counterfeiting, piracy, and fraud. In a Mar. 30 tweet to Rob Leathern, Facebook's director of product management, Carey wrote, "The historical response that users can report abuse and moderators will review hasn't changed in 4 years." She asked him to "Please hold leadership accountable."
#StopSnitching.
Also at CNN.
See also: Facebook Needs to Do More to Stop the Online Opioid Market, Says FDA Chief
Related: Senate Investigators Google Their Way to $766 Million of Fentanyl
U.S. Surgeon General Urges More Americans to Carry Naloxone
U.S. Life Expectancy Continues to Decline Due to Opioid Crisis
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There were 42,249 deaths due to opioid overdoses in 2016, compared to a projected 41,070 deaths from breast cancer in 2017 (42,640 in 2015). U.S. life expectancy has dropped for the second year in a row:
The increase largely stemmed from the continued escalation of deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which jumped to 19,410 in 2016 from 9,580 in 2015 and 5,540 in 2014, according to a TFAH analysis of the report.
[...] The surge in overdose deaths has depressed recent gains in U.S. life expectancy, which fell to an average age of 78.6, down 0.1 year from 2015 and marking the first two-year drop since 1962-1963.
In a separate report, the CDC linked the recent steep increases in hepatitis C infections to increases in opioid injection.
Researchers used a national database that tracks substance abuse admissions to treatment facilities in all 50 U.S. states. They found a 133 percent increase in acute hepatitis C cases that coincided with a 93 percent increase in admissions for opioid injection between 2004 to 2014.
From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
With Google, Bitcoins, and USPS, Feds realize it's stupid easy to buy fentanyl
A congressional report released Wednesday lays out just how easy it is for Americans to buy the deadly opioid fentanyl from Chinese suppliers online and have it shipped to them via the government's own postal service. The report also lays out just how difficult the practice will be to stop.
After Googling phrases such as "fentanyl for sale," Senate investigators followed up with just six of the online sellers they found. This eventually led them to 500 financial transaction records, accounting for about $766 million worth of fentanyl entering the country and at least seven traceable overdose deaths.
[...] "Thanks to our bipartisan investigation, we now know the depth to which drug traffickers exploit our mail system to ship fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the United States," Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said in a statement. "The federal government can, and must, act to shore up our defenses against this deadly drug and help save lives."
Related: Opioid Addiction is Big Business
Heroin, Fentanyl? Meh: Carfentanil is the Latest Killer Opioid
Tip for Darknet Drug Lords: Don't Wear Latex Gloves to the Post Office
Cop Brushes Fentanyl Off Uniform, Overdoses
Congress Reacts to Reports that a 2016 Law Hindered DEA's Ability to go after Opioid Distributors
Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has urged more Americans to carry the opioid overdose reversal treatment naloxone, known under brand names such as Narcan and Evzio. However, the drug and its delivery systems have become more expensive in recent years:
As opioid-related deaths have continued to climb, naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses, has become an important part of the public health response. When people overdosing struggle to breathe, naloxone can restore normal breathing and save their lives. But the drug has to be given quickly.
On Thursday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory that encouraged more people to routinely carry naloxone. "The call to action is to recognize if you're at risk," he tells Morning Edition's Rachel Martin. "And if you or a loved one are at risk, keep within reach, know how to use naloxone."
[...] The medicine is now available at retail pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Between 2013 and 2015, researchers found a tenfold increase in naloxone sold by retail pharmacies in the U.S. But prices have increased along with demand. Naloxone-filled syringes that used to cost $6 apiece now cost $30 and up. A two-pack of naloxone nasal spray can cost $135 or more. And a two-pack of automatic naloxone injectors runs more than $3,700. And while it's true that naloxone can prevent many opioid-related deaths, it doesn't solve the root cause of the problem.
Related: Kroger Supermarkets to Carry Naloxone Without a Prescription
Chicago Jail Handing Out Naloxone to Inmates Upon Release
Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan
Facebook reveals 25 pages of takedown rules for hate speech and more
Facebook has never before made public the guidelines its moderators use to decide whether to remove violence, spam, harassment, self-harm, terrorism, intellectual property theft, and hate speech from social network until now. The company hoped to avoid making it easy to game these rules, but that worry has been overridden by the public's constant calls for clarity and protests about its decisions. Today Facebook published 25 pages of detailed criteria and examples for what is and isn't allowed.
Facebook is effectively shifting where it will be criticized to the underlying policy instead of individual incidents of enforcement mistakes like when it took down posts of the newsworthy "Napalm Girl" historical photo because it contains child nudity before eventually restoring them. Some groups will surely find points to take issue with, but Facebook has made some significant improvements. Most notably, it no longer disqualifies minorities from shielding from hate speech because an unprotected characteristic like "children" is appended to a protected characteristic like "black".
Nothing is technically changing about Facebook's policies. But previously, only leaks like a copy of an internal rulebook attained by the Guardian had given the outside world a look at when Facebook actually enforces those policies. These rules will be translated into over 40 languages for the public. Facebook currently has 7500 content reviewers, up 40% from a year ago.
Also at MarketWatch.
Related:
Facebook Reports BBC for Reporting Child Porn Images Found on Facebook
Facebook Blocks Users from Sharing World Socialist Web Site Promotional Video
Facebook-Owned Instagram Removes Opioid-Related Posts
Instagram will send a pop-up about opioid addiction support if you search certain hashtags
Instagram says people are using the platform's hashtags to find addiction support and communities as well as illegal drugs. So, in response, the company is rolling out a pop-up today that'll provide users with drug addiction resources if they search certain hashtags, like "opioid."
[...] Instagram says that while many people use these drug-related hashtags to find support communities, others misuse them to sell drugs. In some cases, Instagram has blocked or limited these hashtags, but this prevents helpful support communities from forming, the company says.
If I misspell "#opioid", will I still get a warning?
Also at Engadget.
Previously: Facebook-Owned Instagram Removes Opioid-Related Posts
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Monday April 09 2018, @08:51AM (3 children)
Seems to me Carey might actually have just been doing her job for most of the last few years, to whit reporting people pushing counterfeit pharma for the clients of MarkMonitor. Or it's possible that she just has a bee in her bonnet about opiate abuse in general for some reason (controversy over over prescription aside, some of it is legit prescribed medication, right?). There's a big difference between just trying to shutdown people pushing fake - and possibly dangerous - knockoffs and to shutdown everyone, including legitimate pharmacies, and the TFS doesn't seem to make that clear (I've not read all of the actual articles). I know prescribed pharma can be expensive in the US, but unless you really, really, can't afford it and are desperate for the meds, is rolling the dice with knock-offs really worth the gamble?
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday April 09 2018, @10:11AM
"Moss...scene one of the movie Carrie!"
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 09 2018, @10:36AM (1 child)
Thinking out loud here, actually. But, I don't think that they are selling knockoffs, or, fake drugs. I think they are selling legitimate drugs, outside of legitimate supply lines. Kinda like, you want an authentic AK-47. There is no legitimate, legal way for you to buy one (in the US), but you want the real thing. So, you go outside the legitimate gun dealers, and purchase under the table.
Of course, when you go outside the legitimate supply channels, you can purchase as much as you can afford, and take as much of your drug as you like. There is no medical supervision, no medical advice. The drugs are wide open for recreational use and abuse.
The price may or may not be significantly higher if you get a prescription, and have it filled at a pharmacy. But, theoretically at least, prescription drugs are less prone to abuse.
If my take on all of this is wrong, someone please enlighten me.
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Monday April 09 2018, @11:03AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 09 2018, @09:49AM (7 children)
So did Ethanol_fluid hurt his back, or something, and has been shadow-perma-ip-banned for opioid use? What is going on!!!!
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 09 2018, @10:17AM (2 children)
Hmmm, Ethanol_fueled inquiries are being persistently modded -1 offtopic. Is there some Letter from some agency that you can't tell us about, SoylentNews? Blink twice for "no", mod this offtopic for "yes".
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 09 2018, @10:43AM
Why don't you click on Ethanol's journal link, and learn all about Ethanol's angst? Ooops - apologies - his journal is no longer available. I suppose he deleted it, or maybe his ban removed it. Ehhh - discussion here - https://soylentnews.org/~archfeld/journal/3132 [soylentnews.org]
I don't think the NSA has censored our little drunk buddy - but you can't know for sure in this day and age.
Whatever, you were modded offtopic because you are off topic. Funny how that works, sometimes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 10 2018, @05:42AM
Whew! Never been so glad for a "redundant" mod! But, hey, wait a minute. . . !!!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Monday April 09 2018, @10:52AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 10 2018, @05:45AM
You intrigue me, FatPhil! Who do you think it is that you can thus identify?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 09 2018, @08:04PM (1 child)
I dunno, I always would mod him up because people troll mod him excessively.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday April 09 2018, @11:37PM
In his case I don't agree he was modded troll excessively at all, the racist crap was just low effort rubbish.
Maybe we need -1 Arsehole mod.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Monday April 09 2018, @11:14AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves